JimCaravello
08-05-2007, 02:28 PM
Just got back from the National and was fortunate to spend three full days there. I thought I would just download in bullet point format some observations and comments while they were fresh on my mind........
First - I want to thank Chris Cavalier, Rob Steinmetz and Mike Specht for doing a great job in putting together the GUU booth at the National. It looked spectacular and our booth was well received by all participants who came by. I cruised in on Thursday morning and left on Sunday morning and those guys did all the "heavy lifting" ( literally ) in putting the booth together and in breaking it down later today. It was also great spending some quality time with those guys and it only reinforced my decision to be so active in GUU and the Forum. Those three guys are incredible human beings and it was a great chance to really get to know them much better.......It's too bad everyone is spread out across the country.
Second - I want to thank everyone who came by the booth and introduced themself to us - Especially GUU and Forum regular members. I was able to meet people that I have never met before, but had corresponded with in the past via e-mail for years. It was really great to put a name with a face. Thanks for coming by and for all your continued support of the Forum.
I can see why Cleveland is a regular stop on the National circuit. The IX Center where the event is held is huge! The National probably used only 50% of the available space in the building and it felt very comfortable inside. The IX Center is adjacent to the airport and there are plenty of hotels very close by. The hotel I stayed at had a shuttle every 20 minutes in the morning to the airport and the IX Center. You were never pressed for time.........
I thought the attendance was pretty good. The three days I attended, there seemed to be a steady flow of traffic. The best part for me was seeing so many dads and their kids together at the show. I also saw a lot of families at the show - that was pretty neat. Relative to dads and kids - there were a few families we talked to with older kids ( mid to late teens ) and to see the relationships they had was pretty incredible. I think I saw more of this at this year's National than I ever have in the past.
We made a lot of new contacts and our GUU booth was VERY WELL RECEIVED! The material that was displayed, was incredible. From the 1986 John Elway jersey, to the 1992 George Brett Bat, to the 1974 Yogi Berra home uniform, to the Jeff Lahti 1982 World Series Player Trophy, etc..........I could go on and on.......I have to tell you folks - we are going to have one incredible inagural auction.......I also want to thank those folks who came by and consigned items to us for the auction. I know Chris will be updating the consignment list sometime this week and everyone should come back and check out the new items listed.
Most of the GU "players" were there in the industry and it was nice to shake hands and talk to the likes of John Taube, Michael Heffner, Keith Vari, Vince Malta, Bob Malandro, Zane Burns, Dave Bushing, Joe Esposito, etc, etc. There were also some new faces there which is always nice to see.
As usual - the first couple of days were the time to get deals done - bats and jerseys switched tables during that time and some "deals" got done. It was apparent though that every year it gets tougher and tougher to find those GU gems we all look for. There were some nice pieces there and with a little patience, a few could be had early in the show.
I collect other vintage items such as vintage wire photos, autographs, and pins. I thought that segment of the market had fewer dealers with less material than in the past. I could be wrong - just an opinion......The dealers who there - like Kevin Keating - had just incredible stuff though......
Steiner Sports was there in full force and they had a great audience the first three days. They had a couple of free signings and they had a Yankees jersey rack where there were selling items as low as $50 for GU jerseys. I stopped collecting current day Yankee stuff, but even I couldn't resist to pick up a few of my favorite players from the early 90's for very low prices.......
That's it - just wanted to put this info down in print while it was fresh on my mind.........the National was a great break away from my "day job" and daily routine and look forward to next year's show in Chicago......
Good luck to all who bid in our upcoming auction!! Jim Caravello
First - I want to thank Chris Cavalier, Rob Steinmetz and Mike Specht for doing a great job in putting together the GUU booth at the National. It looked spectacular and our booth was well received by all participants who came by. I cruised in on Thursday morning and left on Sunday morning and those guys did all the "heavy lifting" ( literally ) in putting the booth together and in breaking it down later today. It was also great spending some quality time with those guys and it only reinforced my decision to be so active in GUU and the Forum. Those three guys are incredible human beings and it was a great chance to really get to know them much better.......It's too bad everyone is spread out across the country.
Second - I want to thank everyone who came by the booth and introduced themself to us - Especially GUU and Forum regular members. I was able to meet people that I have never met before, but had corresponded with in the past via e-mail for years. It was really great to put a name with a face. Thanks for coming by and for all your continued support of the Forum.
I can see why Cleveland is a regular stop on the National circuit. The IX Center where the event is held is huge! The National probably used only 50% of the available space in the building and it felt very comfortable inside. The IX Center is adjacent to the airport and there are plenty of hotels very close by. The hotel I stayed at had a shuttle every 20 minutes in the morning to the airport and the IX Center. You were never pressed for time.........
I thought the attendance was pretty good. The three days I attended, there seemed to be a steady flow of traffic. The best part for me was seeing so many dads and their kids together at the show. I also saw a lot of families at the show - that was pretty neat. Relative to dads and kids - there were a few families we talked to with older kids ( mid to late teens ) and to see the relationships they had was pretty incredible. I think I saw more of this at this year's National than I ever have in the past.
We made a lot of new contacts and our GUU booth was VERY WELL RECEIVED! The material that was displayed, was incredible. From the 1986 John Elway jersey, to the 1992 George Brett Bat, to the 1974 Yogi Berra home uniform, to the Jeff Lahti 1982 World Series Player Trophy, etc..........I could go on and on.......I have to tell you folks - we are going to have one incredible inagural auction.......I also want to thank those folks who came by and consigned items to us for the auction. I know Chris will be updating the consignment list sometime this week and everyone should come back and check out the new items listed.
Most of the GU "players" were there in the industry and it was nice to shake hands and talk to the likes of John Taube, Michael Heffner, Keith Vari, Vince Malta, Bob Malandro, Zane Burns, Dave Bushing, Joe Esposito, etc, etc. There were also some new faces there which is always nice to see.
As usual - the first couple of days were the time to get deals done - bats and jerseys switched tables during that time and some "deals" got done. It was apparent though that every year it gets tougher and tougher to find those GU gems we all look for. There were some nice pieces there and with a little patience, a few could be had early in the show.
I collect other vintage items such as vintage wire photos, autographs, and pins. I thought that segment of the market had fewer dealers with less material than in the past. I could be wrong - just an opinion......The dealers who there - like Kevin Keating - had just incredible stuff though......
Steiner Sports was there in full force and they had a great audience the first three days. They had a couple of free signings and they had a Yankees jersey rack where there were selling items as low as $50 for GU jerseys. I stopped collecting current day Yankee stuff, but even I couldn't resist to pick up a few of my favorite players from the early 90's for very low prices.......
That's it - just wanted to put this info down in print while it was fresh on my mind.........the National was a great break away from my "day job" and daily routine and look forward to next year's show in Chicago......
Good luck to all who bid in our upcoming auction!! Jim Caravello