Official AH Get Together In Atlanta During Dallas Safari Club (DSC) Convention 2025

[kscowboy01]

My father just ordered a new Grenadier. He's excited.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

My son and I went to the DSC convention on Thursday. Very impressive.

I stuck my nose in the Holland & Hollard booth, and had a great conversation with the nicest young man about hunting & fishing in the UK.

I went by the Heym booth and met the guy who designed the safety on the 89B and had a good discussion about the rifle. (I envy you, Kevin!)

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One thing I found interesting, was the fact that there were at least two Land Rover Defender restorations companies there. The vehicles were very nice and very expensive.

There is an Ineos Grenadier dealer only 20 miles away from the World Congress Center, with at least 70 vehicles sitting on the lot, but INEOS wasn't there. They missed a golden opportunity to showcase them.

A brand new Grenadier is 25% of the cost of an 8+ year old refurbished Defender!

Who designed the safety for the 89b?

 

[Nomsag]

How has the Atlanta show compared to Dallas?

 

[Rare Breed]

Given I have gone to Dallas the last 7 years I would say the outfitter presentations were almost the same with the exception of in Dallas so many more white tail deer outfitters and equipment versus this year Atlanta. With the bad weather this year you can’t do a fair comparison of turn out

 

[Safari Dave]

I didn't get the gentleman's name, because I'm very bad at remembering names, but he sounded American.

 

[Safari Dave]

If I didn't have two Landcruiser's sitting in my garage, I would order one ASAP.

 

[375Fox]

How has the Atlanta show compared to Dallas?

The attendance just wasn’t there but the outfitters were. If a person made it to show it was a great opportunity to meet outfitters and talk without much interruption or waiting. Unfortunately severe winter weather (for the south) hit the same weekend as show. I think it kept a lot of people back. Anyone who had flights going into Atlanta on Friday likely had their flight canceled. Most Ubers and Taxis were not driving either. I had a great time Thursday but had I known I would spend 27 hours trying to get home between flight cancellations and delays for a 1.5 hour flight I likely would have stayed home too.

 

[Russ16]

Attendance was definitely impacted by the weather. Unfortunately some exhibitors said they didn’t know how much was weather and how much was being in Atlanta. Several told me they weren’t sure they would come to Atlanta again. That said we’ll see if they actually make that decision when the time comes.

Overall I enjoyed the show immensely. Reconnected with some folks and met some new ones. Found several intriguing hints for future years. Very much enjoyed it.

 

[Altitude sickness]

At last years SCI convention in Nashville I spoke with Laird Hamberlin and asked how the 2024 convention attendance was looking so far.

He knew by the second day that 2024 would be another record year. Surpassing 2023 Nashville attendance and spending numbers by a large margin.

I’m curios if DSC can track that data real time. Even with weather impacts. They would know how prepaid tickets compared with previous Dallas conventions. We won’t know until next year.

 

[Tusker]

Attendance was definitely impacted by the weather. Unfortunately some exhibitors said they didn’t know how much was weather and how much was being in Atlanta. Several told me they weren’t sure they would come to Atlanta again. That said we’ll see if they actually make that decision when the time comes.

Overall I enjoyed the show immensely. Reconnected with some folks and met some new ones. Found several intriguing hints for future years. Very much enjoyed it.

Booths for 2026 are already booked (typically you book them on the last day of the show). Most exhibitors I know are reducing down from 2-3 booths to a single space booth. After the outcome of next year, they will decide.
I sell as operator to agents and outfitters and recognise it was a great time for me to have the time to meet with all of them BUT will not come back next year as exhibitor.
All agents and outfitters I have been meeting with are VERY disappointed with the show.
The show was a total disaster.

 

[Northern Shooter]

How does SCI typically compare to DSC? It’s the larger of the two I assume?

 

[3chunter]

If I wanted to speak with any outfitter, I would not have had to wait that is for sure. Lots of flights got cancelled and the weather impacted it for sure. At SCI two years ago I couldn’t even make it to a booth to get fitted for a hat. I walked right up and was only one at that vendors booth on Saturday.

 

[Tusker]

How does SCI typically compare to DSC? It’s the larger of the two I assume?

Last years DSC was bigger and better than SCI.
SCI had to make some changes like looking for a new location that would attract more public and DSC went after them trying to "beat them down the road with a stick",,, they came to a neighbouring location and now here we are, with a sh**t show in Atlanta for the next 3 years.
Meanwhile SCI is doing their "homework" to fight back to recover their supremacy. First by setting their dates as distanced as posible from DSC, which makes some exhibitors decide weather if to attend one or the other (too many weeks in between). Second SCI has bought TTHA to exhibit in Dallas they very same weekend than DSC (this way Texas hunters won't travel to Atlanta).
Lets see what happens, but future looks cloudy for DSC.

