Please exercise extreme caution! Read these alerts very carefully
Book in the official SHOT Show block!!! Don't be scammed by third party housing companies!!
Please be advised that The Venetian and The Palazzo Hotels are the only headquarters hotels for the 2013 SHOT Show. To make reservations, please contact the hotels directly by dialing toll free 866.587.4708 or for international customers 702-414-4100. You can also book your hotel online here.
If you choose to stay at other official show hotels, please be aware that onPeak is the SHOT Show's ONLY official hotel and travel partner. Please beware of other companies soliciting hotel room "deals" over the dates of the 2013 SHOT Show. No one can undersell onPeak on room rate prices. We had several reports of companies losing significant money during the 2010 SHOT Show by dealing with unofficial third party housing companies. These companies may contact you stating they can offer better rates; however the accommodation requests were never sent nor were any deposit payments given to the hotel. If you deal with the official housing partner you are guaranteed the lowest rates with out risk. If you are offered a lower rate, please stop and contact onPeak at 800-388-8104or for international customers 312-527-7300 (8am - 5pm central standard time). Offers that are too good to be true most likely are not true. Please do not get taken advantage of by third party housing companies.
View our housing link.
The SHOT Show, in partnership with onPeak (formally theTravel Technology Group), are committed to providing you with the best travel deals around. onPeak is the official travel provider for the SHOT Show.
Don't be fooled by offers from other parties using the the SHOT Show name – they are NOT affiliated with Reed Exhibitions or the SHOT Show. Remember, if the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. At the very least, prior to booking with a party other than onPeak, please check the prospective vendor's rating at www.bbb.org.
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FAIRGuide Strikes Again
Exhibitors and attendees of the 2013 SHOT Show should be especially cautious if they receive mail inviting them to update their company listings in certain international on-line or print trade directories. We are aware of at least two directory publishers— Construct Data Verlag AG of Slovakia (formerly of Austria), which produces FAIRGuide, and Commercial Online Manuals of Mexico, which produces Expo-Guide— who are seeking to take advantage of unsuspecting businesses that may still be cleaning the dust off their shoes from the recent show. The directory solicitations appear harmless asking companies simply to update their information (which supposedly already exists in the directories and has been published for free). However, upon closer examination of the fine print, listings in the directories are far from "FREE." By signing and returning the solicitation form with or without updating business information, companies will actually be entering into a three-year, irrevocable agreement that automatically renews and will require them to pay a significant amount of money with no foreseeable benefits. As the owner and sponsor of the SHOT Show, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, itself has been targeted by these deceptive and misleading trade show directory scams.
The SHOT Show has no relationship with the FAIRGuide, Expo-Guide or any of their other branded directories, and they are not authorized to use the "SHOT Show" name and registered trademarks on information they send to show exhibitors and attendees. There is reason to believe that the FAIRGuide and Expo-Guide and their other branded directories are part of a larger international syndicate composed of multiple trade show directory publishers all operated by the same conspirators. We strongly warn exhibitors and attendees to exercise extreme caution if they receive solicitations from Construct Data Verlag AG, Commercial Online Manuals or any other suspicious third-party offers in order to avoid unwarranted and/or unnecessary legal and financial commitments. Show exhibitors or attendees who may have fallen prey to any of these trade show directory scams are encouraged to contact NSSF's legal department at 203-426-1320 or jyue@nssf.org.
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Expo-Guide Scammers Have Relocated to Slovakia.
Exhibitors be aware that he same Fair Guide/Expo Guide scammers have relocated to Slovakia. If you have fallen victim the scammers please refer to the website www.stopecg.org , which provides some guidance for any exhibitors who fall prey. The website was set up originally to deal with the European City Guides and Construct Data Verlag scam, but it now addresses several other similar scams and its advice. Further, if a victim has paid using a credit card, they should contact their credit card provider and ask for the charge to be reversed.
Visit our travel page
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The SHOT Show Does Not Support the Fair Guide!
SHOT Show organizers have again learned that the company Construct Data Publishers Verlag AG is using the SHOT Show name and trademark to solicit show exhibitors. Construct Data sends exhibitors a form inviting them to sign up for a listing in its online directory FAIR Guide. The solicitation does not provide any information about Construct Data, that the FAIR Guide is owned by it, or how exhibitors ended up in Construct Data's directory. Rather, exhibitors are misled into believing that the solicitation is associated with the SHOT Show– it is NOT! Furthermore, exhibitors can easily be tricked into placing a directory listing in the FAIR Guide believing it in all cases will be "FREE." However, by signing the form exhibitors will actually be entering into a three-year, irrevocable agreement requiring them to pay a significant amount of money with no foreseeable benefits.
THE SHOT SHOW DOES NOT SUPPORT THE FAIR GUIDE! Construct Data and its directory FAIR Guide are not associated with, or endorsed by, SHOT Show organizers. Furthermore, Construct Data's use of the SHOT Show name and trademark in its solicitations is unauthorized.
Sources report that Construct Data has been the object of on-going investigations by international law enforcement and government agencies. Furthermore, numerous associations and other trade show owners have filed complaints and lawsuits against Construct Data in the United States and abroad for its fraudulent and misleading business practices. Shot Show organizers have contacted Construct Data directly demanding that it stop targeting SHOT Show exhibitors with its solicitations. Show organizers have also alerted state and federal authorities in the US to look into this matter. In the meantime, the SHOT Show strongly warns exhibitors to exercise extreme caution with respect to Construct Data's solicitations and any other suspicious third-party offers in order to avoid unwarranted and/or unnecessary financial commitments.
