DSC Update from the CEO

[mdwest]

Dallas and Houston are about equally bad honestly in terms of being spread out.. Houston metro is +/- 10,000 Sq Miles.. Dallas metro is 9,300... but DFW is growing north and west at a faster rate than Houston is growing "outward".. give it just 5-10 more years and they'll be identical in land mass..

Then factor in DFW's metro population is now a little over 8M (as of June of 2024)... packed into those 9300 sq miles.. vs Houston's metro population 7.5M packed into its 10,000 sq miles.. that makes for DFW traffic being worse, general congestion being worse, etc..

If I leave my house at 9AM (after morning rush hour should largely be over) headed south (Im on the northern edge of the metroplex) its no shit at least a full hour before I exit the metro area on the south end... depending on traffic it can actually take longer than that..

 

[bashaw]

Houston why not the South Side of Chicago, Sarcasm. San Antonio is always a nice place to visit and Dallas is nice also. This is what I call a Cluster F*^#

 

[7mmFan]

Screw it. I can get to Nashville as easy as Houston. Plus, I hate Houston.

 

[Scott CWO]

My son is being transferred to Houston so we will probably check it out. Perhaps a merger will take place - DSC & HSC becoming Texas Safari Club?? I don’t think it will be ASC! Lol.

 

[K-man]

DSC will not penalize exhibitors who do not wish to sign a multi-year booth agreement, and those that opt out will not be penalized for future shows. However, we are developing a robust exhibitor-partner incentive program to reward those who remain loyal throughout the Atlanta show dates

If i was an exhibitor I would be very wary of that statement. Seems you won't be penalized but everyone else will get an incentive? Sounds like not charging more to take a credit card but giving a discount for cash.

I'm glad they have finally made a statement to the public, even though it's a bit short on some details. Glad to have at least a calendar and a pathway for the next five years. Thanks for relaying the information.

 

[wesheltonj]

Dallas and Houston are about equally bad honestly in terms of being spread out.. Houston metro is +/- 10,000 Sq Miles.. Dallas metro is 9,300... but DFW is growing north and west at a faster rate than Houston is growing "outward".. give it just 5-10 more years and they'll be identical in land mass..

Then factor in DFW's metro population is now a little over 8M (as of June of 2024)... packed into those 9300 sq miles.. vs Houston's metro population 7.5M packed into its 10,000 sq miles.. that makes for DFW traffic being worse, general congestion being worse, etc..

If I leave my house at 9AM (after morning rush hour should largely be over) headed south (Im on the northern edge of the metroplex) its no shit at least a full hour before I exit the metro area on the south end... depending on traffic it can actually take longer than that..

There is more concrete in DFW then Houston. That said Dallas and Ft Worth both took care of their mixmasters into downtown, Houston has not at least from IH 10. DFW airport is a thousand times better then IAH, at one time they were equally bad. DFW had the foresight to get of their old train that only went one way and was slow, with a fast bi-directional train. IAH is trying to make upgrades, but their terminal layout is not as efficient as DFW or ATL.

I've been to several conferences at Brown. The Marriott hotel is great, but parking is a problem, unless you hotel valet. Parking is is even worse if not staying at either the Marriott or Hilton. I understand moving to Houston, better airport then San Antonio. But I think San Antonio would bring more traffic. Every visitor likes heading to the Riverwalk, of course that might be bad for the evening rubber chicken dinners.

 

[thi9elsp]

Thank you for sharing. Unfortunately, as a life member, and the same email address for more than 20 years, I didn't receive this communication. I know, as suggested I can call DSC to figure out their problem, but I'm uncertain if I care why at this point.

 

[Scott CWO]

There is more concrete in DFW then Houston. That said Dallas and Ft Worth both took care of their mixmasters into downtown, Houston has not at least from IH 10. DFW airport is a thousand times better then IAH, at one time they were equally bad. DFW had the foresight to get of their old train that only went one way and was slow, with a fast bi-directional train. IAH is trying to make upgrades, but their terminal layout is not as efficient as DFW or ATL.

I've been to several conferences at Brown. The Marriott hotel is great, but parking is a problem, unless you hotel valet. Parking is is even worse if not staying at either the Marriott or Hilton. I understand moving to Houston, better airport then San Antonio. But I think San Antonio would bring more traffic. Every visitor likes heading to the Riverwalk, of course that might be bad for the evening rubber chicken dinners.

Well, for this country boy, nothing in either place can compare to the music that SCI puts together and getting to meet Chris Young. Well done SCI! The wife and I will continue to attend SCI and the Nashville music scene along Broadway. Thanks to our own @Philip Glass for doing his part at SCI.

 

[RR 314]

For the Houston move I sure hope it’s at Reliant and not GRB. Parking around GRB I hate trying get into.

GRB is rough on all fronts. My daughter has a couple volleyball tournaments there each year and everything around GRB is painful to me. I know absolutely nothing about event planning, but the Atlanta move made no sense to me (or many others). I'm still unclear (to me) as to what is truly happening with KBH, but it seems like a move to Ft. Worth, N. Dallas, Frisco, Plano etc. made a heck of a lot more sense. Hindsight may not be truly 20/20, heck, it may be better than 20/20, but seems like there should have been much better foresight concerning Atlanta.

