quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/...chance-kill-26013838


Link to article and photos of show. EXCLUSIVE: Trophy hunters offer chance to kill lion for £73,000 on sick safari trip
The annual Safari Club International Convention, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, boasts being the world's biggest trade for trophy killers committed to conservation

It has reached the point where hunting organizations need to somehow apply strict access control measures for entry to these shows if they want to limit negative publicity.

How these clowns were able to get in and actually interview and undoubtedly record conversations with outfitters is beyond me.

I guess membership subscription is no big issue as long as one pays their dues and voila', instant membership which in my view in today's world is not only to be seriously reconsidered but to also go through the registered membership and verify their true identities; those who are NOT hunters should be thrown out and any aspiring member should have at least 2 bona-fide referees (registered members) who will vouchsafe them.

Canned Lion hunts was also mentioned and whether this disclosure was true or not and reading in between the lines, give them the benefit of doubt.
Didn't SCI finally confirm their negativity on such hunts, and if so, how is it that they are still being marketed openly at the convention.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/...chance-kill-26013838


Link to article and photos of show. EXCLUSIVE: Trophy hunters offer chance to kill lion for £73,000 on sick safari trip
The annual Safari Club International Convention, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, boasts being the world's biggest trade for trophy killers committed to conservation

It has reached the point where hunting organizations need to somehow apply strict access control measures for entry to these shows if they want to limit negative publicity.

How these clowns were able to get in and actually interview and undoubtedly record conversations with outfitters is beyond me.

I guess membership subscription is no big issue as long as one pays their dues and voila', instant membership which in my view in today's world is not only to be seriously reconsidered but to also go through the registered membership and verify their true identities; those who are NOT hunters should be thrown out and any aspiring member should have at least 2 bona-fide referees (registered members) who will vouchsafe them.

Canned Lion hunts was also mentioned and whether this disclosure was true or not and reading in between the lines, give them the benefit of doubt.
Didn't SCI finally confirm their negativity on such hunts, and if so, how is it that they are still being marketed openly at the convention.

With current technology - interviews with videos and photos on phone - you cannot sto- it.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/...chance-kill-26013838


Link to article and photos of show. EXCLUSIVE: Trophy hunters offer chance to kill lion for £73,000 on sick safari trip
The annual Safari Club International Convention, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, boasts being the world's biggest trade for trophy killers committed to conservation

It has reached the point where hunting organizations need to somehow apply strict access control measures for entry to these shows if they want to limit negative publicity.

How these clowns were able to get in and actually interview and undoubtedly record conversations with outfitters is beyond me.

I guess membership subscription is no big issue as long as one pays their dues and voila', instant membership which in my view in today's world is not only to be seriously reconsidered but to also go through the registered membership and verify their true identities; those who are NOT hunters should be thrown out and any aspiring member should have at least 2 bona-fide referees (registered members) who will vouchsafe them.

Canned Lion hunts was also mentioned and whether this disclosure was true or not and reading in between the lines, give them the benefit of doubt.
Didn't SCI finally confirm their negativity on such hunts, and if so, how is it that they are still being marketed openly at the convention.

I didn’t read the article . Personally, I have not seen any being marketed . Maybe I missed it .

The mention of lions and the price above does not mention canned lions .

The UK sewage media brings these up on a regular basis!

Sewage media is right. Sickening.

In complete contrast, the highlight of the convention for us so far was last night’s speech by Edward C. Byers, Jr., a retired U.S.Navy SEAL who received the Medal of Honor in connection with the rescue, by SEAL Team Six, of a civilian American medical doctor being held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2012.

When he recounted the details of the rescue, we and the rest of the audience were utterly silent and spellbound.

The best of the best.

And his reflections on hunting were both profound and funny.

I loved his story about being invited to go elk hunting for the first time, as a Tier 1 Special Forces Operator. He had to borrow a rifle and scope because he owned no personal firearms!

