Ep.236 w/ Ray Schulte "NSCC Preview & the Future of it"

SPEAKER 1: What is up? Welcome to episode 2 36.

SPEAKER 1: Got a great show planned for today. Going to give away two general omission tickets to the National in Chicago. Coming up at the end of July, we're, it's gonna be cross posted.

SPEAKER 1: I'm gonna give a contest word away during this episode, DM or PM or email the show that contest word and you'll be put on the list to win two general mission tickets to the National, free of charge hard copy tickets. I'Ll have to mail them to your house. Please make sure you're going to use these to enter. I don't care if I only have five people enter, if all five people will utilize these tickets.

SPEAKER 1: Also look for ways to enter on our social medias, Twitter, Instagram. And you know, we're gonna put everyone on the list that is eligible and do a randomizer, roll some dice and give one lucky person two free tickets to the National. It's a National themed show because we have the Director of Public Relations of the Nationals, Ray Dion today. And join us every year.

SPEAKER 1: We talk about the upcoming National and even go a little past the upcoming National. We talk about what's to come in future Nationals. And after this year, you know, it goes back to Cleveland and it's under new leadership to National, the National has a new president and it has new leadership. So, you know, a lot of new people calling the shots and, and I'm, I'm gonna ask Gray, you know, what does that mean?

SPEAKER 1: What does that entail for the future in international? What we might see different, and what might, you know, different things that we should expect. The Chicago National, is expanding its floor plan by 200,000 square feet. So big, big chunk of, real estate, for this year's National. We'll talk all about that. What's coming, what's, what's to be expected here in a month and, it's fun episode. So, hopefully you enjoy it.

SPEAKER 1: If you want two free tickets, make sure you listen for that contest were all right. Without further ado, let's get this show started.

SPEAKER 2: Time for our hobby is the people announcer of the week.

SPEAKER 2: This is Zach Burn. One of many hobbyists who returned during COVID.

SPEAKER 2: Thanks to John for steering me in the right direction.

SPEAKER 2: And remember the hobby is the people, if you'd like to be the hobby is the people announcer of the week, do a wave or MP3 file and send it to Sports card. Nation PC at gmail dot com.

SPEAKER 3: Iron Sports Cards is your number one source for all your PS A and other grading submissions. Their elite status improves turnaround times. Heck, they even provide the card savers. Their chat rooms provide updates on all your submissions.

SPEAKER 3: They also offer wax options and single cards to cover all the bases. Check them out on Facebook at Iron Sports Cards Group or on the web at Iron Sports Cards dot com or even give them a call at 1 877 Ironps A Rob's got you covered.

SPEAKER 4: For more than 30 years. Robert Edward auctions has been the nation's premier auction house specializing in Sports memorabilia and trading cards with significant experience and expertise in all major sport, non sport and Americana collectibles.

SPEAKER 4: Re A has helped clients achieve record breaking prices for their items and has done so with a reputation for integrity and transparency by actively partnering with collectors and enthusiasts throughout the entire process. Re a has created the hobby's most trusted forum for selling high quality collectibles. Go to Robert Edward auctions dot com for more information on how to buy or sell in their next auction.

SPEAKER 1: All right. Real happy to, real excited and happy to have the next gentleman back on the Sports card shop guest line. Usually when you hear him, it's not the only time, but usually when you hear them, that means we're getting close to a big event.

SPEAKER 1: And it's definitely gonna be something, we talk about, for sure. And he's the director of media relations for the National, collectable media, Schulte Sports, Mr Ray Schulte. Welcome back to Sports Car Nation John.

SPEAKER 5: Thank you for having me and thank you for all you do in the hobby. We really appreciate that and especially, supporting the National. Thank you.

SPEAKER 1: You, well, I appreciate you saying that coming from you even, even means a little bit more and it's, it's a pleasure to do so. Right. I think it's, you know, when it comes into Nashville, I call it the Super bowl of the hobby. Right. We circle the week every year on the counter. The nice thing, it's around the same time.

SPEAKER 1: So when people want to take off for work, they kinda, they can tell their employer, hey, it's about the same week every year. I won't be here. So, just make a, make plans accordingly and, you know, it, it's become an event, in itself, right? But obviously it's the biggest card show, of the year.

SPEAKER 1: But it's an event more than, it's, it's become more than a car show, I think. You know, when talking to Dr Becker who's never missed one and others. Right. It's, it's, it's really progressed to AAA, just a bigger event than it used to be. It was always great, but it's just getting better and better. You know, starting off.

SPEAKER 1: You know, let's start up with last year's. I was there, obviously. You were there Atlantic City, you know, I'm sure you heard some people, I love Atlantic City venue because being here in New York it's, it's drivable for me. Most other places, I would have to fly although Cleveland, Cleveland will be drive, drive for me 5, 5.5 hours.

SPEAKER 1: But I will say this, you know, you can, people can say what they want about the city. I thought there was a lot, it seemed more airy to me. Ray like the you weren't, you know, as confined like you felt like you were, you were packed in too tight endless.

SPEAKER 1: And everyone said, oh, you know, I'm not a big Atlantic City fan. People still went, right. People might say that and it's just the events too big. Not, not, you know, to, to miss. So I mean, your thoughts on last year's event.

SPEAKER 5: Well, John, you know, after each event we evaluate we analyze, we always try to figure out how we can do better. So from that perspective, I'Ll tell you that, you know, I thought Atlantic City was a huge success.

