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One of Us |
I received an email this morning announcing the inaugural SCI Texas Trophy Hunters extravaganza at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center, January 10-12, 2025. Very smart move on their part, bet it does very well. Karl Evans | ||
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Well, it certainly sounds like the DSC had to move story was total BS. | |||
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one of us |
What's the old adage about a vacuum? Always gets filled? On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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One of Us |
No doubt, this will prove to be a very good move for SCI Texas Trophy Hunters. However, this is extremely disappointing from DSC. Many people, myself included, have thoroughly enjoyed the show held in Dallas. Unanimously, the exhibitors I had asked about the move to Atlanta were unhappy with the move. Now it appears the move was all smoke and mirrors. The real question is...what was the actual motivation for moving the show? "The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching". - John Wooden | |||
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One of Us |
Already had two African outfitters ask me if this was in fact, true. Both are very interested, they think a “fresh” crowd might be good, asked if I could get them booth information, which I will do. I suspect more outfitters will show interest in order to take care of their Texas clientele. I think they are right. Karl Evans | |||
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I had a booking agent ask me about it this afternoon. He has not signed up for Atlanta. He is most unhappy with the move. | |||
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Administrator |
Some palms have been greased? Those running DSC lately seem to come up with some very strange ideas! | |||
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One of Us |
Good question. I wish I knew. There is no doubt that ultimately the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center is being torn down and rebuilt. Ultimately, there is going to be a displacement for a period of years. Why do this early ? Who knows . | |||
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One of Us |
I’ve had messages from 2 well respected outfitters asking if they should buy booth space, I told them it might be worth it just to be able to visit with their Texas clients who likely wouldn’t travel to Atlanta and might find a few new clients in the “new” crowd. I think several African outfits will manage to make this show. Show season will be very interesting next year! Karl Evans | |||
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One of Us |
Just received this email. It answers the question why DSC would move if the convention isn't being torn down: DSC Exhibitor Partners, With the recent announcement of a new outdoors-type event in Dallas in January 2025 that is on the same dates as the DSC Convention in Atlanta, we want to address a few of the more common questions that are being asked regarding this event. As this event is not affiliated in any way to DSC, we cannot speak to any aspect of the event. Last year, when DSC was notified that the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCC) was going to be torn down and rebuilt, we were informed they would work in phases, with the initial phase beginning in Quarter 3 of 2024. In that phase, access to Hall F via the spiral ramp and dock would be eliminated before our 2025 Convention. As the project continued, each subsequent construction phase would impact more and demolish more Halls and Lobbies, resulting in less space available each phase, along with the loss of the marshaling yard, parking, and sky bridge connecting KBHCC to the Omni. With a Convention the size of DSC's, the immediate loss of Hall F, move-in ramp access, marshalling yard, construction walls, loss of parking, disruption to utilities, etc. made it impossible to hold the DSC Convention at KBHCC. Further, the reduced space available for use during the initial phases of construction is less than half of what the DSC Convention occupies. Thus, much smaller events will be able to use the significantly reduced space for the next couple years until the space is ultimately all under construction and rebuilt. In a meeting this week with KBHCC leadership, they reiterated that the construction timeline has not changed, and the new facility is anticipated to be completed in Quarter 4 of 2028 and will be able to host events in early 2029. DSC has letters of agreement with the KBHCC for dates thereafter. When DSC was informed of the demolition and rebuild of the Convention Center, we narrowed our search options to a strict window. Specifically, to show respect and sensitivity to other hunting organizations, we avoided cities where other organizations hold conventions and only considered dates that would not conflict with the other major hunting conventions in the US. Additionally, when planning our new Summer Expo that will be held in the Dallas area, we purposefully avoided dates of other outdoor shows that occur in late summer in Texas. We feel strongly that all hunting and conservation organizations should work collectively to support, defend, and protect sportsmen and our hunting heritage. DSC looks forward to hosting an incredible, world-class Convention in Atlanta in January and Summer Expo at the Gaylord Texan Resort in July 2025, where we will again celebrate our important hunting and outdoor traditions, while raising monies for Conservation, Education and Advocacy. Regards, Corey Mason CEO, DSC and DSC Foundation | |||
