[Oscar_Stanage]

Originally Posted by Kaneen

Most of the people who buy the VIP package are folks who primarily go to the National to get autographs from the show guests, and to try to obtain a lot of the exclusive giveaways that various corporate vendors offer. We always sit at our table watching the entertainment when the early entry gates open and here come people running through the show floor like maniacs, only to get to someplace where they will be early in a line to wait for another long period of time when a giveaway will take place. We always jokingly refer to that 9:30am opening as "The Running of the VIPs"...just like The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona Spain, if you are standing in an aisle when The Running of the VIPs starts, you might get gored by a skinny kid's backpack!

Almost nobody who comes running in at 9:30 is doing so to browse dealer tables or to shop. So from that perspective, you probably will have 30 minutes of a less crowded show floor. However, if this is your first time at the national, you will be overwhelmed with how much stuff there is to see. 30 minutes will go by very fast...you will probably not get to very many tables at all in that amount of time. (Unless you have a solid pre-game plan of specific tables you want to visit...and you are way more focused than I am! Lol)

Good luck, and enjoy your first National!

I am pretty green with only 1 National under my belt. The above is accurate and funny.... I am not getting autos but will still go VIP.

1) True, 30 mins is not a lot of time, but anytime on an empty floor is worth it. By 11am its almost unbearable to be on the floor.
2) I saw the line every day last year. Don't care how fast it moves, I want no part of it. Also, the lounge room is a good option to relax, organize your cards, and talk to collectors.
3) Getting in Wednesday is worth the price for me by itself.