SPEAKER 5: Were there things that we could have, you know, maybe addressed?

SPEAKER 5: Yes and no, I mean, the the city is a city. I mean, there's nothing we could have done about that. There are certain things, I, I know the, the, the was a concern.

SPEAKER 5: And again, due to the large number of people that, that, that complicated things too and made it more difficult. But those are things that we, we, we understand and not going into Chicago, we've certainly addressed that and we don't want that to be an issue.

SPEAKER 5: We, we feel that it's extremely important, not only for the exhibitors but for also the attendees too. So, you know, that that will be rectified and even going forward even more. So, so I, I I'm, I'm excited about that.

SPEAKER 5: The one thing that I thought was kind of missing was you know, opportunities to, you know, get food, you know, like in Chicago, you can go outside the convention center and Rosemont there has got a tremendous amount of, of, of restaurants and eating facilities.

SPEAKER 5: So it's, it's much more conducive for the attendees and the exhibitors. And, and so I think that was a little tough, it was a little, you know, you know, challenging if you were walking the boardwalk in Atlantic City.

SPEAKER 5: But again, I think, you know, we've heard from a number of people, you know, how they feel and, and we don't disagree.

SPEAKER 5: So, but at the end of the day, John, the exhibitors vote on, you know, where the venue is gonna be, you know, two or three years out. So, it's up to them to determine whether we go back to Atlantic City. I feel like, you know, looking forward to Chicago, can't tell you how excited that we're back in Cleveland.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. And that's one, city I've never, I've been to, with the Nationals. So, I'm looking for, even though we, we still got this one to, to put in the books, but definitely looking forward to Cleveland also drive.

SPEAKER 1: So from, from central New York here, it's five hours and any time it's in driving distance, I will fly. It's not that I won't go. But I, as you know, a, as a traveler, right? If you can drive, you can bring more kinda get to more places with your, your own vehicle, you have more free.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. And so that's always nice and that's what I loved about last year's. I thought the show really was great. The, the biggest complaint I heard was, was the wifi which you touched on and, and, you know, people, I think sometimes people don't realize right, that the, the, all the, the stuff that goes into putting these on, right.

SPEAKER 1: You know, it's not just flipping over a sign that says open and flipping it over at the end of the day and it says close. There's, there's so many logistics and, and, and techno technology issues, that need to be all buttoned out. It's, this is a huge event and so I'm a little more.

SPEAKER 1: I, I don't, I don't know if forgiving is the right word, but I'm a little more, I get it, you know, that, that, there's a lot of gears turning in, in different directions and it, there, you know, we, we talk about like a perfect game in baseball, right?

SPEAKER 1: When you put on these events, it's never going to be a perfect game. And we got, even as consumers, we have to be understanding of that. And so, you know, you know, so I, I, yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER 5: No, I was gonna just, just say that I, I, you know, I've worked with all the leagues and all their events and all Star games, Super Bowls. And you have been to every, almost every venue in the country, Union Nonunion.

SPEAKER 5: And the one thing I can tell you that I love about the National is that we have one guy and he spearheads it. His name is Larry Ross. And if you're an exhibit, you know, Larry and you, you probably, you know, love the fact that he does such a mend job in just kind of managing the floor and whether it's low it in, during the show, low it out.

SPEAKER 5: He basically is super in terms of making that happen and making it seamless in terms of, you know, how things work and then during the, during the show that is so important and Larry doesn't get any credit.

SPEAKER 5: I mean, Larry is not one of the front guys, but he's a former cop now, this is what he does and he does a great job. So I'm, I'm excited, you know, Larry and I, we talk often and, and so I, I appreciate that what he does and I, and I know the exhibitors do too. So, you know, kudos to Larry.

SPEAKER 1: And kudos to you for, for spotlighting them and giving them a little shine.

SPEAKER 1: There's probably a few guys, you know, that we don't see, like you say, out front, it's got to be a lot of things kind of falling into place and, and while you're a big part of that, there's, there's other gears as well.

SPEAKER 1: And so kudos for you to, you know, giving Larry a little bit a love there as, as, as it should be, you know, I, and, and, you know, last year when we did this, Ray Ryan, your son, Ryan Schulte joined us. And it, I feel like I'm sort of watching him grow up at the National.

SPEAKER 1: You know, and I know he's worked with you and brody and kind of learning, learning to ropes. Is he gonna will we see him this year?

SPEAKER 1: Diego, I'm assuming. Yes, but I forgot better to ask.

SPEAKER 5: I think he would have loved to be on, on the interview with, with us John today. Except that today he's graduating seventh grade today is his last day of school. And so he's excited about that. He's also excited about coming back to Chicago. And it's, and it's interesting because he is not a collector per se. He's, he's getting into it.

SPEAKER 5: And, and he, he, he, he, he loves the, you know, the camaraderie and, and everything else. He is really into the, say the marketability, the operations. He's got that mindset when it comes to, you know, life right now, which is fine with me. Ii, I kind of love it. So he gets more enjoyment of just being there and just kind of being my right hand guy. Who, who kind of, you know, can I can actually give him direction.

