As a buyer, your decision to attend the SHOT Show® immediately places you ahead of the competition. During SHOT Week, you’ll have the ability to connect with more than 2,700 exhibitors and thousands of like-minded attendees, along with participating in numerous education opportunities and networking events.
Yes, attending a trade show for multiple days represents a significant investment — but it doesn’t have to break the bank. We’ve identified several ways you can take a budget-conscious approach to maximize the value of your stay at the 2026 SHOT Show. Here are some travel tips for you to consider. (Want more budget-saving tips? Bookmark shotshow.org/blog for additional insights — more content will be arriving soon for lodging, entertainment and dining on a budget.)
Getting to Las Vegas
With less than 90 days until the opening morning of the SHOT Show, time is of the essence — get your flights booked as soon as possible. (The same goes for your accommodations!)
When it comes to airfare, there is no single “tried and true” method for saving, but the sheer convenience of flying to Las Vegas (around 500 flights daily) provides ample opportunity to do so. Several low-cost budget carriers — including Allegiant, Spirit, Frontier and Southwest — have expansive networks that fly direct to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). These carriers maintain a robust presence in secondary airports, giving buyers outside metropolitan areas significant cost-saving potential.
Another strategy to consider is booking one-way tickets on different airlines, which can sometimes result in lower overall fares. Traveling midweek represents an additional way to save, but the trade-off, of course, is this would mean less time at the show.
European-based buyers have a new, convenient way to travel to Las Vegas. After a successful trial run earlier this year for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Air France is once again offering limited direct service from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to LAS throughout January (dates include the 2026 SHOT Show).
For attendees based in Southern California, Utah and Arizona, driving represents a potential cost-savings option. (The flexibility of having a car gives the driver the opportunity to stock up on the week’s essentials outside of the Strip, which brings significant savings.)
Once in Las Vegas
For attendees flying to Las Vegas, the airport is nestled just minutes from the Strip — and, conveniently, The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum. For those arriving during off-peak hours, ride-sharing apps (such as Uber and Lyft) represent cost-effective options. One drawback of these services is they tend to result in longer wait times and can be impacted by surge pricing. It would be to your benefit to have both apps installed on your smartphone ahead of time, so you can look at live prices from both sources before choosing the more economical alternative.
Taxis are readily available at the airport and throughout Vegas, but higher fares come with the convenience. However, if it’s a considerably busy time and variable pricing for ride-share services is in effect, taxis represent a reasonable option.
For those electing to rent a car — which could be useful for those booking a short-term rental option off the Strip — it’s best to lock in rates as soon as travel is booked. January is a busy month for trade shows in Las Vegas (CES attracted more than 140,000 attendees in 2025). During SHOT week, specifically, World of Concrete and the International Roofing Expo are taking place concurrently — and the rental car companies know it. Therefore, book early and lock in a better rate. (Free parking in or near The Venetian Expo is becoming harder to find, so an additional cost consideration.)
Getting to the Show
For those attendees not staying at The Venetian/Palazzo and nearby hotels like Treasure Island, Harrah’s and the LINQ Hotel, there are both discounted and free options for getting to The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum each morning.
One is the Las Vegas Monorail for SHOT Show attendees staying along the Strip. As a SHOT Show attendee, take advantage of an exclusive discount and add an unlimited Monorail ticket during the registration process. If you take advantage of this offer, you can then use your SHOT Show badge — which has your Monorail ticket embedded in the badge’s QR code — to scan in at the faregate and access the Monorail. You’ll then have unlimited access to ride for the length of time valid based on the pass type you purchased.
The Monorail has seven stops, with stations located at the Sahara, Westgate Resort (near Fontainebleau, Circus Circus and Resorts World), Las Vegas Convention Center, Harrah’s/Linq (just steps from Caesars Forum), Flamingo/Caesars Palace and Horseshoe/Paris. The Monorail runs from 7:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m. Monday, 7:00 a.m.–2:00 a.m. Tuesday–Thursday and 7:00 a.m.–3:00 a.m. Friday–Sunday. Trains run every 4–8 minutes (sometimes as frequent as 5–6 minutes), depending on the time of day and day of the week.
Another resource — free — is the shuttle bus service, sponsored by EAA Corp. Four routes serve 11 hotels, bringing guests to The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum every 25–30 minutes from 7:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. and back each afternoon/evening. Seating is limited, and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. This is where the convenience of taxis and ride-sharing apps can work to your advantage — and you can expect surge pricing in the mornings.
A “Can’t-Miss” Event
The SHOT Show is a “can’t-miss” event — serving as a launchpad to jumpstart business success in the new year. Attending the show for multiple days represents a substantial investment, but there are plenty of other ways to stretch your budget throughout the week.
To help you further experience SHOT Show on a budget, look out for additional articles covering lodging, entertainment and dining.
