NSE Convention 2026 - Milwaukee

[packers#1]

I would go to an NSE in Portland, Minneapolis, or Boston.

I’m not even in N scale anymore and I’d go to an NSE at any of those cities!

[POVC]

I’m not even in N scale anymore and I’d go to an NSE at any of those cities!

Next year (2027) is in Sacramento CA...
2028 is a TBD East Coast city

Tim

[NSEGeorge]

https://travel.usnews.com/features/best-conference-cities-in-the-us

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4133125/us-news-unveils-inaugural-2026-2027-best-conference-cities-and-best-conference-hotels

This is a fascinating survey, and something to look at.  Out of their top ten, there are 6 places that we have looked at and have not been able to make a deal. One of the biggest issue for us is that we have to have hotel with display space on site for the layouts and paid parking is an issue for anyone bringing a module.

The first number is the hotel and the second is the parking (except for the Venitian which has a 'resort fee' on top of the room with tax)


1-   Ventian Las Vegas $145 + $55 +$20
2-   Chicago Marriot Marquis $279 + $51
3-   Rosen Shingle creek Orlando  $149+$36
4-   Arizona Biltmore $318 $28
5-   Marriot Marquis Houston $751+$40
6-   NYC Marriot Marquis  $296 + $90
7-   Washington DC $304 + $75
8-   Anaheim Hilton $165+$47
9-   San Antonio Grand Hyatt $172 +$59
10-   San Diego Marriot Marquis $451 +$55

Any hotel that has a link to the convention center is out of the question for us, as the cost is way above what we can afford (the Convention Center at Kansas City started at $15K a day) So we have to have a hotel that has the display space inside, which is trending away.

We had four proposals on the table for the 'West" convention and chose the one with the most of the required features which turned out to be Sacramento. We have 6 proposals on the table for 2028, still soliciting more.

There are a lot of moving parts.

[Iain]

I wonder how much the Raleigh Convention Center runs; I know they still have anime conventions, which I believe would have lower income.

[NSEGeorge]

I wonder how much the Raleigh Convention Center runs; I know they still have anime conventions, which I believe would have lower income.

The quote we received from the Raleigh Convention Authority was $12K per day for 32,000 sq feet.

PS- I also like ducks.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Another thing I learned from our attendees... we worry more about price point than they do.  Value of the spend, and the experience, are everything.  And a couple additional bucks on hotel nights or in the entry fee to properly cover costs, well that's only a percentage of traveling to the site in a lot of cases!

I used to tell Mike Phillips the same thing all the time about the Altoona N Scale Weekend. He was stressing that he was going to have to raise admission by a buck or two and I was like "Mike, people are spending hundreds of dollars to come and spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars here. Get the nicer place."

[muktown128]

I used to tell Mike Phillips the same thing all the time about the Altoona N Scale Weekend. He was stressing that he was going to have to raise admission by a buck or two and I was like "Mike, people are spending hundreds of dollars to come and spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars here. Get the nicer place."

Exactly!!!  I wouldn't quibble over $1-2.  If the cost difference is more than $5, that might be a different story.

[Specter3]

Well, around the Charlotte we tend to see train events in Hickory, Greensboro, Winston Salem. I know there are places with large spaces in Greenville SC as well. Concord NC has a convention center as well near the speedway. All of these are within an hour +- of Spencer shops. You can fly anywhere from Charlotte’s airport. There are a number of nice layouts in the area both N scale and others.

[crrcoal]

People can be weird too though. They will drive miles away to save 2 cents a gallon on gasoline.

[basementcalling]

Ever run the numbers for Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Richmond, VA, Roanoake, VA, or Charleston, SC?

[NSEGeorge]

Peter-  we were in Roanoke in 2014. It was a fantastic location for the convention. We will return thee somedaty I'm sure

https://www.nscaleenthusiast.com/NSE_convention/NSE_Convention_Roanoke.htm

Norfolk/Virginia Beach and Richmond are interesting ideas that I will give to the search committee. Charleston we could not make a deal with that we could afford.

The people that are seeking our locations look for the same things all the time- a good local coordinator, great tours, interesting things for modelers and for their families, a hotel that has a good (not necessarily super cheap, but a  good value) space for layouts, space for gatherings and the train show, a train ride or two, and an easy airport. Oh- and a place our manufacturers want to go.


We don't ask for much, right?

[fcnrwy23]

The people that are seeking our locations look for the same things all the time- a good local coordinator, great tours, interesting things for modelers and for their families, a hotel that has a good (not necessarily super cheap, but a  good value) space for layouts, space for gatherings and the train show, a train ride or two, and an easy airport. Oh- and a place our manufacturers want to go.


We don't ask for much, right?

Which is WHY it is Always a GOOD SHOW... 

Jerry G.

[chuck geiger]

From Dan Fulton Road video recap:

[Jim Starbuck]

Great video Chuck! Thanks for sharing.

[Point353]

Oh- and a place our manufacturers want to go.

What would be the manufacturers' choices for convention locations?