Where is the 2020 Grand National going to be held?

[Art Director]

I think the future of GN's should take them out of major metro areas where some older Cadillacs might struggle and find yuppie commuters who don't care about your car.  Seemingly smaller venues which can still easily support a GN.

As a member of the GN Planning Committee for the CLC, I can confidently say large hotels are a requirement for today's Grand Nationals, due to the number of room nights sold and the number of cars expected to be on the show field.

The host hotel for Lake George, NY in 2014 sold out in one day, and at least a couple of hundred people had to be seated in another building to watch the Awards Banquet via a video hookup. And in 2017, the host hotel also sold out in one day and if memory serves me correctly, our members crashed the Hilton's computer reservation systems trying to book rooms.

[Jason Edge]

The CLC tries to sweep back and forth across the country in a windshield wiper fashion.  Ultimately we need a location that can provide a hotel that has adequate parking and can accommodate the # of guests expected, a reasonably nice hotel yet something we can get a group rate that is affordable.  I have heard that finding hotels in the LA, San Francisco and other large cities on the West Coast is extremely hard. The fact is while many members may pay $129 a night, there are not as many ready to cough up $199 a night  for a room.   So cost and finding a hotel that can provide all of our needs is a major constraint.

Back to the windshield wiper approach. I am in central North Carolina and have attended all GN's since 2012 except 2017. The 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 GNs were on the East Coast (although they spanned from Florida up to New York!), however 2015 (Wisconsin), 2016 (Vegas) and 2018 (San Marcos) were on the other side of the Mississippi for me and consider that "out west". I would love to see a GN on the West Coast, however, the cost/facility issues has been a constraint.

Finally, regarding San Marcos Embassy Suites, I was also told there were only a couple of hotels in this configuration. Someone mentioned them by name and it did not include Charlotte, NC. My wife's work sent us to the Charlotte Embassy Suites hotel just after the 2018 GN and it was like walking into a mirror of the San Marcos hotel. About the only thing different was the artwork in the atrium. As our Charlotte based Carolina region grows, I would think it would be the perfect spot for a future GN when it is the Easts Coasts turn to host. When we stayed you could actually sit out on the balcony and see the Charlotte Motor Speedway and hear the cars doing practice runs. I thought to myself, "now this is the place to have a GN to showcase automobiles and motor sports in the south". Sorry to get off topic, but one can dream.

[Scot Minesinger]

One problem is that when a hotel, such as GN 2017 where we had 445 rooms in the hotel and we guaranteed 400 of them is that people reserve two and three rooms and then drop them later.  There are always cancellations.  Unfortunately there is just no way to deal with this except to get a hotel with more than 600 rooms.  I feel that people bringing a show car car should receive priority.

[David Greenburg]

I understand the "windshield wiper" approach.  But like the stubby little wipers on my '60 Cadillac, the wipers don't do an adequate job of covering the "windshield."  As a former long-time east coast resident, I can recall the perspective that west of the Mississippi is "out west." But it's not. Kansas City, Texas, and Wisconsin are as far or farther from the west as they are from the east coast. Personally, I don't mind going to a GN in an interesting place without a car, but I know many feel otherwise.  And there are a lot of cars out here!

[Big Fins]

I'd like to see another come to the South East. FL., GA., N.C., even S.C. would be good. But 4 days of driving just takes the fun out of it in today's traffic.

[STS05lg]

David, you make an excellent point, the "west" is geographically big. But the subject of GN locations came up during a meet and greet with the Board last week and the subject of GN's on the left coast came up and the general consensus was that members on the left coast just don't show up. The point was made that the majority of LA members would not consider taking their car to the Bay Area and vice a versa, Bay Area members would not venture down to LA. The major point was that members from the rust belt and east coast show up. It would be devastating financially for LA or SF or Wash/OR to put ona GN and fewer then 100 cars showed up. And an GN that far west would limit the number of regulars from the north and south east from attending. David this is not a knock on your members out west it is just the general prespective of some of the CLC leadership as I understood them. 

