Why (do you guys think) the AMA Expo is in Ontario rather than held at Muncie?




<edited to accomodate Bob>

Let's see January in California or Indiana?

This sounds like another of those questions best asked of AMA themselves. All you're going to get here is speculation.

Did you ever hear anything back from them on your Park Pilot budget/expenditures questions?

Normally I would agree. Especially if the "question" relates to some verifiable fact but in matters of subjective reasoning many things usually come into play, most of which will never be illuminated for obvious reasons. i.e.. Maybe just maybe, it is as simple as the BigWigs have expense accounts to use and enjoy for such things...a little winter vacation of sorts...simple understandable answer but I don't think you would ever get such an answer. Do you? As for as logistics of weather and many other concerns go, Dallas would have been better for most of us... not hard to figure that one.

first off if you can remember it used to be held in pasadena as hobby expo. but parkinking and prices went ski high there so when ontario built there center ama decided to move it there due to lower cost and the warm sun lol

Well, certainly if it's just a matter of the old guard wanting a few days in a warmer climate then one would never get a straight answer. It's not just a coincidence that there isn't a "Cheese Bowl" held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay each New Years. I haven't gotten quite that cynical though....yet. . I've also done enough business travel (Delta Million Miler) that a business trip is still a business trip, even to a warmer climate. Have you flown much lately? Most (all?) of the "glamour" and fun is gone, even if you're riding up in the front cabin. It's more like herding cattle these days. When it got to the point that I started to make a point of wearing slip on shoes to make it less awkward to get through security, I knew we'ed passed the point of no return.

There are a bunch of reasons to justify any particular location for such an event. Climate, population density, vendor locations and their costs to show up, etc, etc. This just seemed to me to be another of those threads that's going to end up in rank speculation and an excuse to kick the AMA around like a football. One might not get a straight answer out of Muncie, but OTOH there's not going to be an answer here, either.

And I assume that KE know's it's not in Ontario, Canada.

AMA purchased the rights to what was called the International Model Show (IMS) that was held in Psadena, CA for as long as I can remember. The IMS was started by Bill Northrup and as time went by his health got to the point that he was thinking of ending the show. AMA bought the right about 6 or 7 years ago. They continued with the show in Pasadena for a couple of years and used the IMS name for a couple as well.

The show was moved to Ontario, CA about 4 or 5 years ago a renamed the AMA Convention. That name was changed to AMA Expo this year. The show was kept out here in the west since it was a traditional location and because of the number of AMA members on the west coast who will never be able to go to Toledo or the WRAM show in New York.

It had nothing to do with nasty AMA scoundrels wanting to misuse our hard earned dues dollars to finance a lavish trip to the west coast in the dead of winter. AMA always sent people out to the IMS and now actually runs the show, which generates revenue and gives vendors a show outlet on the west coast.

Sorry to burst the conspiracy theory folks, but there it is.

Bob
A. Fixed.
B. I figured to give them a little extra time to answer my email question, seeing how AMA is busy in California in januaries these days.


or, we could come up with a great idea
Like taking the exposure, pop density, and climate into account to setup a 3year rotation to "expose" the "population"s across more of the country: LA, TX, & (some southeastern metro). No matter how many times year after year you try to get the same LA folks, you are not really exposed to the Atlanta guys.

Whether or not putting the AMA HQ in the great white north was a bad idea,
there are more unfrozen metros than just LA over & over.
If it is a vendor concern, maybe the vendors might want to try to sell their wares to new folks rather than the same crowd every year. It is my understanding that part of being a salesman is to go TO the convetions, not sit at home waiting for folks to have a convention where I am.

To have is as far from STL and Bob Mitchell as possible?
Bill, AMA 4720

Guess I wasn't impressed with it seemed to be less vendors there than last few years?Many of us were VERY disappointed about the lack of the swap meet.Might not have made the 500 mile drive if had known that!!Did enjoy the show though!As long as no swap may not attend another year.The tax problem they mentioned can be handled and is delt with in many other swap meets!.

Moodier-
regarding the swapmeet,
do you suppose the swap action would be better if the show was on a 2or3 year rotation there,
so guys would have more time to gather up Expo swapables & merch?

So, AMA purchased the rights...changed the name...then the location...but somehow, that is "just cause" for it to be other than more accessible to most of the AMA members. Somehow that begs the question and brings us to: Why did AMA purchase "rights" in the first place? It seems most if not all the goodwill associated with the IMS has been deleted...or rebranded...of course, there is probably another reasonable sounding explanation.


Look, I am not trying to make some conspiracy case out of the OP's question and I certainly realize a lot went into the decision that may never be known but by the same token the Southwest Aero modeling convention, headed by Sandy F, in the more centrally located region was not taken under AMA's wing. It is just hard to reconcile the whys.

most of the stuff in the swap area was over priced anyway but there were a few great deals her and there

I'm not sure if the Bill Northrup who initiated the IMS had any ties to AMA or not. Sandy F certainly does, and I expect that there would be a huge cry of "foul" if the AMA purchased rights from him. I suspect the cry of "sweetheart deal" would be never ending.