And he missed a bull with two consecutive shots, because he had not had time to sight in the rifle!

At a particularly poignant point, as he was closing his speech, he quoted Theodore Roosevelt on hunting, which pretty well sums things up:

"In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wild life, are ignorant of the fact that in reality, the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination."

It was an honor for us to be in the same room with Master Chief Byers.

quote:

I didn’t read the article . Personally, I have not seen any being marketed . Maybe I missed it .

The mention of lions and the price above does not mention canned lions .

"The cost is dependent on the bait costs. If you leave four or five baits, the price goes up. If you get lucky and get the lion early it can be $100,000, but it can go up to $120,000. That's just for the hunt. Baiting rates would be 14 times $1,500."

He added we could undertake "a canned hunt for much less".

Thoughts after SCI 2022:

First time in 35 years I have been satisfied in 3 days!! Off to Beinfeld Gunshow today.

Overall a great show, but the attendance of some of the old exhibitors was down... George Caswell, and others, only 2 high end gun brokers!! Fortunately, I committed to a great old Vintage H&H before SCI... it's on the way!!

Decision on Tanzania hunt in the Selous is down to 2 outfitters, both with hunts available this year... question, will we travel this year??

The general pricing for Canada Moose hunts have gone insane... passing by working class hunters, and to the level of "not that I can't pay those prices, I WON'T!!" Rather buy another double rifle or go to Africa for Dangerous GAME!! Maybe it's time for Africa type base hunt and trophy fee, graduated on quality of trophy pricing??

Met a new Salmon outfitter for Queen Charlottes... booking for this year.

Cemented an old contact for Moose that is well priced with wolf and Bison options!!

Put names and faces together for a quality elk hunt in Saskatchewan for an old guy... and human pricing...

Tied down contacts for Russia Moose, and on a waiting list for cancellations!!

Overall, very good show!!

CHEERZ,

Things wound down today. Still a decent crowd.

Caught up with our friends from Algar. I see another couple of Patagonian red stags and flocks of doves in our future. Not to mention some of the finest Argentinian Malbec and asado to be found anywhere.

I now have four silencers on order from Silencer Central. It felt good to provide productive employment to the BATFE. By the looks of the crowds at the Silencer Central booth, some BATFE overtime may be in order.

Bought a new, high tech carbon fiber and Kevlar rile case from KOR Carbon Fiber cases. It has a vacuum rigidizing core interior, custom formable to any rifle and gear, and then easily reformable to any other in virtually no time. A full length case weighs in at 13 pounds. It’s not cheap, but it’s very well designed and made - and 100% in the USA, by a good, quality guy. Check it out: KOR Cases

Spoke with some Colorado and Utah based lion hunters. They hunt with hounds. I am leaning hard toward booking a hunt. They take some monsters. I would want to use my S&W .500 Mag. We shall see. I have their information.

Tonight, the last night of the convention, we’ll hear from one of the most intelligent and literate voices in television, Tucker Carlson.

We are looking forward to it.

Tomorrow, we have booked a helicopter to take us on a tour of the Grand Canyon. A nice option for a Las Vegas based convention.

I realize now how much I have missed these conventions.

Reno is not the place for them. Too remote.

Las Vegas, despite its flaws, is better. And Nashville should be better still. Well worth the money.

And the SCI (despite its flaws) and these annual conventions are a great thing for all of us in the hunting community, and for hunting in general, and for furthering conservation through hunting.

One of the most enjoyable shows in memory for us, even in spite of a number of our favorite exhibitors not being at this year's show. Took two of our grandkids (9 year old twins) today and they had an absolute ball. Addie (one of the 9 year old twins) has been friends with Kendall Jones since Addie was two years old. Kendall saw her today, gave her a gift, and posted two pics on her Instagram of her and Addie 7 years ago and then today. Cute! Had so many great conversations over the past four days with old and new friends, old and new exhibitors, and even some complete strangers. Everyone was definitely in a good mood and enjoying the show. I even enjoyed parting with cash and/or my credit cards for a number of purchases!

