APS In Omaha 2019- Not A Done Deal

I live in Omaha so have a vested interest in seeing the APS bring their show here in 2019. As always we have all the NYC and Northeast dealers making faces and threatening to not come if it is here. The link:

http://www.linns.com/en/marketplace...decisio.html

From my viewpoint this doesn't look good- they are postponing a decision and the immediate past president - a NYC resident- seems to be trying to delay any decision so presumably the NYC fores can be mustered. Comments welcome.

I have never heard any of the NY dealers complain about shows being away from NYC, but I have heard others complain about having a show in NYC. And I counted 30 different booth holders from the MA, NY, NJ, PA, MD, NH and Eastern Canada areas who will be at Grand Rapids. So it's not like there is no one coming from the Northeast.

BTW, Nick Lombardi is from NJ; so the suggestion By Wade Saadi seems more about whether Omaha can support a show rather than whether NY is the best option.

OK, and that is a reasonable concern.

I have to wonder is there some rule that the mid Winter show has to be in a warmer clime? I know it was in Little Rock a year or so ago and the area got hit with a major snow storm during. Maybe the bar is lower for that show and perhaps Omaha should focus on getting that.

I live in Sioux City (about 90 minutes from Omaha) and I'd be thrilled if the show came to Omaha. I've never been to an APS show and it's doubtful I'd get to one much further away. To me, it would probably literally be a once in a lifetime chance. Of course, I understand the concerns about attendance, etc. Omaha is a vibrant and growing city, but it's no NY or Chicago.

I live in Minneapolis so we're not too far away from each other. We're having a show next month, an annual event.

It's not simply a NY or Chicago thing. It's more that a city like Grand Rapids has a large number of other cities that are within practical driving distances; Omaha only has a few.

I used to live in Omaha and I think it would be a great venue just for its central location. I hope it gets the nod. I'll be there if it does.

Would a write-in campaign to the APS supporting Omaha do any good?

Don

Letters to American Philatelist or the Board can't hurt, but if few in number, aren't likely to be persuasive. You, the Omaha Philatelic Society, or the city's Convention & Tourism Bureau (or equivalent) need to market the city. A single web page promoting the city, its facilities, and things to do there and in the area (within 100 miles) would be great. Have it ready by early August so it can be brought to the attention of the Board. Someone from OPS or the Bureau ought to attend the Board meeting in Grand Rapids.

I'm a Westerner and have traveled extensively in the US but know little about Omaha. Educate me and other APS members about why this is worthwhile (in the web page).

Consider a tie-in with Union Pacific Railroad. Perhaps a preso on early RPO ops plus a tour of the museum a short way over in Council Bluffs. A surprising number of stamp collectors are rail or model railroad enthusiasts. Who else in the area is interesting?

I live in metro Denver and would seriously consider attending an APS stamp show in Omaha. APS stamp show in New Your City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington........fu get about it.

About Omaha....... is the home town of the USA's most successful investors (Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger). Also the home of long time fab New Age musicians Mannheim Steamroller.

Yep, population centers are pretty spread out in this neck of the woods. Lots of empty space dotted with towns of 100-10,000 every 8-10 miles or so. From where I live, I have to drive about 4.5 hours to get to a city of over a million people, although the Omaha metro area is close to a million and growing fairly quickly. Omaha is easy to get to by road, air or rail and there are plenty of accommodations and things to do. It's a great city, I hope they still have the show there. Heck, I'd even join the APS if doing so guaranteed the show would be there.

Not to forget that Omaha has a long philatelic history reaching back to 1898 when the classy Trans-Mississippi Exposition commems frequently described as the"Omahas" were first issued there.

The last time I was in Omaha it looked like a very modern, upscale city. I can't image a national show there would not be well attended. Most dealers, exhibitors, and collectors have to travel somewhere to attend the larger shows be they in NYC, Washington, DC., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, so why not travel to centrally located Omaha?

Don

It's a long haul for dealers, most of whom have to drive given the size and bulk of inventory. Like it or not, dealers are the financial and practical backbone of shows and if there is a small dealer turnout, shows suffer as a result. I do think there is enough population to support a show (especially with a RR tie-in), but I would want to do a little due diligence with the dealer community to make sure that they would support the location.

[separately, APS has fairly specific convention center and hotel requirements, and many cities aren't cooperative with that for whatever reason, which is why APS shows tend to go back to certain places that do work].

Has Omaha ever hosted a Champion of Champions level of WSP show? If so, are the people who set that up still available? It makes a big difference if a venue has a good track record.

Location - matters
Local attractions - matter
But the thing that matters most is the local philatelic facilities. Lodging and convention center close to a major airport?
Plenty of frames for all levels of the exhibition?
Plenty of volunteers to do the setup and takedown, in addition to seeing to it that show visitors are given assistance at all times?
Secure handling of the exhibits from pick up and mounting to repacking them for return?
Are the local union rules going to add a little or a lot of expense to doing the electrical and booth construction work to meet the specifications of the various dealers? Some dealers need lots of lighting at the booth, some don't.

Supporting a show is serious stuff, and the APS Board has to know.


BTW the one factor that makes some venues get repeat attention is that they have lots of very capable volunteers in addition to having all the right kinds of facilities.

Denver is more isolated than Omaha, in terms of driving distance to nearby other big cities. Kansas City is 500+ miles; Salt Lake City an 8 hour drive, Albuquerque about a 7 hour drive. But I think dealers will show if there is an expectation of a good turnout. The annual Rocky Mountain Stamp Show was last month at a hotel/convention center venue about 10 miles from Denver Intl. Airport. 33 dealers; plus the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library; had booths. Four societies, only one with a Colorado theme, also had booths.

Here's the breakdown for dealer home states: California-9; Washington-4; Utah-3; Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Texas-2 each. Also one dealer from each of the following: AZ, GA, IL, MO, MT, NM, NV, OK, TN (yes, that is not a typo. There was a dealer present from Montana). It would seem that distance is not a big deal, again if there is an expectation of sales.

Whether there are stamp clubs in the Omaha/Lincoln area, to support a national APS show, is not known to me. RMSS is a good sized show, and a WSP show, but still local. RMSS has a standing volunteer committee that meets year round, with the Library and local clubs heavily engaged. RMSS has its own collection of exhibit frames. I've done a lot of conferences, as a volunteer coordinator, ranging from one day meetings to week long national conferences, altho none have been philatelic. I concur with comments by essayk. Steve

I have to dissent with several previous comments. This year the APS is meeting in Grand Rapids for the second time. Grand Rapids has never hosted a WSP show, however, it does have superb facilities and some eager volunteers. Area attractions are good, including the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, Meijer Sculpture Gardens, a good local museum and art center. The city does not have a major airport and getting to Grand Rapids by air is much harder than flying to Omaha.