Quote:
Originally Posted by BruceWayne
Hey Travis,
Very funny about your proposed locations but I wanted to focus on this part of your quote. I agree and I have a theory in this regard. When I go to the National I can't help but notice there are very few young people/kids who attend. I am not saying there are NO kids, just that there are much less than one would expect at a National Convention of this nature.
I think one of the reasons for this is that the younger generation is growing up in a world completely different than ours. Their world is full of interaction (video games, etc) and the idea of looking at static images on pieces of cardboard is not very attractive to them. In fact, I gave my son, who is now 16, a number of 1960s and 1970s baseball cards of star players (Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, etc) when he was younger and he said "Thanks Dad, that's really nice." However, that night the cards went into his dresser drawer and I don't think he ever looked at them again. I simply don't think trading cards grab the imagination of the youth like it did in our day.
With that said, I think one thing that would truly increase the attendance at our conventions is to offer more interactive components for the youth. I still don't understand why we couldn't have companies like EA Sports and others there with interactive sports related games. I understand our industry is about nostalgia but I don't think we will truly reach our youth with this hobby unless we offer them more than what we are now. That's not to say things like "case breaks" are not appealing to some of the younger people who like to rip wax but I really think the interactive nature of the Comic Con is one of the reasons it is so popular and always draws huge numbers of people.
Just my thoughts.
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I've read on blogs complaining that the National is mostly a vintage, high-dollar card affair and there is limited emphasis on new cards.
http://www.sportscardsuncensored.com...oming-extinct/
I'd guess 70% of the tables at the National are devoted to older stuff. Kids would be mostly drawn to newer stuff. Mike Trout excites them more than Mickey Mantle because his cards are more obtainable than the Mick in their mind and they can see/relate to him better.
Our hobby is vast and yes there is $$$ to be made, but the National doesn't seem to serve the diversity of the field that it could. I haven't got a clue as to how to change it, but that is what I see.
Another issue with the National requirements that puzzles me is their requirement for 18,000 sq. feet minimum(or whatever it is). The National only has about 500-700 tables--far from the 1000 tables there were 20 years ago. Maybe the committee has priced themselves out by having too many strict requirements??? Other events are held at the convention centers and they probably have to deal with the same requirements as the National committee, so it's somewhat of a headscratcher as to why the committee would limit itself to mostly Chicago and Cleveland.
Craig H.