Sitting in LAS waiting for a red eye home. We had a great time in the last four days, but I'm beat and ready to get home to my wife and kids. Had some great discussions with outfitters trying to sort out a non-trophy ele bull for 2023. Spent some time catching up with Larry Shores and Arjun and Vikrim Reddy.
Picked up a few nice gifts for my wife, but struck out on something truly interesting to get my kids. I was expecting to see more safari-esque clothing for sale, especially at the SCI booths. My cabela's safari shirts are getting long in the tooth and unfortunately discontinued. I remember TAG being at the last (2018) show I attended?
We attended the Wednesday and Friday evening events and found Friday's service and food far superior to Wednesday's.
I'm looking forward to Nashville next year. My wife will be joining me for her first trip.

It is over . My feet are glad. I walked 8-9 miles a day.

I have to say it was a resounding success . Pretty much every exhibitor I talked to was very happy with their sales . There were a few exceptions. For example , I think the Australians had a tough time after the tennis player fiasco.

I am not sure of the head count . SCI counts attendees . A person going one day is an attendee as is a person going all four days . I am not sure that is the best method.

Some think traffic was down but the people there were more serious . I predicted that .

Most seems to be happy with the new attitude of SCI .

Some of the speakers at the evening events were great . Notably Tucker Carlson, Trump Jr and Ed Byers.

Some of the food at the events was awful.

Saw a lot of AR members. One Of the best things about AR is the friends I have from all over that I would never have met were it not for AR.

Some of the prices at the auctions were beyond insane . Speaking of auctions , it annoys the hell out of me that they start every single time trying to get a high bid. Then they drop the price . They waste a lot of time with this stupidity. At any rate, it will be interesting to see the total raised and the percentage of value . At times the values assigned by the donor were ridiculous.

Some African officials spoke . These were generally good.

The Sables raffled off a magnificent knife . My $300 worth of tickets didn’t help me get it .

I am ready to go home .

Time will tell on COVID.

It’s been fun
I left for home on Saturday morning
Made some plans for this year hunting
But I’m glad I’m home now as it’s Sunday and coffee at neighbors tastes great
ALL IN ALL I,hope everyone accomplished everything they went there for

[QUOTE]Originally posted by larryshores:
It is over . My feet are glad. I walked 8-9 miles a day.

Hahaha!

I do an average of at least 10 k a day.

2-3 times a week I try to do at 20 k.

Today was 27 k!

It is the only exercise I do.

Walking.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by larryshores:
It is over . My feet are glad. I walked 8-9 miles a day.

Hahaha!

I do an average of at least 10 k a day.

2-3 times a week I try to do at 20 k.

Today was 27 k!

It is the only exercise I do.

Walking.

When I exercise, it bothers me a lot less than walking around the convention.

Walking on concrete is at times downright brutal and I admit I felt it and I consider myself in halfway decent shape
Definitely was envious of them little vehicles some were using , also got damn near ran over by couple of them…ha ha

Sitting back home, looking out of the window, drinking tea and planning Spring bear hunts in MT and ID ( and Africa )with an idea of going to see grandkids after lunch is priceless

I bid on and won another hunt at last night’s live auction. Wild boar and bird shooting in Northern Italy later this year. The auction included a Franchi Momentum bolt action rifle in .308 Win. caliber.

I really need to get out of here!

Tucker Carlson was incisive, funny and thought-provoking in his speech last night.

He argued that hunters should not be apologetic, or afraid to engage anti-hunters. Rather, he believes we should be pro-active and assertive, bold, passionate, and unafraid to insist and demonstrate that what we do is necessary and right. Necessary for the sake of the animals, which must be managed, and right for our spirits, which are truest when immersed in nature.