 

[wesheltonj]

. . . with a sh**t show in Atlanta for the next 3 years. . .

No, till 2030.

 

[Dirtdart]

This is the first DSC convention that I have attended so I can't compare to past shows. The location was the determining factor for me to attend.

Personally, I really enjoyed the show. I was able catch up with some of the PH/Outfitters that I have hunted with in the past. We stay in touch throughout the year but it is fun to get together face to face.

A friend invited me to the Conservation Champions Breakfast to hear Shane Mahoney speak. Do yourself a favor and seize the opportunity to be in the audience should you get the chance.

I am not privy to what kind of bickering or dick measuring contest is going on between SCI and DSC but this is my perception.
Setting show dates apart for the purpose of forcing an exhibitor to choose only one or, split their team to cover a show scheduled on the same dates seems counterproductive. If this is a way to make life easier for the wonderful outfitters that help us create lifelong memories or is beneficial to wildlife please let me know what I am missing?

 

[Tusker]

This is the first DSC convention that I have attended so I can't compare to past shows. The location was the determining factor for me to attend.

Personally, I really enjoyed the show. I was able catch up with some of the PH/Outfitters that I have hunted with in the past. We stay in touch throughout the year but it is fun to get together face to face.

A friend invited me to the Conservation Champions Breakfast to hear Shane Mahoney speak. Do yourself a favor and seize the opportunity to be in the audience should you get the chance.

I am not privy to what kind of bickering or dick measuring contest is going on between SCI and DSC but this is my perception.
Setting show dates apart for the purpose of forcing an exhibitor to choose only one or, split their team to cover a show scheduled on the same dates seems counterproductive. If this is a way to make life easier for the wonderful outfitters that help us create lifelong memories or is beneficial to wildlife please let me know what I am missing?

Thinking that DSC and SCI exist to protect hunting is like saying that politicians go into that to improve the lives of their citizens.
True bottom is that they exist because they make money and power to its directors and staff. Some are there because of the salary (we are taking about very good salaries) and some others because of social recognition.
At least the consequence of them existing is that the hunting world gets benefited!
Hopefully they start marking again good decisions!

 

[mdwest]

Some are there because of the salary (we are taking about very good salaries)

this isnt exactly true...

the last I checked there were only 12 actual employees of DSC.. and only one of those positions would be considered an "executive" role.. all the rest are clerical or supervisory... every position otherwise to include the board of directors all the way down to the guys helping set up booths at the show is done by uncompensated volunteers..

I haven't looked at the DSC CEO comp plan in a while.. but the organizations financials are in the public domain and easy enough to find... the last time I looked the DSC CEO was paid REASONABLY for a person in a position with that level of responsibility, in an organization with that level of annual revenue, etc..etc.. but the position is FAR from overcompensated..

As a rule people that work for non profits get paid 5-8% less than their counterparts in for profit businesses... in the US... the biggest disparity in compensation plans is at the executive level where non profit executives (to include those running huge, national organizations like the American Red Cross, Goodwill, etc..) are substantially lower than executives in similar sized for profit institutions..

Up until about 2015 the opposite was true on a national scale.. but there has been increased scrutiny across the 501c(3) world over the last 10-15 years and things have changed dramatically.. prior to 2015 the US Bureau of Labor statistics showed that non profit employees generally made 3-5% more than their for profit counterparts.. but their benefits packages were less robust, which pretty much made total compensation a wash between the two..

If you're a fully competent, capable, and proven CEO of a mid sized business (say $20-$100M in annual revenue), you are going to take a substantial pay cut to become the CEO of DSC.. you definitely don't do it for the money... there is something else that motivates you to take that job..

I have never delved as deeply into the SCI financials or looked very hard at their comp plans or posted wage rates for paid positions.. but I cant imagine they are much different than DSC on that front..

 

[Tusker]

2023 DSC total revenue: $11.4m
2023 DSC CEO salary: $340k

 

[Northern Shooter]

Must be nice to be a CEO.

 

[mdwest]

Must be nice to be a CEO.

I can attest that it often is.

I can also attest that it often is not. Nice paychecks come with significant responsibility. Decisions made at the top level all come with risk and it is impossible to please everyone no matter the result.

I can further attest that the couple of decades it takes for most to get to a C-suite position typically requires sacrifices that most other people are unwilling to make.

I often think “sure would be nice to be a project manager again”…

Good pay, reasonable hours, interesting work, 1/5 the stress, and 1/10th of thr challenges…