By Jason Reid
LasVegas, Nevada – -(Ammoland.com)- What is the difference between a show and an event?
The 44th Annual Safari Club International convention kicked off this morning after a few brief words of welcome from show officials here in LasVegas, Nevada. The first of the nearly 20,000 individuals expected to attend the show filtered onto the event floor in the Mandalay Bay convention center eager to visit with old friends and guides, see new and expensive gear and plan for this year’s adventures and the future.
This is truly an event as over 1,200 exhibitors from 33 countries are set up with their booths directly below the room I’m in which I am writing this.
Representing 34 hunting categories and over 65 of the finest gun makers int he world. The show displays the Gun makers market, which exhibits the highest quality of gun making and engraving in the world. SCI 2016 also features a fishing village which allows attendee to consider trips to catch nearly any species of fish imaginable all over the world. Over 110 taxidermists have there art work on display. Elephants, bears, Cape Buffalo and a variety of detailed pieces on beautiful cats from around the globe. And don’t forget the famed Wing Shooting Pavilion which provides all the information and details you need to know to find the best bird hunting experience.
What really makes this an event is the financial punch SCI packs. Over 10 million dollars in trips and products are offered through silent and live auctions.
Money generated at this event accounts for over 70% of the funds for programs such as conservation efforts, hunter advocacy, humanitarian needs and education.
Outside of the cool hunts and money raising events there are certainly pertinent topics to be discussed at SCI 2016 which will have significant influence. Perhaps the word influencers can really sum up the power of this event and SCI in general. This isn’t your average group of prostate guys, these people can put their money where their mouth is and SCI gathers people of power and influence from politicians to global business owners who walk the talk. Some of the biggest issues to be debated this year is a greater discussion on Friday on how we can further band together to continue to combat the outrageous attacks on the hunting culture from anti-hunters.
I will be covering this particular round table discussion in detail and I am curious to find out if we have made any progress since last year at this time when we sat in a room to hear from Kendall Jones, Mellissa Bachman and Nichole Reeve.
By looking through the seminars list one can derive other hot topics of discussion. Encouraging Women in Hunting is a seminar and topic of great interest since their is such a powerful influx of female hunters, how to continue to encourage this growth and also stand beside them as the pressure grows from outsiders. Other issues include battling marijuana cartels on public lands and teaching people how to represent hunting through the words we speak.
Over the next four days steps will be taken to continue to further and strengthen the future of the hunting and conservation culture. Stay tuned for new blogs every day over the next several days on all aspects of the Safari Club 2016 Convention.
About Jason Reid:
Jason Reid is a writer and business professional from upstate New York. After deciding to pursue his dream of becoming an outdoor writer, Jason started a blog from his dorm room at Houghton College, growing it and working hard to earn opportunities. While bow hunting big game is his ultimate passion, Jason welcomes all outdoor challenges which force him to push his limits. Jason’s work can be viewed on his website Pushingthewildlimits.com