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Expo-Guide is on the Prowl for Unsuspecting Show Exhibitors
SHOT Show organizers have learned of a new scam running out of Mexico that is targeting show exhibitors by using the SHOT Show name and trademark. The company Commercial Online Manuals is sending solicitations to show exhibitors to advertise in its Expo-Guide. The scam is almost identical to the FAIR Guide operated by Construct Data Publishers Verlag AG and is intent on misleading show exhibitors into believing that the solicitation is associated with the SHOT Show - it is NOT! Furthermore, exhibitors can easily be tricked into placing a directory listing in the Expo-Guide believing it in all cases will be "FREE." However, by signing the form exhibitors will actually be entering into a three-year, irrevocable agreement requiring them to pay a significant amount of money with no foreseeable benefits.
THE SHOT SHOW DOES NOT SUPPORT THE EXPO-GUIDE! Commercial Online Manuals and its directory Expo-Guide are not associated with, or endorsed by, SHOT Show organizers. Furthermore, the use of the SHOT Show name and trademark by Commercial Online Manuals in its solicitations is unauthorized.
SHOT Show organizers have contacted Commercial Online Manuals directly demanding that it stop targeting SHOT Show exhibitors with its solicitations. Show organizers have also alerted state and federal authorities in the U.S. to look into this matter. In the meantime, the SHOT Show strongly warns exhibitors to exercise extreme caution with respect to solicitations by Commercial Online Manuals and any other suspicious third-party offers in order to avoid unwarranted and/or unnecessary financial commitments.
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Unlicensed Export Of "Technical Data" On Firearms And Ammunition Is Illegal
Exhibitors of firearm and ammunition products should be aware that under federal law -- the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) -- it is unlawful and illegal to "export" without a U.S. State Department-issued license any "defense article" on the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which includes firearms and ammunition products (except non-combat shotguns and shot shells). See e.g. ITAR Section 121.1 Categories I to III. The unlicensed "export" of "technical data" for firearms and ammunition products is also unlawful and illegal. An unlicensed "export" can occur within the United States if "technical data" is disclosed (including orally or visually) or transferred to a "foreign person" (meaning any natural person not a lawful permanent resident of the United States, i.e. "green card" holder, persons granted asylum in the United States, any foreign corporation, business association, partnership, trust, society, or any other entity or group that is not incorporated or organized to do business in the United States, any foreign government or agency or subdivision thereof). Please be advised that foreign persons are present at the SHOT Show both as exhibitors and attendees.
"Technical data" is defined as information required for the design, development, production, manufacture, assembly, operation, repair, testing, maintenance or modification of firearms and ammunition products, and includes information in the form of blueprints, drawings, photographs, plans, instructions or documentation. See ITAR Section 120.10. Excluded from the definition is information concerning general scientific, mathematical or engineering principles commonly taught in schools, or information in the "public domain," which is itself a defined term narrowly interpreted by the State Department. Importantly, for purposes of the SHOT Show, basic marketing information on function or purpose or general product descriptions are not considered "technical data."
The civil and criminal penalties for violations of the AECA and ITAR are substantial. You may wish to review your marketing and promotional materials you plan to use at the SHOT Show to be sure that it does not contain "technical data" that might be unlawfully and illegally disclosed or transferred (exported) to a foreign person. If you have any questions you should consult with an attorney.
The other products on display at the SHOT Show, particularly in the law enforcement section, might be "defense articles" listed in the USML. Exhibitors are encouraged to review the USML to determine whether the AECA and ITAR apply to their products. Neither the National Shooting Sports Foundation, nor Reed Exhibitions, a division of Reed Elsevier, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the AECA or ITAR, which is the sole responsibility of the exhibitor and attendees.
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SHOT Show, NSSF and Reed Exhibitions are not affiliated with the "Registry of World Business"
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events warns exhibitors of The World Business Guide, a product of International Directories Group, Ltd. of Madrid, Spain. The company invites businesses to list themselves in its database. The form used to gather contact information says in part, "(Updating is Free of Charge)" in boldface type.
However, embedded in a lengthy paragraph labeled "Order" - in very small type - is a binding three-year agreement that automatically renews every year for another year at a cost of € 995 (about $1,455). Dating and signing the Data Control form will bind you to the agreement.
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Warning: Solicitations From Unofficial Contractors
The SHOT Show warns exhibitors to exercise caution when dealing with or responding to solicitations from unofficial contractors offering services for the show.
Each year in the months just prior to the SHOT Show, unofficial contractors target show exhibitors with email and faxes in attempt to solicit orders for show services (i.e., carpet, advertising, shipping, etc.). Some of these solicitations may bear the SHOT Show name and logo with the intent of confusing or misleading exhibitors into thinking that the contractors sending them are associated with the SHOT Show. Exhibitors should report misleading or deceptive solicitations they may receive from unofficial contractors to SHOT Show Management.
The SHOT Show maintains a list of Official SHOT Show Vendors. Exhibitors are not required to use Official SHOT Show Vendors, but please be aware that outside contractors must be approved by the show and may require exhibitors to pay additional costs. Exhibitors may also incur other financial obligations in the event their designated contractors fail to perform.
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SHOT Show, NSSF and Reed Exhibitions are not affiliated with the "Registry of World Business"
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events warns exhibitors of The World Business Guide, a product of International Directories Group, Ltd. of Madrid, Spain. The company invites businesses to list themselves in its database. The form used to gather contact information says in part, "(Updating is Free of Charge)" in boldface type.
However, embedded in a lengthy paragraph labeled "Order" - in very small type - is a binding three-year agreement that automatically renews every year for another year at a cost of € 995 (about $1,455). Dating and signing the Data Control form will bind you to the agreement.
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