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One of Us |
I also received the E mail for the 2025 convention in Dallas. I know that I a not traveling to Atlanta or Nashville in 25. Atlanta is not on my travel plans, and I was considering traveling to Nashville, however we were there this year. Therefore, I am considering attending the convention in Dallas. I will see if they have shuttles from the area motels, as that will be the deciding factor for me. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> "You've got the strongest hand in the world. That's right. Your hand. The hand that marks the ballot. The hand that pulls the voting lever. Use it, will you" John Wayne | |||
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One of Us |
The following are the official details from the convention center I’ll leave it up to you all to decide if this is consistent with the DSC e mail. https://www.dallasccmasterplan.com/progress | |||
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One of Us |
If I never had to go to Atlanta again, I could be happy with that. I spent too much time there in the 90's and it is much worse now. However, I support DSC. And I will support the exhibitors who support DSC. I will see some of you in Atlanta in January. | |||
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One of Us |
I read on another forum that several DSC board members and the President resigned presumably over holding the convention in Atlanta. You have better info on the workings of the DSC than I do. Is this true? | |||
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One of Us |
There were definitely some resignations. President, president elect as well as some board members . I do not know why. I’d like to know . | |||
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I’ve been told that most of the prior board members were in favor of the move to Atlanta (I visited with the president at that time and expressed my opinion and was told the decision was unanimous, others involved have told me otherwise). Everyone concerned is being tight lipped about the resignations, I’ve heard a little but haven’t been able to verify so won’t pass on, but what I’ve heard wouldn’t warrant mass resignations in my mind. As another posted DSC has been asked for clarity, but none has been forthcoming. I have noticed that the website has not been updated with the “new” board of directors, normally done very quickly and I asked that it be updated. I also asked for the names of the new President and President elect as well as officers elected by the directors, the response only gave the directors elected by members. I restated my request as I’d like to communicate with the president and have not received a reply. I’m concerned officers might not have been elected. I hope I’m wrong and will gladly say so, but it is very strange and raised other questions. Based on the number of emails, texts and other messages from exhibitors, and some sponsors, it appears hardly any of them are happy about the move. Karl Evans | |||
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This will mark the beginning of the end of DSC. They will shed membership and become a shell of what they were or could have been. Egomaniacal men with no vision, putting self before the whole. Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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It is amazing what this once fine org has devolved into. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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One of Us |
Well, speaking for me only, I rejoined SCI and I'll be going to SCI until DSC returns to Dallas. If I have to go to Atlanta, I might as well go to Nashville, which I view as a much better venue. I hate the Atlanta airport. | |||
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One of Us |
There are a number of people that share your view unfortunately. There appears to be a retrenchment taking place internally at DSC. A move backwards to a more regional, awards-driven, good old boy organization. Hard to see how that is good thing given the challenges facing hunters today. Amazing given the progress DSC had made to being a credible alternative to SCI. Mike | |||
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One of Us |
Not sure of the regional side of things. They have been opening new chapters across the country . Some have been recently. | |||
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One of Us |
I would agree with Larry on this as we just founded a chapter in North Carolina that also takes in parts of South Carolina. A mid-Atlantic chapter was also just founded in Virginia Beach, VA and the former SCI chapter in Nacogdoches, TX has become a DSC chapter. DSC hired a chapter coordinator from NWTF and Bruce is working hard at establishing new chapters. | |||
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One of Us |
