by January 2024 will be a busy month.
Earlier this week, the Complementary Spouse and I received confirmation that we had been approved for media credentials at the 2024 Dallas Safari Club Convention. That event is being held January 11th through 14th in Dallas. It will be the last time in Dallas as the event will move to Atlanta for a five year period while the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is being totally rebuilt. We plan to drive to Texas as it will give us more freedom to get around once we arrive in Dallas.
Next up on the agenda will be the 2024 SHOT Show in Las Vegas which begins on January 23rd with Industry Day at the Range on the preceding day. This will mark my 9th SHOT Show if you count attending the 1996 show in Dallas when I was working part-time for the original Paragon Cutlery. The difference in size and scope between 1996 is like night and day. In 1996, anything tactical including knives and modern sporting rifles was segregated from the rest of the show. Now they are an integral part of the show. As to size, the show has expanded to include the Caesars Forum in addition to its location in the Sands Expo Center.
The Complementary Spouse won’t be attending the SHOT Show and I will be cutting my visit short as I will be flying home on Friday, January 26th. The major reason for cutting it a little short is that we take off the next Wednesday for Nashville.
Rounding out the month will be the Safari Club International Convention in Nashville for which both the Complementary Spouse and I have media credentials. It starts on Wednesday, January 31st and runs through Saturday, February 3rd. This will mark the second year the convention has been held in Nashville. From everything I saw earlier this year, the move to Nashville from Las Vegas and Reno has attracted even more attendees.
As to why we are doing both the DSC Convention and the SCI Convention, while there is considerable overlap in exhibitors, they are just different from one another. While the former attracts a more Texas-centric crowd, the latter has a more international flavor. In years gone by, the Dallas Safari Club Convention was always seen as the more family friendly event but I think from what I saw in Nashville that this may be changing.
As an aside, I will be going on my first African hunt in 2024. It will be to the Eastern Cape of South Africa in June with my brother-in-law Larry. Podcaster Jono McHugh of Round The Fire hooked me up with Juan and Lauren Stander of LJ Hunting Safaris. They are a family-run outfitter with a great reputation.
If there is something you want us to check out at any of these events, either leave a comment above or send an email to me at gunsandmoneyblog AT gmail DOT com. We will do our best to fulfill your requests.
