# NGRC and NMRA on the Same Week in 2016



## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

How big of a problem is it having the National Garden Railway Convention and NMRA National Convention held on the same week in 2016? The NGRC will be held in Santa Clara, California and the NMRA event is in Indianapolis, IN. They will be 2,302 miles apart so I don't think anyone will be driving back and forth between the two!

We're just getting our website up and running: http://ngrc2016.org
Their's is also coming along: http://www.nmra2016.org

Russ Miller
NGRC 2016 Chairman
#ngrc2016


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

That's a bummer. Will miss out on vendors, unless they send a booth to both locations.


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Smaller vendors will be stuck having to choose. This may mean a significant loss to those who counted on being able to vend at both events.


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## bnsfconductor (Jan 3, 2008)

Given the nature of the relationship between the NMRA and large scale, I doubt that much love will be lost....


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Most, if not all of the vendors that display at the National NMRA Convention are in the smaller scales with HO having by far the most vendors. I was hoping to get Walthers to come and display LGB products at the NGRC but they will most likely be at the other event.

I'm more worried about attendees. I already know a few BAGRS members who've never missed an NMRA National so they'll most likely head to Indianapolis instead of helping me throw the best National Garden Railway Convention ever… I'd really like to know if there are any MyLargeScale Members that will attend the NMRA Event instead of coming out west to the 2016 NGRC.

Russ Miller
2016NGRC Chairman
#2016ngrc


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Russ I am alot closer to Indy but i am going to yours, but i never go to NMRA and almost always go the the NGRC, whatever that is worth.
Dennis


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Indianapolis is a tad more than a days drive so thats a non-starter to begin with. Having attended last years NNGC right in my backyard I have to say I'd lean much heavier towards the Garden Rail show. If I could I'd apply to display the pizza but thats way too far in the future to commit to anything.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

For me the nmra holds no interest for me at all. G scale all the way.


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

I didn't even attend the NMRA convention when it was in my city, so as far as I'm concerned there's no conflict. Now as far as vendors go I *wish* there was a conflict, but recent at NGRCs I haven't seen many of the bigger vendors with multiple scales.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

We'd love to have the PIZZA Layout! No commitments yet but keep us in mind.
Russ Miller
NGRC 2016 Chair
#ngrc2016



vsmith said:


> Indianapolis is a tad more than a days drive so thats a non-starter to begin with. Having attended last years NNGC right in my backyard I have to say I'd lean much heavier towards the Garden Rail show. If I could I'd apply to display the pizza but thats way too far in the future to commit to anything.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Russell Miller said:


> We'd love to have the PIZZA Layout! No commitments yet but keep us in mind.
> Russ Miller
> NGRC 2016 Chair
> #ngrc2016


I'd love to attend, the biggest issues for me are the logistics of distance and time commitment, so far I have only done shows that allow me to stay at home at night, that's why the NNGC was so brilliant for me, it was almost literally, right down the street from me. 2016 is a ways off we'll have to see what we can do.


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm with Dennis. I have no love for NMRA. No standards for rain, wind, & snow, much less plants, trees, and dirt. I can mix & match all day.


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## Mark_s (Jun 24, 2013)

As a small vendor (Bridgewerks), we would have to choose - and would probably not go to NMRA.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Mark_s said:


> As a small vendor (Bridgewerks), we would have to choose - and would probably not go to NMRA.


Glad to hear Mark! We definitely want Bridgewerks at the 2016 NGRC!

Russ Miller
NGRC 2016 Chair


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well seeing how I also have no interest in the NMRA I will not be going there . I'd love to attend the NGRC but way to far to go as I do not fly. Later RJD


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## Budd1 (Apr 9, 2009)

*Ngrc*

I have already put the Santa Clara event on the calendar for 2016 .


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## Tenwheeler (Mar 5, 2010)

Russ - From a vendor's standpoint, they will have to make a choice and potentially loose sales. From the modeler's standpoint, I don't think many folks are going to be affected.
Has anyone queried the vendors to get their feedback. From what I've seen there are fewer and fewer vendors going to the NGRC these past years anyway.
There is the option to reschedule the NGRC to a different date. Personally, I will be attending the NGRC convention regardless.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Well I looked at the vendor list from the 2014 NMRA Convention recently held in Cleveland, Ohio. Out of 130 vendors listed (!) I can only find 4 overlapping companies: Bachmann Industries, MTH, PIKO America and Woodland Scenics. I'm hoping these companies have a large enough staff that they can have a presence at both conventions. I personally think we will be OK with the vendors. I was more worried about G-Scale Train enthusiasts who might be torn between the two. I'm glad that the fine folks on MyLargeScale are fully behind the National Garden Railway Convention.

