2019 Safari Club International Show Summary

I enjoyed SCI this year. I spent my time getting quotes on a Hippo hunt for 2021 and got three good offers that I have to decide on. Having said that, I started thinking that I would attend DSC next year instead. The AH Get Together in Dallas seems to be a much bigger event. That's one of my main reasons for attending anyway.

I'm going to be on the other end of the spectrum.

I was over 60 when I took my first trip to Africa and I did 99% of my research on line I did manage to get to the Denver Sprotsman's Show to meet my outfitter but that was only after the hunt had been booked and my deposit sent. But then one of my hunting partners had met the outfitter before and had spent a couple of years setting up this hunt.

But I will also say what a lot on here say. Why go to the show when you can save some money and spend it on another animal or two. But the time that you pay for your trip, airfare, hotel rooms, and everything else you could of booked another safari.

But then I am was just a working stiff that had to watch where I spent my money and really could not afford to head to these fancy shows unless they were in my backyard.

I very much support Phil's (PHOENIX PHIL) and Jerome's (AfricaHunting.com) reports. I was there for the duration and ended up spending some time helping my friends of Huntershill Safaris on their booth.

Here are my observations:

1) In confirmation of something I had already observed professionally for years and years with electronics trade-shows, any show in Reno will 'by definition' have about 30% less attendance than the same show in Las Vegas. The destination is just less attractive for those who like to use the opportunity for a get away weekend. This observation seems clearly confirmed, comparing last year's crowd on Vegas to this year's crowd in Reno.

2) I overheard a discussion involving one of the SCI executives to the effect that a number of big corporate exhibitors have complained about the low attendance and asked that next year the show be returned to Vegas, but that SCI cannot do this as they would incur a $7 million penalty payable to the Reno city / chamber of commerce. I expect that SCI 2020 and 2021 will be in Reno.

3) Saturday's attendance was indeed dismal, but I believe that Jerome explained accurately why: airlines called everyone to leave one day early. I do not interpret it as a lack of interest re. the show.

4) I did not experience any administrative or logistics shortcomings, and I have not observed any empty booth.

5) Despite the low attendance, Huntershill Safari got better bookings than last year in Vegas (which were already good for what I understand). Truth be told they had some incredibly attractive "show special" packages (5 days all inclusive trophy sable for $4,500; 5 days all inclusive trophy buffalo for $8,000; some really attractive plains game packages, etc.). I ended up providing 'on site reference' to a few folks and was happy to do so as I believe Huntershill Safaris offer a truly unique cost/benefits ratio in their packages. I actually booked myself for a second 12 day hunt with them this summer to finish collecting the plains game species (sable, roan, tsessebe, lechwe, Vaal rhebok, nyala, etc.). Greg, the owner of Huntershill allowed me to let a few friends know about his "show special" packages, so if you are interested PM me, I will be happy to put you in contact with him.

6) I stayed at the Peppermill Casino where the banquets and award ceremonies took place and they seemed well attended.

I would say that it was overall a great show but that the winter storm on the east coast probably deprived it of a big chunk of visitors on Saturday, and that anything in Reno will be smaller than the same thing in Vegas...