Just a thought.

I think anytime that a national organization such as AMA stages an event in a fixed location they are going to get criticism from those that think it should be moved around. Lot's of discussion about that concerning the Nationals being fixed at Muncie, rather than touring. The other side of the coin is that they purchased rights to an existing, and apparently rather successful show and are using it to promote AMA. Moving it elsewhere would risk losing an established audience, and perhaps negating the reason it was purchased in the first place. Granted, they've moved it about 30 miles west to Ontario, but it's still playing to the same established and very large regional audience.

Ummmm,

Last time I checked Pasadena was North and a tad West Of Ontario.

Bill, AMA 4720

You're correct Bill. Pasadena is west rather than east of Ontario.

I'm not sure it makes a material difference in this context, but thanks eversomuch for the correction. I'm relieved that I also didn't make any spelling errors for you to report. Wouldn't want such to interfere in a discussion now, would we?

I used to live in Rancho Cucamonga (ontario)
and you do NOT want to drive to work from Ont to Pasadena!!!!!

I wish I could follow you need to be unhappy about this. The AMA moved it from Pasadena because the show had gooten too large, parking was a nightmare, hotel space was an issue, and the Pasadena site just got to be a problem. The new Ontario Convenrtion Center is larger, better parking, easier access for vendors and people coming to the show. So why do you find negatives here?

And I have no idea what you mean when you talk about accessible to AMA members. District X is the single largest AMA District. So in fact having a show out here is a real service to the members who will never be able to get back east for either Toledo or the WRAM show. Ontario is just a few minutes east of Los Angeles, the second largest city in the country, so there is a pretty good population of AMA members and general people interested in teh hobby.

Oh well, you are one of the group that if AMA was giving away free money would complain about the denomination. Kind of senseless to even engage in a discussion.

I've been to every IMS/AMA Show since 1989. I am glad that AMA took over the show rather than let it die. And to be clear the reason it wold have dies was because the pwerson who poured his heart and soul into doing it no longer had the energy to keep going. And yet somehow that's a bad thing in your eyes. Wow.

I havent seen 'negative' from LCS,
he is making the point that the alleged anchor so the Pasadena location,
as well as the name,
has already been severed.

The Pasadena show is not a Pasadena show anymore, its been moved
(5pm friday) 3hr away, out of nominal LA and into the INLAND EMPIRE
<you dont want that Empire stamp on your passport>.

If the dependancy to have it Pasadena has already been cut.... why not move it
(.... er, move it again, AMA already moved it)

Yes, actually we would. It's always nice to let a little air out of the self-appointed brand new expert. I was just correcting a piece of misinformation that you posted. I could care less about your spelling errors.

Bill, AMA 4720

I haven't claimed to be an expert, Bill. That's entirely your construct. It is nice, however, to see that there is someone who has appointed themselves to pick up all the loose and wandering nits.

The show was moved ~35 miles. Whether it's east or west isn't really relevent in this context, although there appears to be at least one individual who sees no difference in moving an established event across town vs across the country.

There is no difference in where they decided to hold the event. There needs to be some interaction with all the membership. You have the Nats in your part of the world. There is also the meeting that is held annually at the Joe Nall. Don't you consider it fair for the AMA to hold something on the West Coast for the membership who live so far away from Muncie? Do you want it all for yourself?

Bill, AMA 4720

There is no difference in where they decided to hold the event. There needs to be some interaction with all the membership. You have the Nats in your part of the world. There is also the meeting that is held annually at the Joe Nall. Don't you consider it fair for the AMA to hold something on the West Coast for the membership who live so far away from Muncie? Do you want it all for yourself? Before last April, you didn't know or have a clue as to what the AMA was doing, or had done. Why is it that now you are the expert on what the AMA should be doing? My Cow! You have been a member for 9 whole months now. Give it a rest already.

Bill, AMA 4720

You're right. There is no difference in where the event is being held. That was my point. Others, (not you) seem to feel that since the name has been changed, and since the event has moved 35 miles, that the AMA may as well move half way across the country. I don't see much logic in that.

You do seem to have missed something in the translation, though. I have no issue with AMA holding their expo on the left coast. I think it's fine just where it is, and am not sure why you think otherwise. As others have said, there are a number of events in this half of the country, including the Toledo show and those that you've mentioned.

Bill, as I've already said this morning, I've never claimed to be an expert, and I'm not sure why you continue to make that claim. I do have opinions, though, and message boards such as this are set up for individuals to express those opinions. It's their very reason for existance. My opinion is that the show is just fine where it is, and I'm not sure why KE chose to make it an issue, for the very reasons you pointed out above. I also don't see any logic in the belief that the length of one's AMA membership is pertinent to an opinion on this particular topic.

Now, if you don't want to read my opinions then you can easily skip over what I've posted, or you can even block my messages. Either way it's no skin off my nose. If you want to continue to discuss the original issue, then fine....although I think our opinions on that already match. If instead you want to continue to make an issue of whether I should be expressing an opinion to begin with, this particular thread really isn't the place to do that.

it would be nice if it rotated locations through out the country