What does a location have to have in order to attract a major coin show?

CoinHusker

What do organizations like the ANA or Central States look for when they select a city for one of it's conventions?

itsnotjustme

From the top of my head...

A large convention hall that can accommodate all the dealers and customers.
A decent hotel base to support those from out of town.
Good transportation links to major cities.
Restaurants.
Safe environment.

Connecticoin

No sales tax on coins is a big plus.

RTS

A direct flight from my city to coin show city...to attract me I should have noted.

Steve27

"A large convention hall that can accommodate all the dealers and customers.
A decent hotel base to support those from out of town.
Good transportation links to major cities.
Restaurants.
Safe environment."

Plus:
1)A large collector base,
2)Low cost accommodations, restaurants, and venue (otherwise NYC would have a show every year)

blu62vette

Dont know what dealers need but attendees need parking and a place fro refreshments.

TwoSides2aCoin

Mitch are you thinking what I'm thinking ?

Pre College World Series or Post ?

Hyperion

strip clubs ?

TwoSides2aCoin

<< <i>strip clubs ? >>




Is that where you Dip and Strip your coins for the neophyte collectors ?

JeremyDie1

Take the show in Rosemont,IL. for example. You have hotels,and restaurants all in walking distance. You are less then 5 minutes from airport,shuttle buses, and a huge facility to host the show. You are 20 minutes from downtown Chicago and the show is in a heavily populated area. What else can you ask for?

Pistareen

I know for the ANA one of the big arbiters of which city gets a show is the presence of a large corps of volunteers.

There is a massive amount of work that goes on in the years leading up to one of these shows, to say nothing of the work in the week or two before the show, ranging from set-up to staffing registration to organizing exhibits.

Without a local club to do a lot of the work, it's very tough to conduct a major convention. So next time you're at the ANA or one of the other big club shows, thank one of the volunteers!

Crazy4Coins

Tampa, Fl.......meets all the above requirements and there is certainly no shortage of strip clubs. I've always wondered why no shows have been held at their convention center?

OPA

Baltimore....
1. Direct Flights to BWI
2. Large Metro Area encompassing Wash. DC. & Northern VA.
3. Lots of Hotels
4. Decent Restaurants
5. Strip Clubs on Baltimore Street ( not sure if they are still there )
6. (forgot) Major Convention Center.

CoinHusker

<< <i>Mitch are you thinking what I'm thinking ?

Pre College World Series or Post ? >>




Either.

BAJJERFAN

Omahahaha sounds good to me. Minneapolis-St. Paul ok too.

CoinHusker

<< <i>I know for the ANA one of the big arbiters of which city gets a show is the presence of a large corps of volunteers.

There is a massive amount of work that goes on in the years leading up to one of these shows, to say nothing of the work in the week or two before the show, ranging from set-up to staffing registration to organizing exhibits.

Without a local club to do a lot of the work, it's very tough to conduct a major convention. So next time you're at the ANA or one of the other big club shows, thank one of the volunteers! >>




That is the one thing that I think would be a struggle for most groups now a days. I would guess getting a boy scout troup interested in working as pages, etc. is the easy part. It's the time consuming, frustrating, behind the scenes work that is probably the major sticking point with most clubs who think about hosting.

BobGreene

I think San Diego meets all of the above listed requirements.

WTCG

What do organizations and companies look for in potential host cities? Here's my list off the top of my head in no particular order, although #1 is in my opinion the most important point to consider.

1. Logistical convenience...Nothing dampens the prospect of potential attendees than a city that is difficult to travel to. An ideal location would have easy accessibility to numerous airline flights with convenient connections to almost every major city in the country. Ample hotel rooms and available transportation options are a necessity (there's a reason why Las Vegas, NYC and Los Angeles tend to be preferred cities for major sporting events or conventions...because the infrastructures of those respective cities do not get overwhelmed when there's a sudden crunch of visitors). Attendees would also prefer to not need to commute or drive between their hotel and show venue.

2. Appealing attractions...Life exists after the coin show closes. Dealers and attendees alike need places and events to entertain themselves after bourse hours. Sightseeing attractions, nightlife, shopping and dining possibilities certainly add to a location's level of favorability.

