One of the goals in 2009 is to strengthen our relationships with our corporate partners and potential partners. We know that for many of you the leaders and members of collecting clubs are an important audience. They come to your auction houses, your antique shows, malls and shops, to the flea markets. Combined, they host over 10,000 events each year. They read your collector publications and price guides, and visit your websites. They buy printing, logo merchandise and security systems. They need appraisals, restoration help, club and event management, collector supplies, training courses and computer software programs.

The current times of economic recession are a challenge to all of us - to our business partners who are attempting to stay in business... to collecting clubs and associations attempting to shore up their memberships without cutting to many member services... and, to individual collectors and investors, some who may be needing to sell their collections or cut back on their purchases.

We will be working directly with the leadership of our ACC collecting clubs to determine what ways the Association of Collecting Clubs might be of more assistance; and, what help they may need the most from our partners.

ACC would like to make the same offer to our wide range of partners. The 5,000 clubs with which ACC works represents over 10 million serious collectors and investors. While we cannot reach these millions directly, we can certainly reach the leadership of these clubs. We have programs set up currently to work with convention and visitors bureaus, and antique mall managers, and with flea market owners. Give us your thoughts. How can we help strengthen the partnership between collecting clubs and your company. Send us a note to: info@collectors.org

Our ACC/NAC website - http://Collectors.Org- has recently been totally revamped. There are additional opportunities for position advertising - in the Collectors Trade Show, Club leaders Update electronic newsletters, on pages of the flea market directory, restoration directory and other locations. Visit the Advertising and Partnerships Section on the site's home page for more information or contact us directly at info@collectors.org or 301.926.8663.

We also encourage you to place one of the following links on your site to let people know that you support the world of collecting. Clicking on any of the display images will take you to the appropriate section on the Collectors.Org website where you can pick up the code.

After a long, cold winter in many parts of the country, traditionally one of the major "perks" of spring-time for collectors is being able to enjoy visits to the local flea markets on a Saturday or Sunday. For over a decade the ACC/NAC Collectors.Org website has carried a major Flea Market Directory. Not only is the directory popular with collectors, but many flea market managers have maintained it is a primary source of visitors to their markets.

For the northern half of the United States and Canada, we are just beginning the 2009 outdoor flea market season. While many flea markets are year round, the outdoor marts seem to have a special feel. For thousands, perhaps millions of people, there is no better way to spend a nice sunny Saturday or Sunday then casually roaming a flea market. Many flea markets have free parking and free admission and in addition to the rows of vendor booths, offer food and entertainment.

We are pleased by the number of new flea markets which have sent in their information for our directory this year. Of course, as new ones start, others have closed. Attempting to keep the directory current is an unending task. We invite you to visit the Flea Market Directory - http://Collectors.Org/FM/- check out flea markets near you, or on the paths of your planned travels. If you note a flea market which no longer exists, or has moved, we welcome hearing about that, too. Drop us a line at info@collectors.org

If you are a flea market manager, please make sure your information is current. Thanks.

Inquiries about placing a direct link to the Flea Market Directory can be addressed to: TechSupport@Collectors.Org or info@Collectors.Org

Antique and collectibles malls have traditionally been a popular source of memorabilia for many of the members of collecting clubs, making them one of the key mall audiences. ACC has created a partnering program with selected antique malls. This is a free program... the primary purpose is to strengthen the relationship between major antique malls and markets and the collecting clubs and serious collectors who comprise the memberships of ACC and NAC.

One of the key objectives of antique malls beyond recruiting dealers, recruiting potential customers, offering quality merchandise and having high sales, should be that of education... educating the mall visitors, educating the mall dealers; even, educating their staff. Malls can receive assistance from individual collecting groups, as well as directly from ACC. The combined knowledge base of most collecting clubs comprises the best available, reliable information for most collecting areas.

For collecting clubs, malls can be a resource for promoting their clubs and the collecting area their club serves... and, for recruiting new members into their club.

ACC welcomes any malls with an interest in working more closely with collecting clubs. Please contact us at: info@Collectors.Org

The Association of Collecting Clubs maintains an extensive registration database of thousands of collecting organizations around the world. As we announced in our last newsletter, ACC has launched a Private Label Collector Club Directory branded program. Offering the directory to your site visitors puts them in touch with a knowledge base for hundreds of collecting areas.

The ACC club directory - http://collectingclubs.com- is the largest, most accurate general club directory on the Internet, offering the most information on clubs. Currently with over 5,600 clubs listings and updated 2-3 times weekly, this is a popular resource.

We are now making the ACC Club Directory available to our partners through a branded program whereby the directory appears to be YOUR directory with your name, color scheme and "look". As we continually update our directory, your directory automatically gets updated.

This program serves a couple of purposes. First,it provides your site with a quality collecting club directory that requires no maintenance. And, secondly, the program becomes one of the best visibility and membership recruitment tools for our collecting clubs.

Rick Moses, ACC co-founder, explains, "offering our business partners the opportunity to place this valuable resource on your websites provides your site visitors access to a knowledge base for hundreds of collecting areas. At the same time, you are helping collecting groups promote and expand their club presence.

"The ACC Club Directory is the largest, most accurate general directory on the Internet, offering more information on the club entries than any other general directory. The sites using the ACC Private Label Directory Program are relieved of the time, expense, and hassle of maintaining your own directory service."

You can see samples of some of the participating sites at:

We welcome hearing from other partners who would like to display this Collecting Club Directory on your website. Read more about the program at: http://Collectors.Org/AP/Private_Label.aspor give us a call at 301.926.8663 or e-mail: info@Collectors.Org We look forward to hearing from you.

Although collecting club events are held year-round, most of the traditional club conventions are held during the late spring and summer months from May through September. Remember to visit the popular Club-Sponsored Events Calendar - http://Collectors.Org/Events

ACC estimates that the collecting clubs with which we work host over 10,000 public events annually. Granted, many of these are shows and other smaller events held in places like fire halls, Elks Clubs and county fairgrounds, but many others are held in hotels and convention centers.

The year 2009 is bringing significant challenges to clubs relating to their events due to the economy. Travel, lodging, food... everything seems to be higher, making it more difficult to project attendance, plan a program or develop a projected budget for the event.

For the past three years, ACC has developed a good relationship with many of the convention & visitors bureaus (CVB's). We are currently working with a selected few in an attempt to get their advise on conducting events in a depressed economy - pointers we can pass on to the leadership of collecting clubs. Many CVB's receive this newsletter. We welcome hearing from you on how a CVB can be of assistance to clubs planning events. Write: info@collectors.org

We have a number of new partners receiving this current newsletter and felt a short explanation of ACC and NAC might be in order.

The purpose of the Association of Collecting Clubs(ACC) is to strengthen collecting clubs by supporting the leaders and memberships of all types of collecting groups. This includes promotion and visibility, membership recruitment & retention, reaching new audiences, club management, global marketing, how to recruit & involve young collectors, education on reproductions & fakes, strengthening club conventions and events, legal ramifications for clubs, offering club and collector supplies and services, and networking. ACC is currently working with the leadership of nearly 5,000 collecting groups on six continents - although primarily in the United States and Canada.

The National Association of Collectors(NAC) is for individual collectors rather than clubs. NAC is a "sister" organization to ACC. NAC identifies and addresses the needs and concerns common to all collectors. Individual membership in NAC is $5, however the membership of all clubs belonging to ACC are automatically members of NAC with full NAC benefits.

Both ACC and NAC use the free information website - http://Collectors.Org- as their official home on the Internet.

ACC and NAC are both owned and operated by Americana Resources, Gaithersburg, Maryland.