The expo, which was previously called the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, occurred annually from 1955 until 2012. In 2013 there was no show, which was reported to be a $80 million loss to the local economy. In 2014 the show saw a re-branding when it returned and looking for a sponsor saw a multimillion-dollar deal with the National Rifle Association.[7]
History
The show replaced a similar event called the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show which had been held annually in the same location since 1955.[8] That first year 25 vendors participated[9] with an estimated one to two thousand attended a two-day expo. By 1960 over 150 vendors with an attendance of 20,000 visitors were recorded.[9] During this time the outdoor show was the largest in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the Northeast United States. The show reached its 100,000 visitors mark at the 1981 show.[10][11] The 2010 show included more than 1,000 hunting and fishing related vendors and over 500 outfitters from around the world. In January 2013 the shows promoter Reed Exhibitions announced that semi-automatic rifles would not be on display or for sale.[12] They also added companies who specialized in semi-automatic firearms would be banned from the show due to the influx in school shootings in the United States in the last five years.[13][14] This caused hundreds of other vendors and retailers to pull out of the show. Reed Exhibitions cancelled the show in late January 2013.[15][13][16]
For 2014, the National Rifle Association (NRA) picked up where the previous show collapsed, and sponsored the newly renamed Great American Outdoor Show, touting it as bigger and better than before.[17][16] The show saw a record crowd of over 250,000 at the 2015 show, this being an estimation: NRA members[who?] have said the attendance may have been as much as 325,000.[18]
The show went on hiatus for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned in 2022. In 2024, former President Donald Trump was the keynote speaker for the show.[19]
Show operations
Notable speakers, presenters, guests
Phil Robertson was a keynote speaker during the 2019 show
The following people made appearances at the GAOS:[20]