Russ Miller
2016 NGRC Chairman


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

The NMRA has always been overwhelmingly dominated by HO and N, followed by O and only then Garden scales. I would think most garden scale vendors would put their support behind the show thats entirely oriented to those scales. Despite the inroads large scale has made into the NMRA culture in the last decade, in many respects we're still the outsiders. I'll put my support behind the show thats entirely oriented to large scale.


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## capjr (Dec 27, 2007)

it means that I will miss the Garden show since we set up booth at both shows, and NMRA is much larger sales show for us ... but I hate missing the garden show ....


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

capjr said:


> it means that I will miss the Garden show since we set up booth at both shows, and NMRA is much larger sales show for us ... but I hate missing the garden show ....


What company are you with that would set up a booth? We'd like to have you at our Convention. We will have a public day on Saturday the 9th of July and we usually get a fairly large crowd.

Russ Miller
2016 NGRC Chairman
#ngrc2016


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## dennissirrine (Dec 27, 2007)

Who the heck was on the planning committee and chose that date for the 2016 NGRC? The NMRA has their conventions planned out a lot further than the NGRC, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal to schedule them at least two weeks apart from each other. And from all the other model railroading convention also. And even though my favorite scale is G, I loving all things dealing with Model Railroading. So I always hit the NMRA - the TCA - the NGRC - and even the Narrow Gauge conventions around the country every year! They are a lot of fun to attend, and I always learn something new that I can incorporate into my G scale layout.

So I feel that this is definitely going to hurt the attendance at the 2016 NGRC. And not only will it affect the paying public, but after the BOMB at Tampa last year, there were several Vendors who told me that they might not do anymore NGRC in the future. They said they lost way too much money on a poorly planned and poorly organized National Convention. We brought a party of 12 to that convention, and for the most part, not one person had a good time. So G scale better be careful!
Dennis S.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Wrong. If you are into g- scale why go to nmra .


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I don't know the whole story, but the situation sure sounds stupid. OK, G scalers can thumb their nose at the NMRA, but who will get hurt there? The NMRA or G scale... let's see what happens... I think G scale is at greater risk.

Greg


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Which event will attract more g-scalers?


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Dennis,
I was the one who finally settled on the July 4th date for the start of the 2016 NGRC. We were a little late to the party so the available dates to pick from at the Santa Clara Convention Center were pretty slim. As it was we had to negotiate for a couple of months before we were able to lock in the date for 2016. We made the tough decision to be the same week as the NMRA National figuring it was going to be held a couple of thousand miles from our event on the West Coast. Also, the overlap of Garden Railroaders and the NMRA members and vendors is not that great. Quite a few of the NGRC's have been held on the July 4th week including our 2006 Convention and the one happening this year in Denver. The NMRA date seems to jump all over the place year to year. Not the ideal situation but one we will have to live with…

The good news concerning the NGRC is that Denver has SOLD OUT their host hotel for 2015. They have also nearly doubled the number of vendors at their convention versus the poorly planned and attended one on Tampa. I'm working with an Event coordinating company to ensure that our 43000 foot hall is filled with vendors, operating layouts and hopefully a lot of buyers! The San Francisco Bay Area has always been good to the vendors with attendees buying a lot of product.This year has seen packed houses and happy vendors at the train shows I've attended so far.

Dennis, I loved visiting your layout when I attended the Phoenix NGRC in 2008. You were quite the host opening your layout many times for people to see it… even at night. I hope you and your party make it to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016. I can (almost) guarantee that you will have a GREAT TIME! We're working on some special events and clinics that I think everyone will enjoy. My plan is to throw the best party ever!

Russ Miller
2014 BAGRS President
NGRC 2016 Chairman
#NGRC2016




dennissirrine said:


> Who the heck was on the planning committee and chose that date for the 2016 NGRC? The NMRA has their conventions planned out a lot further than the NGRC, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal to schedule them at least two weeks apart from each other. And from all the other model railroading convention also. And even though my favorite scale is G, I loving all things dealing with Model Railroading. So I always hit the NMRA - the TCA - the NGRC - and even the Narrow Gauge conventions around the country every year! They are a lot of fun to attend, and I always learn something new that I can incorporate into my G scale layout.
> 
> So I feel that this is definitely going to hurt the attendance at the 2016 NGRC. And not only will it affect the paying public, but after the BOMB at Tampa last year, there were several Vendors who told me that they might not do anymore NGRC in the future. They said they lost way too much money on a poorly planned and poorly organized National Convention. We brought a party of 12 to that convention, and for the most part, not one person had a good time. So G scale better be careful!
> Dennis S.


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