Thoughts on Atlantic City 2016

brass_rat · #1 08-04-2015, 10:47 PM

Drew pointed this out, but AC is definitely not family friendly. The show promoters should be doing everything they can to promote card collecting to families and young children. Hosting the show in a rundown, unsafe city is not putting them in a position to be successful in doing so.

I will be attending, but I would much rather go to any of the other cities recommended in this thread. (Vegas, Seattle, etc...and I live on the east coast!)

Steve

porkchops · #2 08-04-2015, 11:06 PM

I'll be taking the train ..... can't get easier that that .
Ken

detroitbaseball · #3 08-05-2015, 12:06 AM

As far as I know this information is 100% correct. If I'm wrong don't hesitate to speak up.

There have been 36 Nationals to date in 13 different cities.

National Sports Collectors Convention locations:

(the numbers in parenthesis indicate the number of times that that city has held the National to that date)

1980 Los Angeles, California
1981 Detroit, Michigan
1982 St. Louis, Missouri
1983 Chicago, Illinois
1984 Parsippany, New Jersey
1985 Anaheim, California
1986 Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
1987 San Francisco, California
1988 Atlantic City, New Jersey
1989 Chicago, Illinois (2)
1990 Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (2)
1991 Anaheim, California (2)
1992 Atlanta, Georgia
1993 Chicago, Illinois (3)
1994 Houston, Texas
1995 St. Louis, Missouri (2)
1996 Anaheim, California (3)
1997 Cleveland, Ohio
1998 Chicago, Illinois (4)
1999 Atlanta, Georgia (2)
2000 Anaheim, California (4)
2001 Cleveland, Ohio (2)
2002 Chicago, Illinois (5)
2003 Atlantic City, New Jersey (2)
2004 Cleveland, Ohio (3)
2005 Chicago, Illinois (6)
2006 Anaheim, California (5)
2007 Cleveland, Ohio (4)
2008 Chicago, Illinois (7)
2009 Cleveland, Ohio (5)
2010 Baltimore, Maryland
2011 Chicago, Illinois (8)
2012 Baltimore, Maryland (2)
2013 Chicago, Illinois (9)
2014 Cleveland, Ohio (6)
2015 Chicago, Illinois (10)
2016 Atlantic City, New Jersey (3)
2017 Chicago, Illinois (11)
2018 Cleveland, Ohio (7)
2019 Chicago, Illinois (12)
2020 Cleveland, Ohio (8)

Totals to date:

Chicago (10)
Cleveland (6)
Anaheim (5)
Atlantic City (2)
St. Louis (2)
Dallas-Fort Worth (2)
Atlanta (2)
Baltimore (2)
Los Angeles (1)
Detroit (1)
Parsippany (1)
San Francisco (1)
Houston (1)

----------

Mid West (19)
West Coast (7)
East Coast (5)
South (5)

vthobby · #4 08-05-2015, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brass_rat

Drew pointed this out, but AC is definitely not family friendly. The show promoters should be doing everything they can to promote card collecting to families and young children. Hosting the show in a rundown, unsafe city is not putting them in a position to be successful in doing so.

I will be attending, but I would much rather go to any of the other cities recommended in this thread. (Vegas, Seattle, etc...and I live on the east coast!)

Steve

I have to disagree. I had a conference at the Taj Mahal a couple of years back and took my wife and kids along. They LOVED the beach right outside the back of the casino and spent 2 days enjoying the vast amount of sand and the ocean. They also enjoyed the boardwalk, the arcades, and the variety of food on the boardwalk. I had 1 day off and we all went to the Aquarium which was a blast. To your point about safety, I do agree there. I made sure we stayed in a nice hotel near the beach and I even went so far as to recon the route my family took each day as there are certain areas to avoid but those are very self explanatory once you get there. With a little common sense, healthy precaution, your family can have a good, safe time in AC. In a way, it is like Baltimore, stay in a certian section (wharf/Camden Yards area) and you will have a blast. Venture out too far and your protective sixth sense kicks into overdrive! As always, common sense always rules the day wherever you are.

Mike

PS Most folks think Orlando, Florida is the safest family destination around when in fact, the FBI has concluded recently that Orlando is the second most dangerous city in all of Florida for crimes against. It is a crazy world we live in!

Jewish-collector · #5 08-05-2015, 08:06 AM

I just don't think AC will be a successful National. One important thing is that many guys want to see a MLB game while at the National. That works in Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore and other places. Can't do it easily in AC.

