Just to jump back into the stream again on this, as I have always enjoyed the York show living nearby, I see some common threads that it seems could be summarized.
Point 1 is allowing the public into member halls - Red/White/Blue/Silver. I can't see the public wanting to have access so I don't see the debate really. I am a lifelong hobbyist but not to the depth of some folks on the forum. I found the vendor halls to be plenty for me and I think the "general public" is not looking for very specific items or member deals but rather just getting into the hobby or building from the vendors. So, IMHO tax issues make the member halls better as closed to the club, and I don't see a desire for "the public" to visit these halls so the decision seems straight forward.
Point 2 public allowed in vendor halls. I visited as a guest for the first time and had a great chat with a couple vendors. I was awed by some of the products that, although I shop alot over internet, are much more impressive to see in person. I think adding the public helps vendors cost justify plus just build the model rail industry which is a net benefit to all of us. I was a first time customer to several new vendors, and dropped more money at traditional vendors like OGR. With the rising cost of shipping, I was able to devote more of my money to the vendor selling the product and less to UPS/USPS. I probably saved around 10 dollars per vendor not paying for shipping which I then spent on buying more product.
I also really liked the public displays of model layouts and made sure to donate money to each club in appreciation of their talents and efforts. I'd encourage the TCA to keep the vendor halls public and member halls private and see how that goes.
I also agree with an earlier poster that a 10,000 attendee event in this hobby is still a really good thing, even if attendance is dwindlng.