3. Sales tax issues...Although a state without sales tax on numismatic items is a definite plus, it is not something that is an absolute requirement to the majority of dealers. Taxes are a fact of life, but nothing dampens a state's likeability factor than some overzealous tax enforcers bent on shaking down a few out of state dealers.

4. Weather...Nobody enjoys travelling to a city that averages several feet of snowfall in a given winter week, especially if you're trying to make a tight connection to get home. On the other hand, 110 degrees in the shade is not comfortable weather for many people either.

5. Local support...It requires people to operate a coin show. There needs to be enough volunteers who have the time and energy to work dealer registration, public registration, information tables, set up, tear down, etc. An area that does not have a ready and willing coin club to help out and provide personnel to operate a convention does not have the manpower or chance of being successful. In response to a suggestion in a previous post, San Diego lacks this essential local support base or it would otherwise be a viable location for a convention.

6. Safety...It's difficult to focus on success when you're preoccupied with getting back to your hotel without being mugged. Not much is more repulsive in any potential host city than concerns over personal safety.

7. Proximity to a large collector base...This one is self explainatory. An absence of interest almost always results in an absence of retail business.

8. Past experiences...Does the prospective host city have a reputation for strongly attended coin shows in the past, or is the city known as a "bad coin town" plagued by a history of failed shows? Consistently dismally attended coin shows in the recent past means that your show will most likely be sparsely attended as well.

9. Official support from the local CVB...Does your host city want a coin show to be held within city limits? There are a number of cities that clearly do not. Is the host city ready and willing to aid in advertising and promotion? Is the local CVB enthusiastic about your convention, or do they seem disinterested? In 2005 the ANA's decision to move their convention to San Francisco from San Jose was necessary because the San Jose CVB was disinterested in hosting a coin show when at the time they were preoccupied with the idea of hosting a (now defunct) grand prix racing event on the same weekend.


Of course there are numerous other factors that are important considerations, but I believe those are the most important ones.

newsman

<< <i>Baltimore....
1. Direct Flights to BWI >>

which is 10 miles away and public transportation sucks


<< <i>2. Large Metro Area encompassing Wash. DC. & Northern VA. >>

both of which are even farther away, also see above


<< <i>3. Lots of Hotels
4. Decent Restaurants >>

both true


<< <i>5. Strip Clubs on Baltimore Street ( not sure if they are still there ) >>

Most, if not all, aren't


<< <i>6. (forgot) Major Convention Center. >>



As much as I like the Baltimore shows, I have to say they have been very lucky that Charm City's sizeable criminal element has mostly stayed away. When I go, I always make sure to park close by and be gone by nightfall. Even downtown Washington is safer, which is saying a lot.

orie

Kansas City or Fort Worth might do. Both have great steaks and would draw from both sides of the Mississippi.

WTCG

<< <i>strip clubs ? >>



On a sidenote...

The presence of strip clubs is not an important factor for me. I personally do not go to strip clubs ever since the day (several years ago) that I learned that a certain female who I went to high school with who I had a close relationship with worked as an "onstage talent" at the closest one to where I lived. It just feels awkward.

percyb

A lot of collectors.

weresteve

Kansas City or Fort Worth might do. Both have great steaks and would draw from both sides of the Mississippi.

While the 2005 ANA show in Kansas City was nice, the city council as of late has had a poor track record when it comes to attracting conventions.

Should another convention happen to come to town and be held downtown again like the ANA show ... there should be more restaurants and some upscale shopping as part of the new "Entertainment District" that is scheduled to officially open some time in early 2008 even tho' the Sprint Center is already open for concerts. Just don't try to schedule around any concerts going on at the Sprint Center as both lodging and traffic would problematic at best. Not to mention having to watch out for all the orange barrels ... there almost always seems to be road construction going on. And mass transit ... what's that? The city is putting its best efforts forward to scrap any and all plans to implement light rail no matter the cost.

In other words ... for large coin shows ... I vote for St Louis.

JSsson

It sounds like a good idea for collectors to have coin shows that are only scheduled on weekends and not on weekdays although I'm not sure if dealers would be terribly keen to that idea. From the dealers I know it seems that they would much rather attend a coin show on weekdays in the later part of the week versus for complete weekends.

I have been to four day shows like Santa Clara on Saturdays and for the most part I have found enough coins to buy while having a good time, so I guess I'm happy with the satus quo so far.