American Numismatic Association Members Survey Indicates a Preference for Shows in Baltimore and Chicago sites.
ANA members favored Baltimore and Chicago as potential convention sites in an e-mail survey distributed July 3 by the American Numismatic Association.
The survey, conducted by the ANA as a result of dealer and member feedback regarding the selection of convention sites, was spearheaded by the ANA Convention Committee, chaired by Carl Schwenker, and prepared by ANA staff.
The survey, which was emailed to active, paid members, measured attitudes about convention site selection, criteria for site locations and the components of conventions that contribute to the overall show experience.
"We felt that a survey would provide invaluable information to help guide the Board of Governors and staff as they prepare proposals and select sites for future ANA conventions," said Executive Director Larry Shepherd.
"As a member-based organization, the ANA must, whenever possible, make informed decisions based on input from its members."
The survey was emailed to 17,941 members with 3,119, or 17.4 percent, responding by Wednesday morning, July 9. Results are available at www.money.org.
As part of the survey, members were asked to select their five favorite potential convention locations from a list of 24 cities and were also given the option to write in a location if it wasn’t listed.
Of all respondents, 1,068 (34.3 percent) listed Baltimore (the site of the 2008 World’s Fair of Money) as one of five favored locations, and 1,027 (32.9 percent) chose Chicago. Also ranked in the top 10 were New York (854); Atlanta (769); Philadelphia (768); San Francisco (750); Denver (728); Boston (695); Orlando (675) and Los Angeles (614).
Site location was considered "extremely important" or "very important" by 2,175 (69.7 percent) of respondents, when asked to rank the site location’s value to their overall experience at an ANA show. Another 414 (13.3 percent) ranked site location as "important."
"This was an important and long-overdue first step in seeking input from our members on important matters regarding their conventions," said Shepherd.
"Using measurable feedback from our members is something the ANA should do in determining preferences on a variety of issues because it eliminates bias and subjectivity from the decision-making process."
Shepherd emphasized that the ANA is here to serve its members.
"It’s the members’ organization. We should not dictate to them; rather their wishes should take priority in our decision-making process," he said.
Survey respondents also indicated that to be successful, a show must be well attended by collectors (97 percent); have robust retail activity on the bourse (94 percent); feature a quality collectors’ exhibit area (91 percent) and be well attended by the public (88 percent).
They also ranked the following as the most important criteria in choosing a site location: security at the show; safe and secure location; hotels near the convention site; hotel costs and taxation on show sales.
"We are very pleased with the response to this survey," said Shepherd.
"We need to know how our members feel about important issues and will continue to poll and survey our members on a variety of subjects throughout the year.
I thank everyone for taking the time to fill out this survey."
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About American Numismatic Association
The American Numismatic Association is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. The ANA helps its 32,000 members and the public discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of education and outreach programs as well as its museum, library, publications, conventions and seminars. For more information, call 719-632-2646 or visit www.money.org.
