Get the NSCC out of the Donald J. Stephens Convention Center. Please.

[2010GBPackers]

Let me begin by saying, I loved being back at the National. There is nothing like having that many collectors and cool cards all in one space over multiple days. Plus, it's always great to see some folks who I only see yearly but are great, great people.

Onto my rant:

I implore the NCSS Board to look into other options besides the dumpster they choose to hold their National every other year. Why?

The Donald J. Stephens Convention Center has not upgraded ANYTHING since approx. 1995. Here are my complaints:

1) The space is dark and dank, and at this point not big enough anymore.
2) The AC doesn't work if it's over 80 degrees.
3) There are literally 4 tables to eat at if you choose to get food. Inexcusable.
4) Hungry? Hot dogs, pizza, pretzels - that's the list. Oh, and they're $10.
5) Thirsty? Water, soda, and 3 beer choices. All of which were trash. No one drinks Blue Moon or Summer Shandy any more. Even MLB ballparks understand this.
6) If you were thirsty or hungry, you were about to spend 20-40 minutes in line, then have to sit on a dirty concrete floor to eat. Literally.

I could keep going, but I'll stop there. Please add on to my list if you like. And by all means if you enjoy the DJS Center, please feel free to add your retort.

There are people putting on much better shows since COVID started. IMO, the NCSS Board needs to pivot before the new generation swoops in and starts challenging them for THE show of the year. They're pretty old-school so they may not care, but THIS type of environment for a card show in 2021 ain't going to cut it much longer. Too many sharks smell blood in the water.

[ThoseBackPages]

Couldnt disagree more! lol

everyone was told to bring your own food & water. Prices for those items at the show were too high, just like they are everywhere else "Event" related.

Nothing beats the DJSC! Gibsons is right across the street!

[beauspencer]

1) The space is dark and dank, and at this point not big enough anymore.

It's not too light, but the lighting has not bothered me.

2) The AC doesn't work if it's over 80 degrees.

The only issue I had with the AC was on Wed and Thurs, but any convention center with this many people when the outside heat and humidity are as high as it was mid week last week will be unbearable.

3) There are literally 4 tables to eat at if you choose to get food. Inexcusable.

Slightly annoying, but this is why the food options are what they are. Plenty of restaurants nearby if you want a sit down meal.

4) Hungry? Hot dogs, pizza, pretzels - that's the list. Oh, and they're $10.

Eat a big breakfast. Bring snacks or pack a sandwich.

5) Thirsty? Water, soda, and 3 beer choices. All of which were trash. No one drinks Blue Moon or Summer Shandy any more. Even MLB ballparks understand this.

I brought 3-4 bottles of water with me each day. Again...this is a card show. Water, soda, and the beer choices are plenty of drink options for a card show.

6) If you were thirsty or hungry, you were about to spend 20-40 minutes in line, then have to sit on a dirty concrete floor to eat. Literally.

[SupermanBrandon]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Let me begin by saying, I loved being back at the National. There is nothing like having that many collectors and cool cards all in one space over multiple days. Plus, it's always great to see some folks who I only see yearly but are great, great people.

Onto my rant:

I implore the NCSS Board to look into other options besides the dumpster they choose to hold their National every other year. Why?

The Donald J. Stephens Convention Center has not upgraded ANYTHING since approx. 1995. Here are my complaints:

1) The space is dark and dank, and at this point not big enough anymore.
2) The AC doesn't work if it's over 80 degrees.
3) There are literally 4 tables to eat at if you choose to get food. Inexcusable.
4) Hungry? Hot dogs, pizza, pretzels - that's the list. Oh, and they're $10.
5) Thirsty? Water, soda, and 3 beer choices. All of which were trash. No one drinks Blue Moon or Summer Shandy any more. Even MLB ballparks understand this.
6) If you were thirsty or hungry, you were about to spend 20-40 minutes in line, then have to sit on a dirty concrete floor to eat. Literally.

I could keep going, but I'll stop there. Please add on to my list if you like. And by all means if you enjoy the DJS Center, please feel free to add your retort.

There are people putting on much better shows since COVID started. IMO, the NCSS Board needs to pivot before the new generation swoops in and starts challenging them for THE show of the year. They're pretty old-school so they may not care, but THIS type of environment for a card show in 2021 ain't going to cut it much longer. Too many sharks smell blood in the water.

1. Show me a venue big enough to hold it that has amazing lighting, meets the demands of travel, hotels, location, the biggest dealers, etc.
2. Wed the air sucked. Agree. The doors were open all day for dealers loading in. Thurs-Saturday I was very comfortable. If you anyone got hot and sweaty on those days...they may need to look into a mirror (naked) and take an evaluation.
3. The National isnt a restaurant. Its a place to shop, sell, buy and trade cards. You want to eat food...go somewhere else.
4. Bring your own food. See #3.
5. Bring your own drinks. See #3.
6. Bring your own food and drinks. See #3.

Anything else you need to me to update the group on?

"Better" shows is an opinion. But nobody is putting on a bigger show...anytime soon.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

Couldnt disagree more! lol

everyone was told to bring your own food & water. Prices for those items at the show were too high, just like they are everywhere else "Event" related.

