Future National Locations - Wish List

[Moyni]

Look, I know the reasoning for having the National rotate among just a few venues.

The people who run the National want to have a venue that they can reserve up to 5 years in advance.

They also want to stay more towards the East coast so they can attract the East coast dealers.

However, I would love to see the National expand their reach and be more open to other locations.

I think it would give collectors from other parts of the country the opportunity to experience the show and it would be great for the hobby.

Here is a list of possible sites:

• Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex - Makes the most sense because of it's central location, airport, things to do, etc.
• St. Louis, MO
• Atlanta, GA
• Denver, CO
• Las Vegas, NV

I think going to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, or Seattle would be tough because the East coast guys would bitch. But to me it is an opportunity to travel to places of the country you have never been.

Let me know your thoughts on this and where you would like to see the National travel to?

[AlabamaSlamma]

Many of those locations were under consideration for 2021/2022/2023, but didn't make it for whatever reasons (cost, availability, contractual needs, etc.).

The NSCC sent a note to dealers asking for them to vote on 2021 - 2023 show locations. There were two options:

Chicago/Chicago/Chicago
Chicago/Cleveland/Chicago

[GreatAlbert]

Originally Posted by AlabamaSlamma

Many of those locations were under consideration for 2021/2022/2023, but didn't make it for whatever reasons (cost, availability, contractual needs, etc.).

The NSCC sent a note to dealers asking for them to vote on 2021 - 2023 show locations. There were two options:

Chicago/Chicago/Chicago
Chicago/Cleveland/Chicago

I like either of these options, but if I had to pick I would go with Chicago x3 for proximity to home reasons.

Don’t necessarily think it’ll ever go out West again, but if it did LA, Denver, Vegas would be up there for me. Although I despise Denver for a few travel problems I’ve had there in the past.

[88horsepower]

Why not San Francisco? The first one I went to was in ‘87 at Moscone and it was remarkable.

[notoriousrmb]

Originally Posted by 88horsepower

Why not San Francisco? The first one I went to was in ‘87 at Moscone and it was remarkable.

Probably lack of venue.

It's not that the NSCC doesn't want to explore other sites, its that only certain cities have the facilities available at the cost/schedule that works for the show.

I'm all for Chicago every year personally!

[DajuanWagner]

Originally Posted by AlabamaSlamma

Many of those locations were under consideration for 2021/2022/2023, but didn't make it for whatever reasons (cost, availability, contractual needs, etc.).

The NSCC sent a note to dealers asking for them to vote on 2021 - 2023 show locations. There were two options:

Chicago/Chicago/Chicago
Chicago/Cleveland/Chicago

Justin, I like the first option the best. Fingers crossed...…...the only thing I don't like about Chicago is all the toll fines I get for blowing past toll booths...….fines cut into my cardboard money,

[tier1dc]

Originally Posted by 88horsepower

Why not San Francisco? The first one I went to was in ‘87 at Moscone and it was remarkable.

san francisco wouldn't work.

high cost for hotels, flights, extremely high cost to get cases shipped in, all the feces on the street, no real venue to hold convention.

Vegas, LA or Phoenix would be great but problem is the majority of big retailers are Rust Belt based and don't want to travel that far. Especially with all that product.

Dallas or Houston would probably be the farthest anyone could go with all those cases. Blowout, Steel, DA have to haul all that product themselves. The further they go from the East Coast the more expensive it gets.

[byronscott4ever]

I think the cost in Seattle would also rule it out.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know why certain cities would never work so people stop wondering?

[PezCrew]

I love the Denver option. Super easy to travel to, affordable places to stay, and tons to do in the area. The brewery tours available might distract from the show, might want to plan an extra day or two.

And Coors Field is a great stadium to watch a game, way better than Cleveland.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mfw13]

To anybody who claims that San Francisco wouldn't work, you obviously have never heard of or been to Moscone Center....they hold conventions which are far bigger than the National, and in fact hosted the Democratic Presidential Convention back in 1984. It's one of the largest convention sites in the world.

That said, the National cannot still be the "National" if it continues to ignore the entire country west of the Mississipi or South of the Mason/Dixon line. There's a point at which dealers need to put aside what it best for them personally and do what's best for the hobby, and that means rotating the geographical location of the National.

One option would be to alternate between Chicago and a location in a different region of the country. For example Chicago-SF/LA-Chicago-Dallas/Houston-Chicago-Atlanta-Chicago, etc.

Another option would be to do what the American Council of Arts & Crafts does....have their "National" show in Baltimore every year, but also have smaller regional shows in Minnesota, Atlanta, and San Francisco every year. In order to get a booth at the National, you also have to commit to setting up at whichever regional show is closest to you.

Bottom line....the National is too important to the hobby to have locations decided by a committee of dealers solely in the interest of dealers.

[gododgersfan]

Just went to Cleveland this year and the drive from DC was very doable. As a former SoCal resident, I would love to see a west coast rotation. Realistically speaking, I am fine with Chicago/Cleveland given the requirements by the NSCC. Vast majority of the dealers and vendors are east of the mississippi river and that equation is not changing soon.