SPEAKER 5: And I think we may have talked about this earlier. You know, I gave HBO Sports came in 11 show and I basically said, hey, Ryan, can you take them around and, and host them and make sure they get everything they need. At the end of the show, they, there was like eight of them, you know, the, the camera guys and the anchor and all that. They, they stopped me and they said, right, we got a picture with Ryan. I said, absolutely.

SPEAKER 5: They were just couldn't be more happy. So that, that's a thing that makes me the most proud is the fact that, you know, he can take responsibility and, and he loves meeting people. He gets it. So, yeah, he's very excited at coming back and Brodie is coming back as our youth ambassador. We also have, probably about six or seven different, what I call NBA nec media ambassadors too. So we're very excited about that.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. And, and he, you know, we even had Ryan, we, we sat next to Brodie, we have a hobby hotline group, dinner that we do every National. And, he joined us for that. And, he, he was like a veteran at that table. He fit right in and he was talking with everybody. He's a, he's a natural.

SPEAKER 1: You think it's something, obviously he's young, like you said, just graduated seventh grade today. Congratulations. To, right. And you think it's something he wants to pursue as a career eventually? I mean, obviously he's got time but has he expressed an interest, an early interest in maybe public relations, media, that sort of thing? Broadcast, whatever the case may be?

SPEAKER 5: I think. So, you know, his, his mom is involved in, in, Sports broadcasting and, and, you know, with the regional Sports networks. And, and so he, he gets that Sports from a different perspective.

SPEAKER 5: He sees what I do and he, and he gets to meet a lot of different people. And so I think from his point of view, he, he likes the, the challenge of kind of learning on the fly and basically you know, from, you know, from a, from a mindset of, of putting together a marketing plan, putting together a business plan and, and then managing it.

SPEAKER 5: So, he, he loves that aspect of it now and, and I, and I hope he does continue with it because it's, it's just good experience for him. And, you know, it's funny, it's, he, he, he, he says that I can't wait till I'm 14 years old. So I can, I can go to work and I can't tell you how much that means, you know, in terms of a kid wanting to go to work. So I'm excited about that.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah, and, and like you mentioned 12, 13 soon to be before, right, getting some experiences that kids at a age normally won't have the opportunity. So he even if, if he does want to pursue that, he's already gonna have like hands-on experience, you know, when he, when he goes to college and takes, you know, that course work.

SPEAKER 1: He can say, yeah, when I was working at the National in 2021 2022 I we did this and we did that and you know, you can't, you can't put a, a price up and that, that those kind of experiences and, and getting your hands in there and just having that stuff under your belt when you know, at an early age, I think it just will pay dividends if you know, if that's the direction, he wants to go and, and like I said, each year I've seen him now.

SPEAKER 1: You, you can see he's almost, he's getting more comfortable each. It's like a, it's like, I always use Sports analogies.

SPEAKER 1: It's like a quarterback and everything is sort of slowing down and they can read is better and make bigger plays and avoid, avoid some of the rush and, and II, I see that, you know, with them and it's it's fun to watch, you know, even I think of myself at that I would have been able to, you know, even though I do the stuff I do now, I was a really, really shy kid and if you would have even asked me to do that, I would have probably, you know, wouldn't have been able to pull it off.

SPEAKER 1: So very, very impressive. And, you know, I know he couldn't be here today but I do, as, you know, I do some on the floor interviews so maybe, if, if time allows and his schedule allows, I'Ll, I'Ll get to, to interview him on the floor to National and, you know, see how things are going and get kind of a on the fly report from, from in Chicago there. So you can let him know that's on the, on the table.

SPEAKER 5: But John, I, I just want to follow up on something you said earlier talking about the National in terms of being the hub, being, you know, whether it's trading cards or vintage memorabilia, authentication, grading whatever it is.

SPEAKER 5: You know, that that's an exciting aspect of it and something people obviously look forward to. But for me, the, the the National means that that unique experience, you know, it's just, and I try to explain this and I do explain it to the mainstream media and to a number of people that haven't been there before.

SPEAKER 5: It's, it's all that. Yes, but it's also you can just come and just walk the floors and have a tremendous time, you know, you know, just seeing people seeing interaction, making friends learning this and experiencing that.

SPEAKER 5: That is what to me, that's the epitome of the National. It's just that overall experience that you can't get anywhere else or any other card show and the people you get to meet and the things you get to see, you can't, you can't match that anywhere at any time.

SPEAKER 5: So, and I think when we're talking about like Ryan, he gets that and I think that's why he enjoys it so much because it is something that's so unique and so impactful that it enriches his life going forward in terms of seeing this and experiencing that. So I just wanted to make that point because that's so important. That's, again, that's my, my gut feeling when it comes to the Nationals is just, you know, and I still do.

SPEAKER 5: I mean, I'm excited about going and, and meeting new people and seeing new things and hearing about unique opportunities or, you know, there's going to be, we're going to have so many surprises on the floor this year that it's, I can't wait. So, but, and I think, you know, I think that's why we also are in, in, in enlarging our, our, our target audience.

SPEAKER 5: In other words, you know, we used to have males, you know, kids, and boys. And now we have, you know, we have, females, you know, wives, grandmothers, grandfathers, sisters. So it, I think that's all, that's kind of wise because we have such a great, overall experience when they come and, and they, they, they kind of walk the floors.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. No, no doubt. And, and like you said, just meeting old friends, meeting people for the first time. Is this, if you come to Nashville, whether it's for one day or five days and you don't, and you, and you didn't have fun, you did something wrong.

