Thank You to everyone who has participated in the National O Scale Meet discussions, both here as well as the other social media platforms.
It is evident by the lack of comments stating how important the National is that it is no longer relevant to many O Scalers. The March Meet in Chicago is still doing very well and is often considered to be the "unofficial national meet'" by some. This is most likely due to it's central location as well as it's longevity. As people are a creature of habit, they're more comfortable when they know what to expect. Those who attend the March Meet on a regular basis often know what they're doing before and after the meet; which restaurant they'll visit on Saturday night and which layout tour they'll attend this year.
As far as trade show meets are concerned, I think we should concentrate on the March Meet as well as the remaining regionals.
With regards to the National, I would like to propose a derivative of the O Scale National Meet which "could" be coordinated by O Scale Central. The derivative would exclude the trading floor. Gone would be the hotel room commitment as well as the trading floor costs. What would be left is a low cost, low liability event for those of us whom still wish to get together annually. We would still have the railfan trips to and from the meet and we would still have the social get-togethers at the hotel as well as layout tours. I'm sure that a group of 50-75 people could obtain some free space in the hotel for a couple of nightly social events. Otherwise we could crash the hotel lobby until they either usher us somewhere else or call the cops.
Oklahoma City comes to mind as they have a relatively new club layout under construction, although since the last two Nationals were held out west, perhaps we'd want an eastern destination for 2024. An easy start that would also provide for a few trading tables, would be holding the National at the same time as the August Strasburg Meet. I'm told there are a couple O Scale clubs in the area. and both the Strasburg Railroad and Steamtown are close by. I personally think the National should be separate from the Strasburg Meet for consistency so those attending future Nationals do not expect trading floor space. They could still coordinate together and promote each other.
That is my suggestion for review. The final outcome will obviously be dictated by the desires of the O Scale Community.
