Maybe I'm wrong, but my understanding was that the Midwest/East Coast bias was being driven by the dealers themselves. The further west you go, the scarcer the product and exhibitors. (Especially in vintage cards, the West was still pretty unpopulated when much of the stuff we collect was distributed.)
I know the best attended National was in Anaheim, but many East Coast dealers didn't want to schlep their stuff across the country and back.
(From a retired retailer's point of view, the goal should be to schlep it across the country, SELL IT, and let someone else bring it back. Lots of guys would have to change their pricing and thinking. Novel concept, huh?)
I do know that Mike Berkus is a regular reader of the Non-Sports board. Although a good number of future events are already locked into certain cities, he may be more than willing to revisit the decision making process. I'll drop him an email and ask him if he wants to join the discussion.
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