Just my $0.02

SCI’S 47TH ANNUAL CONVENTION A ROUSING SUCCESS JANUARY 14, 2019

By all measures, Safari Club International’s 47th Annual Convention in Reno, Nevada last week was a huge success, setting the stage for an even bigger and better Convention next year – don’t miss the biggest party in the hunting world to be held in Reno Jan. 15-18, 2020. Mark your calendar now and plan to attend! The SCI Convention this year ran from Jan. 9-12 and saw more than 15,000 of the world’s most serious hunters from more than 100 countries around the world rendezvous at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center for a great time and to raise millions of dollars to support SCI’s mission to protect the freedom to hunt and promote wildlife conservation worldwide. Nearly 1,000 exhibitors were at the Convention, offering goods and services. The SCI Convention includes more than 460,000 square feet of exhibit space, making it the biggest and most important event of its kind in the hunting world. The overall economic impact of the SCI Convention on the local economy is nearly $20 million. “It was a great week for SCI,” said SCI President Paul Babaz. “The enthusiasm of members and exhibitors was incredible – the best I have ever seen! This Convention exhibited the embodiment of the concept of HUNTER PRIDE. Now we are looking forward to an even bigger and better SCI Convention next year. Mark your calendars: Jan. 15-18, 2020 for the SCI Convention in Reno.” Although funds from the Convention are used for the serious business of protecting hunting and conserving wildlife, the Convention also is a time when members celebrate the hunting heritage and have a good time. “On Saturday evening, the party atmosphere was palpable,” noted SCI Chief Executive Officer Rick Parsons. “Bidding on auction items was competitive and folks were whooping and hollering in support because everyone knew that the money was going for the cause.” He also noted that an impromptu appeal from the podium by SCI President Paul Babaz, asking for donations to the Super PAC, resulted in thousands of dollars being raised on-the-spot. The Saturday evening auction demonstrated the overall feel and effectiveness of the entire convention when the fifth and final rifle in the World Heritage Rifle Series brought $260,000. The rifle, created by John Bolliger’s Mountain Riflery in Pocatello, Idaho, honored The Americas. The total package included a breathtakingly beautiful credenza by Tom Julian & Sons. “There was more support for the cause than I have ever seen,” noted SCI President-Elect Steve Skold. The SCI Convention was host to several dignitaries from Africa. Delegations from Ethiopia, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe met with SCI to discuss the upcoming CITES CoP18. SCI honored Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan with the 2018 Federal Legislator of the Year Award. Sen. Sullivan was joined at the convention by previous SCI Federal Legislator of the Year Congressman Billy Long of Missouri. In addition to the spectacular Convention for SCI itself, the SCI Foundation also reported outstanding results. “SCIF had a great show, raising more than $1.5 million for the mission,” said SCI Foundation Executive Director Bob Benson. “It was a culmination of exceptional work by our staff and volunteers to secure major gifts and execute exciting events and other revenue generators.” SCI’s next Convention will be held in Reno Jan. 15-18, 2020.

AH has become a show unto itself. At least as it relates to Africa. AH is open 365 days per year. There are 7,232 people on the floor as I write this. 58 official exhibitors along with a few exhibitors that are just walking the isles. Friends abound whenever I sign in.

As AH grows, a new and younger generation is exposed to hunting that will not travel to Reno or Dallas.

I was slow to accept the internet. When I first got an email address, I would check it every month or two. I never researched anything on the WWW, I used the 1963 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. Something about old dogs and new tricks. That has changed and now I probably spend too much time on the internet.

Backwoods is the local show in Oklahoma City. It is small and limits African exhibitors to around 5. A couple years after I joined AH, I told one of the African exhibitors at the Backwoods show that I had booked a couple of hunts through AH. He thought I was stupid. I told him he should join and post on AH. I had actually known this outfitter at the Backwoods show for ten or so years. I knew some of his clients that would hang around the booth. This outfitter comes to America and spends six weeks going to around five shows and sees past clients at home "shows". How much do these six weeks cost? I don't know, but it can't be cheap. The cost is obviously justified as he continues to do this year after year.

One thing I notice about most outfitters who are sponsors on AH. Most don't participate in the general discussions much these days. Probably less than ten have over 1,000 posts. Does this equate to buying a booth and setting in a chair and playing with your phone as customers walk down the isle? I don't know. When I go to DSC, there are exhibitors that are friends I look to see, outfitters I am interested in hunting with I will talk to, but when I walk down the isle and exhibitors don't say hi or ask if they can answer any questions about _________. I just walk on by. I know most of the outfitters/sponsors who have been on AH for five plus years. Unfortunately I don't know most of the outfitters who are sponsors now on AH. They don't participate in general conversations like this thread, so I probably won't buy from them since I don't know anything about them, other than a hunt special they have posted. I sent a pm to an outfitter on AH a month or two ago. He has yet to respond. They have a great name and reputation. Will I ever hunt with them. Not if they never respond.

I'm not trying to tell outfitters/sponsors how to run their business, but if you pay Jerome to be in this exhibit hall, wouldn't it behoove you to participate and take advantage of the thousands of people that walk down the isle every day.


my

Wheels said:

One thing I notice about most outfitters who are sponsors on AH. Most don't participate in the general discussions much these days. Probably less than ten have over 1,000 posts. Does this equate to buying a booth and setting in a chair and playing with your phone as customers walk down the isle? I don't know. When I go to DSC, there are exhibitors that are friends I look to see, outfitters I am interested in hunting with I will talk to, but when I walk down the isle and exhibitors don't say hi or ask if they can answer any questions about _________. I just walk on by.

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Ding ding ding!!!! We have a winner folks!

AH is a great way to sell hunts, but you have to work it just like a show. I've talked to former sponsors here who left because they were frustrated and felt AH was all about price. Well yes, when you do nothing to differentiate yourself and the commodity you sell it IS all about price. You have to put in the work, just as with the shows, and build that client base .

Those that don't are certainly not maximizing their advertising budget!

