@EricTrainMan posted:I debated on whether or not to comment on this thread but I’ll share my thoughts.
As someone on the younger side of this hobby I’ll say this, York is an incredible experience and I believe it’s critical to the future. That said, the current format doesn’t work for those that represent the future. Thursday is the best day to find that rare item and get the best product before it’s gone. But the future of the hobby is working or in school. The half day Thursday isn’t really enough to soak it all in, so you must go 2 days. That’s now 4 vacation days a year we have to take (figure 20% of most people’s allotted vacation time) to attend York 2x a year. Especially for those of us with children and hectic lives, it becomes a barrier to attendance.
Going to a Friday & Saturday show seems like it makes the most sense to me. Friday members only and Saturday open to the public.
This is a good summary of the situation if you’re young. York is a tough meet to do if you’re in school or a younger working adult. It was even tough when it was Friday and Saturday because of the travel, but it was easier to do it in one day and that makes a big difference when you have to use your off time sparingly. I always do Thursday, because that’s when the good stuff is there, but this means passsing on seeing layouts and working at a feverish pace. Either way I’ll keep going, as long as the show is worth it, but I can’t always go in both spring and fall when so much time away from work is required.
