From: Association of Collecting Clubs
18222 Flower Hill Way #299
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
301.926.8663
Info@Collectors.Org

To: Digital Reprieve, Inc.
From: Association of Collecting Clubs
Subject: ACC Update, Vol 3, No 3, April 17, 2005

New Program Thrusts for 2005
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ACC is announcing several program priorities for 2005. Some of these have been in the planning stages for a year or more. All of them have been identified with the goal of strengthening collecting clubs and supporting club leadership and membership.

We are currently actively seeking out partners from the antiques & collectibles industry - and beyond - to help provide expertise and finances for some of these areas. Clubs which have a special interest in any of these projects are encouraged to contact us at: info@collectors.org and let us know. We would welcome your ideas and thoughts.

The programs which have been identified are as follows:

1. Club networking and building "allied collecting" models. Documenting existing coalitions and partnering models among clubs. Providing guidelines for networking. Identifying pros and cons of coalitions.

2. Global marketing. Thanks to the Internet we now can easily buy, sell and trade with fellow collectors around the world. Providing clubs with the techniques and a knowledge-base for reaching and serving collectors worldwide and working with "sister" clubs in other countries.

3. Guidelines for assisting clubs in selection of sites and facilities for conventions, shows and other events.

4. Offering a club promotion/membership recruitment program to antiques & collectibles malls.

5. Partnering with antiques & collectibles shows - including integrated satellite shows, appraisal clinics, seminars, club promotion, and reduced admission fees for club membership.

6. Collectors Ad Network. The entire area of advertising on club websites will become much easier...and profitable...through the ACC's Collectors Ad Network scheduled to launch in 2005.

7. Guidelines for estate planning and collection dispersal for NAC/ACC members.

In addition to the above, ACC will continue giving major attention to programs launched in 2004 including the ACC News Service, the Collectors Trade Show, and supporting club efforts in reaching & involving young collectors.

You will be hearing more about each of these areas during the weeks ahead. Again, we welcome input from both our member clubs and our NAC/ACC partners who receive ACC Update.
 

Report on Atlantique City Show
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The Association of Collecting Clubs (ACC) had an all-time high of 220 collecting groups represented in our booth at the March 18-20, 2005 Atlantique City Antiques & Collectibles Show. This is the largest indoor antiques & Collectibles show in the world and an excellent opportunity to showcase collecting groups to the thousands of show visitors.

Ted Jones and Mary Ann Torres, and the rest of their staff, were very accommodating. The show management provided ACC with 2-1/2 booths and ACC planned the exhibit and staffed the booth for the duration of the show. The Atlantique City Show is operated by Krause Publications and the Antique Trader.

Clubs provided membership fliers and promotional materials for us to use in promoting their collecting areas to the show attendees.

The ACC booth at the March show also highlighted several other features. We had a display showing activities several collecting clubs are involved in reaching out to young collectors. There was a display on the new Collectors Trade Show on the Collectors.Org website. This display highlighted photos of a number of the display advertising booths of our partners. A third exhibit highlighted the Collectors Insurance Program.

ACC has already committed to continuing the Collecting Clubs booth at the Atlantique City show for both October 2005 and March 2006. If your collecting group is not participating and you are interested in doing so, just e-mail us at: AtlantiqueCity@collectors.org or call 301.926.8663. There is no cost.

Membership Recruitment and Membership Retention
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Membership recruitment for clubs is an unending chore! We know, we should have used the word "opportunity" - not chore. But let's face it. For many clubs, year after year of battling for bringing in new members and we see our club isn't growing - even though we know there are many non-member collectors "out there". From the membership standpoint, it is a club function which is fully participatory - helping to promote 'our' club and bring in new members. But how do you "rally" the troops to get them to sign-up new members?

Membership retention is a different problem, but just as important. Attempting to keep the members you have is, in fact, probably more important than bringing in new ones. We understand completely that for many of today's collectors, collecting in the same subject area may not be a lifetime goal or ambition. People tire of a collecting area and move on to something else - maybe golf or politics. Hence, they drop their club membership.

This program information basically is what we have put together ourselves. We would like to greatly enhance this important area by folding into the program content ideas and suggestions directly from clubs. Therefore, sometime during the next few weeks you will be sent an e-mail questionnaire on club membership recruitment and retention. We hope you will complete it and return it so we can share your thoughts and experiences with others.

ACC News Service - Some New Enhancements
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A major change has been made to the ACC News Service. When you pull down a story you will see in the upper right corner "Format for Pickup". This automatically prints the story in a size for copying, plus there are instructions for how to "Cut and Paste" the article. This should appear at the top of every article on the News Service. We hope our visitors to the News Service will find this to be useful.

The New England Antiques Journal Features Club Presidents
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ACC was pleased to be a part of assisting the NEW ENGLAND ANTIQUES JOURNAL with a full spread feature in their March issue. Four club presidents were pictured and interviewed regarding their clubs' collecting areas, club conventions, the advantages for a collector to join a club and how they encourage younger members and beginning collectors.

The presidents featured included: Mike Skelton, President, The Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club, Inc.; Kent Washburn, President, National Depression Glass Association; Sue Jones Tagliapietra, President, Red Wing Collectors Society; and, Brian Krapf, President, American Political Items Collectors.

We were pleased that all four of these clubs are ACC member clubs. Mark Ehrlich, General Manager at The New England Antiques Journal was kind enough to send us a large quantity of the March issue for distribution at the ACC booth at Atlantique City. The Journal also sent a huge blowup of the 2-page spread which was prominently displayed in the booth.

Making sure your members have insurance on their collections is one of the best services a club can provide.

This link also offers information on the new liability insurance program for club conventions and events. If you have questions write to: insurance@collectors.org or call the insurance administrator directly at 1.800.287.7127

That's all for now. Let us know any time that we can be of assistance.