SPEAKER 1: I'm, I'm sorry, I, I've said that many times on this show, there's something for everyone, even without necessarily spending money, although that's no fun not to spend any money, but just some of the cards you'll see, not only at the, obviously the dealer's inventory, but at the auction houses, you know, in their cases, it's just stuff you don't see.

SPEAKER 1: Like you said every day, it's, it's an opportunity to see that stuff up close and personal. You know, people take pictures like with the man last year, the nine 0.5 sGC Mantel at Heritage is taking pictures with it.

SPEAKER 1: And that sort of thing or near it, I should say.

SPEAKER 1: And so, and, and, and there's always, there's always something going on every day. There's always different events, you got the main stage, which I've been fortunate enough to be on, multiple times.

SPEAKER 1: And, you know, just something for everyone, obviously, all the corporate areas and, and each year it seems like these boots get more elaborate and, and technological and it, it's, it's, I always, that's the thing I always think is what the, you know, we like with zero cools boots last year is how they're going to up the ante each year and, and top the, the year before, which, which is a good segway. Really?

SPEAKER 1: You know, and, and, and to, you know, talking about This Chicago National, obviously, you're very involved in it. What can those attending myself included? You know, what, what are your expectations, what might be new, that you can talk about, for those, who've been to the National before.

SPEAKER 1: But this might be something that, no one's seen, yet just kind of a, you know, a, a tease if you will when this on air will be about 40 days away from the event itself.

SPEAKER 5: Well, one thing that is going to be very impactful is the fact that we've gone from 400,000 square feet on the show floor to now 600,000 square feet on the show floor. That is extremely, it, it, it's going to really, really make a difference and now I've, I've always been excited about but, you know, the National and, and people always ask me, well, how many, how many people attend and all that?

SPEAKER 5: And maybe five or six years ago, it was like 50 60,000, the last couple of years has been hovering around below 100,000, think about it. That's with 400,000 square feet. Now in Chicago, we have 600,000 square feet and many more exhibitors.

SPEAKER 5: So I think this year is going to set the set a record for modern times in terms of the attendees at the National and obviously, with more exhibitors bring more product from around the country. And so I think that is going to me that's the most important, maybe difference in, in the, in the show this year.

SPEAKER 5: I can't tell you how many people have been calling me, how many Corporates, how many individuals and talking about, you know, what can we do at the National and what they, what they mean by that is like, hey, we want to maximize our time and, and you know, expense by, at the National, by, you know, maybe doing some trade nights, doing some, some parties, some, you know, get togethers, some receptions, you know, and so it's, it's been really more than I've ever seen before.

SPEAKER 5: And so, my, my feeling is that the, these, these Corporates that are coming in, who have been there for years and years and I think they're going to outdo themselves this year. I really do. I think they're gonna take advantage of possibly more, more attendees and more exhibitors too.

SPEAKER 5: So that part of it is, is going to be exciting and, and it's going to be impactful. So, I, I think that, you know, the number of, and the, you know, the number of athletes who will be signing in the Tristar Autograph Pavilion, I think we're up around 100 we will be up around 125 which is incredible.

SPEAKER 5: Again, some of the high, high profile Hall Of Famers and, and, and a lot of a lot of athletes that haven't done the National before. So it's going to that part of it is going to be exciting too. But you know, the content, it's, for me, it's all about content, right? That's, it's kind of what, what my responsibility is, is, is to maximize content.

SPEAKER 5: So I see that as you know, leading into the show already, a lot of people are taking advantage of it and you know, I'm reposting more and more, you know, post on there from, from people that are saying they're going to be at the National be first time. And so that part of it, I see, I see that's a significant increase over the last couple years.

SPEAKER 5: So I'm, I'm, this is probably the, the, the first, National that I would say we could do 100 100 plus 1000 you know, if, if, if everything works out the way we want it to work out.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah, and that anyone that knows the figures, like you said over through the years, that's a big number. That's a big number. I think that's probably one of the catalysts for expanding the, the floor plan.

SPEAKER 1: How difficult was that to, you know, for what you can share, like to go from 400 something square feet to 600? I mean, the building is the same. So how, how does one make the floor plan, you know, bigger? How, how, what are the details that you again that you can share there? That's a.

SPEAKER 5: That's a great question. And I, and I go back to Larry, Ross. Larry is the one that can make, make that happen with his, his experience and his knowledge and understanding of the floor.

SPEAKER 5: He, he, he was able to pull that together and, and it's gonna be, you know, it's be a little tough, tougher you know, lowered in and all that, but he's gonna still make it doable and he's still going to make it, you know, comfortable, you know, think about it 400,000 square feet to 600,000 square feet exhibitor is still, you know, and, and, and this is, this is, this is a perk that, that I, that I know the exhibitors appreciate but, you know, be able to pull your, your items onto the floor and unload and then, and then get out and then come back in and load in.

SPEAKER 5: That is very, very, that's, you know, you can thank Larry for that. I mean, those are things that, that are, well, I wouldn't say they're little things, but there are, there are things that, that go unnoticed. And so to answer your question, it's going to be a little tighter.

SPEAKER 5: But, you know, I think in the long run in the big picture, it's certainly going to be a huge advantage for all the exhibitors coming in to attract the attendees that we, that we want to, you know, come in and so that couple.

