LCCA Omaha Convention Blog
This Blog is posted to review the prep work for the LCCA’s 54th Anniversary Convention in Omaha Nebraska. Stop by often to catch all the latest news and updates on the Convention. And remember that you can always be directed to all things LCCA Omaha by using the hashtag
#LCCAOmaha in the URL line of your browser.
#LCCAOmaha
REMINDER - 2024 Convention is hosted earlier in July this year - July 8-13
June 18, 2024 - Reminder. There will be two evening buffets offered during convention week. On Tuesday the LCCA will be hosting a 'Toco Tuesday' buffet. On Friday a 'Pasta Party' buffet will be offered immediately after the Lionel Seminar and before the Trading Hall opens. Both buffets offer members the opportunity to partake in new member events at the host hotel. Buffet details will be announced. #LCCAOmaha
June 16, 2024 - The Wednesday July 10th seminar on New Methods of Construction for LCCA Modules has been announced. Our Director and FasTrack Modular Layout Coordinator, Kevin Davis, will be conducting a seminar on a new method of creating Lionel/LCCA modules. He and his team will demonstrate how to assemble these kits. This seminar will be both informative and exciting. The gathering will include the raffle of one of the new modular kits! Mark your convention calendar for Wednesday evening! Details to follow. #LCCAOmaha
June 15, 2024 - Because the demand for vendor tables exceeded original expectations, the LCCA has been able to add additional tables in the trading hall. Now you can secure additional tables through the LCCA website store. #LCCAOmaha
June 13, 2024 - The LCCA will include its 2024 registration gift signed personally by Nebraska Governor Pillen in its 2024 Auction at the Omaha 24th Anniversary Banquet on Sunday July 13. As in prior years, these personally signed cars by state Governors will be the featured item in the auction.
#LCCAOmaha
June 10, 2024 - Evening buffets at the Host Hotel. This Year the LCCA is offering members the opportunity to have a buffet dinner right in the hotel in the convention area. Buffets will be offered on two evenings (Tuesday and Friday). The Friday buffet will start right at 5:00 and allow members to attend the Lionel seminar and immediately have a super buffet before going to the LCCA store. #LCCAOmaha
June 4, 2024 - More Omaha Convention news! The scavenger hunt is back by popular demand. It will be a bit different than last year. For adults, the scavenger hunt game is called Member Match Up! There will be a special card and detailed instructions on how to play. The kids will have the classic scavenger hunt just like last year. However, there will be new and super exciting prizes! #LCCAOmaha
June 3, 2024 - A member has donated a set of Bean Bag Boards to the LCCA for use at its special events including the Omaha Convention. read more on this wonderful gift -
Click here for more #LCCAOmaha
June 1, 2024 - as of now, almost 80 trading hall tables have been sold. There will be a cornucopia of train items for sale with something of interest for every member. #LCCAOmaha
May 30, 2024 - A reminder - The Trading Hall opens for trading Friday evening 6:00 - 9:00 PM and Saturday 8:00 AM till 3:00 PM - July 12/13, 2024. Registered attendee badges will be required for entry on Friday and for the first hour on Saturday. #LCCAOmaha
The trading hall will be available for vendor setup on Friday, July 12 from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. During this time, only vendors setting up their tables will be allowed admittance. The hall will close at 3:00 PM to all sellers. Table holders must have all their merchandise removed from the trading hall by Midnight, Saturday July 13. There will be no admittance to the hall after that time or on Sunday, July 14. #LCCAOmaha
May 25, 2024 - This year the Kids’ Room will again host a TimeSaver Layout Competition for both adults and kids who are registered for the convention. Competitors will have time to practice prior to the start of the competition. There will be a sign-up sheet at the registration desk. A strict limit of ten adults and ten kids is in place for these competitions. Don’t miss any of these fun activities! #LCCAOmaha
May 14. 2024 - 'Clapper Tickets' were ordered and will be included in all registration packets. This popular attraction has become a member favorite. Have your ticket with you at all times. Don't really know when the Clapper will appear so have ticket in hand. #LCCAOmaha
