York attendance

My guess is knowing your thoughts on York and the TCA there is an alterior motive to this thread. 

 ...here we go. What does it matter? Some people go, some don't.

Don't really care as long as we are part of this number. Regardless of the attendance, it is the best darn train meet know to mankind. END OF STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I gotta say. In all the years going to York I've been caught up in the usual things: traffic patterns, money, what to buy, what to eat, the weather, did I say money?

One thing I have never given a second thought to is attendance.

There always seems to be plenty of people there so unless the numbers were to really drop, I'm good.

Would have been a lot more intriguing if you made a contest of of this and offered a prize,

Who cares.

Ditto....

As long as I'm there, I don't care who else is there. 

Take your pick:

If attendance is lower than last year, the hobby is doomed.

If attendance is the same as last year, the hobby is stagnant.

If attendance is higher than last year, the hobby is in great shape.

Rusty

I only worried about attendance if I though I would not get a parking space.

PTA, your post says it all.

If I were a betting man, I'd wager there will be less than one million!

Well, I am going. (Friday anyway)

No one is going to York anymore because it's too crowded.

Awww, geez, thanks Dave!  

However many there are, there'll be one more on Thursday Morning.

There will be TWO fewer than last time.  I'm OK with that.

Does OGR have a table at York? Is OGR doing any classes or any other stuff at York? If they did could we check in or sign in for these classes? I know that the following people in my book would be the ones I would love time to bend their ear:

GunrunnerJohn

Dale H

Rtr

Stan2004

Marty

ACE

just to name a few.

MTH

Midge

It is interesting to me, that this subject comes up every York.  So, here are a few points from my perspective.

1.) York is not necessarily a barometer for the hobby as a whole.  Many people are in the hobby that don't go to York.

2.) Hobbyists are spread across the country (this forum is further indication of this fact) so Eastern PA is not necessarily easy to travel to for some.

3.) York attendance whether up or down at a single meet tells you nothing.  Attendance is likely to fluctuate from meet to meet within a reasonable deviation.

4.) Instead, analyzing the trends over multiple meets would give a better indication of the popularity of the meet, not necessarily the hobby as a whole.  For instance a steady decline over a few years might indicate an actual decline.

5.) However, there are too many outside factors that are not controlled for any real conclusions to be made based on attendance.  Things happen in people's lives that may preclude them from going to York, but don't indicate any decline in the meet's or the hobby's popularity.  For instance, I am not attending this Spring's York because my houseguests are moving out next weekend and work is really busy at the moment.  But I would attend if I could and intend to go to the October York.

6.) Based on these forums (which I grant you are only a portion of model train enthusiasts), the York meet should do well yet again.  I've seen a few posts about people planning to go for the first time and many others from veterans of York expressing their excitement to return.

Whether up, down, or the same, attendance doesn't tell the story.  The actual people there, and the happiness they express is more important.  To those attending, have fun, and I hope you find some great deals.

There a a few "attendance numbers" that would be interesting to know, but impossible to find out. One would be, how many old folks does York give the incentive to "keep on going" for another half year. Often the many "ailements" of old age can make it easier to just stay home. At 73, I'll be slow-walking through another York.

quote:

which I grant you are only a portion of model train enthusiasts

I am the only one of my train collector friends who participates on this board.

OGR does have a table to sell old Magazines, DVDs, and other items they usually sell in the Web Store.  No classes to the best of my knowledge.

There is an open meeting in the Grandstands for the Forum.  See details in Ed Boyle's post here.  You may or may not run into people you wish to meet there, depending if they remember to break away from shopping to attend.

There's also an informal dinner gathering organized by OGR.  See here.

Midge is quite often in attendance, but she quite often works the table processing club memberships and catalog pickups.  If you go at a slow time, I'm sure she will be more than willing to discuss things with you, but if you go when there's a huge line, it would be a bit discourteous to those behind you to try to have a very lengthy discussion with her.

-Dave

I have dropped by the MTH booth a couple of times just to thank Midge for her dedication, she's a shining standout for MTH.  I wish the rest of the parts operation was as good and efficient as she is.

Attendance guess this year for YORK is 12471.  You can take that to the bank.

Unless I arrive at noon Thursday and find a parking spot in the first row I don't think the amount of people there matters. The lot is always full and most of the grandstand field as well. I am glad that I get there earlier enough to not park out there.

Pretty stupid to say "who cares" when it's been pretty steadily slipping the past four years or so, even as the economy recovers. A loss of a thousand people may not matter, but, in a decade, when that number is four thousand, and vendors don't show in the same numbers, then it matters a great deal.

Also, it's hard to say the largest event in the hobby isn't a good barometer of the hobby as a whole. 

quote:

Pretty stupid to say "who cares" when it's been pretty steadily slipping the past four years or so, even as the economy recovers.

According to most of the articles I've read, the economy really hasn't recovered for the average Joe or Jane.
How do you propose to increase the attendance numbers without changing the character of the show?
Will name calling help?

I have no solution, because I am not privy to all the internal details, but ignoring an issue in hopes it will solve itself is stupid, there's no other way to put it. The same is true if one flatly denies the issue when quantifiable data is provided. 

These threads come up fairly often because people care about the event, and the hobby more generally, and they want to see it continue and thrive, not because they like the issue that exists. How does one do this without altering the nature of the show? That's for the organizers to figure out, unless they put out a request to hobbyists at large to assist in figuring that out. 

The biggest problem I see, especially on this site, is that many of the older members, including those with some level of responsibility for the future of the hobby, either have complacency or a lack of care for that future. It seems as though there is a feeling that, so long as things hold out while they're alive, the next generation can work the bugs out and foster continued interest, and perhaps growth. That's not being a good steward of something they claim to care about.

No! No! No! If attendance is higher it is overcrowded! It can NEVER be in GREAT shape! 

Simon

We'll know that York is in trouble when those folks in Blue and Silver who have been bringing the same trains with the same price tags for 20+ years either stop coming or (gasp!) lower their prices so that they actually sell something.

It would be interesting to know what the stats are for attendance at York. How come this information is not published? What is the big secret? Maybe we could ask the NSA - they probably have cell phone data regarding this issue!

It is published.

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at Eddie G paraphrasing the great Yogi Berra (I think he coined that phrase)

     The fact is we are a hobby with less and less new blood coming in. The great York may become smaller and smaller as the years go by; but it seems it will be a L O N G time  before we reach critical mass.  I am glad that Andrew B put out his 2 cents.....myself, I haven't any answers..but I am glad he spoke up!

  The gist of it .....and food for thought to all is.....how to make model trains more interesting!   especially 3 rail.

Well I'm planning to attend in April. So take last year's number and add "1" to it. With that information, you still can't get a free cup of coffee at McDonald's

         York Statistics – April ‘13

Total Registrations 12702

         (First time below 13 K)

York Statistics - Oct ‘13   

         Total Registrations 13517 (Nice increase)         

         York Statistics – Apr 14

 Total registrations 12,225

         (699 registered at the door)

         80 new members to TCA

York Statistics – Oct. ‘14

Total 12,355 (8011 members)

TCA announces attendance about a month afterward. It's no big secret. Do a search. It's been posted before.