NSSF 2009 Summit Under Way in Florida

NSSF 2009 Summit Under Way in Florida
Follow the summit proceedings live online at NSSF.org and ESPNOutdoors.com thanks to Webcasting sponsorship from Davidson’s. NRANews is also on site providing updates from the summit.

National Shooting Sports Foundation
National Shooting Sports Foundation

STREAMING LIVE AT NSSF.ORG – -(AmmoLand.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s 2009 Shooting Sports Summit is under way in Weston, Fla. Over the next two days, more than 150 leaders from the firearms industry, shooting sports organizations and wildlife conservation groups are joining members of TaskForce 20/20 to take action in meeting an aggressive goal: to increase participation in hunting and the shooting sports by 20 percent over the next five years.

“Unity and action are the themes of this summit,” said NSSF President Steve Sanetti.

After opening remarks by Sanetti and summit facilitators Mike Callahan and Frank Briganti, the keynote speech is being delivered by Clyde Fessler, former vice president of business development for Harley Davidson who is credited with spearheading the re-branding of that company and broadening H-D’s appeal to younger generations. That success story should resonate with this audience who will be considering ways to attract more youth to participate in hunting and target shooting.

Following the Fessler speech, the summit kicks off with its first presentation — Youth Programs — one of five areas that attendees will focus on during the two days here. Three areas — Youth Programs, Recruitment and Retention/Reactivation–will be considered today, with two more — Access/Opportunity and Coordinating Efforts — tomorrow.

Each area has a strategic initiative and three to four “questions” that will be discussed in roundtable meetings. Each roundtable will generate suggested action plans that all attendees will have a chance to vote for through an electronic poll.

For Youth Programs, the strategic initiative is:
“Recruit new youth participants and retain (reactivate and develop) current youth participants by following the awareness-to-adoption process . . . by helping stakeholders develop a model for recruitment and retention efforts that link R&R programs . . . include youth and families . . . and that focuses on long-term hunter, shooter and archer development.”

For Recruitment, the strategic initiative is:
“To target the group most likely to respond to a marketing campaign. This will produce the most new hunters and shooters over five years in the most efficient manner. Research concludes the top target group is families of shooters and hunters.”

For Retention/Reactivation, the strategic initative is:
“To retain existing hunters and shooters; reengage lapsed hunters and shooters.”

For Access and Opportunity, the strategic initiative is:
“To improve access to quality hunting lands and shooting facilities to ensure that the increased demand generated through the efforts of other task force working groups (a 20% increase over the next 5 years) is met with commensurate increases in opportunity.”

For Coordination of Efforts, the strategic initiative is:
“Develop a plan for national coordination among federal and state agencies, conservation and shooting organizations, media, and industry partners to sustain and enhance hunting and the shooting sports.”

Tune in to the summit online at www.nssf.org.

About:
NSSF, founded in 1961, is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition and recreational shooting sports industry. It promotes the safe ownership and responsible use of products its members make and sell. For more information, visit www.nssf.org.