May 3, 2024 - Convention Badges and trading table placards have been printed and sent to the business office. #LCCAOmaha
May 10. 2024 - Latest report shows that over 245 members are now registered. With less than 8 weeks left, be sure to register for what will be an exciting week. #LCCAOmaha
April 28, 2024 - The Welcome letter included in the registration packet has been prepared. This document lists major topics of interest to our members and their guests while stressing that attendee safety is Job 1. #LCCAOmaha
April 24, 2024 - Table prizes are given to all attendees at the Gala Banquet on Saturday Night. To ensure a fair drawing for prize pulling, there have been different ways of establishing the sequence assignment of banquet table seats. Last year in Concord, it was racing cars. This year, seat sequence assignment will be unique. Like an itch, it may require some scratching. #LCCAOmaha
April 17, 2024 - Plans have been finalized for the weeklong "Member Match" game. This event, another in our growing and sharing membership program, pits 5 random members against all others. Find your "Match" partners and enter the drawing for LCCA gifts. #LCCAOmaha
March 28, 2024 - Members are continuing to register for the convention with over 225 members now registered. Most tours still have seats available. The hotel has rooms for the week. All systems go for Omaha! #LCCAOmaha
February 26, 2024 - The original home Layout Tour 6 has been sold out. A similar Tour 15 has been opened and has a few remaining seats. Be sure to double-check the schedule as Tour 15 is on a different day. #LCCAOmaha
February 24, 2024 - The LCCA has worked with the host hotel to allow more king rooms during convention week. Some members were offered only Queen beds. #LCCAOmaha
February 23, 2024 - The original Boy’s Town Tour 4 has been sold out. A similar Tour 13 has been opened and has a few remaining seats. Be sure to double-check the schedule as Tour 13 is on a different day. #LCCAOmaha
February 22, 2024 - It was reported that at least a few confirmations sent out by the Host Hotel Omaha indicate a fee for parking. This fee will not be charged to LCCA members who get a room in the host hotel. The LCCA has negotiated NO COST-FREE parking in the hotel lot for hotel guests. Members who attend the convention but do not stay at the host hotel will be charged a reduced fee of $9.00 per day. #LCCAOmaha
February 17, 2024 - Terrific member response to Omaha Convention – registration is going great – over 80 members registered in 36 hours. The good news is that there were minimum computer issues this year. You can register NOW! Thanks for waiting till the initial member signup rush was over. #LCCAOmaha
February 14. 2024 - Happy Valantine Day as the LCCA Convention registration is about to open tomorrow. The club may experience a tremendous response for the Omaha convention with a great many folks registering the first day. Thank you! The volume of members using our site may be so great it will slow response time. If you find the site is running slow, please be patient. If you receive an error message, please wait, and try again in 30 minutes or so. If you will be mailing your registration material, please use the form available on the website. #LCCAOmaha
As you know, the LCCA is constructing an entirely new website which will eliminate the issues you may experience with registration. We are grateful for your patience and understanding. And we look forward to seeing you in Omaha in July 2024!
February 2. 2024 - Repeated entry - The Hilton Omaha, our host hotel, as announced its member registration portal. This year, as last, the hotel has king and queen rooms at the contracted $149/night. The hotel is also offering member the opportunity to upgrade rooms if the member wishes. Whether or not the member upgrades is up to the member. The LCCA does not get any extra allowances or concessions from upgraded rooms. #LCCAOmaha
January 7. 2024 – Final convention and tour writeups have been submitted for the February TLR. There will be a Monday train ride, with 14 more tours over the next few days. These tours will cover some of the most interesting sites and venues in Omaha and will include a few "Hidden Gems'. Details will be announced in the Feb TLR.