As most here are not privy to the inner workings of DSC, rest assure that the folks that are heavily involved and invested are not ignorant. They understand what they are doing and the risks associated with leaving their core base for Atlanta. I checked a bit on options for the show and there was only two facilities in TX that could handle the show in January. One in Houston but that then competes with the The Houston Safari Club. The other is ATT stadium in Dallas, and it is far too expensive to even be considered. Plus, if the Cowboys make the playoffs (laugh laugh laugh), DSC would get bumped. Las Vegas is a pit. Reno is worse. Nashville has SCI now, so what or where is left? Kansas City? Denver is pure blue and would not welcome anything hunting related especially from Texas. Florida is possible - Miami or Orlando and both were considered. Atlanta is the best choice of the options for those dates. Decent airport with direct access to Europe and Africa, decent hotels close to the site. Crime is crime, so be alert. Food is decent there. Not really a "party" city, but you can find what you want there. Weather will be similar to Dallas with less chance of freezing and snow. I would suggest giving Atlanta a chance, go and see, then decide if you like it or not. DSC and SCI both need support as there are few alternatives to what we like to do. RMEF, Turkey Federation, Sheep Foundation, Grand Slam and others are all North America oriented. We need them all. If anyone has better ideas or deep pockets, jump right up and volunteer to take this on... I have served on various non-profit boards, founded two and it is not easy and can get contentious. People get upset, especially when they are volunteers, when they are mentally invested and feel they are not appreciated. No answer to this other than keep the prize in mind. They did not get where they are by being and doing dumb things. Give them a chance. | |||
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One of Us |
I think that is reflective of the organizational vision shared by the "old" board, not the vision of the "new" board. You have to ask yourself, if the organization is not being pushed to move in a radically different direction than they were moving in, why would folks like the new President, the President elect, long time board members and active participants in the organization that had help shape the direction of the organization be resigning. Mike | |||
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Dogcat, you are 100% correct that most on here are not privy to the inner workings of DSC, but some are aware of much more than some would like. Apparently, you are in the know so you would know that San Antonio had the exact dates available that DSC wanted but DSC wouldn’t commit and Mary Kay secured those dates. You failed to mention that. Choosing Atlanta for their convention might prove to be a stroke of genius, but I don’t think so (my opinion but shared by many). I hope it works very well for them. You also mention that they understood the risk of leaving their base…I believe they underestimated this risk, time will tell, but based on the dearth of volunteers at the last two conventions in Dallas it would appear they have alienated much of that precious base. You state they didn’t get where they are by being and doing dumb things, recent events might challenge that statement. Since you are privy, would you be able to shed some light on the recent mass board resignations? Some on this forum have brought this issue up and would like to know. Or why they still, a week after their annual meeting, a new president or president elect or other officers haven’t been elected (as of last night even though bylaws require it to be done at the conclusion of annul members meeting). Maybe because you are privy you might be one of the remaining board members? Karl Evans | |||
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One of Us |
Me too!! I rejoined SCI. I have been to every DSC Convention for the past 27 or 28 years. The streak ends in 2025. I've had an awful lot of fun in Dallas with my family over the years. I'd much rather go to Nashville for SCI and Salt Lake for Western Hunting Expo. I'll go back to DSC if they ever return to Dallas. I am still amazed they thought going to Atlanta for 5 years was good idea. Go Duke!! | |||
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One of Us |
Even though the SAT airport is a shitty, in hindsight, having it in San Antonio, SCI backyard, now that SCI took DSC spot and dates in Dallas would have been more productive. So the "construction" story on San Antonio was BS, as I figured. | |||
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Administrator |
You mean like those running SCI? And how they alienate hunters with their non stop glorifications of competitions of MINE IS BIGGER than yours? How lonf has it been going on? It only takes a couple of idiots to ruin an organization! | |||
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One of Us |
The SAT airport is too damn small but otherwise cannot be described as "shitty". Plus it is considerably cheaper to fly in to Austin, and San Antonio is an easy 1.5 hour drive or less from AUS. San Antonio is still the #1 convention city in Texas. Granted the bureaucrats that run the booking of the Convention Center are not easy to deal with - unless things have changed recently you have to guarantee a certain number of hotel rooms be booked in order to get 100% of the Convention Center, which I would think would be a problem with DSC. Wondering if somebody in ATL greased some palms to get DSC moved there. "Never, ever, book a hunt with Jeri Booth or Detail Company Adventures" | |||
