The show was held over the weekend 6th & 7th May at the Yorkshire Show Ground, Harrogate. (Home of the Great Yorkshire Show) The weather couldn’t have been better & the venue more fitting for an indoor & outdoor specialist shooting show. The Uk’s & region’s leading manufacturers, distributors & retailers all saw the potential of this specialist show held in a more Northerly location at a different time of year and they weren’t disappointed. The consensus was one of excitement, the venue and the quality of the event along with the 15,000 visitors that turned up to this inaugural event were all key ingredients to the show’s success.
Preparations are now well under way for next year’s show (Sat 6th & Sun 7th May) as the majority of exhibitors confirmed their place straight away after the show. Some of the other leading names in the industry have confirmed their attendance due to such positive feedback & specially with the introduction of a NEW 4,800sq m £12m exhibition hall which is now open for next year’s show. Indoor space is virtually full & organisers are now working on outside areas.
The venue could not be more fitting for the format of the show, it boasts over 250 acres of outdoor space, perfect for outdoor interactive areas. Building on last years show & more emphasis on getting new blood into the sport by having all disciplines were represented in equal measure with a strong influence on have a go through our outdoor interactive area’s.
Show Organiser said: “The first show couldn’t of gone any better, we had 50% more visitors turn up than anticipated, the knock on effect is traders are happy and re-booked, visitors have walked away surprised about how good the show was & only for £9 advanced ticket entry, being a small industry the positive word of mouth we have had will make sure we have around 20,000 we have had ha in so we can concentrate on the detail on making next year’s show even better, which has already grown by a third.
On May the 7th and 8th of next year, the organisers of The Northern Shooting Show will be providing a refreshing alternative to the existing corporate-style shooting shows and game fairs. The show will be at the Yorkshire Event Centre, a beautiful site near Harrogate, the venue offers easy access from the A1,M1/M62 crossroads coined as ‘gateway to the North’ The show will have the feel of an intimate gathering of like-minded individuals; no matter what their core interests and visitors will feel like they are popping by for a chat with those who share their passions.
The price of admission is deliberately being kept to an affordable level - £9 adult ‘early bird’ ticket with priority car parking right by a main entrance or £12 ‘on the day’ This has been priced so that more people feel they can attend an with them, to enjoy the day together and spend their hard earned cash and pocket money on guns and shooting equipment.
Even though the venue has a huge potential capacity, the feel will be of inter-linking ‘villages’, as opposed to a teaming metropolis, where companies of a similar ethos can be seen together in one area. The Northern Shooting Show hopes to cater for the long-term shooter, as well as those just embarking on a lifelong passion for all things that go bang and land a projectile on target. From youngsters trying out airgun shooting for the first time on the ‘have a go’ ranges, to the seasoned ‘Shot’ who’s spent a lifetime looking skywards for a grouse, pigeon or pheasant to come with range.