“Sorry, we ran out of this jacket yesterday” Beretta’s Maria Rosa Muffolini says smilingly to an eager customer, the first of a line three deep and about twenty long. Foot traffic and enthusiasm was indeed higher than our brightest expectations at the annual NRA Show, held in Houston, TX between April 15 and 17. An estimated 60,000 attended the show, and the Beretta booth, located near the center of the exhibit hall, was always teeming with interested customers.
The reason behind our success was the result of good product, good display and good planning. “This year, we pioneered a slightly different format” says Randy Bimson, Customer Service Manager at Beretta USA. “Besides displaying our main firearm line, we brought a substantial selection of knives, accessories and clothing for sale on the spot. This format proved to be a winner, because families remained longer in the booth by virtue of our having both the right firearms and the right soft goods.” While hunters, collectors and outdoor enthusiasts kept our field reps and marketing managers busy with questions about our firearms, the sales counter at the end of the booth rang incessantly. “People seem determined to walk out of our booth owning something Beretta” explains Bimson.
This Show proved once again that Beretta is an important household name with US hunters and outdoors people. The NRA Show remains our premier consumer’s show, and we look forward to another success in 2006.