The Virtual Market place for fully virtual conventions is starting.

DSC will be starting shortly, please sign up and bid on some very worth items. Take the time to look the daily auction items over and bid on something you would like to experience. After making a list of some of the hunts I would be interested in I will be placing some bids.

Funds generated will help conservation in the future.

For those interested the Wild Sheep Foundation virtual convention kicks off next week. There appears to be something for every market slot. Depending on your pocket book, there is a mix of low ticket items to some high ticket items. The hunts that dreams are made of and come to reality.

It appears to be an African hunt or two listed in the daily auctions, I plan to check a few of them out, I need to look at the hunt details to see what is included and where the hunt will take place so I have an idea what is included with the auction item.

However, if you are concerned with international travel, WSF & DSC has many state side options to consider.

Then there is SCI and Rocky Mountain Elk coming up. so now is the time to look early at what is offered and make a plan to hunt in 2021. If you are out bid on one virtual convention look forward to the next and try again.

Won't be the same as in person but I'm interested to see what aspects of the show can be replicated virtually. Hope that the shows generate some good cash flow for the industry at a minimum. Been a tough year.

Digital Outdoor Expo launches in March...its a year - round online expo that will eventually replace all the rest IMO. Entirely too much time, effort and expense for a week long show, and then gone!

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy:
Won't be the same as in person but I'm interested to see what aspects of the show can be replicated virtually. Hope that the shows generate some good cash flow for the industry at a minimum. Been a tough year.

Exactly. My guys love the travel to the US, but really just do DSC, HSC, and SCI North Texas at times. It is very much a working vacation in that they get to visit with clients, old and new, doing dinners and hunts as guests, not outfitters. They are still hoping things will open up in Argentina, as I do.

Virtual auctions can work, but I have a feeling the net to the organizations will not be the same. The live auctions with booze flowing seem to bring in more. I don’t mean to be a naysayer, as I did a research report in my college investments class on eBay. My adjunct professor who was a fund manager for a prominent family office said it would never succeed. I should’ve invested back then...

Just about any other product is now conveniently sought for and purchased online so don't really see why the same cannot be applied to hunting.

It might very well have a positive impact on pricing in favour of the buyer as the costs involved for any outfitter beyond the US borders can be quite expensive and these same costs are currently being subsidized in part by the consumer.

This is new and interesting.

I will be checking out the Sheep convention next week to get a feel for how it goes. I have found some items to bid on and time will tell.

I am going over the DSC auction items and there are many good items for a person looking to get a hunt in this year.

Right now I am on the waiting list for the Covid vaccine rollout. Just waiting to be contacted. However my wife indicated that it may be June/July before we are in line for the vaccine. That make it difficult to plan anything for this year.

https://bid.wildsheepfoundatio...ERIENCE_a43284?m=all



Link to Sheep Show auction (241 items). Some six figure sheep permit bids, with days to go. Some Africa hunts with no bids.

quote:

Some Africa hunts with no bids.

This is the case with several online auctions, may be another tough year for African outfitters, and groups that have African hunts in their auctions.

I am following several items on the DSC auctions, North American hunts are doing really well, as are firearms and fishing trips.

The buyers premiums are reasonable, unlike firearms auctions.

www.onlinehuntingauctions.com

The Montana Bighorn went for $440,000.

I saw where WSF said they raised over $2M in the Friday night auction alone. Pretty good.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
Digital Outdoor Expo launches in March...its a year - round online expo that will eventually replace all the rest IMO. Entirely too much time, effort and expense for a week long show, and then gone!

I hope you are wrong. We love going to the shows and seeing people there.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
Digital Outdoor Expo launches in March...its a year - round online expo that will eventually replace all the rest IMO. Entirely too much time, effort and expense for a week long show, and then gone!

I don't see the shows going away. I think established African outfitters with long lists of repeat clients don't really need the shows. However the African outfitters catering to 1st time hunters with lower levels of repeat business will always need the shows.


I also think the shows focused on North America hunting and fishing will also be fine.

what did folks think of the WSF virtual experience?

I paid my entrance fee to take a look and was impressed with the ease of use and features. Don't think that this will replace the desire for in person shows, but I do think that this is the beginning of evolving consumer expectations.

Well, I was in and looked around and did some bids on items, however you have to be there on the final hour and watch the bidding to make a bid if you want the hunt, rifle or equipment.

I made good bids and like I indicate d this was a learning experience.

Signed up for a few seminars, however I missed them and got on after one was over. So I made a note to make a reminder for my next one so I have time to make it to my computer and get on line to take it in.

With all that is on going I do think that it was a success.

it would be nice to know how it rated against the past few years.

I signed up last week and then forgot all about it.

Remembered on Saturday to buy raffle tickets, and the raffles were already over.

Glad it went well.

Boddington had a similar thing going on via youtube, with his own hunting convention but it was kind of as shit show.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
I signed up last week and then forgot all about it.

Remembered on Saturday to buy raffle tickets, and the raffles were already over.

Glad it went well.

Boddington had a similar thing going on via youtube, with his own hunting convention but it was kind of as shit show.

Boddington has one this Friday that I am signed up to take in.

Just trying to get a feel for how they are working.

The issue is being home and doing other things you tend to forget about the virtual convention when you start other projects. I know I was bidding on some items in a SCI virtual program and forgot the closing time and was out bid in the last few minutes of the bidding. It was troubling that they extended the bidding time because so many jumped in at the last minute. I was leading with 30 minutes to go, and it appears that you have last minute bidders waiting for the last possible second to place a bid. well the time for bidding was extended and my wife had me doing something else.

It Appears that DSC Virtual convention started off well on Wednesday.

Thursday evening looks to be another day with some great items to bid on.

quote:

Originally posted by Texas Blue Devil:

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
Digital Outdoor Expo launches in March...its a year - round online expo that will eventually replace all the rest IMO. Entirely too much time, effort and expense for a week long show, and then gone!

I don't see the shows going away. I think established African outfitters with long lists of repeat clients don't really need the shows. However the African outfitters catering to 1st time hunters with lower levels of repeat business will always need the shows.


I also think the shows focused on North America hunting and fishing will also be fine.

No sorry guys...I didn't mean to insinuate the "in person shows" would go away. I was referring to all of the new online / virtual shows you see everyone doing now. The big in-person shows won't stop anytime soon (I don't believe) but the last 10 months have to some degree changed things forever IMO, and I think the in person shows will change too.

Besides, why wouldn't exhibitors want to utilize a year - round online platform to market their services / products, just like they do at an "in person" show? Its much cheaper, less time consuming, has a world wide audience potential, will eventually reach tons more people than any in-person show ever dreamed of...and who here can tell me something like Covid isn't going to happen again (and its far from over now). I'll bet a lot of African outfitters would have loved to have the added benefit of something like this in 2021...if I were them I'd be hedging my bets a bit for 2022 as well.