[patchgenie]

boston...

[tier1dc]

Originally Posted by mfw13

To anybody who claims that San Francisco wouldn't work, you obviously have never heard of or been to Moscone Center....they hold conventions which are far bigger than the National, and in fact hosted the Democratic Presidential Convention back in 1984. It's one of the largest convention sites in the world.

for breakers, retailers and dealers the cost of having product shipped into San Francisco would be astronomical. Especially at the weight these people move. Would make the event a losing proposition before they even sold a single item.

how would blowout get the product out there? drive it? if they ship they seriously might be looking at a $25k bill just to get it out there.

can't see how SF would work.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by tier1dc

for breakers, retailers and dealers the cost of having product shipped into San Francisco would be astronomical. Especially at the weight these people move. Would make the event a losing proposition before they even sold a single item.

how would blowout get the product out there? drive it? if they ship they seriously might be looking at a $25k bill just to get it out there.

can't see how SF would work.

This is exactly what I mean by a dealer-centric perspective. It's expensive for collectors to fly into Chicago/Cleveland too...

If it's too expensive to ship stuff, then rent a U-Haul and drive a couple of days...or bring less stuff.

The National needs to be about keeping the hobby strong, not just making profits for dealers.

[AlabamaSlamma]

Originally Posted by tier1dc

for breakers, retailers and dealers the cost of having product shipped into San Francisco would be astronomical. Especially at the weight these people move. Would make the event a losing proposition before they even sold a single item.

how would blowout get the product out there? drive it? if they ship they seriously might be looking at a $25k bill just to get it out there.

can't see how SF would work.

Precisely. As much as I'd love a west coast venue for a change in scenery, the big time wax dealers below are all based out east:

-Blowout
-Dave and Adams
-Steel City
-Atlanta Sports Cards

BBCE is in Indiana, so the CLE/CHI options are right in their wheelhouse, too.

[tier1dc]

Originally Posted by mfw13

This is exactly what I mean by a dealer-centric perspective. It's expensive for collectors to fly into Chicago/Cleveland too...

If it's too expensive to ship stuff, then rent a U-Haul and drive a couple of days...or bring less stuff.

The National needs to be about keeping the hobby strong, not just making profits for dealers.

it would be expensive as hell for collector's to go to San Franscisco. The city is a high priced nightmare. Anyone not on the West Coast would get gouged on hotels, food, flights. Really can't think of a worse city to hold an event in when you're complaining about expenses.

If the dealers aren't going to be there than what's the point of having the convention in the first place? bring less stuff? what are the collectors going to buy?

How are you keeping the hobby strong by telling the dealers to bring less stuff?


and in the interest on the NSCC making dealers profits is 99.9% the point of the national.

[Big35Hurt]

Originally Posted by Moyni

Look, I know the reasoning for having the National rotate among just a few venues.

The people who run the National want to have a venue that they can reserve up to 5 years in advance.

They also want to stay more towards the East coast so they can attract the East coast dealers.

However, I would love to see the National expand their reach and be more open to other locations.

I think it would give collectors from other parts of the country the opportunity to experience the show and it would be great for the hobby.

Here is a list of possible sites:

• Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex - Makes the most sense because of it's central location, airport, things to do, etc.
• St. Louis, MO
• Atlanta, GA
• Denver, CO
• Las Vegas, NV

I think going to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, or Seattle would be tough because the East coast guys would bitch. But to me it is an opportunity to travel to places of the country you have never been.

Let me know your thoughts on this and where you would like to see the National travel to?

I would love to see it go to Dallas or Las Vegas. Not that I need an excuse to go to either city, but I think both would be fun.

Originally Posted by AlabamaSlamma

Many of those locations were under consideration for 2021/2022/2023, but didn't make it for whatever reasons (cost, availability, contractual needs, etc.).

The NSCC sent a note to dealers asking for them to vote on 2021 - 2023 show locations. There were two options:

Chicago/Chicago/Chicago
Chicago/Cleveland/Chicago

If it's down to those two choices, I really hope they go with the 2nd option as I really enjoyed my time in Cleveland.

Originally Posted by GreatAlbert

I like either of these options, but if I had to pick I would go with Chicago x3 for proximity to home reasons.

Don’t necessarily think it’ll ever go out West again, but if it did LA, Denver, Vegas would be up there for me. Although I despise Denver for a few travel problems I’ve had there in the past.

I'm with you on it being in Chicago as we're from the same state. But I really liked just about everything associated with the Cleveland show. I believe you said you were going to drive. I flew but might drive next time to cut down on expenses. With Chicago, there's no decision to be made as it's only 2.0-2.5 hours from home.

[DajuanWagner]

Originally Posted by mfw13

To anybody who claims that San Francisco wouldn't work, you obviously have never heard of or been to Moscone Center....they hold conventions which are far bigger than the National, and in fact hosted the Democratic Presidential Convention back in 1984. It's one of the largest convention sites in the world.

