York Attendence, to me seemed, much more than in the recent past ?

Of course there's no way to know for sure until the ED release the stats but it did seem to me like there was more cars at this recent York as compared to last April. Last April I got there at ten to 9am on Friday and I was able to get a great parking spot by the Orange Hall. Yesterday, I had to park a good distance away from the Orange Hall. I got there at 9:30 so perhaps that has something to do with it but I doubt it.

York number 73 for me.  I felt a bit more action was present.  Lots of cars in the lot.  I only use the purple and orange halls for trains.  I am sure someone will report in on the other halls.

More cars in the lot than last time. More people in the member halls on Thur and Fri.

Thursday seemed to have the normallly light crowd of the past few years.  I was onsite between 11AM to 4PM.  Took care of delivering some goodies from my Virtual York Bandit Meet thread between 11AM-12Noon (thanks everyone!!!), then hit the ground running at 12Noon since I needed to be on the road by 4PM.

David

Seemed like more people to me

It was my 62nd straight York and I can say it was the biggest crowd I have seen in quite a few years. 

I was only there on Friday.....York 66 for me......I thought Friday was busier than the last few years.

Peter

Putnam Division posted:

I was only there on Friday.....

Peter

Ah, that's why I didn't run into you!  I had to leave Thursday.

 I pulled into the lot Thursday noon and I don't recall ever having a tougher time finding a parking spot.

York No. 64 for me. Thursday seemed light in the Orange Hall but had a lot of people in the member halls. Many more people in the Orange Hall on Friday in my opinion.

We RV.  Wife and I agree....there were more RV's there than in the past 4 York Meets.....or more. 

Will be interesting to see ED's final stats for the October 2016 meet.

The weather sure was a pleasant surprise....compared with the forecasts several days earlier!!

KD

Well, Friday was busy, but Saturday was DEAD!

Agree - Thursday was full, Friday was packed tight, but Saturday it seemed as though you could park by the doors at the Red and White Halls. 54th York for me, and how come I'm still only 21?

Thurs seemed busy, Fri ok and Sat snoozing. 

Definitely more folks in the member halls Thursday and Friday in my opinion.  I was carrying 2 pieces of boxed rolling stock and for the first time in awhile I had to take them to my car as carrying them through the hall was proving to be a pain in the neck. I had to do this both mornings.

Orange Hall seemed a bit more crowded on Friday as well.

It will be interesting to see the numbers when they are released.

-Greg

Glad to hear that the meet looked crowded.  That sounds like a positive sign but admission is only one facet of a successful meet. The bottom line is the success of the of advertising of new products displayed by the manufacturers, dealer revenue/profits and the revenue/profit of the ED.  I hope everyone enjoyed the meet and for the dealers and ED it is hoped that the meet was prosperous.

IMO the "member" halls seemed crowded with potential buyers on Thursday and Friday but there were more empty tables than I ever remember seeing at an October York.  I was only in the Orange Hall on Thursday and it seemed busy although again there were empty tables or booth spaces.  So if there's a drop off in total attendance it may be due to fewer table holders.

Bill

I was wondering how the crowd was. I was not able to make it due to having surgery on Tuesday. Hope to be able to make it in April. 

My impression was that this York seemed busier than those in recent years.  The crowds in the member halls were steady on Thursday and Friday, and in the other halls when I could get away from my tables.  The RV areas were nearly full, and the parking lots seemed fuller as well.  Maybe the nice weather Thursday and the first half of Friday helped or at least contributed to the impression.

Andy

I made it to York for my first time as a guest registration of the TCA and came on the Upstate TCA Chapter Bus Trip for Thursday and Friday, yeah, I know, I was one of those many on scooters there, I tried to be respectful and let walkers get through at all times. I was very impressed to say the least and got to meet a lot of wonderful people, both on the bus and at the show. My wife came with me and enjoyed the show too. thank you all for being wonderful ambassadors of the hobby. I know the scooters can be a pain but for us that can't walk far it's the only way we can enjoy the show and being patient with us. the show is one thing that was on my bucket list and after my life threatening disease where I was hospitalized for a month in February 2016, lost and revived twice, and 7 surgeries, I'm lucky to be alive, my layout was in the end of our living room but it had to come down for me to have a hospital bed and rehab equipment at home. it's gone now but I haven't gotten anything up yet. Plan to get a pair of sawhorses, 2x4's, and a sheet of plywood up just to have something to run again for now. maybe next year I'll be able to start again on a layout a little at a time since I have plenty of time now I'm disabled. I love this hobby and can't wait to start running trains again. It will be good to keep me occupied. We also hope to get back to York again soon to see more of you. Take care, have fun with the trains, and may God Bless You All!

