"Looks nice, and meets the needs..." Topic

hagerhall.com

This site seems to have it all and sits next to a hotel. It's also only 20minutes from Antietam Battle Field…

Of course I don't know the cost per head and the amount of people that attend CW or FI…but may be worth looking into…

York Convention center

Both seem like good candidates. Has anyone emailed the BoD members with these suggestions?

I went so far as to make a "driveby" inquiry into the York site, but later found out that HMGS had already been in contact with them about considering it for a possible convention site.

Those seem good
Clif

I think the Hager Hall one is too small. And one hotel with 146 rooms won't work unless there are others very nearby.

Like the FCC, there are hotels not far off the grounds and lots of restaurant choices as well…

Only 17,000 square feet.

Hershey Resort looks very nice and lots of stuff for the rest of the family to do.

I think Hershey is a lot more expensive.

On thing York has is a number of facilities of differing sizes.

I'm pretty sure York has been on the site selection radar before. My impression from the York Expo/Convention website is that it is a nicer version of the Timonium Fairground of previous Fall-In! fame. It also appears to have no motels adjacent to or in easy walking distance to the compound. (Easy driving distance, yes.)

Of course, folks who have attended events at the York center or HMGS representatives who may have visited the site will have much better information.

I also realize that any new site(s) that we utilize is unlikely to meet all the criteria that we would look for in the (non-existent) perfect con location. That's especially true if we find ourselves under a time crunch if CW 16 has to relocate.

Good luck to the HMGS BOD and other volunteers who are working on this,

Scott

I recall it was dumped (and rightly so) for not having an attached (or even nearby) hotel.

I have been to an event the York Expo Center. It is Timonium without parking.

Duncan

Can't wait until this thread is 40 pages long with every hotel, convention center and fairgrounds listed as an option from Virginia to Maine, each one having something about it that rules it out as new location.

If it moves, wherever it lands will introduce a flood of negativity about the spot, so get your popcorn ready.

Awwwww, DoubleG, now you've gone and spoiled the surprise ending for us!

I have a pretty large old Amish barn on my property we able to fix up?
Regards
Russ Dunaway

Sorry CnC, I've seen this movie before………….if nothing else, it will be entertaining, like the Fredericksburg threads where we get carpetbombed by those railing about the location who've never stepped foot in it, or going on and on about how HMGS has ruined the conventions and the hobby is going into the toilet.

If the hobby goes into the toilet, HMGS will have had nothing to do with it……………..

Too true, Double G, too true…

I think all the dealers should organize into a trade group and hire professionals to find a proper venue.
The main reason I go to conventions is to shop.
They are the ones with money in the game. Many depend on cons.
Why should they depend on zany madcap elected officials to determine where they sell?
If a gaming company has a hard rule about not going where union "labor" is mandatory, they have to rely on a Board official bearing that in mind.
Let those with skin in the game run things. How can they do worse?

The needs of gamers are obvious.
Let serious capitalists run it. It only took one person to ruin things for everyone, and he was a loose cannon with an agenda and delusions.

That is a very interesting idea Winston Smith. I hope it will be explored further.

40 pages or not…at least if people throw out options maybe something will stick…add to the conversation…

Interesting idea Winston. Having been involved in just that sort of organization (a hobby retailer group) with a "professional" management, I can tell you emphatically that that is no guarantee that things will not go dreadfully wrong.

At this point, I'm more inclined to let the BOD do it work.

Is that so when something does go wrong you then are able to sit back and say "I told ya so"?

I figure if you belong to the organization and want to see it prosper then everyone should contribute…

Not at all. Just that they have been doing site searches for quite some time. Why re-invent the wheel?

Great comment about the York Expo Center, Duncan.

That's enough to make me vote against the location.

I'd say the likeliest venues are VFCC or the Ike, neither of which I think is a good one.

I'm very skeptical of whether VFCC is realistic at all. On top of probably being more costly now, I imagine they prefer to book events where people have convention activities during the day, leaving them free to gamble at night. I would think an event that runs until late in the evening with its own entertainment is not at all attractive to them, which probably means if the place is available, HMGS will be quoted a premium price.

The Ike is a worse dump than the Host, and the layout is terrible. But in a pinch, it might work. I have to imagine the place is less than fully booked.

Civil D,

FYI, as far as having a miniatures convention at Valley Forge is concerned, see the link to the MFCA Show at mfcashow.com. The MFCA Show has been at the VFCC both before and after the casino renovation.

As you know, HMGS conventions are not as large as they used to be. Therefore, they don't need the space they once did, or the space that some people thought they needed to "grow the hobby" and take things to "the next level." The space lost to the casino won't be missed.

Besides, HMGS can always limit the number of non-historical games if things get crowded at the VFCC. That should make some people very happy.

I agree with you about the Ike.

So do you really thing the VFCC has an entire weekend, plus the required pre-set up day (Thursday) available in three months, that in a very narrow time frame (four weekends really, mid to late March, Easter weekend out, to early April)? That is a tall order indeed at this late date. Maybe, but tough.

The Ike is also a dump, but then again, so was the Host which was acceptable up to several days ago. Only in a pinch though.

Or, they skip CW and concentrate on not losing FI as well. What a mess the previous BOD left the org in. :-(

To be fair, the BoD (current and prior) really isn't responsible for this current mess. They're as much victims of circumstance as everyone else (including other individuals with open future contracts with the Host). Just bad luck.

HG,

Yes, I do think that the VFCC is available between now and the current dates for Cold Wars. Plus, a small adjustment of the dates into April (after Easter which is in March 2016) wouldn't do much harm.

The problem with the Ike, amenities aside, is that it is the same type of marginal property when it comes to making a profit as the Host. HMGS could move to the Ike in the short term or the long term and wake up one morning to see "Ike Files for Bankruptcy" in the local PA newspaper. If so, any contracts between HMGS and the Ike would not be worth much.

In contrast, venues which are profitable (like the VFCC) should be around for a while. The casino should keep Valley Forge running for years to come. The casino license is a valuable asset. Even if the current ownership decides to make a change, it is highly unlikely that the entire VFCC will go away on 30-60 days notice (unlike the Host), taking HMGS with it.

That may be what we learn from this entire process with the Host. Whether HMGS learns that lesson or not is another question.

The York Expo Center is located right where the annual YORK FAIR is held each September. So there's plenty of parking if you take into account "fairgrounds" type parking. I've been in the UTZ Arena; that's where they show off the farm animals at the York Fair. So hopefully, it doesn't smell like pig all year 'round! :-)

All things considered, this would be a sizeable venue. But I don't recall any nearby hotels (not within walking distance at least).

VFCC seems like a much better option from a nearby hotel & restaurants perspective. And you've got the Casino and King of Prussia shopping mall nearby, for added bonus.