2 of my 3 hunts in Africa have been with AH sponsors. My first one wasn't but trying to learn about hunting Africa preparing for that first safari lead me here. Along the way I have made some friends, and have even pulled off a hunt or two with some members. I might actually go to DSC just for the AH dinner and met a few other people.

I feel like a lot people go to a show and say they "over spent" well I came here to learn and look around and I have "over spent", but it has probably saved me thousands compare to if I attended 2 or 3 shows a year. There is definitely a sense of community here.

I think it is very valuable to meet the outfitter/guide face to face. It certainly made me feel much more comfortable when I booked my first trip. Going back in April!

The show itself is very expensive. When I went in 2017, a full pass was like $400. My wife declined to go and hung out close to the hotel room.

The worlds equity markets took a drumming to the tune of a few trillion dollars at the end of the year. That had to play into the decisions of a number of people about attending SCI. If DSC numbers are down too, this could be a significant factor. If DSC maintains or increases attendance, you can disregard this thought and just figure that DSC is presenting a better product than SCI for the cost.

Wheels said:

. . . just figure that DSC is presenting a better product than SCI for the cost.

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SCI must be a member to enter. DSC no membership required to enter.
SCI $335 for 4 days, DSC $50 for 4 days.

I've only attended SCI once and I enjoyed it and booked a hunt there, but the high cost of getting my wife and I through the door besides all the costs associated with a trip makes me look for other shows. I would rather spend the money on a hunt than a show, although I realize some times with show specials and promotions that money can sometimes be save even so.

I'm a lifetime member to both DSC and SCI. I've never attended SCI; whereas Ann and I attended DSC 2011 through 2014 every year. I do register to bid on auction hunts for both conventions. I book mark items to see what they go for. SCI hunts this year that I had bookmarked went for very good $'s in my view - many the total price was close to booking directly with the outfitter.

I'm at the point where I research hunts on AH and via recommendations from friends and family. Attending DSC in the future will be to see old friends and attend the AH dinner. I doubt I would ever attend SCI in the future.

Rider717 said:

I went to all 4 days of the show. Here is what I observed and what I got from some exhibitors:

Overall the mood of the show seemed subdued. To me the energy level was noticeably off from last year.

The demographic is definitely older. My guess would be 60+ on average. Not a lot of younger folks.

Attendance was ok from what I saw. Not as big a crowd as Las Vegas last year. The layout of the
exhibits and events at the convention center was confusing and spread out so it was hard to really get a feel for overall size of the crowd.

The shuttle service from my hotel was excellent. I can't speak to the others.

It was indeed feast or famine for the outfitters. The product sellers seemed to be doing very good business though. From what I gathered talking to everyone was that they felt the show was too early this year. With DSC and Houston following it the feeling was people were shopping for hunts in Reno and planning on purchasing at the later shows. Some were booking like crazy and some couldn't even get people to stop and talk to them. a few were not even sure they would keep attending shows as the cost is high for them and they can do almost as much business over the internet.

The antis were there in laughably small numbers, 3 people protesting on a corner.

Reno is not the easiest city to get to by air. Limited number of direct flights from some of the major hubs makes it a pain to get to compared to Las Vegas.

The folks in Reno seemed really pleased to see us. I guess business is low for them this time of year and they really appreciate the business we bring into town.

All that said it was still a good time. I talked with a lot of exhibitors, vendors and services in person who I had only corresponded with online or over the phone. It was nice to meet them in person. Dr Kevin Robertson of Perfect Shot fame was there and I had a really good conversation with him.

Prices were good on a lot of products and there were some outstanding deals on hunt packages. Although some seemed to be to good to be true. One outfitter was selling a hunt for 1 male lion, 1 lioness, 1 buffalo and either a sable or a roan plus a couple of plains game animals for $25,500. Not sure he can make anything on that hunt. There were outfitters from everywhere with hunts on every huntable species so choices are still good to fill a bucket list.

If you haven't attended or aren't a member of SCI or any other hunting organization you should really consider going and/or joining. The concerted effort to end hunting by western countries and the antis is only going to grow and we need to increase or organizations so our voice doesn't get drowned out by the anti hunting crowd.

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Never really thought about that. This forum is as close as I get to a 'club', but having said that I will look into joining SCI.

AB2506 said:

I think it is very valuable to meet the outfitter/guide face to face. It certainly made me feel much more comfortable when I booked my first trip. Going back in April!

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I agree it is valuable. But questioning previous clients on their experience with that outfitter is perhaps more valuable.

Wheels said:

AH has become a show unto itself. At least as it relates to Africa. AH is open 365 days per year. There are 7,232 people on the floor as I write this. 58 official exhibitors along with a few exhibitors that are just walking the isles. Friends abound whenever I sign in.

