All roads lead to Sydney for the next blockbuster SSAA SHOT Expo in 2020. With the dust only just settled on the two-day extravaganza at Melbourne Showgrounds, organisers are already planning the next instalment at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on June 20-21.
Judging by the feedback from visitors and exhibitors in Melbourne the format is going down well, so it will be Sydney’s turn to put its twist on a winning formula that has developed into one of the showcase events on the SSAA calendar and a real crowd-pleaser with shooting followers and outdoor enthusiasts.
The thousands who flocked to the Melbourne stalls, demonstrations and exhibitions included healthy numbers of family groups which is becoming a regular feature of these events. This is undoubtedly a pleasing aspect for SSAA National President Geoff Jones who feels that’s the way forward with the shooting sports upholding such wholesome and endearing values.
“On the Sunday in Melbourne in particular there were lots of family groups,” he said. “The kids certainly enjoyed themselves with such things as face painting and jumping castles. It was great to see and goes to show what a family-orientated sport ours is.”
But those in charge will not be resting on their laurels as the Sydney Expo takes shape. “We’ll be setting up a meeting with the New South Wales SSAA people as soon as we get the wash-up from Melbourne out of the way,” said Geoff. “You suddenly realise Christmas is just around the corner so we need to get the ball rolling now.”
So what can visitors expect at Sydney? More of the same but even better, according to Geoff. “The improved format has been an outstanding success,” he said. “We can feed into the fact that exhibitors were delighted with how Melbourne panned out. Promoter Michael Allendorf and his team at Level Up Events did an outstanding job – it was so much slicker so we expect an unprecedented number of exhibitors to be lined up for Sydney. A measure of the success is the satisfaction of exhibitors.”
Geoff’s thoughts were echoed by Jai Rowell, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of SSAA NSW. Jai has been in the senior post since December 2018 so next June’s showpiece will be his first taste of being part of the backroom coordinators. “We’re really excited New South Wales will be hosting the next SHOT Expo. For me it will be my first as CEO.
“Some of the New South Wales team went with me to the Melbourne event and it was a fantastic experience. We want to make the Sydney show even bigger and better.”
Jai is looking forward to pushing ahead from an organisational perspective. “The next step is setting an agreement in place with the promoters which is already happening, then the State and National offices will liaise to put on a fantastic show.”
It’s early days but already the 2020 SSAA Sydney SHOT Expo looks like a winning ticket.