The NSAA Rap Sheet—36 Years of Names, Dates and Numbers

NSAA has been pragmatic, sometimes sentimental, often adventurous over the years in its selection of sites for its annual convention and trade show. California is the state of choice, having logged no less than eight. It has been in Colorado and Florida five times each, including this year’s at Marco Island. Members like their sun! This venue, incidentally, shares the record with Colorado’s Broadmoor with three conventions each. Who knows, as the birthplace of the association, the Broadmoor will probably repeat at the 50th—if not before.

NSAA has not been shy about doing business in a racy climate: three times it’s set up shop in a Reno casino hotel; twice it has had the confidence to cavort (OK, “convene”) in a Playboy Club (New Jersey and Wisconsin).

When the association was younger and smaller, ski resorts were used as venues: Aspen, Caberfae, Vail, Mt. Snow, Sun Valley, Stratton, Heavenly and Seven Springs. The size of today’s trade shows makes this less likely today.

Urban settings have been rare, partly because of union considerations (Boston was a killer) and partly because the golf, volleyball and other such activities are more difficult to provide.

Which were the best and which the worst? Old-timers might vote for the Hotel del Coronado in California as the best; overall, though, probably Marco Island. The worst? Those with 20-year memory banks would find it hard to choose between The Concord Hotel in New York’s Catskill Mountains (there was a profound cultural disconnect between the hotel staff and ski area personnel), The Diplomat Hotel in Fort Lauderdale (so bad that no one wanted to use the credit the hotel issued to NSAA) and the Town & Country Hotel in San Diego (in golfing terms, “ground under repair”).

A word here about record-keeping. NSAA has not been totally consistent in celebrating its anniversaries. The 25th was honored at Nashville’s Opryland Hotel in 1986 with a glorious bash. It was the 25th time NSAA had met, counting the founding meeting at the Broadmoor in 1962. Likewise, SAM, founded at the same time as NSAA, celebrated its silver jubilee that year. But 11 years later, NSAA celebrated its 35th at the Broadmoor. The arithmetic? Simple. This time NSAA counted as one does birthdays, not including the year of birth.

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The record shows a pattern of alternating East and West for convention sites, broken only by the two held in the Midwest—Michigan in 1963 and Wisconsin in 1979.

One exotic departure from this pattern came close to reality a couple of times: everything on a ship that would cruise to the Bahamas and back. It was feasible in most ways but the concept was always a little too daring for a majority of the board. A pity, but there’s always a tomorrow.

Next year will see an interesting combination in San Francisco, whereby the NSAA convention will overlap and dovetail with the OITAF World Congress. This prestigious gathering of the world’s top experts and authorities on transportation by wire rope takes place every six years and is being hosted by the North American chapter for the first time.

In the meantime, it’s down to the beach at Marco.