The 2026 SHOT Show® officially opens today, but a major event of SHOT Week® — the two-day Supplier Showcase — kicked off yesterday. More than 600 exhibitors welcomed hundreds of retail buyers and exhibiting manufacturers to the Palazzo Ballroom, Level 5 in The Venetian Expo.
A show-within-a-show, the Supplier Showcase is a dedicated event for suppliers to feature solutions for extrusion, fabric, machinery, metal, plastic, software, logistical support, tool needs and much more.
Early Impressions
Before the opening of the Supplier Showcase, a line of attendees queued up outside the Palazzo Ballroom ready to discover solutions for their businesses. Exhibitors shared their initial impressions.
“This is the floor you want to be on if you’re a manufacturer — all these firearm companies need good machine shops,” said Mike Dowell, president of AXEM. “It’s been good for traffic, and we’ve seen more quality over quantity — it’s been an excellent day.”
“It’s been a great start. A lot of movement, a lot of people and everybody’s in a good mood and positive spirit — I hope it continues all week,” observed Kellie Brunn, co-owner of Horizon Tech Industries.
“We’ve noticed a lot more decision makers coming through here. We might not be getting as many leads, but they’re solid leads,” said Patrick Kupczak, director of estimating and design for Jackson Spring & Mfg. Co. Inc.
“Interest so far has been similar to last year, which was a very good year for us,” noted David Allen, president of Square Stamping Mfg. Corp. “It’s funny, for most shows the busy day is the first day while the last day is slow, but it’s not the case here and we expect to have even more interest tomorrow.”
Year-Round Lead Generation
Connections made at the Supplier Showcase provide year-round business opportunities.
“This is a business where you need to have strong relationships with key players, so being here at the Supplier Showcase is definitely one of the few moments where you can meet everybody,” said Ingo Pawlak, sales director, Electro Chemical Machining (ECM) for EMAG. “We’ve sold a couple machines and have been in deep negotiations thanks to being at SHOT Show directly — we’ve made great contacts here.”
“We keep coming back because we always get some good leads and new customers,” said Shaun Ray, director of sales for Hydromat, a five-time Supplier Showcase exhibitor. “You never know when that next shop is going come around that’s big enough to use some of our equipment, so it’s good to keep coming back.”
“It’s a great way to gain exposure for our company and network,” said Laura Pena, sales representative for SB Specialty Metals. “We see a lot of colleagues, customers and people we know from around the industry.”
After hearing about the inaugural Supplier Showcase from fellow suppliers after the show, Jackson Spring & Mfg. Co. Inc. has exhibited at every one since 2018.
“For us, people are buying products that we deal with. This is such a nice show that’s geared to what we sell,” said Jeff Kolozsy, plant superintendent for Jackson Spring & Mfg. Co. Inc. “People come to our booth, see what we offer and they know what they want. That’s why it’s such a strong show for us.”
Black Rain Ordnance has a unique footprint at the Supplier Showcase, given its status as a full-line firearms manufacturer. 2026 marks the fourth year it is exhibiting in both The Venetian Expo and at the Supplier Showcase. Mark Knight, Black Rain Ordnance Cerakote manager, shared how contacts made during this week pay off throughout the year.
“Being a Supplier Showcase exhibitor has been quite good for us, we get a lot of hits each year — sometimes even three or four months after exhibiting we’ll get phone calls from contacts we made here,” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize we’re a full-line manufacturer and we can tell them to stop by our booth and see everything we make.”
Law Tanning, celebrating its 90th anniversary as a family-owned business (four generations), has seen great success sharing its custom leather solutions with Supplier Showcase attendees.
“Traffic has been great, we’ll come back with 40–50 solid leads as a result of exhibiting here,” he said.
In addition to providing materials solutions, Supplier Showcase exhibitors offer software services to amplify firearm industry businesses. Ron Ketterling, president of Easy Bound Book, has exhibited at every Supplier Showcase since it was added to SHOT Week.
“Being here gives us a good opportunity to meet our clients, and repeat showings enhance our credibility with attendees,” he stated.
Expectations for 2026?
Exhibitors shared their predictions for 2026 — with many having an optimistic outlook on business trends this year.
“We’re far busier than we were last year at this time; orders are a lot stronger,” Law observed. “We have a positive outlook for 2026 and into 2027. Things are looking up.”
“Improvement comes when times get tough. 2025 was a rough year, but the fruits of some of the things we’ve done will show up this next year,” Brunn said.
“There will be strong demand, due to global events,” Pawlak of EMAG predicts.
“It’s got to be better than last year, right? Our anticipation is it’s getting better. We’re seeing a turn and things are improving,” Ray said.
“In conversations with others, everyone is very optimistic about the year ahead. People are hopeful,” Pena added.
“If you’re looking for the next outlet of manufacturing, I would understand the demographics of buyers. The buyers have changed,” Dowell said. “Look at the data: Who is buying product in our industry? And how do you target those potential new buyers to grow? Let the data show who is doing it the best. It’s all about generations.”
Don’t Miss It
The Supplier Showcase concludes today, running from 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on Level 5 in The Venetian Expo. It’s easily accessible from The Venetian Expo Levels 1 and 2, with escalators located right outside the main convention hall. Don’t miss out on an opportunity that’s only possible at the SHOT Show: If you have needs to enhance manufacturing, retail sales or another aspect of your business, make sure you stop by the Supplier Showcase.
