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Originally Posted by 1954 topps
This will be my 4th National but first in 4 years so heck yeah I'm excited! Covid ruined the past two years and honestly covid is on the rise big time right now so I fully expect to finally get the vid and have a mass outbreak linked to the National. Even so I'm looking forward to it. If your going just assume your going to get it. 
I don't care too much about what is outside of the show as far as attractions, how nice the area is, etc. because my main focus is on the cards and talking with people collecting post-war vintage.
The main thing for me is how much space a venue has for people to spread out and see everything on the tables and in that aspect Cleveland wins hands down, followed by AC, and lastly Chicago. If you have to look around people to see cards in showcases, how fun is that? So I'm hopeful it gets back to Cleveland every 3rd year. Cleveland is so massive that they could expand the number of dealers by 30% and still have plenty of space. |
Cleveland could probably expand by well more than 30%. Those curtains on the northern side of the IX Center's main floor weren't there to cover up blank walls. There were there to cut off the room to only the space they needed. They didn't want to have all the extra space just open. They probably need to limit the number of exhibitors so it doesn't exceed the number that can be fit into the other smaller venues they've held the National at. Doubt that would go over well with a lot of dealers if they opened the National up to many more of them in Cleveland, and then had to boot a lot of them out in subsequent years because they couldn't fit them into the Chicago, AC, or other venues.
And there are multiple floors to the IX Center as well. Years ago I seem to remember Tri-Star hosting a large autograph oriented show on the first sub-level, as the main floor was too big and would make the show seem more like some kids running a lemonade stand in a Walmart parking lot. They could literally give the various groups, autograph area/pavilion, breaker's area/pavilion, AHs or TPGs, their own room(s) if you will.