 

[Surgeon1]

Emails by a polished CEO in the middle of a collapsing business are only words til proven otherwise. What ATL did to exhibitors and members will take a near miracle to overcome!

Makes me very sad!

 

[Philip Glass]

View attachment 673886
Well, for this country boy, nothing in either place can compare to the music that SCI puts together and getting to meet Chris Young. Well done SCI! The wife and I will continue to attend SCI and the Nashville music scene along Broadway. Thanks to our own @Philip Glass for doing his part at SCI.

Thanks so much! We do have an awesome lineup of entertainment at our events. I'll be in DC with SCI lobbying congress for our rights in May. I already have my plans made for Nashville for next year. I hope to see yall there!

 

[Philip Glass]

Better late then never. Two telling items. First, DSC moved the date next year as not to compete with TTHA/SCI and be closer to SCI main show date. Second, in 2030 when they were supposed to be back in Dallas they are in Houston.

Yea I can't figure that one out. 2030

 

[Philip Glass]

I think that the biggest variable with returning to Dallas is when KBHCC reconstruction is complete. Hence the uncertainty around the return date. DSC has priority contractual on its return to KBHCC. Not sure what that means for TTHA - they could still both have their shows there just at different times.

Neglected to put this in my previous response but DSC and HSC are coordinating this move. That would mean that it would be intended to not be harmful for HSC and mutually beneficial for both. Those details are being worked out as I understand.

So is it to be a joint convention or not? Do we not know yet?

 

[Philip Glass]

Does anyone know why the convention is 3 days some years and four days others? Am I reading this wrong?
I am a life member and did get the email. FYI

 

[dogcat1]

At the end of it all, we, as hunters, need DSC and SCI and TTHA and the other critter clubs. They support what we love to do. Same for the NRA.
They all make mistakes, as DSC has done, but we need them and they need us.

I have lived in Houston 4 times (oil). Yes, it is a mess at times but so is every other city that can handle this. Houston is ok, just not great. Atlanta was fine, but weather and a lack of leadership hurt the 2025 show. It won't get better if you stay home.

So, I will drive from Ft. Worth to ATL or to HOU and Nashville to support them and see the show.

I hated Lagos, Nigeria and Moscow and Islamabad and Frankfurt and Cairo when I was traveling all the time, but I did not get eaten or shot or scammed. So, there is not a single big perfect city out there - except Fort Worth - to host this, so we need to get over it.

 

[mdwest]

At the end of it all, we, as hunters, need DSC and SCI and TTHA and the other critter clubs. They support what we love to do. Same for the NRA.
They all make mistakes, as DSC has done, but we need them and they need us.

I’m going to add a caveat…

We need critter clubs that demonstrate integrity, honesty, transparency, and a commitment to the things we provide them money and time to support..

We don’t need another Wayne LaPierre run NRA… if Wayne’s in charge I’ll divert my money and time to organizations more aligned with my values like Firearms Coalition and GOA…

If the DSC Board and CEO choose to continue down the path they’ve been on for the past few years, I’ll divert my time and funds toward organizations in the hunting and conservation world more aligned with my values..

The CEOs most recent message is a decent first step in convincing me DSC intends to try to make right on what they have clearly made wrong… but let’s not forget that we are now less than 24 hours on the delivery of a promise that was almost 2 months late… that contains other promises and commitments.. and still leaves many questions unanswered…

That’s not exactly what I’d call getting off to a good start..

After losing trust, DSC doesn’t get the benefit of partial transparency… and they certainly don’t automatically regain trust just because the CEO says something… actions are going to be required along with complete and total transparency…

Otherwise you’re throwing your hard earned dollars at a critter club that has proven on more than one occasion they don’t care what your priorities and values are, so long as the priorities and values of the board are being met (a la Wayne’s NRA)…

 

[dogcat1]

Dan - could not agree more. No free pass when the membership pays the salaries. Transparacncy is the key now.

 

[SaintPanzer]

I have only minor thoughts on this. When I first heard Atlanta, it made some sense to me. If the Convention Center in Dallas was undergoing construction, I could see a "temporary" move, and as I know many overseas flights connect through Atlanta, I could justify the logistics in my mind. But we've learned a bit more since then, and Houston doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I'm going to hold my renewal this year, and see how this all shakes out.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

View attachment 673886
Well, for this country boy, nothing in either place can compare to the music that SCI puts together and getting to meet Chris Young. Well done SCI! The wife and I will continue to attend SCI and the Nashville music scene along Broadway. Thanks to our own @Philip Glass for doing his part at SCI.

Nice pic! I'm not sure at this point if I will ever go to another DSC event as SCI in Nashville fills all of my needs.

HH

 

[WAB]

Nice pic! I'm not sure at this point if I will ever go to another DSC event as SCI in Nashville fills all of my needs.

HH

Unfortunately I agree with you. When it was SCI in Vegas or DSC in Dallas the scales tipped heavily in favor of DSC. If SCI stays in Nashville I have likely attended my last DSC convention.