O & S Scale Midwest Show

It is with great sadness that we make the announcement that we have made the decision to no longer sponsor/hold the Indianapolis O & S Scale Midwest Show. While we hate to see this show end, we also cannot put on a show that is not profitable. Even though the 2021 show was the best ever for us, it was a direct result of concessions made by the hotel to our contract when we were asked to change dates. The end result of those negotiations was a win-win for both the hotel and us. We were able to reduce our expenses and, as such, pass the savings on to the attendees/vendors in the form of lower registration fees and sleeping room rates.

Unfortunately, that is not the case for 2022. It comes down to the financial aspect of putting on a show of this caliber. The proposal from the hotel for 2022 has an increase in the the price of the meeting space by 150% and the sleeping room rate by over 30%. This alone is unacceptable and does not even take into account the additional costs involved such as taxes, gratuities, table rental, office supplies, etc., nor the time spent by myself, Dan and our registration help in preparing and putting on a show – we basically work for free.

Please do not ask us to see if we can find another place in which to hold the show. Been there, done that! Prior to booking the show in 2017, and again in 2018, we looked at numerous options and spent countless hours making phone calls and doing research. We looked at options not only in Indianapolis, but other venues in the Midwest as well The Wyndham Indianapolis Hotel provided us with the best layout and space for the O & S Scale Midwest Show, and we were able to grow the show over the four years that it was sponsored by The Model Railroad Resource (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021). Other options researched included churches, colleges, fairgrounds, hotels and event centers. Once all all costs involved with possible facilities that met our needs were researched, we were unable to find a venue that could give us the space and dates needed at a reasonable cost.

We have worked through many obstacles with respect to this show, including hotel staff changes, logistics (18” wide tables, hotel access, road construction), my breast cancer in 2018 and COVID forcing us to cancel the show in 2020. Through all of this, we were able to put on a great show, and wish we could deliver better news, but we cannot. As a result, we will celebrate our past successes and look forward to embracing the ever changing future of the hobby.

Regards,

Amy & Dan Dawdy

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407 East Chippewa St
Dwight, IL 60420

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Daniel Dawdy
815.584.1577
Mon - Fri 9:00a-4:00p
Amy Dawdy
815.274.8809
Mon - Sat 9:00a-6:00p

O & S Scale Midwest Show

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