It is with great pleasure this morning that we get to officially announce some news we’ve been alluding to over the past couple of weeks, and that’s the fact that AIRSOFT ACTION MAGAZINE has been granted MEDIA PARTNER STATUS for IWA OUTDOORCLASSICS 2025!
As you can imagine all of us at AAHQ, and all of the AA CREW, are extremely pleased and proud to have been granted such prestigious status, and we believe that it is a recognition of the work we have all done to put AIRSOFT ACTION where it is today… the #1 global airsoft magazine, as voted for by thousands of you, our fellow players!
The quote “from little acorns mighty oak trees grow” is an ancient English proverb which means “great things can come from small beginnings” and the same can be said of airsoft’s representation at IWA OutdoorClassics (simply IWA to most of us). AIRSOFT ACTION magazine was founded in November 2011 and our first visit to IWA the following year proved that airsoft was a growing force within the wider shooting sports industry.
Although still largely considered (then) to be “playing with toy guns”, with the likes of G&G, ASG, KWA, Umarex and Cybergun all displaying their latest releases, attitudes were changing. AIRSOFT ACTION was there to cover it, and has been every year since (except during Covid, of course). Fast forward THIRTEEN years and both AIRSOFT ACTION and IWA OutdoorClassics have become world leaders in the promotion of airsoft, with the magazine having won the prestigious title of “Best Airsoft Magazine” on five separate occasions during that time, and more space being devoted to airsoft than ever before at IWA!
These days as a digital-only publication, with a page readership that runs into tens of thousands per issue, the AA CREW of dedicated international contributors provide professional, up to the minute coverage of airsoft from around the world; with Deputy Editors based in both Taiwan and the USA, along with our strong and valued relationships with many of the top airsoft manufacturers this means we often get invited “behind closed doors” to see projects in development, sometimes even before they are announced.
And our latest “Partnership” will go both ways too; we approach any partnership arrangement we make in the same way… how can it be truly meaningful and beneficial to both parties? We hope that as a partner to IWA we can inform them more as to what airsoft can offer, what the current national and international trends are, and in turn help to shape how airsoft can grow at the show!
AIRSOFT ACTION Editorial Director Bill Thomas commented “I really am very proud and somewhat humbled to have gained this status with one of the very best shooting sports shows in the world, a first for an airsoft magazine I believe! It is a vindication of the content and editorial standards that the team and I have tried to achieve over the past couple of years since we made the move to digital publishing, showing that AIRSOFT ACTION can sit equally even with the best “real steel” publications out there.
The world continues to change, and the place of airsoft within it changes too, so we must be ever mindful of that. I truly believe that we can offer some great insight to the team at IWA OutdoorClassics so that airsoft may be positively portrayed and viewed at the show and to the rest of the global shooting sports community and beyond in the best possible light going forward! There will undoubtedly be more changes to the show itself ahead, and I hope that we can work closely with the IWA team to ensure that these changes include airsoft every step of the way.”
In a statement from the Press and Public Relations Team at IWA they told us of the new partnership with AIRSOFT ACTION;
“IWA OutdoorClassics is proud to enter into close media partnerships with a variety of international trade publishers as part of our event promotion.
We are very grateful for the support of our media partners, who make a significant contribution to increasing the reach and visibility of IWA OutdoorClassics. Through these partnerships, we can ensure that the most important information and trends in the industry are communicated effectively and purposefully.
Our media partners help us to further enhance the impact of IWA OutdoorClassics and to better connect the professional world. We look forward to continued successful collaboration and the shared successes we can achieve together.”
In closing we’ll throw things over to the founder and Managing Director of Calibre Publishing and AIRSOFT ACTION, Nigel Streeter, who said;
“Since I first started AIRSOFT ACTION our mantra has always been, “If it’s in airsoft, it’s in Airsoft Action!” so if you have any interest at all in airsoft, that is also where you should be too! IWA OutdoorClassics have recognised this as a fact, and I am justifiably proud of the editorial team who create a world-class, award-winning publication each and every month, and who have yet again been recognised with this accolade.
I hope that you will join me in also recognising the hard work that Bill, Stu, Dan, and our fabulous contributors team put in all year round to provide first-class airsoft content, and in celebrating another hard-won success today.”
AIRSOFT ACTION will be at IWA OutdoorClassics from 27 February to 2 March 2025 and we look forward to reporting on the show in Nuremberg again for another year; if you are attending, and you have airsoft news and insights to share, then as always please do let us know as we’d be delighted to see and meet you there!