#LCCAOmaha
January 6, 2024 – LCCA events for the Omaha convention start with the Welcome Reception on Sunday July 7, continue Wednesday with the First Timers Meeting, and on Thursday with the Get Acquainted Party. On Friday – July 12, the LCCA Business meeting will be followed by the Lionel Seminar. Of course, the Trading Hall will open later Friday for registered convention attendees and on Saturday morning till 9:00 when the general public and non-registered guests will be welcome.
#LCCAOmaha
January 5, 2024 - With the convention start date so much earlier than prior years, the cutoff date for rooms at the host hotel at the contracted rate of $149 is June 14th. After that date, the hotel cannot guarantee the contracted rate of $149/night. When making hotel reservations, remember to make them prior to the June 14h cutoff date.
#LCCAOmaha
January 3, 2024 – the host hotel has indicated that they may be offering rooms to members that they consider premium. Whether or not a member chooses the contract room rate ($149) or decides to upgrade, it is up to them. In either case, the club fulfills its contracted room allocation. The club does not receive additional benefits if a member selects a room upgrade. The LCCA encourages members to select that room type that best fits them.
#LCCAOmaha
December 30, 2023 - the LCCA website is being loaded with the Omaha convention details to be ready for members to register sometime in mid February. Target registration start date is 2/15/24, but subject to change depending on the mailing of The Lion Roars. As we get closer, an eblast will announce when registration is open.
#LCCAOmaha
December 28, 2023 – the LCCA was able to negotiate for no cost (Free) parking for convention attendees staying at the host hotel. These guests will have unlimited in and out privileges for their cars. Attendees who do not stay at the host hotel will pay the drastically reduced daily parking rate of $9.00 per day.
#LCCAOmaha
December 15, 2023 - As part of the LCCA contract with the hotel, members can get the contracted rate of $149/night for the three days prior to and the three days after the convention. So, if you want more time to visit Omaha, take advantage of this offer. As long as the hotel has rooms available, members can take advantage of this bonus period. With July 4 celebrations so close to the convention this year, members can consider celebrating it in Omaha.
#LCCAOmaha
December 10, 2023 - Modular Layout area has been increased. The Host hotel has extended the use of a large ballroom all week. As originally in the contract from 2018, this room was not reserved - back then there was little or no plans for a large modular area. With the hotel granting us use of this ballroom, the LCCA now can build and maintain a large modular presence in the hotel. The area will be secure during off hours, but open most of the time. The LCCA acknowledges and thanks the hotel for this concession they made.
#LCCAOmaha
November 15, 2023 – The convention logo for Omaha has been finalized and released. This logo is a revision of what was originally offered just a few months ago. As you know, prior convention logos and pins highlighted the convention and the year of the convention. Because of the two-year Covid deferrals, the number of the convention does not match the number of the Anniversary Years. While the original revision talked of the ‘54th Annual Convention’, this was revised to the more accurate ‘54th Anniversary’. The decision was made to use the pins as originally produced that said “54th Annual Convention”. This of course is different from the final logo that now says ‘54th Anniversary”. Yes, the Omaha 2024 logo ended up different from the Omaha 2024 convention pin. Years from now, this will be a great 'Jeopardy' question.
#LCCAOmaha
a little history of the Omaha airport, Eppley field. (from Wikipedia), Although the airport is in Nebraska on the west side of the Missouri River, it is surrounded on the east, west, and south by Iowa: the Missouri River formed an oxbow west of the land that became Eppley Airfield. The airport is named for Eugene C. Eppley, founder of the Eppley Hotel chain, from whose estate $1 million was used to ready the then-Omaha Municipal Airport for jet aircraft in 1959–60. This was matched by the federal government and improvements were made to handle jets at the airport, which was renamed Eppley Airfield in his honor in 1960.
