The American Numismatic Association Board of Governors, on March 27, approved a recommendation from Executive Director Larry Shepherd to name Chicago as the site of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money® in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and to launch a fall show in 2011.

Shepherd stressed the importance of branding Chicago as the home of the summer ANA World’s Fair of Money, noting the success FUN has had branding Orlando as its home, and Whitman establishing Baltimore as a show destination.

“By selecting a single good location, the ANA will brand its summer convention as an annual ‘coin show destination’ that all collectors and dealers will strive to attend. The dates will be tightly fixed, the location well known and easily accessible at a reasonable cost. But most importantly, it will give us an opportunity to expand our show and set it apart from all others.”

Shepherd said the convention hall space available at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (formerly the Rosemont Convention Center) in Chicago allows the ANA to increase bourse space, create more room for museum-quality exhibits, provide free space for clubs and professional organizations to meet, and provide more table options to attract new dealers and first-time buyer tables.

By encouraging specialty numismatic organizations to gather for the World’s Fair of Money, those organizations could make the summer ANA the destination for all of their annual meetings, symposiums and educational programs. Specialty numismatic organizations would be encouraged to offer educational content to all ANA members, with the ANA coordinating its presentations with those of specialty organizations, thus making it possible to further expand educational offerings. In addition, the time slot between the “Official Pre-Show” and the World’s Fair of Money could be used to add educational classes and tie-ins to Summer Seminar.
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COLORADO SPRINGS – The American Numismatic Association Board of Governors has approved a balanced operating budget for the 2010 fiscal year (November 1, 2009 to October 31, 2010), signaling the continued financial turnaround in fiscal performance for the Association.

This marks the second consecutive balanced budget submitted to the Board and the third straight fiscal year in which the Association has achieved its projected operating costs, not including certain legal expenses. The previous budget was approved by the Board in March 2009 for the April 1 – March 31 fiscal year; the Board has since changed the fiscal year to begin November 1, to better reflect the Association’s annual operational cycle.

The approved budget, announced during the Board’s October 13 open session in Colorado Springs, proposes $5,159,499 in revenues and expenses of $5,128,453 with a net income of $31,046. This figure includes a $235,000 revenue transfer from investments that will be used to cover anticipated costs of legal services, expenses and settlements.

“The ANA’s Board of Governors, executive team and staff have worked tirelessly to strengthen the Association’s financial position in the past two years,” said ANA Executive Director Larry Shepherd. “We have made remarkable progress while refocusing the ANA’s mission on improving members’ services and benefits, expanding educational opportunities and enhancing the quality and functionality of our annual conventions.”

Shepherd noted that members are now offered two tiers of membership with new benefits for subscription discounts to print and digital numismatic publications. Beginning later this month, several new benefit options will be offered for major medical, dental, disability, longterm care, life, auto and homeowners insurance. Last year’s Summer Seminar featured several new courses and instructors while giving students more scheduling choices.
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