Hotel booked. We will be at the Cambria around the corner. It was the best price and it was over $300/night after fees and taxes. Highly recommend everyone books immediately.
Word on the street is that a Taylor Swift concert is going on at the same time so bookings will quickly fill.
@funmonkey54 two questions. Not having gone before I donât have a good idea on this. What dates did you book for, just Friday/Saturday night? How crucial is it to be right near the convention center hotel-wise? I mean Nashville likely has tons of hotels and I am able to find some stuff for significantly cheaper. I guess I know the answer to this its all just convenience and preference, I guess I will just follow closely to see where people are booking.
A quick search also confirms that Taylor Swift has a concert in Nashville on August 25th.
I booked 23-27. I donât like going into worldâs having just driven super far. So going the day early is worth it. I also prefer to enjoy at least a day of exploring at the end since Iâve paid so much to go.
How close you are really just depends on how much time you want to spend at the event. The event doesnât do much to accommodate spectators so youâre going to be bored if you are there the whole time. Iâd even say you can get away with just watching finals and meeting up with the collectorâs you care to meet once. For this, book further away. For people that wonât have other plans and are going strictly for Pokemon, Iâd recommend being closer. If youâre hanging out late into the night every night and also want to have access to your things for trades and buys and whatever you get the chance to do, the proximity is a lot easier.
Pokemon is 75% of my reason for being there and reflecting on years where I booked further away, like Boston, the $100 or so difference wasnât worth being so far away for me.
I have never been, so anything I need to expect/prepare for? I primarily planned on possibly meeting up with some of you here and checking out the eventâŚotherwise just taking in the sights and going out and whatnot.
Also, what is the card market typically like at worlds? Any chance of scooping some stuff up?
I would say Worldâs is the worst place to find deals. Thereâs always an opportunity or two, but this really has to be treated like a community-oriented vacation. Your odds of making up the costs in profit are next to zero and it is less accommodating every year for sales. If youâre caught exchanging cash, youâre banned from the site. Definitely not like it was 5+ years ago with dedicated trade rooms and inventory galore. Those days are gone.
Definitely plan to see some cool stuff. Take advantage of the city. Find nearby restaurants you want to go to ahead of time. Prepare to walk more than you expected.
Worldâs is super cool but it doesnât cater to spectators at all. I think people sometimes expect that and are disappointed. But if you just think of it as a vacation to Nashville with a meet-up and a cool live experience watching finals, youâre going to have an amazing time and be pleasantly surprised.
I wasnât planning on making a profit or anything, just some things for the collection if the opportunity presented itself. I am not surprised that any cash deals would result in expulsion due to the risk of theftâŚI know I had zero plans to carry any large amount of money on my person.
I welcome the walk! I am a pretty active person who was going to go nuts if I couldnât workout so that makes me happy. Overall I think we are going to treat this more as a vacation and chance to meet up with fellow collectors. âŚAlthough If I manage to leave with a winners card, I would not be disappointedâŚbut I am not going to push the issue or pressure anyone to sell when it is very much their moment.
I would say even finding an audience with them isnât like it used to be. A lot more of those sales are happening online after the fact. Last year, more took them to online later than even considered selling on site. And thatâs better for buyers because getting a deal on a card off someone that just won a massive cash pot isnât realistic. A lot cheaper to buy off then after the hype has died down and theyâve failed to get the crazy price tag.
Yeah that makes sense. I didnât have my heart set on that so I wont be disappointed if nothing comes to fruition. Still, I think it would be an awesome experience to go and its been a while since I took a proper vacation. Hopefully things materialize this time around.
Charlie hit it on the head for buying cards. Hanging out in the trade area can be fun. You can find a card here and there that might be more convenient to buy in person. For anyone new, donât center the trip around potentially buying a card(s). The combination of worlds staff being hyper strict, and Japan being highly aware of the market, doesnât equal amazing deals.
With that said, there is a pokemon store that will have exclusive worlds product. It is also fun trying to get some of the exclusive worlds cards as well.
Overall, the best part of worlds is simply the experience. Hanging out with collectors and talking about the hobby sounds simple, but it is extremely memorable.
Out of curiosity, how would one be able to purchase trophy cards from the tournament then? Just wondering since I am surprised that buying and selling is discouraged at the tournament. Does Persin still come to purchase the trophy cards? Just trying to keep myself up to date with trophy cards
canât wait to meet with everyone again this year, like @smpratte said, the best part is meeting everyone, having pizza at 1am, driving like a maniac and looking at binders !
I have never been but definitely will go as long as I donât get assigned any weird cases again. I missed out on the Dallas regionals for the same issue. Do hotels usually bookup early for these events?
I was surprised how limited the hotel options were for Nashville. Definitely less optimal than the situation last year. Itâs going to quickly become a choice of being far away or paying $500+/night.
Not 100% where to ask but wondering who might be attending this year and who would be willing to speak to the winners in regards to their trophy cards for me, just looking into things for now, lowkey
The amount of work it takes to actually acquire a trophy card is not doable if you arenât there on the ground floor. There were people last year who came to the tournament thinking you can simply walk in and buy a trophy card. It is not a guarantee even if you talk to winners.
Here is 100% the best way to obtain a modern trophy card:
Get a Facebook account that has your real photo and doesnât look sketchy.
Go to Virbank City Pokemart.
Two weeks after the completion of the Worldâs finals, make a post offering $5,000-8,000 USD cash for a 4th - 1st place copy depending on which one you want. There is no such thing as cheap, payment plans, etc. If you canât afford it, wait to post until you can.
Wait.
No luck? Repeat next year.
If youâre lucky, youâll get one bite per year or so. Itâs not a set you complete quickly. Throw everything you know or think you know about buying at Worldâs, online auctions, or current owners out the window. This game is played differently and it changes every year.
!