Nothing beats the DJSC! Gibsons is right across the street!

To counter your point:

People need to "bring their own food and water" at the premier sports card event of the year? Wow.

If you don't think anything can be the DJSC, you must not make it out much.

My complaint isn't about the city. I went to Hugo Frog's, Morton's, Gibson's, and made a little pocket $$ at the Rivers Casino. It was awesome. My complaint is the actual venue.

[bradical]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

My complaint is the actual venue.

Not going to find another venue in Chicago with the accessibility that DESC has.

Just at the footsteps of ORD, at the Intersection of I90 and 294, 7 (or more) skywalk connected hotels, and across the street from a Blue line stop.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by bradical

Not going to find another venue in Chicago with the accessibility that DESC has.

Just at the footsteps of ORD, at the Intersection of I90 and 294 and across the street from a Blue line stop.

No question. Hell, for me it's an easy 1 hour drive and I don't even have to come close to actual Chicago. That's a win.

I'd rather have it in Indianapolis or any other large Midwest city that could fit it. The National takes up ~350,000 sq feet (Halls A-D). Plenty of convention centers can fit that these days.

[Foo3112]

I would love for this to be in Chicago EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

[epatmythes]

I love the Donald Stephens CC. The convenience and accessibility is great. The main floor cafeteria is trash. I would venture a guess, that if you polled 100 people at the National and asked if they knew it existed, 90-95 would say NO.

When you go to the Sports Spectacular shows, usually hosted in the Hall space upstairs, the in-hall dining (while, still poor) has a more robust menu. There is more sitting space/options. There are plenty of drinking fountains.

It's almost as if the main floor Hall(s) they use for the National want you to have to use the dumpster cafeteria, or step out into the lobby to buy overpriced coffee/soda/snacks.

I've been going there for Nationals and Sun-Times/Sportsfest/Spectacular shows since 2004. I go to the Donald for the show. I go to eat at Gibson's, Maria's, or the District.

Is what it is... for a card show, the Donald is great!

[BlowoutBuzz]

Originally Posted by SupermanBrandon

1. Show me a venue big enough to hold it that has amazing lighting, meets the demands of travel, hotels, location, the biggest dealers, etc.

I never had any problems with the space for the show or seating/eating at show in Cleveland ... and it's easy from the airport, too.

[beauspencer]

I never had any problems with the space for the show or seating/eating at show in Cleveland ... and it's easy from the airport, too.

It's no longer an option.

[2010GBPackers]

Just so we're clear, saying, "show me another place that can hold the NSCC" is not the same as saying the Stephens CC is nice. It's not. For an attendee who will be there for 6-8 hours, they can never have a seat and rest. I'm sorry, but that's inexcusable. Is every one supposed to bring their own chair, too? (Btw, I did - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - plus my own food and water. But I'm from Milwaukee and we're cheap up here. )

There are tons of other Midwest locations that make this CC look like trash. If you go to conventions around the country, you would understand this.

Outside of "it's easy to get to," no one has mentioned one positive attribute of the Stephens CC - the actual venue.

[mrb842]

70 percent of the country is w/in a days drive from chicago which makes it accessible for most people and brings more diversity of dealers. You go further east and the people from the western areas have to take another night in a hotel driving there or the show organizers get pressure to move it west.

As far as space goes, there was a ton of un used space there and a lot of larger booths given to dealers who frankly had junk or uninteresting stuff.

[renlow]

remember a couple of things....they need to have places that will allow them to book 2-3+ yrs in advance.

Nicer and better places would drive up the cost to dealers and we all know most are cheap.

[sethc1020]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

To counter your point:

People need to "bring their own food and water" at the premier sports card event of the year? Wow.

If you don't think anything can be the DJSC, you must not make it out much.

My complaint isn't about the city. I went to Hugo Frog's, Morton's, Gibson's, and made a little pocket $$ at the Rivers Casino. It was awesome. My complaint is the actual venue.

I mean what other type of events (concert, sports, racing, wrestling, convention) are any different? Everything you mentioned is exactly the same and should pretty much be expected at any "event" at any location. True the air sucked the first 2 days but wasn't as bad after that. I came prepared with bottled water and snacks, ate a good breakfast and had a good dinner after the show.

[sethc1020]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

No question. Hell, for me it's an easy 1 hour drive and I don't even have to come close to actual Chicago. That's a win.

I'd rather have it in Indianapolis or any other large Midwest city that could fit it. The National takes up ~350,000 sq feet (Halls A-D). Plenty of convention centers can fit that these days.

I would definitely be in for Indy but I don't think there is anywhere big enough to support it.

[notfast]

People are spoiled.

[Redbirdgrad]

I don't think I ever waited more than 5 minutes in line for food. Learn to budget your time a little better and don't go right at noon. Eat at 11 or 2 and you're completely fine.

It was a little warm on Wednesday, but that's because the back doors were open while people were still setting up etc. The air couldn't outpace the humidity. I was completely comfortable every other day.