That said, the National cannot still be the "National" if it continues to ignore the entire country west of the Mississipi or South of the Mason/Dixon line. There's a point at which dealers need to put aside what it best for them personally and do what's best for the hobby, and that means rotating the geographical location of the National.

One option would be to alternate between Chicago and a location in a different region of the country. For example Chicago-SF/LA-Chicago-Dallas/Houston-Chicago-Atlanta-Chicago, etc.

Another option would be to do what the American Council of Arts & Crafts does....have their "National" show in Baltimore every year, but also have smaller regional shows in Minnesota, Atlanta, and San Francisco every year. In order to get a booth at the National, you also have to commit to setting up at whichever regional show is closest to you.

Bottom line....the National is too important to the hobby to have locations decided by a committee of dealers solely in the interest of dealers.

I disagree. I think the National can still be the National...….

[jataman2612]

Originally Posted by PezCrew

I love the Denver option. Super easy to travel to, affordable places to stay, and tons to do in the area. The brewery tours available might distract from the show, might want to plan an extra day or two.

And Coors Field is a great stadium to watch a game, way better than Cleveland.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When was the last time you've been to Cleveland for a game? They've done a ton of remodeling the last few seasons to accommodate fans- some good, some not so great and it has really made a difference in attendance.

There's a reason we're hosting the All Star Game next year.

[DFWGrapher]

I talked to someone at Tristar at the 2014 show and was told that the National has five major criteria for locations:

1. Proximity to hotels
2. Willingness to book more than a year in advance with a guarantee they won't get dropped for something more lucrative
3. Limited union restrictions on setup and takedown
4. Minimum 500,000 square feet of exhibit space
5. Easy access to public transit (local train/bus as well as air travel)

These factors combined tend to limit their venues.

Given the Chi/Chi/Chi or Chi/Cle/Chi options, as a loyal Cleveland native who uses the National as a good opportunity to stock up on local foods and visit friends and family, I'd greatly prefer the latter. I'd love one in DFW, but doubt it'll happen. Too damn hot here in August.

[jataman2612]

I'm not sure why people hate on Cleveland so much for the National. Yes it is not the most popular kid in school so to speak but the venue is huge and allows everything to be spaced out really well (there were plenty of comments praising this).

The fact that the newly installed wifi (read an article that it was installed in 2016) was not made accessible is a negative. That's something the people at the National will have to see if they can work out a deal with the IX Center. Why have it installed if no one can use it?

Yeah it's a little drive to get to anything around it but not more than 10 minutes at the most. Multiple highways are easily accessible to it so you can go anywhere in the city or suburbs and experience the many things to do (yes there really is stuff to do).

[monkeymcgee]

Originally Posted by DFWGrapher

I talked to someone at Tristar at the 2014 show and was told that the National has five major criteria for locations:

1. Proximity to hotels
2. Willingness to book more than a year in advance with a guarantee they won't get dropped for something more lucrative
3. Limited union restrictions on setup and takedown
4. Minimum 500,000 square feet of exhibit space
5. Easy access to public transit (local train/bus as well as air travel)

These factors combined tend to limit their venues.

Given the Chi/Chi/Chi or Chi/Cle/Chi options, as a loyal Cleveland native who uses the National as a good opportunity to stock up on local foods and visit friends and family, I'd greatly prefer the latter. I'd love one in DFW, but doubt it'll happen. Too damn hot here in August.

Having set up for a couple non-hobby trade shows in Chicago many years ago, I'm surprised they'd qualify for #3

[Gmrson]

Originally Posted by DajuanWagner

I disagree. I think the National can still be the National...….

I disagree as well. Other National shows only have their show in the same city.

Originally Posted by monkeymcgee

Having set up for a couple non-hobby trade shows in Chicago many years ago, I'm surprised they'd qualify for #3

They negotiate to have little union issues. For Cleveland there was a sign stating only 2 wheel dollies could be used but that was ignored for this show.

Some venues they've investigate demanded all the tables have a uniform decorating package provided by the center at a cost of $1000+

[thebrett]

I live in the Bay Area and having it in SF would be insane and irresponsible

Chicago, Chicago, Vegas, Chicago, Chicago, Vegas makes the most sense to me

I thought Cleveland was pretty weak to be honest, the food, hotels, transportation is all acceptable but not great. The internet situation was a joke

I’m considering skipping Atlantic City, but can’t wait for Chicago

[Boo]

Originally Posted by DFWGrapher

I talked to someone at Tristar at the 2014 show and was told that the National has five major criteria for locations:

1. Proximity to hotels
2. Willingness to book more than a year in advance with a guarantee they won't get dropped for something more lucrative
3. Limited union restrictions on setup and takedown
4. Minimum 500,000 square feet of exhibit space
5. Easy access to public transit (local train/bus as well as air travel)

These factors combined tend to limit their venues.

Given the Chi/Chi/Chi or Chi/Cle/Chi options, as a loyal Cleveland native who uses the National as a good opportunity to stock up on local foods and visit friends and family, I'd greatly prefer the latter. I'd love one in DFW, but doubt it'll happen. Too damn hot here in August.

Could you imagine the BO if they did take it to Texas?