Chicago to Host ANA World’s Fair of Money 2013-2015 Board Also Approves Fall Show and Spring 2012 Location
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — The American Numismatic Association Board of Governors, on March 27, approved a recommendation from Executive Director Larry Shepherd to name Chicago as the site of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money® in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and to launch a fall show in 2011.
A third annual ANA convention will be scheduled between late September and mid-October, and will rotate among major cities like Pittsburgh, Boston and Denver. The ANA will continue to hold annual spring and summer shows.
The Board named Denver as the site of the 2012 spring ANA National Money Show™, scheduled for May to avoid Colorado’s unpredictable early spring weather. “Successful conventions and auction contracts are critical to our future,” Shepherd said. “We can now move immediately to ‘brand’ Chicago as an ANA city.”
Shepherd stressed the importance of branding Chicago as the home of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money, noting the success FUN has had branding Orlando as its home, and Whitman establishing Baltimore as a destination for its shows. “By selecting a single good location, the ANA will brand its summer convention as an annual ‘coin show destination’ that all collectors and dealers will strive to attend.
The dates will be tightly fixed, the location well known and easily accessible at a reasonable cost. But most importantly, it will give us an opportunity to expand our show and set it apart from all others.”
Shepherd said the convention hall space available at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (formerly the Rosemont Convention Center) in Chicago allows the ANA to increase bourse space, create more room for museum-quality exhibits, provide free space for clubs and professional organizations to meet, and provide more table options to attract new dealers and first-time buyer tables.
By encouraging specialty numismatic organizations to gather for the World’s Fair of Money, those organizations could make the summer ANA the destination for all of their annual meetings, symposiums and educational programs. Specialty numismatic organizations would be encouraged to offer educational content to all ANA members, with the ANA coordinating its presentations with those of specialty organizations, thus making it possible to further expand educational offerings. In addition, the time slot between the “Official Pre-Show” and the World’s Fair of Money could be used to add educational classes and tie-ins to Summer Seminar.
In a report to the Board of Governors, Shepherd cited several reasons why Chicago
is an ideal site for the World’s Fair of Money:
• It is home to a large and dedicated collector base;
• It is consistently one of the top two choices among members as a show site;
• It is centrally located and has the single best airport in the country in terms of flights in and flights out;
• It is a prime vacation and recreation destination;
• It is the most convenient location for all ANA members nationwide;
• Previous ANA shows in Chicago have been extremely successful;
• No other major coin organization has branded Chicago as its location for a major show.
In addition, having one venue for the summer show allows the ANA to make more efficient use of its convention preparation efforts, to negotiate multi-year convention and hotel contracts, work with familiar vendors and save significantly on signage and decorating costs.
Shepherd said the Chicago location would be evaluated after each year to ensure it would be the right choice for a longer term commitment.
“The most important benefit is that we can change the dynamics of the ANA World’s Fair of Money so that it sets this show apart from every other coin show and establishes this show as the numismatic event of the year, that all must attend,” Shepherd said.
A spring and fall show rotation in major U.S. cities allows the ANA to provide large, high-quality events in geographically diverse areas. Shepherd said once a spring show rotation is determined, the majority of hobbyists and ANA members will have convenient access to ANA shows, wherever they live. “A third show in the fall allows us to extend our educational outreach and take our conventions to more parts of the country, where we can be accessible to a greater number of ANA members and hobbyists,” he said.
The ANA has held summer conventions since 1891 and added a spring convention in 1978.
Originally Release Date: December 2, 2010
ANA Contacts: Phone: 719-482-9872
Email: pr@money.org