1 Inch to 100 Yards Warrior Conference; Reno, Nevada
Wes Doss of Khyber Interactive has run several Warrior Conferences, beginning in 2007. The latest event was by far the largest and most ambitious. It featured a large exhibitor area, a banquet and, of course, a diverse collection of training opportunities. Exhibitors included US Palm, Blackhawk, XS Sights, Victory Defense Consulting and OM Tactical and covered products ranging from knives to training dummies to clothing.
The course offerings were among the most diverse I’ve seen at a conference, spanning from Dr. Robert Smith’s early morning fitness session on day 2 through Close Protection Services K9 operations block to the expected live fire sessions at the range. While the exhibitor area and classroom sessions took place at the Grand Sierra Resort Casino, Range Support and services were provided John Chapman and his team at Last Man Standing’s Combat Development Center about 30 minutes away.
Wes is one of the most connected veterans in the training industry and he has been able to recruit a diverse group of instructors and professionals to attend his events and ensure that all attendees have had a high quality experience.
Rangemaster Tactical Conference; Tulsa, OK
The Rangemaster Tactical Conference is organized and operated by Tom Givens’ crack staff and volunteers. Tom has been in the training business for a long time and he’s been running this event (formerly known as the “Polite Society” Conference) for many years. 2010 was the second year for the event to be located at the outstanding US Shooting Academy Facility just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Rangemaster Conference is probably the best run event that I attend every year. Tom recruits some of the most established names in the industry (Massod Ayood, Marty Hayes and John Farnham have been regulars for years) and offers his attendees, many of whom attend annually, a predictably high quality experience.
The Rangemaster event offers a shooting competition that goes on in the background of the training conference, but is clearly the highlight of the event for some attendees. That said, the event is so well organized, that the games don’t interfere with the training.
Tom’s event does not feature much in the way of vendors, though some participants and attending instructors have products on display or available for use during training sessions.
One of the highlights of this year’s event was a closed door session of professional exchange amongst the attending instructors on the topic of the proper use and value of Force-on-Force Training. The discussion, which was moderated by Craig Douglas, took place during the dinner that Tom throws every year to thank the participating instructors and exemplified the spirit of peer review and development that these conferences engender.
Northeast Shooters’ Summit; Nashua, NH
The NE Shooter’s event is perhaps the most casual event that I am aware of that truly draws instructors from around the country. Jim Conway and Mike Nastek decided to invite a handful of instructors to participate in the first conference as a way of introducing more people in New England to the opportunities to train with instructors that they hosted for full courses throughout the year. The conference, which is very affordably priced, offers people the opportunity to train with 4 or 5 instructors over the course of a day or two and to meet like-minded people in their region.
The Summit is all about training. No banquet, no vendor area and a tight schedule that, this year, featured live fire sessions, unarmed training, a presentation on interacting with law enforcement after a defensive shooting, a tactical medicine lecture and more.
New York Law Enforcement Expo; Manhattan, NY
The NYLE Expo, organized by Kelly Simon and her team of trade show experts, is a unique in this list on events in that it is not open to the public and does not feature any live fire sessions. In fact, the expo is set up more as a trade show than any other event listed and has a very small list of instructors who are invited to give presentations or, occasionally, unarmed training courses.
The biggest draw for law enforcement, military or professional security personnel who attend this conference might be the opportunity to speak with the vendors about products and get specific product demonstrations. In fact, The NYLE Expo is unique in regard to some of the products on display, including firearms, which are not part of any other event or show in Manhattan.
The opportunity to meet with armed professionals from New York City and the surrounding region and for those officers to interact with one another in an environment of professional exchange is another key reason for many of us to attend this event.
MBTV
Forum Index
Help
Calendar
Contact Info
Register as a member
