Page 6 - NMRA Roundhouse September-October 2019

POSTCARD F
Mike Arnold
Mike Arnold provides a report from the 2019 NMRA National Convention in Salt Lake City on 7-14 July 2019
Salt Lake City, Utah.... another US
State added to my collection. National Conventions are special but this one was more special for one reason – the first appearance of the marketing display
stand for the 2022 National Convention in Birmingham.
The mission was
simple: make an
impact and pos-
itive impression;
answer any and
every question th
enquiring mem-
bership and their
spouses/partners/
family members
might throw at us;
and gather details of all those interested in attending in 2022.
Over the first five days of the Conven- tion our table was manned at key times of the day by the team of Geoff Latham, Neal Carnaby, Gordy Robinson, Graham Harrison and myself. Geoff’s wife Jenny also helped out and did a great under- cover job on obtaining feedback for the Non-Rail aspects of the event.
The pullup display designed by Peter Bowen was simple but very effective. We even had a mock up of a Royal Mail post box to collect completed question- naires. However, Gordy did not wear his kilt the whole time!
The pullup display signs were sourced locally in Utah along with brochures and
bookmarks also designed by Peter Bowen.The Birmingham brochures, ques- tionnaires and a two-sided sheet with details of where to go in and around Bir- mingham and farther afield were sourced from home. However additional copies running into hundreds were sourced locally. To say we were busy was at times an understatement – there is so much interest in attending the National Con- vention in Birmingham, UK. It is on so many bucket lists and the excuse many spouses have the need to come over to Europe with their husbands/partners.
Two Regions, PNR and PCR, are planning tours to the UK through local travel agents, to put together itineraries that can make the event part of a complete vacation.Two other members separately have already said they will be coming
6 ROUNDHOUSE - September/October 2019
e
R
One of the defining features of the west side of Salt Lake City is the network of railroad tracks – miles and miles of steel snaking across the valley floor. Photo by David Ricketts