2016 World's Greatest Hobby On Tour Shows
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First stop on the World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour – Indianapolis, IN!
The Lionel team kicked off a busy 2016 event season by attending the first stop on the World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour stop in Indianapolis, IN January 9-10. This show in particular is intended to introduce the general public to model railroading and an entertaining, lively and family-friendly atmosphere.
In the past years, Lionel has always taken a 20' x 30' booth but in 2016 we decided to step it up a few notches and ask some friends to tag along with us. Our booth space grew to a 20' x 50' and the LCCA team joined in as part of our team. In addition to bringing playstations for kids to play on, also set up a photo booth that allows all ages to get their photo with Lenny the Lion! When he wasn’t busy taking photos in the photo booth – you could find Lenny roaming the halls of the convention center.
Total attendance for the show – 25,411
The World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour makes a stop Schaumburg, IL outside of Chicago Jan. 16 & 17, 2016!
The second stop on the World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour led the Lionel team to Schaumburg, IL where the cold weather didn’t keep anyone away. Known as a popular area for model railroad, Schaumburg did not let us down with an attendance level of over 32,000 people.
Once again, the photo booth was a huge hit with all ages (and other manufactures) who wanted to get in on the fun of meeting Lenny. One of the most popular items at this show included our Imagineering Line and consumers really loved running Thomas the Train all day long.
The World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour Makes a Stop in St. Paul,
MN
The World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour made its third stop in
St. Paul, MN February 6-7 and while it was very cold, it didn’t keep the train
enthusiasts away. Total attendance for the weekend was 31,202 – another big
number for a really successful show.
Kids of all ages lined up to enjoy the photo booth with
Lenny, many of which enjoyed the choice of props to use which really got them
into character. Even the Lionel staff jumped into the booth to snap a picture
with our beloved mascot. When not taking
pictures with Lenny, train enthusiasts enjoyed running the LionChief™ sets,
learning about new Lionel product leaving the booth with a smile on their face.
Everything is Bigger in Texas – Even Trains! The Fourth Stop on the WGHOT lands in San
Antonio, Texas for a two day event, February 20 & 21, 2016.
The World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour headed to the southwest
at the end of February, taking over the great state of Texas. Warm weather
brought families out to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center,
where they enjoyed trains of all sizes and had the opportunity to be an
engineer at the Lionel booth.
Located at the entrance of the convention center, train
enthusiast walked in to the sight of the iconic Lionel logo. Throughout the
booth, 12 LionChief™ sets ran nonstop, giving children the chance to run their
favorite train.
The Lionel Collectors Club of America continued to join in
on a successful show as they shared a 10' x 20' section of our booth for the fourth
show in a row. George Watson, a member
of the LCCA, ran the modular layout all weekend, even showcasing the very
popular Union Pacific Vision Legacy Scale 4-8-8-4 Big Boy Engine – an added
bonus for all attendees!
Barbecue, Jazz and Model Trains – the WGHOT final stop hits Kansas City, MO March 5 & 6, 2016!
The final stop on the World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour landed the Lionel team in Kansas City, MO – known for their barbecue, jazz and heritage and for two days a ton of model trains!
Held at the American Royal Complex just outside of downtown, thousands attended the show, had their photo taken with Lenny and enjoyed playing on one of 4 play stations set up throughout the booth. Our 2016 catalogs were a huge hit the LCCA was a pleasure to work with throughout the weekend.
Although it’s the end of the 2016 tour – dates will be released in May for 2017. Be sure to check back to see where we may be next year. The show only comes around to each city every 5 to 10 years and you won’t want to miss it.
For more information regarding the World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour you can visit
http://wghshow.com/