5 Questions to Answer When You’re Considering Hosting

STORY & PHOTOS BY JIM BRACE-THOMPSON

Some 600 amateur rockhound clubs span the U.S. promoting fellowship, holding field trips and helping members build collections and craft jewelry and lapidary wonders. They also often serve the community via scholarships and educational outreach.

Local clubs have banded together within seven regional federations, which in turn joined forces in a national alliance: the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). Each region holds an annual show and convention hosted by a local club, and AFMS has a national convention that gets tagged to a different region each year. This year, that combined show has circulated to the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies (CFMS) and will be hosted May 24-26 by the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society (VGMS) (www.2024cfms-afms.com).

Regionals have faced the same issue in recent years: a reluctance of clubs to host a big show compounded when the national convention is added to it. Having served on show committees for eight regional and/ or national shows in the past 25 years, I can assure all clubs: that if you host a local show, you can host a federation show. Just ask and explore five questions.

While you don’t have to emulate Tucson, hosting a national show does require a larger venue than your typical club show.

Adobe Stock / By saicle

A poster contest is a fun way to involve club members.

Quality dealers and demonstrators are a big draw, and you’ll need a big venue to house them.

The choice and effectiveness of money-makers—like a raffle—can make or break your show’s profit.

In 2024, Ventura welcomes the nation in hosting the CFMS-AFMS Show & Convention.

1. WHAT DOES THE JOB ENTAIL?

Many clubs believe they don’t have enough members to pull off a “big” show. But if you run a local show, you have ample hands for a federation show. Just extend the schedule a couple of days and secure a larger venue for federation activities. I’m simplifying, but really, that’s it!