Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew H
Figures it was the year I spent Bois le Roi... I've been out of touch, I probably would have missed it, even if I was in town. Does the venue alternate, east-west, or was it rare?
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It doesn't alternate. As Rob d. noted, the current schedule is as follows:
2011: Donald E Stephens Convention Center; Rosemont, Ill.
2012: International Exposition (I-X) Center; Cleveland, OH
2013: Donald E Stephens Convention Center; Rosemont, Ill.
2014: TBD
2015: Donald E Stephens Convention Center; Rosemont, Ill.
Chicago required a multi-year contract to book. Other promoters were trying to book that space.
In various posts from Mike Berkus, who is on the Board of The National, he has stated that Anaheim does not want them back. They have looked into the Mosconi Center in San Francisco and that doesn't work. They only book consumer events a maximum of 18 months in advance, and that's not enough lead time to pull everything together.
So, if you want a West Coast show:
1. Find a convention center with more than 300,000 sq. ft. of space, all on one floor, in one building.
2. Check their union rules for set up. (The Javitz Center in NYC wants $2450 per booth for set-up. Cleveland wants $45.)
3. Check price, space, and availability of hotels.
4. Check transportation (long distance and local.)
5. Check parking (Just for Alan!)
6. Consider the climate. (Baltimore may have been hot and humid, but Tampa, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and/or Phoenix would have been worse.)
They took a chance this year and tried Baltimore, even though it had only 290,000 sq. ft. It seems like everyone was OK with it, but there are fewer cities than you think, that meet this criteria.