No. Payment is not required when you submit your vendor registration.

All vendor registrations are reviewed for accuracy and approved by the OTOA Vendor Show Director before an invoice is processed.

Once approved, the invoice is sent to the individual identified during registration as the company’s billing contact.

Vendor registrations are generally reviewed within 48 hours after the online registration is completed.

Once approved, your registration will move forward for invoicing and your company may be added to the registered vendor listing.

Invoicing for registered vendor companies will begin March 1, 2027 and will continue through the start of the conference in June.

The invoice will be sent to the billing contact listed during vendor registration.

Yes. Vendor invoices may be paid by credit card.

If you would like to pay your invoice by credit card, contact the OTOA office at office@otoa.org.

OTOA will convert your invoice to a credit-card payment invoice and provide the appropriate payment option.

No. Completing the online registration does not guarantee exhibition space.

OTOA does not charge a separate cancellation fee or penalty for cancelling a 2027 Vendor Exhibition registration.

However, refund eligibility is based on the date OTOA receives the cancellation. Please review the Exhibition Space Cancellation Policy below for applicable refund deadlines.

The following cancellation policy applies to 2027 Vendor Exhibition space:

Questions regarding a cancellation may be directed to the OTOA office at office@otoa.org or (216) 701-6171.

No. Vendor Exhibition pricing remains unchanged for 2027.

Yes. All exhibitors are required to provide a current Certificate of Insurance (COI) as part of their conference participation requirements.

Requiring a Certificate of Insurance is a standard insurance and risk-management requirement for exhibitors participating in trade shows, conferences, and similar events.

You do not need to upload your COI while completing the initial vendor registration.

After registration, the COI requirement will appear as an action item on your OTOA user dashboard.

• Submit the COI at least 30 days before the event
• General Liability: minimum $500,000 per occurrence
• OTOA must be named as Additional Insured
• A Waiver of Subrogation in favor of OTOA must be included
• Automobile Liability for vehicle displays: minimum $300,000 per occurrence
• Workers’ Compensation is required if your company has employees
• Insurance coverage must be active during the conference dates
• COIs may be uploaded as a PDF, JPG, or PNG

Upload your Certificate of Insurance through your OTOA user dashboard.

Log in at: otoa.org/login

Uploading the COI through your dashboard helps ensure that the document is properly associated with your company’s exhibitor registration.

Contact the OTOA office:

Email: office@otoa.org
Phone: (216) 701-6171

OTOA expects 1,800+ attendees at the 2027 Tactical Operations & Public Safety Conference.

Yes. The 2027 Vendor Exhibition takes place on Tuesday, June 15, 2027.

The Vendor Exhibition is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Monday, June 14 setup times vary by exhibition area:

• Kilimanjaro Sponsors Ballroom: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
• River Rooms & West Pathway: 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM
• Kalahari Ballroom: 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Additional setup for all exhibition areas is available Tuesday, June 15 from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM.

No. Booth placement is coordinated by the OTOA exhibitor team.

Booth numbers are assigned after payment is received.

Questions regarding booth placement may be directed to Terry Graham at terry.graham@otoa.org or 419-656-0440.

• 8' skirted table
• Pipe and drape
• Two chairs
• Wastebasket
• Carpet
• Wi-Fi
• Box lunches with bottled water
• Minimum of two exhibitor badges

Yes. Additional exhibitor badges are $60 each and include a box lunch.

Yes. Every attendee badge includes a QR code that exhibitors may scan for lead generation.

Exhibitors may create a free OTOA account or log in to their existing account to use the badge-scanning functionality.

Watch the badge-scanning instructional video here: Badge-Scanning Video.

OTOA uses Smith Expo for exhibitor shipping and booth-service support.

Smith Expo provides exhibitor service information, shipping instructions, furniture ordering information, and related show services for OTOA exhibitors.

Vendors should review the official shipping information before sending any booth materials to the conference.

View Smith Expo Shipping Information

Vendor Exhibition booth materials, displays, literature, equipment, and other exhibitor freight should be shipped according to the instructions provided through Smith Expo.

The OTOA shipping page provides access to Smith Expo exhibitor resources and shipping information:

Shipping to Kalahari Convention Center / Smith Expo Information

If you are shipping products specifically for the New Product Showcase, review the designated Vendor Showcase shipping instructions because those instructions may differ from standard Vendor Exhibition booth freight.

No. Exhibitors are responsible for booking and paying for their own lodging.

OTOA provides conference lodging options and booking information for exhibitors attending the conference.

View Conference Lodging Options

Vendor Live-Fire is scheduled for Monday, June 14, 2027 at the Erie County Conservation Club.

Exhibitor Setup: 3:00 PM
Live-Fire Demonstrations: 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
BBQ Dinner: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Erie County Conservation Club
815 Mason Road
East Milan, Ohio 44846

A Live-Fire Demo Space is $800.

No.

A company wishing to conduct an actual Live-Fire demonstration must separately register for a Live-Fire Demo Space — $800.

Yes.

• No green tip ammunition
• No armor-piercing ammunition
• No Cor-Bon ammunition
• No steel-core ammunition
• No full-auto demonstrations

All ammunition is subject to inspection by OTOA range safety personnel.