Maddog · #6 08-05-2015, 08:15 AM

I missed the last one in AC due to work but definitely plan on making the looong hike over this time around

packs · #7 08-05-2015, 08:15 AM

If you want to catch a game Philly is only an hour away.

cracker_jack · #8 08-05-2015, 08:47 AM

Are the dates set for the show?

t206hound · #9 08-05-2015, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cracker_jack

Are the dates set for the show?

August 3-7

ibuysportsephemera · #10 08-05-2015, 10:26 AM

My 22 year old daughter and her boyfriend just spent 3 days in AC. They stayed at the Sheraton and went to some local beaches. They went to a few Casinos and restaurants. They said that it was fine and they never felt unsafe.

Jeff

Mike (18colt) · #11 08-05-2015, 08:48 AM

I went in 2003. It was my first National. Loved it!

The Borgata had just opened a month earlier, so I stayed there with my wife and then 2-month old daughter. I did the show one day and didn't drive (shuttle). Next day, my wife did the spa and I watched my child. Yes, casino was a nice touch, too, but briefly for me.

Beach right there. Boardwalk. Phillies not far away. Lakewood and Camden have minor league teams. Family friendly can't just be "put them in a big city". Kids don't enjoy a whole lot of that - the novelty wears off quickly. Plus, cities are expensive. I know AC is in NJ, but relatively cheaper than going to Chicago.

Casino concerns? Hasn't seemed to stop those from going to Valley Forge (Philly/Ft. Washington show). Casino walking distance to convention center.

I haven't been to a National since 2003. I can't justify to the wife the cost of airfare and hotel versus more cards bought online and staying home. I'll be in AC!

basesareempty · #12 08-05-2015, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtgmsc

I have to disagree. I had a conference at the Taj Mahal a couple of years back and took my wife and kids along. They LOVED the beach right outside the back of the casino and spent 2 days enjoying the vast amount of sand and the ocean. They also enjoyed the boardwalk, the arcades, and the variety of food on the boardwalk. I had 1 day off and we all went to the Aquarium which was a blast. To your point about safety, I do agree there. I made sure we stayed in a nice hotel near the beach and I even went so far as to recon the route my family took each day as there are certain areas to avoid but those are very self explanatory once you get there. With a little common sense, healthy precaution, your family can have a good, safe time in AC. In a way, it is like Baltimore, stay in a certian section (wharf/Camden Yards area) and you will have a blast. Venture out too far and your protective sixth sense kicks into overdrive! As always, common sense always rules the day wherever you are.

Mike

PS Most folks think Orlando, Florida is the safest family destination around when in fact, the FBI has concluded recently that Orlando is the second most dangerous city in all of Florida for crimes against. It is a crazy world we live in!

I plan to stay at one of the casino hotels which are much safer than the dumps on the outskirts of the city. They have a bus system in AC called the Jitney which goes all around AC which I have found safe in the past. Not 100% sure if it goes to the convention center but I would think it does.

peterose4hof · #13 08-05-2015, 09:15 AM

Here's Mike Berkus in a 2013 Beckett interview.

Beckett: Why isn’t the National on the West Coast?

Mike Berkus: Because no facility will have us. You can put that in the headline and I hope the facilities read it. I would like to have $20 for every hour I spend calling them or being in meetings with them. No one will have us if we want to plan it more than two years out.

basesareempty · #14 08-05-2015, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterose4hof

Here's Mike Berkus in a 2013 Beckett interview.

Beckett: Why isn�t the National on the West Coast?

Mike Berkus: Because no facility will have us. You can put that in the headline and I hope the facilities read it. I would like to have $20 for every hour I spend calling them or being in meetings with them. No one will have us if we want to plan it more than two years out.

I don't understand why Convention Centers would not want an event booked more than 2 years out. So it doesn't seem that a lack of effort on the part of Mike Berkus is the reason for on west coast National. I wonder if this is the policy for Las Vegas?

bcornell · #15 08-05-2015, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basesareempty

I don't understand why Convention Centers would not want an event booked more than 2 years out. So it doesn't seem that a lack of effort on the part of Mike Berkus is the reason for on west coast National. I wonder if this is the policy for Las Vegas?

Every time in the past few years that there was a board dinner during the National, Mike Berkus has repeated this same sad line. I cannot believe that this is the only show that is trying to book several years in advance. What other conventions are forced to use Cleveland and Atlantic City when they're not in Rosemont? C'mon.

The best solution (if you think there's a problem, that is) would be to permanently park the show in Chicago.

Bill

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