Ever think about only renting exhibition space and letting the attendees arrange for their own hotels, motels whatever? If insurance is so cheap, why do you need the NMRA?
@EastCoastIron posted:Ever think about only renting exhibition space and letting the attendees arrange for their own hotels, motels whatever? If insurance is so cheap, why do you need the NMRA?
The hotel offers two rates for exhibit space. A figure that nobody can afford or a figure that you might be able to afford coupled with hotel room commitments.
I think that people simply don't know they can obtain event insurance from their insurance agent and that it's actually easier than getting the NMRA involved. I'm not stating the NMRA should or should not be involved. I'm just pointing out the options.
Seemed to me you were making a big deal about the NMRA earlier in the topic. Why not secure the exhibition space and let the attendees stay where they want?
Maybe stay away from the BIG cities and go more midsize.
Contact some of the former "show holders" and get their input.
When we go to the York TCA show in April and October, we stay in New Cumberland PA, between Harrisburg and York. I have been able to get a room for a Thursday night for around $60, sometimes even less. This is not for any high quality hotel, just around a Motel 6 level.
Thank you John, that's exactly what I mean.
ECI
@Brad Kowal posted:I think that people simply don't know they can obtain event insurance from their insurance agent and that it's actually easier than getting the NMRA involved. I'm not stating the NMRA should or should not be involved. I'm just pointing out the options.
Of course you can. But even if it's effectively free I guess you can pay for insurance if you want to do that. When we looked into that around here for 1/2 day events, the one venue wanted a $1 million liability policy that specifically named coverage for their building and organization. $50 + $50 got us coverage through the NMRA.
My model railroad club has a large indoor HO layout (4,000 feet of track) and a garden railroad with both G and O gauges. The O gauge is 3-rail. Several years ago, during a club open house, several NMRA stopped by. There was an NMRA event being held across the street.
I invited to them to see the garden railroad. One of them said that they weren't interested in seeing a garden railroad. They went indoors to see the HO layout and never did come to see the garden display. I was shocked that some modelers weren't interested in seeing a display that wasn't there own scale.
I have found, however, that this is true of many model railroaders. This is just an unfortunate reality. I also hear and read about 2ROS modelers who won't attend a multi-scale show because there aren't 2ROS models at the show. People on this forum have said that they didn't know that 2ROS existed.
I believe that if the 2ROS community wants to promote their scale, they need to buy tables at multi-scale show and if possible bring a 2ROS modular layout. Maybe someone will buy a car or a building and become interested in 2ROS modeling. NH Joe
@EastCoastIron posted:Seemed to me you were making a big deal about the NMRA earlier in the topic. Why not secure the exhibition space and let the attendees stay where they want?
Maybe stay away from the BIG cities and go more midsize.
Contact some of the former "show holders" and get their input.
I was pointing out that the NRMA does not provide for free advertising or insurance.
Without the discount for the room block commitment, we cannot cover our expenses with what we're ablet o charge for admission.
We've explored all rabbit holes available and have been in contact with former show holders.
@mwb posted:Of course you can. But even if it's effectively free I guess you can pay for insurance if you want to do that. When we looked into that around here for 1/2 day events, the one venue wanted a $1 million liability policy that specifically named coverage for their building and organization. $50 + $50 got us coverage through the NMRA.
When was that? It wasn't $50 + $50 for the Denver Meet through the NMRA.
As a slightly younger 2 rail O scaler, I will chime in here. With my work schedule, UAW autoworker, I work 6 days a week most of the year, only getting 1 or 2 saturdays off a month. I only get so much vacation time and not all gets to be used for "train" activities. This goes for many of the younger modeling generation right now, some working 2 and 3 jobs. Loosing the local meets is a huge blow to the 2 rail folks that are younger such as the Indy meet. I could attend the swap meet and be home in time for my shift at 3pm that Saturday. Now the closest is Chicago, a 4 to 5 hour drive each way depending on traffic. Travel far out of state for Nationals is out of the question till I retire. Many 2 rail items rarely pop up on evilbay or other online sources. Many 2 rail dealers are slow or rarely update their websites with current in stock older models brass or otherwise. While the national is nice for those that can attend, it really does not serve the younger folks we are trying to sway to the 2 rail side of O scale. They just do not have the time to attend right now. They have been trying to do a 2 rail room at the Danville Indiana show, but its not much/poorly filled vendor wise. Was more S and 3 rail in there than 2 rail this year. If we really want to get this back infront of the younger modelers, a return to more local meets or at least restoring the ones we have lost is more important than a huge national meet IMHO. I was hopefully someone would find a way to bring back the Indy meet, but get it away from the high doller hotel it was in. Plenty of lower cost venues in Indianapolis or even combine it with another existing show to get our scale infront of non 2 rail modelers.