As AH grows, a new and younger generation is exposed to hunting that will not travel to Reno or Dallas.

I was slow to accept the internet. When I first got an email address, I would check it every month or two. I never researched anything on the WWW, I used the 1963 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. Something about old dogs and new tricks. That has changed and now I probably spend too much time on the internet.

Backwoods is the local show in Oklahoma City. It is small and limits African exhibitors to around 5. A couple years after I joined AH, I told one of the African exhibitors at the Backwoods show that I had booked a couple of hunts through AH. He thought I was stupid. I told him he should join and post on AH. I had actually known this outfitter at the Backwoods show for ten or so years. I knew some of his clients that would hang around the booth. This outfitter comes to America and spends six weeks going to around five shows and sees past clients at home "shows". How much do these six weeks cost? I don't know, but it can't be cheap. The cost is obviously justified as he continues to do this year after year.

One thing I notice about most outfitters who are sponsors on AH. Most don't participate in the general discussions much these days. Probably less than ten have over 1,000 posts. Does this equate to buying a booth and setting in a chair and playing with your phone as customers walk down the isle? I don't know. When I go to DSC, there are exhibitors that are friends I look to see, outfitters I am interested in hunting with I will talk to, but when I walk down the isle and exhibitors don't say hi or ask if they can answer any questions about _________. I just walk on by. I know most of the outfitters/sponsors who have been on AH for five plus years. Unfortunately I don't know most of the outfitters who are sponsors now on AH. They don't participate in general conversations like this thread, so I probably won't buy from them since I don't know anything about them, other than a hunt special they have posted. I sent a pm to an outfitter on AH a month or two ago. He has yet to respond. They have a great name and reputation. Will I ever hunt with them. Not if they never respond.

I'm not trying to tell outfitters/sponsors how to run their business, but if you pay Jerome to be in this exhibit hall, wouldn't it behoove you to participate and take advantage of the thousands of people that walk down the isle every day.


my

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Wheels said:

AH has become a show unto itself. At least as it relates to Africa. AH is open 365 days per year. There are 7,232 people on the floor as I write this. 58 official exhibitors along with a few exhibitors that are just walking the isles. Friends abound whenever I sign in.

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I agree with your description completely whether it was designed that way or not. Would you go as far as to say that AH has become a smaller version of Amazon but directed at hunters? You can shop 24/7 for hunts and most anything connected to hunting, just not all on the same day necessarily.

Sure, that sounds like a fair comparison.

There will always be people that need to touch and feel, so there will always be a DSC and SCI for those that need to meet outfitters personally. The question is will this market shrink as the international hunting population ages. Younger people are much more comfortable shopping on line. AH has positioned itself to become a shopping market for the future.

The other, possibly more relevant question is, how long will the sport survive.

Wheels said:

Sure, that sounds like a fair comparison.

There will always be people that need to touch and feel, so there will always be a DSC and SCI for those that need to meet outfitters personally. The question is will this market shrink as the international hunting population ages. Younger people are much more comfortable shopping on line. AH has positioned itself to become a shopping market for the future.

The other, possibly more relevant question is, how long will the sport survive.

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For the touching and feeling side of it isn't there a nice booby bar?

My wife and I were there all 4 days. Layout was confusing. Just like any show in any business some people do well and other sit in their booth and complain how slow it is. I enjoy AH and tell all my hunting friends about it. AH, SCI and DSC are all valuable places to learn and enjoy hunting and camaraderie.

Why we go to SCI;

• Visit friends we have hunted with
• See everything in one spot from manufacturers, nice to compare all makes and models. Talk to experts.
• Fantastic taxidermy - great place to get ideas
• Talk to exhibitors face to face. Once you have done your initial research on line with an outfitter nothing is better than sizing them up in person
• Love to look at the art
• Can't afford a lot of the guns and hunts but it's fun to look
• Seminars are also valuable
• I did book a Russian Brown Bear Hunt. Talked to half a dozen outfitters. Some seemed honest but incompetent, some seemed like car salesmen and some were professional and straightforward. Was not looking for a "deal". Just the right outfitter.

My recommendations;

• Participate in AH and as many other hunting and conservation organizations as possible - show support
• Join a local SCI Chapter and promote hunting and conservation in your area. The local chapters have a lot of experienced members
• Yes there are a lot of old people like me there. Hopefully they go home and take their children and grandchildren hunting.

OT but related to the demographics angle, our hunting club of 50 members, the majority boomers, puts on a deer drive the last day of the PA deer season and it usually is pretty successful event. This year it's not going to happen, lack of interest.