# No NGRC 2020+?



## barnmichael (Jan 2, 2008)

I have heard a few random comments here and there that there will be no Convention in 2020. The 2019 Convention may be the last one. Anybody else hear anything about this?

Just curious.
Michael


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

I thought every 5th year was Denver.


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## Ted Yarbrough (Jan 2, 2008)

Friends,
The 2020 will be bid on at the 2017 convention in Tulsa. 2018 is in Atlanta and 2019 is in Portland. Both on schedule for full steam ahead!


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

barnmichael said:


> I have heard a few random comments here and there that there will be no Convention in 2020. The 2019 Convention may be the last one. Anybody else hear anything about this?
> 
> Just curious.
> Michael


Who starts these rumors?


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## barnmichael (Jan 2, 2008)

Treeman said:


> Who starts these rumors?


Apparently, there was some discussion at the 2016 Convention about this. Some comments were made that the 2019 Convention may have a higher than originally expected attendance since there may be no convention in 2020.

Just what I heard.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Sounds like you have found a group of people to NOT listen to!

Greg


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

I have been a vendor at the last 7, never heard any thing about the end.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

*2020 ngrc*

First... The accepted minimum time to put together a National Convention is 3 years, though you need longer if you want to accomplish certain things. It is a ton of work for a Regional club to put on a NGRC and the lead time for things such as convention centers, hotels and custom convention cars is very long. As an example, when BAGRS commissioned the SF Cable Car for the 2006 convention, Accucraft had a lead time of 5 years and even then we received only a partial order by the time of the convention. 

The bid window used to be longer... I remember both Florida and Denver bidding at the 2010 Convention held in Washington and they locked up 2014 and 15. BAGRS put in a bid for the 2016 NGRC at the next convention held in Chicago (I think). Then, if I remember correctly, no clubs bid on 2017 or 2018 until the 2014 NGRC in Tampa where both Atlanta and Tulsa stepped up. Now we jump to the 2015 NGRC in Denver and I was surprised when no clubs put in a bid for the next open date, 2019. Since I was the chairman for the 2016 NGRC I figured a club would contact me so I could arrange time during our Banquet so that they could make their presentation. Nothing... No contact before Denver and nothing afterwards and I started to get worried because I did not want to see the conventions come to an end. It was in late August 2015 when I floated the idea via email to the West Coast club's presidents about hosting the 2019 NGRC. I got more than a few negative responses and then Bill Derville of the Rose City Garden Railway Society contacted me. It took quite a bit of convincing other club members on his part but now they are 100% behind the effort and things are progressing quite nicely.

Now lets hope a club, preferably on the East Coast steps up this year in Tulsa to bid on the 2020 convention. Like I said, it is a lot of work and it takes a dedicated club with enthusiastic volunteers to pull it off. It also takes about $20k in seed money for deposits and such that gets paid out years in advance so it definitely takes some vision by the local club to pull it off. The BAGRS members had quite a few heated discussions before we committed and I'm sure this is true for every club that takes this on.

Now for 2021 I have a radical idea... I think it is time for the Southern California Garden Railway Clubs to band together and put on the largest convention yet!. Because of the large geographic area, I envision a "progressive" convention. One that starts in the South (San Diego?) and progresses North. Maybe spend 1 or 2 nights in each geographic region until the convention ends up in, let's say Santa Barbara or even San Luis Obispo, for the vendor hall and clinics. Or go North to South... Or make a giant loop that ends up at Disneyland... Or...
Yes, it would be a logistics nightmare but wouldn't it be great! There are so many outstanding layouts in Southern California... I'd take 2 weeks off to see them all!

Russ Miller
NGRC 2016 Chairman


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I like the idea Russ, and have a lot of respect for you how you put the recent convention together.

I think you need to consider how people will view the extra cost of "relocating". Actually it's probably just the travel between locations, if someone was to attend for several days.

I think it's a cool idea, although since I still have to work for a living, it might be tough to take 2 weeks off.

Greg


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> I like the idea Russ, and have a lot of respect for you how you put the recent convention together.
> 
> I think you need to consider how people will view the extra cost of "relocating". Actually it's probably just the travel between locations, if someone was to attend for several days.
> 
> ...


Thanks Greg, It was a lot of FUN planning and throwing the 2016 NGRC.
You know, what really got me thinking about this progressive idea was a show (Infomercial?) I saw about *"Adventures by Disney"* It turns out they have it down to a science where all of your luggage and stuff ends up at the next destination without the guest having to lift a finger. Hey... I wonder if they can be contracted?

Yeah... i'm still working full time too... I've just been with TAP Plastics for 37 years now so I get 6 weeks vacation a year.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Interesting, my buddy Ted gets his materials for coupler conversions from Tap plastics. Didn't you guys have a place down here in either Carlsbad, or San Marcos?