SPEAKER 5: But the fact that, you know, I think, you know, Chicago is ready for this, I think they're, you know, me talking with a lot of the mainstream media there, they're, they're very excited about the show coming back and, you know, can't wait for it to come back after Cleveland. So, that's that's a good thing.

SPEAKER 2: Time for a quick break, but we'll be right back for nearly 50 years.

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SPEAKER 2: We are back.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. Whenever I interview anyone as part of the show, sometimes it's a question. Either I'Ll, I'Ll ask it or they'll, it just comes up right. Like, where's your favorite National been? And, and Chicago is a real, you know, majority answer a lot of the times. And so, for a lot of things you, you already mentioned, just the stuff in the city.

SPEAKER 1: You got White Sox, you got Cubs, you can make, if they're in town you can catch a game. I know there's a lot of music venues. I know. Right. And Nolan came in one year and went and went did the National and La La La Paua was Lalu was in town. So he, he hit that as well. Obviously, Chicago is known for some great restaurants which are are very close.

SPEAKER 1: And Rosemont itself has some great restaurants.

SPEAKER 5: I can and that's what I say, John, I say I, I explain to people Google, Rosemont Village and either go on the Instagram or, or just Google itself and, and see all the different restaurants, see all the different things from shopping, bowling alleys. There's so much to do outdoor, outdoor music.

SPEAKER 5: But check that out because it can really enhance a visit. And there's so many things to do throughout that village and, and it's all in walking distance and, and, and that makes a difference. But food be and the most important thing because, you know, people want to get out and, and, after a long day, be able to, to relax and enjoy a good meal. And, and there's no, no better place in Rosemont Village. Yeah.

SPEAKER 1: And, and one of my, one of my, I don't wanna say, I guess it's strategy. I'm not, I, I kind of skip out on lunch while I'm at, while I'm at the National. I bring some granola bars trail mix and that sort of thing. So by the time that the show is over and it's, it's dinner time, I'm raring to go, I'm extra hung. I'm already a hungry guy, but not by that time by skipping lunch.

SPEAKER 1: I'm in like, you know, I, I have to, I have to eat. So I've, I've partaken in many of those restaurants and, and like you said, so, so many great ones. The, the trick is figuring out, you know, which ones you want to go to each time it's in, in Chicago because you can't, you can't necessarily hit a mall on, on one year. So each year some you gotta your itinerary.

SPEAKER 5: That brings up a great point, John, because not only the restaurants, but you have to have, I, I feel you have to have a strategy going.

SPEAKER 5: If you're, if you're an attendee, you have to have a strategy going into the week because, you know, obviously you can't see the whole floor in 12 days and then also too. What, what are you there to look for? Are you there to look for authentication to get appraisals? Are you looking for trading cards?

SPEAKER 5: So there's a lot of things that you got to do from Wednesday through Sunday in terms of like mapping out your strategy and, and I always say to people think about it, you know, think about what you want to accomplish, you know, go to the website, you'll see all the dealers are, are, are listed there and just pick out like the ones you want to definitely hit on and then, you know, work out a timeline because you just can't go in there and just walk around and, and because you miss so many things, I mean, I, I miss things, I last year or two, last couple of years, there must have been about 25 or 30 people that I was, I, I had talked to beforehand who I wanted to see and say hello to at the show and it just got to like, like the show went by like that for me because it was just so many things going on.

SPEAKER 5: And so people out there really have to figure out, you know, do I wanna stop at this auction house or I want to ask this question at this grading company or, you know, create a plan because I think that that will maximize your, your opportunity and your experience at the show.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah, great point. And very true. And I, and, you know, no matter how many I've been to, I still do it right.

SPEAKER 1: Even though I sort of know the lay of land or, or how it works, she, you gotta have sort of a, a game plan, like you said, going and, you know, it, it is gonna take, if you, if you want to see every table, if you're there to buy your trade card and you want to hit every table, it's legitimately probably gonna take, take you two days to do just that. And that's just that aspect of the show.

SPEAKER 1: Like you said, you got all the corporate presence, you got all the grading companies there on site and many taking live, you know, live submissions and, and like you said, if you have any questions, they're there to, to help you.

SPEAKER 1: So kind of, you know, when it's a notepad, but just kind of drawing out what you want to do each day. And I, I too sometimes feel when the show is over, like I felt like I missed something and I know someone will message me, hey, man, I didn't run into you, sorry.

SPEAKER 1: You know, you, you, you can't meet everyone and, and, but you want to try, right? And so having a game plan is just, is, is just makes it a little bit less stress too that you're not sort of flying by the seat of your pants.

SPEAKER 1: They're not wrong with that, but I think it's a little bit smoother sailing when you sort of have sort of a course you, you want to set off on and, you know, I do it to this day and, I always will like, I'Ll put it in my phone in different events or different dinners that we've already sort of made plans and, another, you know, another tip if you're, if you're planning to go to dinner and you have a bunch of people going with call that restaurant and make even now, when it comes to that stuff because, you know, the ones that take them, because it's gonna, you know, you mentioned 100,000 people.

SPEAKER 1: There are, those places are gonna be jamming and, so the more prepared you're headed to the, you're just ahead of the game.

SPEAKER 5: And the other thing is to pay attention to the Mike Burkas main stage, you know, we started, actually, it was my vision, years ago in Cleveland. And, it was, it was meant to be the focal point like the core of the show. And, you know, for, for a couple of years, you know, we were, we were developing it, developing it, content was, you know, a little harder to get, I can't tell you.