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One of Us |
Ross- Was Phoenix ever considered? Big, easy airport, big new convention center, NRA has been here a couple times. Fabulous weather (normally) My belief is that when you go as far east as Nashville or Atlanta, you're getting a whole new group of attendee's. I absolutely would not go to either, but that's me. Reno wasn't bad. Just old and dirty, but the convention held a certain charm to both my wife and I. Las Vegas is what you make it. Lots of restaurants, rooms and the airports isn't terrible. The desert is nice that time of year for outside activities as well. I'm not sure why these conventions really feel the need to move constantly. It seems they are really trying to fix something that isn't broken of a solution in search of a problem. Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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One of Us |
Steve, I do not know about Phoenix but love that town and the action there - golf, restaurants, easy pace. Not sure if their convention center was big enough. I much prefer Phoenix to Nashville, ATl, Reno or Las Vegas.... San Antonio would have been nice but I think the convention center there is not very big. | |||
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One of Us |
https://www.phoenixconventioncenter.com/plan 502,000 square feet. I don't have a clue what is required for either show. https://www.visitphoenix.com/m...g/convention-center/ This one shows 635,000 ft. Good video shows hotel availability all within walking distance Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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One of Us |
San Antonio Enclosed space • Total space 1,600,000 square feet (150,000 m2) • Exhibit hall floor 514,000 square feet (48,000 m2)[3] • Ballroom 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2)(Stars at Night Ballroom) 39,576 square feet (3,700 m2)(HemisFair Ballroom)[4] | |||
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One of Us |
I need to make a correction to an earlier post I made on this thread. I said that Mary Kay had secured the dates offered to DSC, in reality these dates were taken by two, smaller groups. Totally my mistake, sorry. Karl Evans | |||
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Karl - Do you know how many sq ft. DSC uses? How about SCI? I remember Reno had some smaller halls that we not even being used. Formerly "Nganga" | |||
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A few years back I remember hearing that DSC used 800,000sf at KBH. Not sure if that is correct. There is a lot more square footage in the convention center than that. | |||
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Steve, I have no idea how many square feet SCI used as exhibit space in Nashville, but I can tell you many exhibitors were asking and wishing for more booth space. If memory serves, I believe DSC actually used as exhibit space in Halls A-F about 600,000 sf, KNH claims to have over a million sf, some of which is meeting and ball rooms. Parts of Hall A&F exhibit area are used for food courts during convention. Karl Evans | |||
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One of Us |
That is what I am doing also. I only go to Atlanta when I am getting paid to do so, I’ll never spend a dime of my money to go there. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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One of Us |
Atlanta is a nightmare to drive in. Crime is also a problem. I think the airport is great if one doesn’t have to leave it. Having to check in and go through security ain’t a lot of fun. I hope it works out for DSC. I have my serious doubts. I have yet to meet an exhibitor who thinks this move is positive. As an attendee, it is a lot easier for us to get there. Regardless, I’d rather be in Dallas. The Atlanta venue will not stop me from going. | |||
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One of Us |
We will be on one of our 6-7 month truck camper road trips and will be in Texas the end of October for a wedding. We have many friends to try and visit there and were hoping to also finally make it to another DSC show. We won't drive to Atlanta. This is disappointing for us. J&J ______________________ DRSS ______________________ Hunt Reports 2015 His & Her Leopards with Derek Littleton of Luwire Safaris - http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/2971090112 2015 Trophy Bull Elephant with CMS http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/1651069012 DIY Brooks Range Sheep Hunt 2013 - http://forums.accuratereloadin...901038191#9901038191 Zambia June/July 2012 with Andrew Baldry - Royal Kafue http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7971064771 Zambia Sept 2010- Muchinga Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4211096141 Namibia Sept 2010 - ARUB Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6781076141 | |||
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