I am condensing and paraphrasing, and Carlson said much more, with great wit and humor. But those were his key points, I think.

I agree 100%, by the way. We need to hit the antis head on and hard at every opportunity. They are clueless and wrong on every level.

As for walking, for me it is the most boring thing imaginable, unless I have a rifle or shotgun and am chasing after game!

We had not been in decades. We were very pleased with the show. Banquet speakers, Ed Byers, Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump Jr were awesome.

We are already talking about going next year.


Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
It is over . My feet are glad. I walked 8-9 miles a day.

I have to say it was a resounding success . Pretty much every exhibitor I talked to was very happy with their sales . There were a few exceptions. For example , I think the Australians had a tough time after the tennis player fiasco.

I am not sure of the head count . SCI counts attendees . A person going one day is an attendee as is a person going all four days . I am not sure that is the best method.

Some think traffic was down but the people there were more serious . I predicted that .

Most seems to be happy with the new attitude of SCI .

Some of the speakers at the evening events were great . Notably Tucker Carlson, Trump Jr and Ed Byers.

Some of the food at the events was awful.

Saw a lot of AR members. One Of the best things about AR is the friends I have from all over that I would never have met were it not for AR.

Some of the prices at the auctions were beyond insane . Speaking of auctions , it annoys the hell out of me that they start every single time trying to get a high bid. Then they drop the price . They waste a lot of time with this stupidity. At any rate, it will be interesting to see the total raised and the percentage of value . At times the values assigned by the donor were ridiculous.

Some African officials spoke . These were generally good.

The Sables raffled off a magnificent knife . My $300 worth of tickets didn’t help me get it .

I am ready to go home .

Time will tell on COVID.

I thought the show was great. I was only there one day, Friday. In hindsight I wish I had planned 2 days for the show. My feet are glad I didn't do the 2nd day. Long periods of Walking and standing on concrete are rough on the feet. I thought the benches scattered around the floor were great.

The only complaint that I heard from Exhibitors was having to talk to people that looked sick. Three different exhibitors from outside the US said they were concerned about getting a positive test prior to their flights home after the show.

Most of the folks I talked with seemed to be excited about going to Nashville next year.

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Blue Devil:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
It is over . My feet are glad. I walked 8-9 miles a day.

I have to say it was a resounding success . Pretty much every exhibitor I talked to was very happy with their sales . There were a few exceptions. For example , I think the Australians had a tough time after the tennis player fiasco.

I am not sure of the head count . SCI counts attendees . A person going one day is an attendee as is a person going all four days . I am not sure that is the best method.

Some think traffic was down but the people there were more serious . I predicted that .

Most seems to be happy with the new attitude of SCI .

Some of the speakers at the evening events were great . Notably Tucker Carlson, Trump Jr and Ed Byers.

Some of the food at the events was awful.

Saw a lot of AR members. One Of the best things about AR is the friends I have from all over that I would never have met were it not for AR.

Some of the prices at the auctions were beyond insane . Speaking of auctions , it annoys the hell out of me that they start every single time trying to get a high bid. Then they drop the price . They waste a lot of time with this stupidity. At any rate, it will be interesting to see the total raised and the percentage of value . At times the values assigned by the donor were ridiculous.

Some African officials spoke . These were generally good.

The Sables raffled off a magnificent knife . My $300 worth of tickets didn’t help me get it .

I am ready to go home .

Time will tell on COVID.

I thought the show was great. I was only there one day, Friday. In hindsight I wish I had planned 2 days for the show. My feet are glad I didn't do the 2nd day. Long periods of Walking and standing on concrete are rough on the feet. I thought the benches scattered around the floor were great.

The only complaint that I heard from Exhibitors was having to talk to people that looked sick. Three different exhibitors from outside the US said they were concerned about getting a positive test prior to their flights home after the show.

Most of the folks I talked with seemed to be excited about going to Nashville next year.

