Boone and Crockett Represents at Conservation Trade Shows

The Boone and Crockett Club was well represented at recent consumer and trade shows and that increased presence is helping build our visibility to the public and with our corporate partners.

Thanks to the support and hard work of Ben Strickling, Bobby Floyd, Mike Opitz, and Charles Hartford, the Club had a new booth at the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) and the Wild Sheep Foundation’s conventions in early January. Mike Opitz built the wood frame for the 10’ by 20’ booth and deputy director of communications Karlie Slayer created the graphic design elements to make the booth more attractive. With the help of staff and volunteers, this booth welcomed hundreds of people at these two shows, and we added a total of 145 new Associate Members including eight new Lifetime Associates!

Big thanks are due to conservation education programs manager Madison Todd, professional member and official measurer (OM) HP Giger, and OM Brett Ross for their time at the DSC Convention. Representing B&C at the Sheep Show was Karlie Slayer, director of big game records Kyle Lehr, Brett Ross, and OMs Bucky Ihlenfeldt and Carl Frey. Of note, B&C Fellow Dan Morina drove the booth from Missoula to Dallas, Mike Opitz and Charles Hartford shared driving duty between Dallas and Reno (and spent lots of time at the booth at both shows!), and Mike completed the circle back to Missoula.

In addition, during the DSC Convention, Ben Strickling hosted a reception at the Dallas Petroleum Club that allowed the Club to introduce ourselves to potential members and corporate partners while also giving members a chance to mingle outside the regular Club events. More than 50 people attended the reception including leadership from six current or potential corporate partners and four potential new members of the Club. All agreed that it was an excellent way for the Club to build our brand in the hunting conservation community.

Outside of the public booth activities, Club staff utilized the public shows and the industry Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show as an opportunity to secure sponsorships from our corporate partners. Club CEO Tony Schoonen, President James Cummins, director of communications Jodi Stemler, and marketing and corporate partnerships manager Michelle Scheuermann met with nearly two dozen current and potential corporate partners to secure Trailblazer in Conservation Partnerships as well as marketing and advertising opportunities.

There are two more shows left on our schedule: Safari Club International and the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo where the Club staff and volunteers will attend but will not have a booth. As we put February behind us, this whirlwind travel schedule will wrap up, but the Club made its presence known to the industry during this busy time of year.

We are already planning for 2025 shows and know we will need even more volunteers amongst the ranks of our members—if you are interested in helping with the B&C booth at the 2025 conventions, please reach out to jstemler@boone-crockett.org.