[Maynard Krebs]

The CLC tries to sweep back and forth across the country in a windshield wiper fashion.  Ultimately we need a location that can provide a hotel that has adequate parking and can accommodate the # of guests expected, a reasonably nice hotel yet something we can get a group rate that is affordable.  I have heard that finding hotels in the LA, San Francisco and other large cities on the West Coast is extremely hard. The fact is while many members may pay $129 a night, there are not as many ready to cough up $199 a night  for a room.   So cost and finding a hotel that can provide all of our needs is a major constraint.

Back to the windshield wiper approach. I am in central North Carolina and have attended all GN's since 2012 except 2017. The 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 GNs were on the East Coast (although they spanned from Florida up to New York!), however 2015 (Wisconsin), 2016 (Vegas) and 2018 (San Marcos) were on the other side of the Mississippi for me and consider that "out west". I would love to see a GN on the West Coast, however, the cost/facility issues has been a constraint.

Finally, regarding San Marcos Embassy Suites, I was also told there were only a couple of hotels in this configuration. Someone mentioned them by name and it did not include Charlotte, NC. My wife's work sent us to the Charlotte Embassy Suites hotel just after the 2018 GN and it was like walking into a mirror of the San Marcos hotel. About the only thing different was the artwork in the atrium. As our Charlotte based Carolina region grows, I would think it would be the perfect spot for a future GN when it is the Easts Coasts turn to host. When we stayed you could actually sit out on the balcony and see the Charlotte Motor Speedway and hear the cars doing practice runs. I thought to myself, "know this is the place to have a GN to showcase automobiles and motor sports in the south". Sorry to get off topic, but one can dream.

Jason, I would be willing to drive to the Charlotte area... IF the GN was held in September or October.  But my guess is that many members would object to a GN so "late" in the season, for whatever reason.   My reason is to reduce the chances of severe hot weather, which is over 92 deg. F..   And 71 deg. F. is NOT too 'cold'.

[Jason Edge]

Jason, I would be willing to drive to the Charlotte area... IF the GN was held in September or October.  But my guess is that many members would object to a GN so "late" in the season, for whatever reason.   My reason is to reduce the chances of severe hot weather, which is over 92 deg. F..   And 71 deg. F. is NOT too 'cold'.

I agree. It is not just the temperature but the humidity here in NC.  A humid 85 degree day here can seem like a 100 degree day in Las Vegas. I remember the 1st time I went to Nevada and it was maybe upper 90's and I was like "Really! This feels like springtime in North Carolina!"  The sun in Texas and the South West is intense but it is not THICK like it is here.  I like to tell people you can walk outside here on a hot humid summer day and slice the air with a knife and make a NC humidity sandwich. It is almost like being underwater.  You would not want a GN in most parts of North Carolina after early June or before late August.

[Big Fins]

Gee, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Humidity? What's that? Oh, something I live in 24/7/365 here in Florida. It would just be a tad cooler cooler up there. Top down weather!!!

[gene harl]

how about Reno, and the Grand Sierra  Resort......
     Gene Harl

[BJM]

Due to the Fall Festival I am not sure you can have a GN later than early to mid August.  When you think about it, it’s probably hot and usually humid anywhere in the USA in August, and July.

Here in Iowa we have settled into 85 to 94 degrees with high percentage humidity through late September.  September?!  Yep - I’m 56 years old and been back in Iowa 20 plus years now.  We see 80s in October frequently.

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

how about Reno, and the Grand Sierra  Resort......
     Gene Harl

That's a great idea. I  hear a member would put on a big bar-b-q  in beautiful down town Fallon  on Friday. LOL!!! The only problem is who's gonna put on the rest of the meet???
Bob

[Greg Powers]

One of the major issues in hosting a Grand National is the regional manpower needed to carryout such an event. Aside from the basics: show field layout, monitoring and guarding show field, and staffing hospitality and other posts, the Grand National has grown into a giant extravaganza of tours and time tables and bus schedules and tour leaders and tickets and meetings and banquets and receptions and on and on. It can be a very intense and stressful situation. I think that this is why many smaller regions wouldn't even consider trying to host a Grand National. As I attend more and more Grand Nationals I keep hearing people say "It's about the cars and the people" but I'm not sure that we haven't lost some of that in our annual contest to be ever bigger and more impressive than the last. (Just my thoughts)