Yup. Nashville will be interesting. I can see that it MIGHT result in a increase in attendance .

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Blue Devil:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
It is over . My feet are glad. I walked 8-9 miles a day.

I have to say it was a resounding success . Pretty much every exhibitor I talked to was very happy with their sales . There were a few exceptions. For example , I think the Australians had a tough time after the tennis player fiasco.

I am not sure of the head count . SCI counts attendees . A person going one day is an attendee as is a person going all four days . I am not sure that is the best method.

Some think traffic was down but the people there were more serious . I predicted that .

Most seems to be happy with the new attitude of SCI .

Some of the speakers at the evening events were great . Notably Tucker Carlson, Trump Jr and Ed Byers.

Some of the food at the events was awful.

Saw a lot of AR members. One Of the best things about AR is the friends I have from all over that I would never have met were it not for AR.

Some of the prices at the auctions were beyond insane . Speaking of auctions , it annoys the hell out of me that they start every single time trying to get a high bid. Then they drop the price . They waste a lot of time with this stupidity. At any rate, it will be interesting to see the total raised and the percentage of value . At times the values assigned by the donor were ridiculous.

Some African officials spoke . These were generally good.

The Sables raffled off a magnificent knife . My $300 worth of tickets didn’t help me get it .

I am ready to go home .

Time will tell on COVID.

I thought the show was great. I was only there one day, Friday. In hindsight I wish I had planned 2 days for the show. My feet are glad I didn't do the 2nd day. Long periods of Walking and standing on concrete are rough on the feet. I thought the benches scattered around the floor were great.

The only complaint that I heard from Exhibitors was having to talk to people that looked sick. Three different exhibitors from outside the US said they were concerned about getting a positive test prior to their flights home after the show.

Most of the folks I talked with seemed to be excited about going to Nashville next year.

Yup. Nashville will be interesting. I can see that it MIGHT result in a increase in attendance .

Why is Nashville so Interesting ?

quote:

Originally posted by mboga biga bwana:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Blue Devil:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
It is over . My feet are glad. I walked 8-9 miles a day.

I have to say it was a resounding success . Pretty much every exhibitor I talked to was very happy with their sales . There were a few exceptions. For example , I think the Australians had a tough time after the tennis player fiasco.

I am not sure of the head count . SCI counts attendees . A person going one day is an attendee as is a person going all four days . I am not sure that is the best method.

Some think traffic was down but the people there were more serious . I predicted that .

Most seems to be happy with the new attitude of SCI .

Some of the speakers at the evening events were great . Notably Tucker Carlson, Trump Jr and Ed Byers.

Some of the food at the events was awful.

Saw a lot of AR members. One Of the best things about AR is the friends I have from all over that I would never have met were it not for AR.

Some of the prices at the auctions were beyond insane . Speaking of auctions , it annoys the hell out of me that they start every single time trying to get a high bid. Then they drop the price . They waste a lot of time with this stupidity. At any rate, it will be interesting to see the total raised and the percentage of value . At times the values assigned by the donor were ridiculous.

Some African officials spoke . These were generally good.

The Sables raffled off a magnificent knife . My $300 worth of tickets didn’t help me get it .

I am ready to go home .

Time will tell on COVID.

I thought the show was great. I was only there one day, Friday. In hindsight I wish I had planned 2 days for the show. My feet are glad I didn't do the 2nd day. Long periods of Walking and standing on concrete are rough on the feet. I thought the benches scattered around the floor were great.

The only complaint that I heard from Exhibitors was having to talk to people that looked sick. Three different exhibitors from outside the US said they were concerned about getting a positive test prior to their flights home after the show.

Most of the folks I talked with seemed to be excited about going to Nashville next year.

Yup. Nashville will be interesting. I can see that it MIGHT result in a increase in attendance .

Why is Nashville so Interesting ?

Historically, the show has been in Nevada. It is a long way from the population centers in the east . Will more people show from the east? Will people stay away because it isn’t in Nevada?

