Upcoming Locations For The National

[buymycards]

One would think that somewhere in California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, or Texas there would be a venue that would work.

I wonder how much time and energy has been spent researching venues other than the current three?

Rick

[GaryPassamonte]

I'm with you, Jay. I live in the east, but would love to go to a west coast show.

[RedsFan1941]

that they decided to return to atlantic city is a head scratcher

[ngnichols]

Dallas, TX is a no-brainer and it's just stupid not to have it here at least once every couple of years.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by RedsFan1941

that they decided to return to atlantic city is a head scratcher

I think the role of having Atlantic City in the mix is to make Cleveland seem more appealing.

[CobbSpikedMe]

Personally, I love that it's in AC. It's only a couple hours drive for me.

[judsonhamlin]

While I appreciate the AC convention - less than a 2 hour drive for me as well, the city itself is dreadful - think Gary, Indiana with sand - I have to imagine there are other venues in the DC to NYC area that hit all the check marks and are better situated for mass transit/interstates/major airports.

[Chris-Counts]

I agree that it makes sense to do Nationals somewhere west of the Mississippi River from time to time, like Dallas or Denver.

[RedsFan1941]

Originally Posted by CobbSpikedMe

Personally, I love that it's in AC. It's only a couple hours drive for me.

i love that it is in cleveland, only an hour drive for me. yet i can understand why it's not a great site overall.

[CurtisFlood]

Originally Posted by RedsFan1941

that they decided to return to atlantic city is a head scratcher

Most of the dealers I know did very well at the last AC show. I know I found the public great to deal with and they spent money. The food was great and we found a reasonable place for lodging. It is a long haul for us, but the shoe is on the other foot in Chicago and Cleveland.

I'd love to see them throw the west coast a bone, even if it is only going to Denver. I won't drive all the way to the west coast. Did enough of that when I was in the Naval Reserve.

[KCRfan1]

Originally Posted by buymycards

One would think that somewhere in California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, or Texas there would be a venue that would work.

I wonder how much time and energy has been spent researching venues other than the current three?

Rick

If I remember correctly, this was talked about here on the forum a couple of years ago.

The selection of Chicago, Cleveland, and AC ( or any other East Coast location ) is very calculated. The goal is to drive attendance and make the venue accessible to as many as possible.

Consider the population base of the country. If we draw a circle of a 700 - 800 mile radius, most major population bases are covered by scheduling the National in Chicago, Cleveland, and an East Coast venue.

A venue in Dallas, Denver, or Las Vegas will not hit the population base like the locations already selected will.

[tschock]

I posted this elsewhere, but will add it here. Take it for what it's worth, which might not be much. (Note: Don previous added the 'advanced notice' aspect of this as well)

Here is what I remember from Mike Berkus' presentation a few years back. Keep in mind it's what I 'remember', so it may be off slightly. Also Mike has passed, so things (considerations) might have changed (related or not, to his passing).


The National requires the following criteria (in no particular order):

A ) Contiguous floor space to house the entire event. That leaves out smaller venues (like the Moscone Center in SF, I believe).

B ) Dealers must be able to unload and move their own stuff (inventory, showcases, etc). This eliminates those venues that 'require' venue workers to do the unloading and moving (such as some, but not all, that have unionized workers to do this).

C ) The time of the event. The National is always held to fall on (within?) the first week of August, meaning it could start in July and end in August. This has something to do with vacations and schools and other 'preferred' time related things (I think there were others, but don't remember). This is why they caught Baltimore a couple times but not since. I believe there is another convention that now has a long-time ANNUAL hold on those dates.


I think the above are 'givens', and there may be others. Beyond that, there also is a vote on locations (assuming above conditions). That means that while venues exist that might be viable candidates (Atlanta, San Diego, etc???), they will probably not happen, as dealers generally don't feel they get the turnout/sales for those locations (rightly or wrongly). Similar travelling to said locations can be a pain/factor to the dealers. Chicago meets all the above, is profitable, and a breeze to get in/out of for dealers, so it's a regular. (hearsay on) Atlantic City meets the A, B, and C above, but wasn't a popular choice like Chicago (probably the best for overall 'compliance'). AC was 'gifted' to the promoters so there was little/no out-of-pocket expense for the venue itself. (hearsay off)


So if you want to go to the National next year or 2023, there's no time like the present to make plans. 😊