SPEAKER 5: I mean, the way that the main stage is set up now, it's, the content is from Wednesday through Sunday packed. And when I, and so when I say that there's a lot of things going on, a lot of things that are interesting, a lot of things that are, that are unique are new.

SPEAKER 5: You know, a lot of, you know, podcast and, and, and a lot of things and athletes up there. So, make sure that you, you, you, you figure out like, the schedule for the main stage and you most likely you'll be able to get that once you get to the, once you get to the show, and pay attention, there's gonna be some fantastic content. This year.

SPEAKER 1: You had no doubt there's usually a board, a schedule board two up, in that area. So you can, you can head that way, kind of see what's going on that day and in subsequent days, following, the day you're there. So you kind of know ahead of time.

SPEAKER 1: Hey, this, these folks are on the stage. So if it's something you want to see live, many of the shows too, Ray are, are interactive where they get the, the audience and crowd to participate, whether it be live breaks or even giving trinkets away and, and, and different things like that. One year I gave a, actually last year I think I gave away some show t-shirts.

SPEAKER 1: And so there's always, you know, for folks that like that kind of free kind of stuff. It's always an opportunity, to grab some, there and, just be interactive ask questions, right? We did a, we did a hobby hotline, segment and we allowed, you know, the, the, the people in the audience to ask hobby questions.

SPEAKER 1: And many of our hosts, Doctor Beckett was, was on stage with us as part of hobby. I, I got to ask questions that you might not get to ask certain people all the time. So it is a great opportunity, like you said, no matter what the next after that week is, there's all, it's gonna be opportunities that don't present itself the other 50 51 weeks of the year and you got to take advantage, of, of the week.

SPEAKER 1: In, in doing that. I, I kind of want a segue too Ray into, you know, you mentioned Brodie's gonna be like the, kid ambassador. Although I told him he can't be Brodie the kid for much longer. He's tall, he's taller than me.

SPEAKER 5: And he's, he's now 15, I think, I think he's got another year left for that.

SPEAKER 1: So you got that. I'm happy to say I'm actually wearing a shirt today. Not, not even necessarily on purpose. It just worked out signatures for soldiers, again as the official charity of the National team and, and his group just doing amazing work. What started out as a $500 goal to help, you know, disabled is now in the six figures and does.

SPEAKER 5: A great job.

SPEAKER 5: And, and a shout out to Pristine auction.

SPEAKER 5: They're the, they're the auction platform that, that supports this and, and did a great job last year and they're stepping up again this year. I think the the auction will go live July 1st and run right through to the Saturday night at the show.

SPEAKER 5: But, if you follow our Instagram at the National Or Collectible Media, you'll, you'll, you'll get a heads up in terms of, you know, when everything is happening and, and when everything is occurring.

SPEAKER 5: So, you know, feel free to, to, to follow us.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. And I, and I, and I gotta plug, you know, Tim in that. He does that pro bono. He's not in a, you know, he's not a salad. That is something he did at the, out of the kind of his heart and it just exploded and he still does it, out of the kindness of his heart.

SPEAKER 1: He does a tremendous job, like you said, Kudos to Pristine for, you know, taking kind of the baton and running with it and bringing that auction forward and, and make more opportunities to raise some money to a great charity, 100% goes to where it's, going, you know, a lot of times when you hear charity, it's not always 100% right.

SPEAKER 1: But in this case, it, it really is and so glad to see, you know, you know, Tim get the opportunity at the National again with, with that charity we are always have him on as well to talk about, you know, his endeavors.

SPEAKER 1: It's, you know, Chicago shaping up obviously to, to be a great event. Let's, let's go a little bit, you know, let's get in the DeLorean a little bit here, Ray and kind of travel to the future. You know, there's a couple of changes on the horizon, some of the leadership with you know, who, who brings the National to everybody.

SPEAKER 1: And there's a new National president, you told me before we start recording and I'm happy to say this, you're gonna still be involved even with some of the changes that are going to take place. One change will not be you and that's that gets my two thumbs up.

SPEAKER 1: But talk about for those that, you know, I know a little bit from whether it's talking to you or just talking to other people and things you hear. But for those that may not, you know, what, what we might see what this change may bring to the show, what you're looking forward to and, and that sort of thing now.

SPEAKER 5: Well, thank you for your kind words.

SPEAKER 5: You know, the current management, show managers, you know, they've done a great job up up until now and, and I think, you know, with the, with this change, the new team that will be coming in starting in or actually starting the day after July 31st, they will, they will take over and the transition is going to be smooth, won't affect anybody.

SPEAKER 5: You know, whether you're an exhibitor or attendee, you won't see any, any difference. But having said that, you know, I'm very excited and I've agreed to stay on because the new team that's coming in are going to be a little bit more thinking outside the box. And from my perspective, there's a lot of things we can do.

SPEAKER 5: You know, times are changing, we're evolving as a society, we're evolving as an industry. And I think this is a great opportunity to kind of, you know, sit down and discuss some, you know, some things, some direction that we want to take. And so I'm, I'm excited about that and we'll start that in Cleveland.

