Welcome
to SEWE 2022
Welcome to the 40th Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. The uncertainty of the past year has made us more excited than ever to have you here with us. We’re so grateful to those of you who have supported SEWE through the years and delighted to welcome newcomers to the SEWE family.
As you may know, I’ll be handing over the reins to SEWE this summer. The years have flown by, and I look back on everyone of those years with tremendous pride and no small amount of wonder. In 1982, when I was asked to “put together some staff” for a wildlife art-themed event, I could not imagine what lay ahead. Timed to coincide with the area’s typically slower winter tourism season, the show’s effect on the City of Charleston was immediate. Charleston’s historical backdrop, the area’s hallmark Lowcountry cuisine, and hospitality and an increasing roster of top-ranked wildlife artists drew winter-weary crowds to the city. Growing exponentially in the next few years, what some dismissed as “the invasion of the duck people” had all the elements to become a well-respected national, if not international, event. Soon, Southeastern Wildlife Exposition unofficially marked the start of Charleston’s spring tourism season. It is hard to fathom the number of moving parts it takes to produce an event of this size. However, it is easy to imagine how difficult it might be to keep all the pieces in working order. Despite its popularity, SEWE struggled. So, when I was approached in 1987 by SEWE’s then existing board members to assemble a group of investors willing to step up to ensure the event’s future, I fully understood the challenge it presented. It didn’t take long to put together a group of local businessmen who saw that the benefit of saving the event outweighed the risk. When that group asked me to accept the leadership role in the organization, I weighed the decision before agreeing to accept the job of Executive Director for one year only. That one year turned into many, and a career that has been the ride of a lifetime. It is bittersweet to be reminded just how far we’ve come. The road wasn’t always smooth, and recognition for the event’s contribution to the local and statewide economy was hard-won. There were times when we held on for dear life. A hurricane named Hugo reshaped South Carolina. We rode a roller coaster that rocketed us from shock and awe to the ashes of the twin towers, up and over political divides and around the hairpin curves of economic uncertainty. Yet, despite everything thrown at it, SEWE tenaciously came through. Most recently, the global pandemic did its best to stop the momentum, but here we are in February 2022 - back and better than ever.
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There is no way to adequately express my thanks to all who have contributed to SEWE’s success. Amidst the show’s fast pace, I don’t often get the chance to thank them as I should. First, a tremendous thank you to the artists and exhibitors that place their trust in us each year to provide an audience for their incredible talents. Thank you to the hundreds of you who work as temporary staff each year. From ticket and souvenir sales to original art sales, exhibit managers to runners. Each position is vital to the event - from the packing room to the VIP Suite.
