I heard from a few dealers that a convention center needs to have a minimum of 600,000 contiguous square feet. The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont used the entire 600,000 contiguous square feet this year. Unrelated to venue availability, scheduling, costs, fees, hotels, etc,...here are the only convention centers that have 600,000 or more contiguous space:

McCormick Place
Las Vegas Convention Center
Orange County Convention Center
Georgia World Congress Center
New Orleans Morial Convention Center
World Equestrian Center
International Exposition Center (I-X Center)
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Sands Expo and Convention Center
Mandalay Bay Convention Center
George R. Brown Convention Center
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

This is something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. OF COURSE more dealers will come from the east if you hold the show in the Midwest or East.

Sure, but there simply are far more dealers from that area. The greatest concentration has always been in the Northeast. If the show was held in Van Buren, Arkansas, it wouldn't magically have a huge abundance of dealers from that state just because that's where it was being held. Also remember that people have their table spaces reserved years in advance, so you're going to see mostly the same faces no matter where it's held.

Cobo Center was formerly called Cobo Hall and Cobo Arena. It is a large convention venue located along Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit at 1 Washington Boulevard. It is named after Albert E. Cobo,1 the mayor of Detroit from 1950 – 1957. It was designed by Gino Rossetti and its doors opened in 1960. Renovations to the building structure took place in 1989 and 2012. The current 2,400,000 square foot complex contains 723,000 square feet of exhibition space, with 623,000 square feet contiguous.

As I said last year, what about Cincinnati? Such a rich baseball history: the cradle of pro ball. So much to see, ample lodging accommodations as far as I'm aware. It's an underrated town. If everyone loves Chicago so much for geographic reasons, then Cincinnati isn't that far removed. It's actually closer for everyone on the east coast who'd be travelling overland.

I'd also like to see Detroit, but that's perhaps more for selfish reasons because it's so close by.

Maybe the powers to be, who run the National are just afraid of change. They might not realize they could open up the hobby even more, in different parts of the Country. Not sure why it’s the same ole routine year after year. Maybe kick backs are happening, or some kind of perks which keep them loyal to only three places.

As someone that lives in NY, still regularly takes the train, and is often in the city, It's fine. Would I want to be in the subway, or in a rougher part at 3 in the morning? No, but there's pretty much nowhere that I would want to be at 3 AM.

I would love if they did it at the Javits center. I know Comiccon is held there, but I'm sure it's too much of a money issue.

But we're not talking about Arkansas, are we? Do you really think there would be trouble getting dealers for a California or Vegas National? And, again, it's self-fulfilling - if you announce AC 3 years in advance, of course, you're going to get northeast dealers. But the balance would shift if they announced Vegas for 2029.

Well, big pig on the hill would roll down and set up.

This. I would not want to break down on any country road in the middle of the night and not have my gun with me. Or be in any neighborhood bar in one of these small towns they sing about and bump into or even look at some big drunk guy the "wrong way." And I'm a 70-something white guy! This is a really violent country, and if you want to tell me the cities have some kind of monopoly on that, I'll ask you how long it's been since your state had a school shot up and a bunch of kids killed? Probably no more than a few months at best.

Hey, that would be the easiest National I've ever traveled to since I'm already there! :D

That's not really how it works. Remember that table space at this show is such a hot commodity that any additional space wouldn't first simply open up for dealers just because they're from that part of the country. There are already tons of other dealers from all over the place who have been waiting their turn and trying in vain to get in.

Poll: BUYERS preferred National Location
 

Add the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY to that list. It has 1.2 million square feet of contiguous space and is the 6th largest facility in the U.S. Louisville would make a tremendous National location. Louisville is within driving distance of 60% of the U.S. population and easy to fly into. Less than a mile away from Muhammad Ali International Airport. 42 neighboring hotels around the facility and another 8,000 hotel rooms within just a few miles away. 25,000 on site parking spaces and plenty of things to to around the Louisville area.


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Hank,

Honestly couldn't have worded it better myself. I'll freely admit I'm not happy with the direction NY has taken over the past few years, but I have never not felt safe living here. Especially in the part of NY that I'm in. Yes we have our issues, but I'd challenge people to not find issues with other places.

I understand the financial difficulties of hosting a show in NYC, but The National could easily do it, in other places that are close to the city.

So, what you've just said is that there would be no problem filling up a Vegas National with northeast dealers. In other words, there's no reason to NOT have one on the west coast.

I'm a guy who travels to somewhere between 100 & 200 cities each year, I can say with confidence that there is nowhere that I am "afraid" to go.

Are there places within these cities that people shouldn't go during time frames that are less trafficked than others? Certainly.

All cities, be them politically blue, red or otherwise; woke, asleep or just dozing gently, have some issues, but any city with a population base to support the infrastructure needed to have the types of venue we are discussing are safe and capable of holding the national.

Please spare us all the Fox vs CNN drivel, we all think what we think, and this board isn't going to change any of our minds.

As a guy who works for George Lopez and for Kid Rock, I'm confident we can all get along while talking about baseball cards.

To me the most important thing in regards to travel would be an airport, or airports that have non-stop flights from a high percentage of the country.

Obviously, the majority of the country north east of a line drawn between Chicago and Atlanta have a built in advantage due to the ability of lots of people to drive.

Doug (but I hate Vegas)

+1. A lot of people seem to be forgetting that dealers have to get their stuff to the venue, and that means driving. With the preponderance of dealers, AHs, and corporate entities in general in the Northeast, Chicago is about as far as you can go to make them happy while also trying to get somewhat close to dealers in other parts of the country, thus all the shows there. I wonder has there been such a thing as a "West Coast National" or a "MIdwest National" in, say, Dallas, Kansas City, or the like to test whether there are enough dealers, corporations, etc., that would do those shows but won't go as far as Chicago, Cleveland, and especially AC, to support such a thing.

+2. No chance of dealers voting to go to Vegas.

Chicago is by far the best venue for dealers.

I have done multiple Nationals in Cleveland, Chicago, Atlantic City, and Baltimore and Chicago is the best even though I am roughly an 11 hour drive from all of them.

I am 30 hours from Vegas. No way I am driving 10 hours a day for 3 days each way and no way I am shipping a cargo van of goods to Vegas either.

They might have gotten that distinction on Chef Vola's alone!

AC has some truly excellent restaurants. However for real foodies it ain't Vegas.

I have zero doub I could get a far better meal one mile from the AC Convention center than I could at almost any current National site.

Then we can count you out. The thread is asking for buyer's preferences, not seller's.

From a Buyer's perspective I find it amusing that many East Coast guys grouse about having to travel. Many are willing to drop 5 or even 6 figures on sports cards and memorabilia once they get there but balk at having to lay out a few bucks for a plane ticket. A three or four hour drive is fine but not a flight of similar length. Let's face it, the point of this poll is essentially meaningless to many here unless the convention is held in their neighborhood.

I would have no objection to there being a second major convention out in the southern midwest or west if it can't be the National. Ideally for me it would be in the Spring rather than the dead of Summer. I've attended the National in Anaheim and it was fine. I am certain that there will be dealers that won't want to take the time or trouble to go west of the Mississippi. C'est la vie. I am also certain there will be plenty to buy and I would have a good experience. I suggested KC because it is a three hour flight from either coast. For many of us that is no more and probably less that what we already have come to expect. For those from the Illinois midwest to the Texas south it is even less. There are many collectors from those regions.