Attendees of the 2020 Hunting Retailer Show, held March 9-10 in Nashville, will have the opportunity to learn from a diverse group of industry-leading experts about topics that affect our industry.

Trying to sell more to women, but don’t know where to start other than filling your shelves with pink? Attend Whitney Johnson’s “Meeting the Needs of Your Female Customers” seminar at 8 a.m. on March 9. Whitney runs a hunting shop in central Ohio and has experience applying research on female consumers to our specific industry. You don’t just want to sell to women — you want to turn them into regular customers, and Whitney can tell you how.

Trademarks are nothing to mess around with, and Gary Lambert’s 9:30 a.m. session on March 9, titled “Trademark Law and Issues for Hunting Retailers,” will address trademarks, copyrights, patents and related litigation and how those topics relate to hunting retailers. If you run a retail website, Gary has some things you need to know about copyright law. He will also cover the steps retailers should take if they are the subject of trademark infringement or accused of infringing another’s trademark. As a retired Marine Corps Colonel, a registered hunting guide and a patent attorney, Gary is uniquely positioned to address these legal issues as they apply to hunting retailers.

What’s the shape of your consumer database — or do you even have one? At 11 a.m. on March 9, audience development and consumer engagement strategist Tim Glomb will explain how anyone, from the local outdoor shop owner to a global brand manager, can easily build, manage and engage their existing consumers to drive sales while also converting their competitors’ customers into their own. Tim will share real strategies and case studies from outdoor brands and dealerships to show you how to turn your marketing efforts into a sustainable database that delivers revenue for the long term — no matter your budget or staffing resources.

If you operate a gun store, then you know moving to a new Point of Sale (POS) system requires migrating regulated ATF data — including firearm descriptions, electronic bound book records, and sometimes, vendor/customer information and licensees. For many older companies, it might also mean sunsetting and applying for a new FFL. The “Migrating to an Integrated Point of Sale, eBound, eNICS and e4473 System” session with Jon Rydberg addresses basic through advanced level topics relating to this migration. As the CEO of the Gearfire family of outdoor companies and the founder of the largest regulated firearms consulting firm (Orchid Advisors), Jon is on the cutting edge of this subject and will fill you in on what you need to know.

It seems the social media companies have made it all but impossible for firearm-related brands to reach their own customers these days without spending money on ad campaigns — not that they are eager to accept your money, anyway. Collin Cottrell, a digital marketing professional in the outdoor industry, built one of the largest and most engaged social media followings in the hunting niche, and he’s here to help you with social media marketing tips, useful resources and practical tactics you can use to beat those darn algorithms and build an engaged tribe that wants to purchase hunting products. Attend Collin’s “Beat Social Media Algorithms by Building a Tribe” seminar at 8 a.m. on March 10.

How secure is your store, really? Take a free security risk self-assessment before the 2020 Hunting Retailer Show at www.operationsecurestore.org and bring your questions to the “Operation Secure Store” session at 9:30 on March 10. A secure store has an impact on profit, inventory management, personnel management, product on the shelf, social media, marketing, and more. William’s work as a security and ATF compliance consultant for the National Shooting Sports Foundation takes him to firearms dealers, ranges, distributors and manufacturers across the country every year, and he’ll help you understand how to make your store as secure as it should be.

Does your store or brand exhibit at consumer shows? Chris O’Hara’s “Marketing and Sales Strategies to Maximize Exhibiting at Consumer Shows” seminar at 11 a.m. on March 10 will cover traditional marketing, e-marketing and sales strategies that can result in a higher ROI. He’ll give you a look at the many ways retailers of any size can maximize the time and money they spend before, during and after a consumer outdoor show to help you create a strategy to create new and long-term customers. Having served as the show director of the largest consumer outdoor show in the world — the Eastern Sports & Outdoors Show — and having worked on the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Chris is a true expert on all aspects of the consumer outdoor show business.

We’re in the middle of a new revolution of class A manufacturing principles being widely adopted throughout the firearms industry, leading to better quality products, fewer changes after product launch, and consistent production year over year. This means fewer returns and warranty claims, lower costs, higher margins and consistency in product quality. In “The Rise of World Class Manufacturing in the Firearms and Munitions Industry” at 1:30 p.m. on March 10, Nathan Dudney will explore this engineering boom. Nathan has spent nine years working with manufacturers across a variety of roles, including product management, sales and marketing, program management, manufacturing and business management.

While you’re bound to be busy walking the show floor and doing business, take some time to slow down and attend a couple of the free seminars while you’re at the Hunting Retailer Show. With so many topics and experts on hand, you’re sure to find something that can help you better your business.

For more information on the Hunting Retailer Show Educational Program and Networking Opportunities, call (866) 933-2653 or email info@huntingretailershow.com.