Genuine question, what is with the National staying in Chicago

[Ray Van]

Incredibly shortsighted thinking, and an easy way to cook the golden goose. If it is held in Chicago in perpetuity, attendees will eventually discover the same dealers with the same stuff year after year, then attendance will decline and the show will lose relevance.

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Those are the people who are, ahem, paying the bills for the show. We had a vote a couple of years for Atlanta, Atlantic City or Chicago and AC basically offered the dealers a rebate on their booths and we still ended up in Chicago.

I know it can be a tough concept for some people, but those people have paid the bills for the show have more of a right to determine where they want to be than you or I do. I'd love to see Arlington, TX continue to grow so we can have another NSCC here in the DFW area but I seriously doubt you'd get enough votes.

And I'll wager the promoters are always looking at other options to present to the people voting on the subject. But, frankly, in my opinion only, Chicago/ Rosemont is the best place to park the NSCC now and in future years.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Ray Van

Incredibly shortsighted thinking, and an easy way to cook the golden goose. If it is held in Chicago in perpetuity, attendees will eventually discover the same dealers with the same stuff year after year, then attendance will decline and the show will lose relevance.

I doubt it; ComiCon is in San Diego every year and it is doing just fine. My friends who attend it like the predictability of it.

Most dealers turn over their inventories regularly, so seeing the same stale museum pieces is not a big threat for 95% of the attendees.

I do miss the local dealers who used to fill out the show, but the days of there being space for them is long past. With the entrenched seniority system the locals aren't getting tables anyway. I advocate a full lottery system, but that ain't happening, so this is a non-issue.

I like Rosemont as a permanent location given the other choices. Cleveland and AC are logistical disasters for anyone coming by air. I don't think there is an easier to reach and easier to get around place for the show than Rosemont, other than perhaps NYC, and that isn't realistic due to cost.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Most dealers turn over their inventories regularly, so seeing the same stale museum pieces is not a big threat for 95% of the attendees.

Consider me part of the 5%, but I'm not there for cards. I couldn't pick up a single thing the last few times I attended. Prior to that, I may have found a handful of very low-value items from dealers who must have won the lottery to set up, as they were never known to me before and never heard from since. I always attended in hopes of spending more, and on better quality material, but from a vintage autograph perspective, it was always the same sellers with the same stuff.

[Rich Klein]

With all the extra dealers who came in 2023 as the entire show floor was used and then some, I find it harder to believe that you found nothing for your collection that year.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

With all the extra dealers who came in 2023 as the entire show floor was used and then some, I find it harder to believe that you found nothing for your collection that year.

Stopped attending after 2018 due to it having been a waste of time and resources for several years running. You have to cut your losses at some point.