Time will tell.

For us, it’s all about non-stop flights and friendly atmosphere and amenities on arrival.

Nashville has that, plus it’s closer for us.

I guess we’ll see how others react.

Let’s just hope we don’t go back to Reno.

I know I am looking forward to Nashville and I know a lot of people that are willing to drive to Nashville from our area (Midwest). One question might be: How many attendees drive to Vegas v.s. How many might drive to Nashville based on population density on hunters within say 6 hours..

I plan to rent a house (VRBO) and a bunch of us will drive down and stay there..

Admittedly, I've never attended SCI but have been a yearly attendee to DSC for the past 5-6 years. For what it's worth, changing the location to Nashville will likely get me to SCI next year and I suspect that will be true for many hunters located in the east.

Initially, I really thought SCI was going to be a total bust for two main reasons.
1/ SCI in my eyes has been going down in popularity yearly.

2/ Covid

Regarding point 1 from an operators perspective -SCI still has ALOT to do persuading operators that they are valued. Registration was not handled well at all. We were told by the first operator that we still owed 5K. We simply went to the next and all was good. I know of one operator who despite having been fully paid upwas told he did not have a booth- 4 hours later he had sorted that out.

We were never once visited by an SCI representative during the show. Having said that there was complimentary coffee and snacks in the morning which were great.

Ref 2 there were not as many people as normal however there were plenty of seriuos clients and sales were excellent.

It had been my decision that if we were yet again dissapointed with SCI like we had in the past it was going to be our last show. As it is we are going to give Nashiville a go!

Does anyone know the name of the venue in Nashville?

quote:

Originally posted by Buzz Charlton:

It had been my decision that if we were yet again dissapointed with SCI like we had in the past it was going to be our last show. As it is we are going to give Nashiville a go!

Excellent Buzz,

I do hope to chat with you next year.

Chatting with my wife, she is up to going to Nashville. I was just looking up the dates of the convention for her. February 22 - 25, 2023.

I am thinking that she is planning other stops on the way. We both think that travel will be up and running in 2023.

Will Elvis be in Nashville too?
It might be quite far for him

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
Does anyone know the name of the venue in Nashville?

Omni I believe .

quote:

Originally posted by boarkiller:
Will Elvis be in Nashville too?
It might be quite far for him

Elvis was from Memphis.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed SCI, I appreciate Buzz's post, I was able to speak with him for a few minutes between potential clients...my ife went several times to visit with Buzz but he was always busy, that is a good thing. Many of our exhibitor friends were having a very good show, booking hunts left and right. I booked buffalo hunt (x3) in Mozambique for next year, still have 4 rollover hunts to try and get done. I visited with the Fausti's about building me a .410 barrel set for my 28 gauge O/U and they will do it. Unfortunately, my wife spent too much time at the Baranoff booth that is going to cost me a bunch of money .
We left Saturday morning, my wife started feeling bad Friday mid day and went down hill from there, she is sick. Tested negative for Covid but has the classic symptoms, heading to Dr in the morning and testing again. Gave her the evil Ivermectin and Zinc last night (I dosed myself, too...feeling fine) so we will see what transpires.
Several exhibitor friends said their "whole crew" tested positive after DSC, doesn't surprise me at all, heard about lots of sick people between shows.
Only negative for me, and has been mentioned, is the distance from hotel rooms to show.
I was able to visit a while with SCI Pres and ED, it appears that the show in Nashville is 95% sold out as far as exhibitors, with more wanting to exhibit than there is booth space for. I think it will be a very good show, we will be going for sure. I think Nashville is a fun city and a damn sight less expensive than Las Vegas.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
Does anyone know the name of the venue in Nashville?

Omni I believe .

Did some research. Venue is the Music City Convention Center. And the Omni is one of 8-9 hotels within .2 miles of there.

I noticed there is a big gap (6 weeks) between Dallas and SCI next year.