SPEAKER 5: And so, you know, with the new team, you know, I was, I was very fortunate but the, you know, the, the, the benefit I think will go for more for the exhibitor and the attendees. And, you know, I think it's going to be, you know, I wouldn't say a, a drastic look, but it's gonna be an, you know, an enhanced look in terms of, you know, the industry and, and, and, and how we go about business on a day to day scale.

SPEAKER 5: Obviously, with the, you know, we, we've already seen the industry, the hobby is, hasn't been evolving and, and I think perfect timing to, to kind of evolve with that. So I'm excited about that and that will start in Cleveland a.

SPEAKER 1: Question I can ask. I know you get as if I'm getting, as I know, I know you're getting asked and, and I have to ask it, I, you know, you answered however you, you, you want to or can, you know, we've seen, you know, kind of the Chicago Atlantic City back in Cleveland.

SPEAKER 1: Now we, we, we got away from Cleveland with, with the building kind of shutting down at for a couple of years. You know, I know a lot of the West Coast people say, hey, what about us out here in California, Oregon? You know, that sort of area.

SPEAKER 1: I mean, you're in Arizona too yourself, which is, is, is what, you know, might we see, I, and I'm not even just saying West Coast, but might we see some venues come into play in, in future Nationals? You think that's a possibility, I guess is, is the question.

SPEAKER 5: John, you know, that's a fair question.

SPEAKER 5: You know, it's not that the current promoters were anti moving.

SPEAKER 5: It, it, it takes an awful lot to make a, make a decision and basically the promoter's job is to go out and do, do diligence and find venues that would fit what our needs were. And, and there's a bullet point list of things that would need to be done in order for us to even to consider it. I mean, hotel space, venue space, you know, will they provide us with that from a contract standpoint? Three years out.

SPEAKER 5: All these, there's a lot more questions, but you know, that's a good start. Those things need to be satisfied before you can even consider it. You know, whether it's in Texas or California, Minnesota.

SPEAKER 5: But it's not easy, it really isn't.

SPEAKER 5: You know, just think about and I'Ll give you one example hotel space, you know, you're talking about, you know, right now in Chicago and even Cleveland, we have, we have one gentleman whose full time job is just to deal, be the liaison with the hotels and the city.

SPEAKER 5: And so he goes in, he went in like, right, probably even before Atlantic City for Chicago and he's got relationships with Chicago already. But the i the the example is that he'll go in and make sure that there's a block of rooms during our dates that are kind of, you know, understood that we're gonna keep it at a certain level in terms of, you know, cost and, you know, room rates and all that kind of thing.

SPEAKER 5: And so that they don't overbook and that's important, not only for our attendees but our exhibitors too. So to maintain a certain level of expense, that's important. You go into a new city and they say, hey, the Nationals come in.

SPEAKER 5: Yeah. You know, the rates went from 200 to $400. And so, you know, that's starting in a new venue, a new city that's difficult, but it's not, it's not something that will prevent us from, from, from doing our due diligence now.

SPEAKER 5: But, and there's, there's only a few venues in the country that can hold us really, you're talking about, we went from 400,000, 600,000 square feet, you know, think about it and, and then we think about the unions and we think about like what I said, Larry Ross and, and, and the job he can do in Chicago in Cleveland that he can't do in Philadelphia or any other market.

SPEAKER 5: That's, that's, you know, that's situ situation situated with unions and all that. So, that's really important. But now having said that the new promoters that are coming in, they understand it 100% and they are going to go out and do a very proactive search for venues outside of Chicago and Cleveland.

SPEAKER 5: Now, once they've done that and they may or may not come back with 1234 venues, then they'll present it to the board and the board will then present it to the exhibitors. The exhibitors vote on where this goes, the exhibitors will vote on on where the venues are. But again, we need to be able to, to, to secure a venue 2 to 3 years out.

SPEAKER 5: Because it's like, it's like an aircraft carrier versus a little tugboat. I mean, you can't make moves that quickly or, or, or without having a lot of things considered. So, it's, it's, it's, it's doable and the exciting thing is that we're gonna be looking at different ideas, different venues.

SPEAKER 5: Do we hope that they could work? Yeah. Absolutely. But, you know, we have to think about what's, what's viable, what's good for the, the hobby for the National and, and, and where that is going to end up having said all that, the thing that I, that, that's great that people don't realize is that we have a great relationship.

SPEAKER 5: When I say we, I say that the National and, and even the industry, the hobby has a great relationship with at the Donna Lee Stevens Convention Center in Cleveland. And so that is so important to, to have that relationship.

SPEAKER 5: So, you know, to, to answer your question, there's going to be an ongoing, proactive search for other venues, but again, to be able to pull off what we're pulling off is no easy task and, and hopefully, we could find some place but at the same time, you know, Chicago is great. Chicago is a great, it's a great location.

SPEAKER 5: They take care of us, they take care of, you know, I think the exhibitors are happy there. And so, you know, we'll see, we'll see, but that again will boil down to the exhibitors voting on it.

SPEAKER 5: And they, they vote at the National, the Thursday mornings. They get together and, and, and they, they look forward to, you know, talking about Cleveland and then they'll, they'll talk about, you know, other venues that that may be available going forward. So, I hope, I hope that answers your question to some degree. But but we're excited about going forward.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah, no doubt. I, I I'm glad you mentioned that because I, I know that myself, right?

