2010 Dallas Safari Club show shatters records
The Dallas Safari Club’s 2010 Convention and Sporting Expo concluded with several confirmed and pending new records for expo exhibits, total attendance, gate revenue and auction proceeds — all of which translates to record funding for the DSC mission in the coming year.“We blew the doors off some previous records, most notably our fundraising totals for conservation and education projects worldwide,” said Ben Carter, executive director of DSC. “The economy may be down, but it didn’t appear so at our convention.”
Expo traffic was heavy for much of the show.
“People who have money are still booking safaris and buying a lot of things, which is great,” said Hans Vermaak of South Africa’s Coenraad Vermaak Safaris, the longest-operating safari outfit in Africa.” It’s almost as though they’re buying even more safaris right now because there are so many deals to be had as a result of a decline in less expensive, package hunts.”
Thormahlen and Cochrane Safaris’ Anso Thormahlen, also of South Africa, echoed that.
“We had a very good show after traffic picked up on the first day,” Thormahlen said. “We booked several safaris and, as always, thank DSC for the opportunity to be here.”
The convention, held Jan. 7-10, was at the Dallas Convention Center for the first time.
“This was our first year in a big, new facility that gave us room to grow, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the end result,” Carter said. “We’ll be at the Dallas Convention Center at least through 2015 so there’s also room to grow our event experience and proficiency in our new home. I expect our show to get better and better.”
Carter added that the DSC event will continue to be the first major sporting expo each year, annually offering hunters their first opportunity to shop and book dates with top outfitters.
DSC convention highlights, by the numbers:
$400,000 — Gain in auction proceeds over 2009 (estimate, pending new record)
300,000 — Square feet of exhibit space (new record)
$40,000 — Top bid for an elephant hunt with African outfitter Coenraad Vermaak Safaris
$40,000 — Top bid for an Arizona commissioner’s elk tag
26,000 — Attendance based on sales of day passes (estimate, pending new record)
1,100 — Show exhibits (new record)
{mosimage}DSC convention highlights, by the attending celebrities:
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas — banquet speaker
Actress Anne Lockhart — attendee
NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre — banquet speaker
Actor Gerald McRaney — banquet speaker
U.S. Rep Pete Sessions of Texas — attendee
Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube — banquet speaker
Actor Marshall Teague — attendee
Gen. Chuck Yeager — attendee
U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska — attendee
DSC convention highlights, by the awards:
Award of Excellence — Frank Sweeny
Colin Caruthers Young Hunter Award — Chase Phillips
J.J. Malek South Pacific Grand Slam Award — Craig Boddington
Outfitter of the Year Award — Peter Thormahlen of Thormahlen and Cochrane Safaris
Outstanding Hunting Achievement Award — Tom Montgomery of Dallas
Peter Hathaway Capstick Hunting Heritage Award — Hubert Thummler of Mexico City
Sporting Heritage Award of Excellence from Sporting Classics — Dallas Safari Club