Dallas is Jan 5 - 8.
SCI is Feb 22 - 25.

Personally I like the time spread, but is it good or bad for the exhibitors?? It will require 2 trips for most of the overseas guys.

I know they didn't like the year Dallas was the weekend before SCI. Breaking down their booths on Sunday in Dallas and setting up on Tuesday in Las Vegas or Reno.

Went Wed & Thursday, had a great time, unfortunately a number of the previous PH’s I’ve hunted with have had early, untimely deaths. I guess it’s just a part of the chosen profession? I thought the attendance was pretty good, & gave me a lot of time to talk with individual vendors. Working on a couple of driven bird shoots & maybe an elephant hunt? Also dropped my name as a late cancellation option for any unique opportunities (leopard,, lion, buff, elephant,.. ) with specific operators. Overall had a nice time, will certainly consider Nashville for next year?

quote:

Personally I like the time spread, but is it good or bad for the exhibitors?? It will require 2 trips for most of the overseas guys.

I don't see a double trip for exhibitors materializing, especially those from African destinations.

To remain in the States biding time for the second convention can be a somewhat costly affair unless there is a foreseeable boom in the business which will make it worth their while.

Am pretty certain that they will choose the one which will offer better business prospects ... most likely SCI.

What therefore was the reason for such a wide gap between these two important hunting conventions, especially when we repeatedly hear that hunting organizations need to work together or is that a suggestion aimed at subduing the people?

My understanding is it was venue scheduling.. 2024 in Nashville is earlier and closer to DSC..

quote:

Originally posted by Buzz Charlton:
Initially, I really thought SCI was going to be a total bust for two main reasons.
1/ SCI in my eyes has been going down in popularity yearly.

2/ Covid

Regarding point 1 from an operators perspective -SCI still has ALOT to do persuading operators that they are valued. Registration was not handled well at all. We were told by the first operator that we still owed 5K. We simply went to the next and all was good. I know of one operator who despite having been fully paid upwas told he did not have a booth- 4 hours later he had sorted that out.

We were never once visited by an SCI representative during the show. Having said that there was complimentary coffee and snacks in the morning which were great.

Ref 2 there were not as many people as normal however there were plenty of seriuos clients and sales were excellent.

It had been my decision that if we were yet again dissapointed with SCI like we had in the past it was going to be our last show. As it is we are going to give Nashiville a go!

I do not understand why there is no one going around and greeting every exhibitor and recording their feedback, seeing if they need anything, etc. The excuse I hear is staffing, which is bullshit. For years I know I volunteered to help out in any capacity needed and asked for nothing in return - no free passes, no reimbursements.. and I cannot be the only one. What did I hear in response? Oh we have all the volunteers we need and there is a waiting list to help.. So I don't bother anymore..

All they need is a simple customer care team... maybe 10 or 12 individuals to divide up the days and visit each exhibitor. At the end of convention, all the notes and feedback from the vendors could be collected and reviewed - a simple "lessoned learned" meeting..

I am happy to hear you are going to Nashville Buzz - my prediction (coming from a guy who doesn't know shit LOL) is it will be a great show..

I wonder if Buzz’s issues were systematic or a mistake ? We had an issue at the Saturday night event . They bought us desert. We had to tell them that we never got dinner. When we got dinner , we had to point out we never got salads . The tables around us did not have this issue .

I have a new complaint . My legs are itching like crazy from the dryness. It is miserable . Glad to be heading to a place with more humidity .

Nashville is a great venue.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I wonder if Buzz’s issues were systematic or a mistake ? We had an issue at the Saturday night event . They bought us desert. We had to tell them that we never got dinner. When we got dinner , we had to point out we never got salads . The tables around us did not have this issue .

I have a new complaint . My legs are itching like crazy from the dryness. It is miserable . Glad to be heading to a place with more humidity .

Sounds like they are by unions!