Rifle suppressors must be properly secured and are subject to inspection.

The New Product Showcase is $250.

The New Product Showcase provides product exposure during several high-traffic conference periods:

• Sunday, June 13, 2027: Display and attendee check-in exposure beginning at 4:00 PM
• Monday, June 14, 2027: All-day General Session exposure
• Monday Evening: Hospitality Meet & Greet exposure

Showcase products are returned to the company representative on Tuesday, June 15, 2027 before the Vendor Exhibition.

Approved non-firearm products may be shipped according to the designated Vendor Showcase shipping instructions or may be hand-carried to the conference.

Do not assume that Vendor Exhibition booth-freight instructions are the same as Vendor Showcase shipping instructions.

No. Firearms and ATF-regulated items must not be shipped to Smith Expo or OTOA.

Exhibitors must personally bring any firearm or ATF-regulated display item.

No. Active propellants, explosive materials, combustible materials, and volatile materials are prohibited.

Only approved inert samples may be displayed.

RIP-IT is an attendee-engagement and door-prize program designed to help drive traffic to participating vendor booths.

Participating exhibitor booths receive a custom acrylic QR-code stand. Attendees scan QR codes while visiting participating exhibitors.

Participating exhibitors provide a door-prize item at their booth on Tuesday.

OTOA staff will collect the prize from participating booths during the Vendor Exhibition.

Prizes are awarded during Tuesday evening hospitality after dinner.

RIP-IT is expected to begin at approximately 6:00 PM.

Tuesday evening hospitality begins at approximately 5:00 PM at the Kalahari Convention Center.

RIP-IT follows dinner at approximately 6:00 PM.

Yes. The Sponsor an Officer program is $500.

The sponsorship covers one officer’s full week of conference training.

Sponsor an Officer must be added during vendor registration.

Yes. Current hospitality sponsorship opportunities include:

• Keg Sponsor — $500
• Coffee Station Sponsor — $500

Coffee Station sponsorship provides visibility during the Monday General Session and during the morning hours of the Tuesday Vendor Exhibition.

This is an additional promotional benefit provided to eligible 2027 OTOA conference sponsors.

Depending on sponsorship level, OTOA may provide your company with social media Sponsor Spotlight features, sponsor logo recognition, conference signage, digital screen recognition, and video-loop exposure during the conference.

The amount and prominence of recognition increases with the sponsorship level selected.

Gold, Platinum, Corporate, Premier Corporate, and Title Sponsors receive additional Sponsor Recognition & Visibility Benefits.

Basic, Bronze, and Silver receive website and booth identification only and do not receive the additional recognition benefits described in this section.

Eligible sponsors should be prepared to provide the following approved company assets:

• Company Logo — Your current approved logo in the highest-resolution format available.
• Sponsor Spotlight Images — One (1) to three (3) approved images. At least one image is required.
• Final Sponsor Video — Only for sponsorship levels that include digital video recognition.

No. OTOA creates the Sponsor Spotlight graphics in a consistent conference-branded format using the approved logo and images supplied by your company.

OTOA may crop or resize submitted images and apply conference branding as needed. OTOA does not materially change your company logo, products, or approved claims.

Please submit clean, approved, high-quality source files that OTOA can use to create your Sponsor Spotlight materials.

• Company Logo: PNG, JPG/JPEG, SVG, or PDF
• Sponsor Spotlight Images: PNG or JPG/JPEG
• Submit the highest-resolution files available.
• A transparent-background logo is preferred when available.
• Avoid screenshots or low-resolution copies taken from a website.

You do not need to submit a finished social media graphic. OTOA will create the final Sponsor Spotlight artwork.

Digital video recognition is included with the following sponsorship levels:

• Platinum
• Corporate
• Premier Corporate
• Title Sponsor

Gold Sponsors receive Sponsor Spotlight and other eligible recognition benefits but do not receive the video-loop benefit.

Sponsors whose level includes digital video recognition should submit a final completed video using the following specifications:

• Landscape 16:9
• 1920 × 1080 resolution
• MP4 format
• H.264 codec
• Audio is not required; silent video is acceptable
• Recommended maximum duration: 30–60 seconds

After registration, eligible sponsors will use the Sponsor Assets pod on their OTOA Vendor Dashboard.

Inside the Sponsor Assets pod, there will be two separate navigation links:

• Images / Sponsor Assets Upload — Use this link to upload your company logo and Sponsor Spotlight images.
• Video File Upload — Use this separate link to upload your final sponsor video if your sponsorship level includes digital video recognition.

Log in to your Vendor Dashboard at: otoa.org/login

Please submit all required sponsor assets through the Sponsor Assets pod on your OTOA Vendor Dashboard no later than May 1, 2027.

No. One approved asset set may support multiple recognition opportunities included with your sponsorship.

OTOA can reuse your approved company logo and submitted Sponsor Spotlight images across multiple eligible sponsor features.

Your OTOA user dashboard is where important exhibitor requirements and action items are managed after registration.

Depending on your registration, your dashboard may contain items related to:

• Certificate of Insurance
• Exhibitor badges
• Vendor Live-Fire participation
• Required forms
• Registration updates
• Other exhibitor action items

Sign in at: otoa.org/login