It's was over 10,000 don't know the exact count yet. 

rickb posted:

The  Eastern Div. in the past published the number of attendees but I have not seen any lately .

The attendance numbers going back to April '07 can be seen in Clem's Primer on page 10.

Andy

I thought it was much easier to navigate the aisles this York than the previous two.  Certainly not as many people with packages of trains in their hands blocking the aisles.  The group meetings in the aisle were the only obstacle that slowed me down at times.   I had no trouble getting a parking spot (6 cars from the red hall).  However, I fear that EDTCA may end up filling the grassy knoll with cars on Friday and Saturday this next April.  I plan on getting as much done on Thursday to avoid the large WGH/Greenberg crowd on Friday and Saturday.  EDTCA may have to think about opening up the grandstand again.

AUSSTEVE, Wishful thinking.

Certainly was a large crowd.  Not sure if there were more of them but they were large.  

On Thursday, the Red Hall seemed very crowded around 3pm. The aisles seemed more narrow than the last 3 or so meets. In those times, they seemed wider than usual. The Silver Hall seemed less crowded. Did not walk Orange until Friday. Wider aisles and no arrows. I wonder if the "public" will notice much difference between the Orange Hall in January (Greenberg) vs the TCA Spring Meet? Yes, there is a difference, but will they notice...or will they say, "Where's the HO?".

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, Friday was busy, but Saturday was DEAD!

Saturday's have been dead for years. After 11 am you could bowl in the aisles and not hit anyone.

Based on the action at our booth, this York was no better and no worse than the last 8-10 meets.

There were cars parked inside the racetrack fence this Oct. meet.

richabr posted:

There were cars parked inside the racetrack fence this Oct. meet.

On Thursday, the grass field between the Silver and Orange Halls was pretty much filled, as well.

More cars, harder parking Thurs and Fri.... nothing of interest to stay, new or old, Sat.  Must all be driving alone vs. bus loads, if attendance is down as parking seems worse than ever.�� I would like to see that updated attendance census compared with those back through the years.  I never felt lonely walking the halls.

I was reading the TCA quarterly and it appeared there were allot of new members this year.

If the overall attendance was greater, it sure wasn't much greater, at least as I saw it. Local area hotel rooms rather readily available; parking very easy, even outside the Orange Hall, on all days; no problem getting seated quickly at various local restaurants; trading halls not particularly crowded; etc.

I expect there will be a bit of a spike in attendance next April (first time open to the public, and only if promoted/advertised properly), followed by a tapering off and eventual decline in subsequent meets. TCA membership will likely continue its decline since one of the "special perks" of membership for many will have been significantly diluted if not virtually eliminated.

Will just have to wait and see if I'm right about this.

Allan, the attendance was over 10,000 They don't have the total figures yet.

eddie g posted:

Allan, the attendance was over 10,000 They don't have the total figures yet.

Not too long ago that number was well over 15,000. 

OGR Webmaster posted:

eddie g posted:

Allan, the attendance was over 10,000 They don't have the total figures yet.

Not too long ago that number was well over 15,000. 

Well, once the public starts coming, the food and drink sales will go up. 

rattler21 posted:

 Attendance figures are nice to talk about.  Have any sales figures ever been released? 

Don't hold your breath for that to happen.   The fact that a number of vendors have stopped coming certainly would suggest that it wasn't worth it to them to make the trip.

The fact that a number of vendors have stopped coming certainly would suggest that it wasn't worth it to them to make the trip.

Sure, and the same can be said about attendees.

I think there are more and more people who have decided that they have enough, or that they can get along purchasing their goods over the internet.
I don't think there is anything a train show promoter can do to change that.

In the 90,s and before inside the racetrack was FULL of cars.

richabr posted:

There were cars parked inside the racetrack fence this Oct. meet.

Believe it or not there were a lot of cars there in Oct 2015.  Judging from the tire impressions left in the grass I would say there were a bunch of cars there.  A picture is worth a . . . well it kind of clears things up a bit.

Dr. Jack posted:

In the 90,s and before inside the racetrack was FULL of cars.

That was before the Orange Hall was built. Now all those cars from the infield track are parked on the paved Orange Hall lot.