# National GR Convention



## barnmichael (Jan 2, 2008)

Curiosity question. What is the decision process on where the national convention is held and who the sponsor is? What happens if a group gets the convention and then falls apart/reorganizes/whatever as some clubs do, and are then unable/unwilling to host the convention? Are there any guidelines, requirements, etc. published anywhere? 

I see that they are scheduled several years in advance, as the locations are already selected for 2010, 2011 and 2012. A lot can happen in a couple years. 

Just wondering.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

What is the decision process on where the national convention is held and who the sponsor is? 
There's usually a banquet or some such shin-dig at each convention where future conventions get decided. Essentially anyone wanting to host the next available year's convention (usually 4 or 5 years out) gets up, pitches their location, and then those in attendance vote on it. 

What happens if a group gets the convention and then falls apart/reorganizes/whatever as some clubs do, and are then unable/unwilling to host the convention? 
This hasn't happened too often, but it has once or twice. (Long Island had to bag out a while back as they couldn't get affordable hotel rates.) Other groups have stepped in quickly to fill the void. 

Are there any guidelines, requirements, etc. published anywhere? 
Nope. It's very informal. Past convention hosts sometimes forward their experiences to future hosts, but more often than not that info gets lost or ignored anyway. From what I've seen, each group seems to have a predilection towards reinventing the wheel every time out of the gate. 

Later, 

K


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

We know *WHERE* the 2011 NGRC is but does anybody know *WHEN ? * 
Russ


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## MikeK (Jan 3, 2008)

Russ,
 
In addition to the location, it looks like dates have also been set by each of the sponsoring local clubs for the conventions over the next three years:
 
2010--Tacoma--August 3 to 8
2011--Kansas City--June 21 to 26
2012--Chicago--August 15 to 20


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By MikeK on 07 Oct 2009 10:04 PM 
Russ,

In addition to the location, it looks like dates have also been set by each of the sponsoring local clubs for the conventions over the next three years:

 2010--Tacoma--August 3 to 8
2011--Kansas City--June 21 to 26
2012--Chicago--August 15 to 20 

Great news!...Where did you find that? It is not on their website: *2011NGRC*
I need to know because BAGRS will be hosting the West Coast Meet in July of 2011 after the *NMRA National Convention* and I wanted to make sure it did not conflict with the NGRC.
Thank you so much, 
Russ


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Russ, I believe the schedule appeared in Garden Railways Magazine. 

BTW, and not to show my West Coast bias too much, I think the Bay Area and the Seattle/Tacoma/Portland conventions are the best in the world with some of the greatest looking layouts anywhere. I've been to two BAGRS meets and the last Sea-Tac and Portland bash and look forward to going back.


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## MikeK (Jan 3, 2008)

Russ,

I had a very low tech source for the dates for the upcoming conventions: At the national convention in Denver, all three of the upcoming convention locations had tables with information, including magnets with the dates. Those magnets are currently residing on my refrigerator.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By MikeK on 14 Oct 2009 01:39 PM 
Russ,

I had a very low tech source for the dates for the upcoming conventions: At the national convention in Denver, all three of the upcoming convention locations had tables with information, including magnets with the dates. Those magnets are currently residing on my refrigerator.









I guess magnets are easier for everyone to read then information posted on the web! You were the first to give me a definitive answer.

Joe, Garden Railways has the location for each year of the NGRC but they do not have the actual dates. The BAGRS will be hosting the 2011 Large Scale West Coast meet and from what I understand, the 2012 meet will be hosted by the SDGRS in the San Diego area.

Russ


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Just bringing this up to the top in order to add a heads-up for those attending the Tacoma convention. Just got an email from Joe Sommers (the fellow who wrote the Tacoma preview article in the new GR). I had emailed him with some scheduling & driving questions, and in his response he happened to add --

"Regarding hotel reservations, I'm told that the Hotel Murano is approaching (or has possibly now exceeded) the minimum guaranteed number of bookings which we contracted. Whether that means they are "filled up" can only be ascertained by calling. If they are, the Courtyard by Marriott across the street is about $139/night. "

So I called the Hotel Murano this morning (the area code 253 number, couldn't get through on the 877 number) and was able to get my reservation in at the group rate. But I fiigured I'd better let everybody know -- be the early bird or be square... or sumthin' like that!


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Tha Courtyard by Marriott is a block away from the Murano but is directly across the street from the convention center. Not a bad choice if the Murano fills up. A room in either hotel facing the bay will have a nice view of the BNSF and UP yards in Tacoma.


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Paul Burch on 04 May 2010 11:17 AM 
Tha Courtyard by Marriott is a block away from the Murano but is directly across the street from the convention center. Not a bad choice if the Murano fills up. A room in either hotel facing the tideflats will have a nice view of the BNSF and UP yards in Tacoma.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Just open up your wallets they will take your money. Later RJD


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

The Marriott also has a senior rate ,62 plus, at $119.00 Still not cheap,but better. Both these hotels are right downtown where rates are usually higher. Parking will be at a premium too for this convention because of the downtown location.


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## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

Best Western Tacoma Dome has an internet rate of $109 per night, 2 people, 1 bed, with free parking, free wifi and breakfast...and a free light rail trip to the the convention center just across the street.


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## neals645 (Apr 7, 2008)

Just curious, but the convention has now been "out west" 5 years in a row, and starting in 2011 will be "back east" three years in a row. Wouldn't it make more sense to alternate east/west site more consistently?


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

My neice lives in Seattle, is there any way she can take her boys to see some of the open layouts? They would have no interest in going to the Convention and would probably only visit 2 -3 layouts... 

Thanks, 
John


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Wouldn't it make more sense to alternate east/west site more consistently? 

It might, but the convention location is chosen based largely on who stands up and says "we'll do it," and very, very rarely are there competing bids. If no one stands up, then they wait until the next year for someone to do so. East coast cities are very reluctant to hold conventions, not for lack of railroads, but because it's prohibitively expensive. The last convention put on by the Washington DC group, well, let's just say I don't think the club's going to do that again. The Long Island group had successfully bid on a convention, but pulled out when they couldn't negotiate room rates that even approached affordable. (I had heard the best they could do was on the order of $300/night!) Florida's hosted a few, and Cincinnatti, but that's pretty much as far east as they routinely come anymore. I'd love to see more east coast conventions, but it takes a group to stand up, willing to do the work and take the risk. I kept trying to get the upstate NY group to put a bid together when I lived out there, to no avail. The Southeast PA group would be another group I'd look to, but they may run into the same cost issues as Long Island and DC. I think the success of the East Coast Large Scale Train Show (aka ECLSTS) demonstrates that people are interested and able to travel to the area. But it's not a convention. People are spending $10 to get in the door to buy trains for a day or two, not $100 to spend a week and drive to see railroads. That's an entirely different animal.

Later,

K


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## jlcop (Jan 2, 2008)

Totalwrecker: 
Sorry, but the one day family rate for the convention in Tacoma (2 adults and 4 children) is $60.00 according to the web site! Way too expensive for just a few railroads in my opinion. The PSGRS did have much less expensive open day passbooks last year as a fund raiser and dress rehersal for the convention but that was last summer. I belong to the club but in no official capacity. Your niece might want to consider taking the boys to one of the steamups at the "Old Georgetown steam plant" in Seattle. They are held once a month and are free I believe. 
John


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

John,
Thanks for the info.
I was wondering if there was a list of the Railroads open (for those that don't want to ride a bus) and they could pick out a couple of close ones and visit. As I said, they'd have no interest in the convention/day pass...

Oh well.... I'd rather give each host $10 bucks than .....

John


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