[epatmythes]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Just so we're clear, saying, "show me another place that can hold the NSCC" is not the same as saying the Stephens CC is nice. It's not. For an attendee who will be there for 6-8 hours, they can never have a seat and rest. I'm sorry, but that's inexcusable. Is every one supposed to bring their own chair, too? (Btw, I did - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - plus my own food and water. But I'm from Milwaukee and we're cheap up here. )

There are tons of other Midwest locations that make this CC look like trash. If you go to conventions around the country, you would understand this.

Outside of "it's easy to get to," no one has mentioned one positive attribute of the Stephens CC - the actual venue.

The main lobby is now carpeted... that was nice. Otherwise, sorry, they didn't have fresh paint for you to look at???

What are the four main tenant's of a Convention Center... Capacity, Accessibility, Proximity to Lodging, and Proximity to Dining. The Donald checks them all.

I've been to the major Convention Centers of Arlington, Vegas, Seattle, Nashville, Orlando, St. Louis, San Antonio, Kansas City, Cleveland, and probably others I'm forgetting... The Donald is right up there with all of them, and other than Orlando, I probably wouldn't rank any of the others higher! Well, maybe Nashville, because that city rocks and it's in the center of town, but the CC itself kinda sucks!

Yet, you're continuing your long standing trend of padding your post count with rebuttals to anyone & everyone that doesn't just blindly agree with you... because of sitting, food & water?

The majority of CC's across the country suck in that regard... they exist to host events, not to cater to your poor attitude and petty wishes!

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

To counter your point:

People need to "bring their own food and water" at the premier sports card event of the year? Wow.

If you don't think anything can be the DJSC, you must not make it out much.

My complaint isn't about the city. I went to Hugo Frog's, Morton's, Gibson's, and made a little pocket $$ at the Rivers Casino. It was awesome. My complaint is the actual venue.

I suppose I should state the obvious. There is a restaurant IN the DJSC which may explain why the concession area doesn't have as many seats. There are tons of seats in the restaurant and every time I walked through, even at peak hours, there were tables available. Plenty of food, drink, places to sit, and the restaurant is mostly glass so PLENTY of sunlight to brighten your mood if you need that.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by epatmythes

The main lobby is now carpeted... that was nice. Otherwise, sorry, they didn't have fresh paint for you to look at???

What are the four main tenant's of a Convention Center... Capacity, Accessibility, Proximity to Lodging, and Proximity to Dining. The Donald checks them all.

I've been to the major Convention Centers of Arlington, Vegas, Seattle, Nashville, Orlando, St. Louis, San Antonio, Kansas City, Cleveland, and probably others I'm forgetting... The Donald is right up there with all of them, and other than Orlando, I probably wouldn't rank any of the others higher! Well, maybe Nashville, because that city rocks and it's in the center of town, but the CC itself kinda sucks!

Yet, you're continuing your long standing trend of padding your post count with rebuttals to anyone & everyone that doesn't just blindly agree with you... because of sitting, food & water?

The majority of CC's across the country suck in that regard... they exist to host events, not to cater to your poor attitude and petty wishes!

No doubt, a CC needs to have the 4 attributes you mentioned, but outside of the XI Center the NSCC used to use, most, if not all major CC's hit those 4. It looks like you you agree with me since you didn't mention any qualities of the actual Stephens CC, not the attributes around it. I'm so sorry that it would be nice for patrons to have a seat from time to time. I guess my expectations are just through the roof! Most of those CC's you mentioned are miles better and you know that, though a few aren't big enough; you can add Indianapolis and Milwaukee to that list too.

I'm not sure why you get so worked up when I post something. Are you really still that mad about Rodgers? Jeez.

[fulltritty]

Originally Posted by Foo3112

I would love for this to be in Chicago EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

Not that is an option at the moment anymore, but the Cleveland IX Center for just the show itself is vastly superior to the Donald Stephens Convention Center.

[dengbang]

It's the biggest sports card show in the world...
and we here complaining about food and drinks...

This isn't a concert or performance event, it is a trade show.

If you enjoy talking and seeing everything sports/cards/memorabilia, I really don't see how you could realistically find anything to rant about.

[fulltritty]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

No question. Hell, for me it's an easy 1 hour drive and I don't even have to come close to actual Chicago. That's a win.

I'd rather have it in Indianapolis or any other large Midwest city that could fit it. The National takes up ~350,000 sq feet (Halls A-D). Plenty of convention centers can fit that these days.

When was the last time you have been to Indy? It has been trash for a long time with homeless and drug addicts everywhere on the streets, especially at night, and it smells like pee everywhere. I'm there again right now for FDIC International, which is usually in April. And like every city right now, there has been an incredible uptick in crime. There's no way I would risk walking down the streets of this city with thousands in cash, cards, or memorabilia.

[SupermanBrandon]

Im triggered that the wall paint wasn't fresh and the seating (while limited) wasn't a recliner. Bring me my fresh sushi bowl, now! This hobby is full of spoiled people.

The only negatives I've actually heard are: I didn't have place to sit my big fat butt while not looking at cards. And...I couldn't eat and drink my way thru the show floor. These sound like personal problems. Not card show problems.