#LCCAOmaha
October 16, 2023 - The Hotel does have a shuttle service that runs from the hotel to Eppley airport and back. The shuttle leaves the hotel on the hour and on the half hour. To catch the shuttle from the airport, the member must call the hotel. The driver will be instructed to pick you up on his return trip to the hotel. The airport is less than 5 miles from the hotel with an estimated 15-minute ride. The shuttle is limited to the airport run and is NOT available for personal trips to and from the hotel. Tipping driver is optional for this courtesy shuttle ride.
October 8. 2023 - The LCCA Logo for its 2024 Convention is now published. This logo will be on all things LCCA Omaha. (NOTE: see update on November 15, 2023)
#LCCAOmaha
October 7, 2023 – The LCCA 2024 Omaha convention logo has been finalized and released. The direct tie-in of the 2020 cancelled Omaha convention due to Covid is reflected in the 2024 Omaha logo form factor and overall feel. The reversed approach direction of the diesel reflects that this is a separate and independent convention design. The location, Omaha, NE is now in RED to easily distinguish the two pins when shown together. The number boards of the engine now list the entire start date of the convention, this year a few weeks early, on July 8. Not quite prototypical but reflects the earlier start date. The UP Hearld on the engine has been replaced by the LCCA, highlighting the emphasis on the convention. And in keeping with a new club policy, the bug LCCA logo now proudly shows it is a trademark ™. This logo will be used in the website, all publications, social media, eblasts, and convention related printed materials.
#LCCAOmaha
September 24, 2023 - The 2024 Omaha Convention related product is being finalized. The convention registration car, the on-site car and in fact all of the 2024 product is out for final review and approval. Will all of the cars in 2024 be of a related design? The 2023 Concord convention featured a number of cars branded in the ACW (Atlantic Caralina Western) herald. What connection will the registration gift have to Omaha? When announced, all details will be posted here.
#LCCAOmaha
September 19, 2023 – the LCCA launches its search for a 2024 Omaha convention logo design. The Omaha 2020 logo (shown here) was used extensively on product and literature for the 2020 50th year celebration. The question arose, are we moving the 2020 convention from 2020 to 2024 or is Omaha in 2024 an independent convention with its own identity? Well, it soon became clear that the 2024 Omaha convention was NOT an extension of 2020, but rather a separate event. The 2020 Omaha convention effort had its own identity and program. While similar, 2024 was not the same. Also, product was designed with the 2020 logo and considerable celebratory documentation was produced and distributed. As a result, a call went out to develop a different logo, but keep the same general components of the 2020 logo.
#LCCAOmaha
September 15, 2023 – Talks resume with the host hotel to restart conversations on the facility. The hotel had significant remodeling of its lobby area. There were plans to have a layout in the lobby. It is not clear if this is still possible now that the remodel is completed. This will be decided once we are onsite.
#LCCAOmaha
September 2023 – Tour Managers, Dienzel and Bob, return to Omaha to personally review which, if any, of the tours originally scheduled for 2020 are still viable for 2024. Each tour will be evaluated with 2024 in mind. Most of the venues have survived Covid and will be available and welcoming our members in 2024. Each tour is being assessed to determine if changes need to be made to the venue, tour times or other tour details.
#LCCAOmaha
August 4, 2023 – The 2024 Omaha convention started live back in 2018 when the initial contract at the Omaha hotel was signed in anticipation of the LCCA Omaha 2020 Convention celebrating the 50th anniversary of the LCCA. The hotel was ready, the tours were identified, and registration started as usual in February of 2020. Plans were made, members started to register, and things were well on their way. Covid changed so many things, including the 2020 convention as the Board of Directors took the necessary actions to cancel our 2020 anniversary special. Fortunately, working with our hotel the convention date was moved to July of 2024. Unfortunately, the hotel was only able to accommodate us on a different week in July, and the LCCA BOD agreed to move the convention to an earlier week. The 2024 convention is scheduled from July 8 - July 12, 2024.
#LCCAOmaha