SPEAKER 1: Is some people not, may not realize like to pull these events off a a planning goes in years ahead, like one tooth, like you mentioned three years ahead because anyone that's put on any kind of event, a wedding, even just a a business Chris this party, there's just so many things that have to, you know, and it never goes exactly smoothly. Right. There's always going to be hiccups and little bumps in the road.

SPEAKER 5: It's very, I'Ll give you an example, John, I mean, years ago, I mean, we've, we've done Baltimore twice, I think two Nationals in Baltimore and they were very successful.

SPEAKER 5: And, and I think I, my first National that I was, that I was working for the National was in Baltimore, it was 2010.

SPEAKER 5: And so, you know, in the planning in, in the, you know, short term, long term, they wanted to go back to Baltimore after the second one. But they couldn't, because Baltimore wouldn't, wouldn't provide them with the commitment to a contract at that time.

SPEAKER 5: So they said, well, you know, if, if, if, you know, if we get to the point, you know, and it's open, you can take it, but we can't guarantee it today. And so that was out the door. So Baltimore became a casualty in terms of, you know, I was going forward now. It may open up again now because we never know, maybe new, you know, new people in the office there and maybe a new, you know, mindset.

SPEAKER 5: But, you know, those are things that some things are just out of your control. But you're right. It, it takes, it takes a lot of planning a lot of you know, efforts on, on, on, on our team to be able to, to, to put this all together and then present it to the exhibitors and then, and get it verified.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah, no doubt. Sometimes we forget that, you know, we think it's just like I said, you, you put an open sign on the door. You got to make sure there's enough people where people can stay, you know, parking. I mean, there's just so many, there's so many logistics that have to be, right, all those boxes have to be checked.

SPEAKER 1: And like you said, there's just some locals that just can't check all those boxes. You, you'd love to be, be there. But they just can't check enough of those boxes, to pull it up. But it also sounds good to hear you say, like maybe with some of the, the new leadership to be proactive and seeing where they can bring the event to again, we're 40 days away.

SPEAKER 1: I'm looking forward to, to seeing you in person shaking your hand enjoying five days of a great event that as we just talked about takes years in advance to plan it, it's like you heard Ray say, you know, this is a 33% increase in the floor plan this year from, from previous you know, times it's in Chicago. So it's gonna be interesting to see how that looks.

SPEAKER 1: Ray, I appreciate you, you know, making some time. I know you're, you, you're always busy, but I think around this time of year probably we're sure I'm sure starts to ramp up and as we get closer to the to the event, you know, any final words give out where people any, any kind of socials or, or websites that, that's your chance.

SPEAKER 5: Yeah. No, please follow us at NSCC Show on Instagram.

SPEAKER 5: Check out our website NSCC show dot com. We'll be updating, you know, this is, you know, starting starting about two weeks ago.

SPEAKER 5: We, we, we, we really started, you know, posting some, just kind of details about the show and if you're attending for the first time or, or for your second time, it doesn't matter, just, you know, send us a note, tag us or, or you know, like us on Instagram and we want to make our Social Media presence much bigger this year.

SPEAKER 5: We're have, like I said earlier, some, some media ambassadors and you'll come to find out who they are. It's a great bunch of, there's about five or six of them.

SPEAKER 5: And so I'm really excited about that. So they're going to have some great content going forward and again, hope to see you in Chicago.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah, looking forward to it, counting the days off doing countdown as we as we inch closer. Well, Ray again, thanks for your time. Glad to hear that. While there may be some changes. You're not one of those and real happy to hear that. So, all right, always great having Ray on.

SPEAKER 1: I appreciate it. That guy is a busy guy, especially this time of year giving you a little insight, right? Some stuff you may not, knows coming or, you know, give you some details here. You won't get, somewhere else.

SPEAKER 1: Last year we had, his son, Ryan at, I look forward to catching up with Ryan at the show itself, do one of those on the floor interviews that, I do and, you know, looking forward to the National, I know a lot of other people are every year. Right.

SPEAKER 1: It's, it's like I said, during the interview, we circle that week on the calendar and, it's sort of a hobby, vacation but fun, you know, pick up some cards, hang out with some friends, in the hobby, you know, some dinners, some after hours after show hours stuff and it's, it's a great time just, before we, before we wrap it up and, call it a show.

SPEAKER 1: I just want to remind everybody Father's Day is this Sunday. If you're listening to this show on Show Release Day, Friday or Saturday, you know, make sure you take care of your pops, your dad who, who hopefully, you know, was there for you.

SPEAKER 1: It's time to reciprocate that and, and, you know, reward dad with something, you know, he, he likes and if, if you are that, hopefully you get something you like.

SPEAKER 1: But at the end of the day, right, it's about spending time with your family, your kids, if your father and, that's what it is for me and, really, really enjoy the day. We usually either go out to dinner or cook out and, have a good day and, hopefully you will as well.

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SPEAKER 10: That's a wrap for this week. Huge thanks to you, the listeners out there because without you, there is no ice if you like the show we truly appreciate positive reviews.

SPEAKER 10: Big ups to our great guests who drive the show and our awesome sponsors who make it all possible.

SPEAKER 10: Sports Cod Nation will be back next week but don't forget to catch either hobby quick hits or Card Mensches coming up on Monday.

SPEAKER 10: I leave you with this.

SPEAKER 10: How do we change the world?

SPEAKER 10: One? Random act of kindness at a time.

SPEAKER 10: Remember the hobby is the people.