Greg


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

A "traveling" convention would be tough on the vendors and any indoor display layouts, depending on how much time between the dates of each location.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> Interesting, my buddy Ted gets his materials for coupler conversions from Tap plastics. Didn't you guys have a place down here in either Carlsbad, or San Marcos?
> 
> Greg


Greg,
We have 20 stores on the West Coast but none in Southern California. Our web store is doing really well though: www.tapplastics.com
Russ


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

vsmith said:


> A "traveling" convention would be tough on the vendors and any indoor display layouts, depending on how much time between the dates of each location.


Well, the vendors and display layouts in the Exhibit Hall usually don't open up to attendees until the Thursday toward the end of the show. By then, maybe 5 days of tours could have already been done and then everybody ends up at the Convention Hotel for the next few days to enjoy the Hall, clinics and other social activities. I think it would work somewhat like we did in 2016 with Pre-Convention tours Saturday and Sunday and Post Convention tours the week after. Only make it more formalized with specific hotels picked in each region to stop at so that the attendees could "bond" and socialize more.

I noticed in the latest issue of Garden Railways the Vic Thies states that he joined FOUR Southern California Garden Railroad clubs. Let's see... I can find SoCalGRS, OCGRS, GCGRS, UplandGRS, SCVGRC, FGRR (my personal choice for a great place to wrap up the Convention), SDGRS, Gary Raymond's 1:32 Group, and I'm sure I'm missing some... But how many more clubs are in SoCal? There are a lot of them and they are spread all over... The question is...Can they work together on something like this?


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## Tomahawk & Western RR (Sep 22, 2015)

i dont think a traveling show would work. too much stress on vendors and layouts. IMHO


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Tomahawk & Western RR said:


> i dont think a traveling show would work. too much stress on vendors and layouts. IMHO


I don't know why you think that... The vendors and display layouts usually don't show up to the NGRC until set up day on Wednesday. Then the hall is opened to attendees on Thursday. The vendors and display layouts would only set up once and stay in one location just like they do now.

Realize that from North to South you have a 300 mile range between layouts. Evn if the convention center was located dead center you'd still have 150 miles to drive to the furthest layouts. Way too far in Southern California traffic.

The scenario I see is that the first couple of days there would be a designated hotel at one of the extreme ends of the open layout area. We'd stay there and visit the layouts in that area and then a couple of days later travel to the next hotel maybe 100 miles away. Of course we'd visit layouts on the way... Then spend a night or two there before heading to the next "host" hotel before finally heading to the final stop at the convention center where the vendor hall and clinics would be held.

This is similar to the pre- and post-convention tours that we did in 2016 and Denver did in 2015. The only exception would be to have a designated host hotel on those tours so attendees can socialize in a group setting. I received many emails from the 2016 NGRC attendees asking for hotel advise for our pre and post tours and many small groups did stay together.

Can you see how this would work?

Russ Miller
NGRC 2016 Chairman


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## Ted Yarbrough (Jan 2, 2008)

Russ,
I like your idea. I know that S. Cal has lots of great layouts and I would love to see them. I think the vendors and clinics would work in one central location, maybe the one with the most layouts. Looking forward to hosting with the Georgia Garden Railway Society in 2018 and attending conventions beyond!


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

I can't see a "travellng convention" as actually working very well. When we went to the Arizona convention, it seemed like all I did was drive between Phoenix and Tucson! I do like the idea of having one club doing the convention and nearby clubs having open houses for visiting "to or from" the convention site.

I know our members enjoyed being part of your convention last year. We got many visitors from all over!


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## 1to3 (Mar 15, 2017)

Assuming folks already know, but 2020 is scheduled to be in Nashville. 2021 and 2022 are already set up as well. 
Thanks to the Nashville Garden Railway Society for stepping up and creating what looks to be a fun convention!


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## Ted Yarbrough (Jan 2, 2008)

Friends,
The Spring 2020 issue of Garden Railways Magazine has a nice preview article for the 2020 convention. Dates are also listed for the 2021 Denver Convention. The 2020 Nashville web site has lots of info as well. Should be a great week of large scale railroading!


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Any word on the 2020 Convention in Nashville after the devastating tornado that hit Nashville this past weekend?


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Just small damages to a couple layouts, will be repaired with no problems, so basically no.
Dennis


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

More worried about the state of the virus than the layouts. You can go to the convention facebook page and see the status on the layouts. 



Greg


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## Ted Yarbrough (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg,
They may need to move the Jack Daniel tour to Sunday or Monday. Something about alcohol taking care of the virus?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Jack Daniels can cure a myriad of ailments


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

I think Jack Daniels is in a dry county. They have worked to keep it that way as I understand it.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep its a dry county where the make good old Jack. Later RJD


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