DALLAS (Jan. 21, 2016) – Attendees from around the world, united in their appreciation for wildlife and hunting’s crucial role in conservation, helped the 2016 DSC Convention continue its record-breaking ways with more than 51,000 attendees during the event’s four-day run. Inside the convention center, 1,035 exhibitors and 1,850 different exhibits filled more than 800,000 square feet of exhibit hall space – all new records for this extremely important and rapidly growing event.
“The annual convention is our largest fundraiser of the year, a chance for hunters and conservation-minded people from across the globe to gather and generate the revenue necessary for DSC to fulfill its mission statement,” DSC Executive Director Ben Carter said. “In all, the 2016 DSC Convention raised over $6 million to directly support wildlife conservation, outdoor education and the protection of hunters’ rights around the world.”
The 2016 DSC Convention saw 450 new members added to the group, growing the global membership totals to well over 6,000. In keeping with the event’s record-setting theme, each night’s banquet sold out with more than 1,300 attendees at each event where several awards were presented to deserving recipients from the hunting world.
- Weatherby Award: Barbara Sackman, of New York, New York
- Conklin Award: Jim Shockey, of British Columbia
- Dixie Yeatts Award of Excellence: Scott Toberman, of Irving, Texas
- DSC Literary Award: Dave Baxter, of Flint, Texas
- Educator of the Year: Lloyd Love – Pasadena Memorial High School, Texas
- Colin Caruthers Young Hunter Award: co-winners Tucker Ribman, of Dallas, Texas, and Garret Davidson, of Plano, Texas
- Peter Hathaway Capstick Hunting Heritage Award: International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC)
- DSC Outstanding Hunting Achievement Award: Suzie Brewster, of Marietta, Oklahoma
The DSC Convention returns to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Jan. 5-8, 2017, with even more attendance and fund-raising records expected to be broken as hunters and conservationists again rally to defend wildlife and habitat around the world.
Sponsors of the 2016 DSC convention include Sports Afield, Hornady, Bass Pro Shops, Zeiss Sport Optics, Midway USA, Shikar Safaris, Trijicon, EuroOptic.com, Boyt Harness Company, Yamaha Motor Corporation, Lone Star Outdoor News, Alford Media, The Conservation Fund, Blaser USA, Capt. Peacock Yachts & Expeditions, Capital Farm Credit, Global Rescue, Rock Island Auction Company, The Legendary Consortium, The Hunters Consortium Ltd., Classic Trophy Rooms, Rungwa Game Safaris, Rad-Rides.com, Michael Mantheakis Safaris, and many others.
About Dallas Safari Club (DSC)
A member of IUCN, DSC is a mission-focused conservation organization, funded by hunters from around the world. In the past five years, more than $6.7 million has been channeled to qualified projects, organizations and programs in support of that mission. Get involved with DSC at www.biggame.org.
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