Browning said they went into the event knowing the downtown hotel construction had taken a lot of their parking and the pavilion had been moved, but things went better than she expected.
Browning said, "The new location of the pavilion - the front door looks like the front door now - on the first day it was pretty hot over there, but then we got some fans so that it wasn't so hot in there, and the vendors, I believe, did well."
She said she was more concerned about the loss of parking, and that more people had to go to Carson Park and take an express shuttle. To help quilters understand the situation, she recorded a video they could watch before they arrived.
"Allen Ramsey and I - on Thursday before the show - took a trip downtown and gave them visual images of what the hotel looked like now in its construction stage, and space behind it of all the parking we were losing, and where the new pavilion was located. So they learned a whole lot before they ever got here," Browning said.
She said they also made a video showing how to get from the intersection of Park Avenue and Joe Clifton Drive to spot where the shuttle would pick up passengers inside Carson Park. That video helped a lot, too, based on attendee comments.
Browning said the express shuttle from Carson Park to the Convention Center was crowded enought that it needed an extra bus once or twice, but it worked fine for most of the week. She expressed her appreciation to everyone who made the thousands of visitors feel welcome.
"It takes this whole city to make this happen. All of the (Paducah) Ambassadors that answer all of the questions everywhere they are. They help man our shuttle stops, they have the desk in the atrium of the Convention Center. They field so many questions about everything about this city - where to go shopping, where the drug stores are, how to get dinner reservations, who does and who doesn't take dinner reservations," Browning said. "And then of course, all of the people who host quilters. A lot of people have quilters staying in their homes, and that's a service that we can't live without because of not having enough hotel rooms, and even with the new hotel there still won't be enough rooms."
Browning said all 72 employees of Schroeder Publishing worked all week, and she appreciates how they pitched in at five different locations to help.
She said AQS hasn't yet compiled a total of how many attended this year, but she hopes to know within the next few days.
Browning said when the city hosts two Quilt Weeks in 2017, the fall show won't be a duplicate of the April show. All quilt entries must be different, and there won't be a Quilt Museum auction in the fall. Quilts that win fall contests will not be purchased and displayed at the Quilt Museum, either. Other activities will be different too, including speakers and workshops.
"Different activities going on, we're even playing with the layout of the show so it looks different. We're trying to make it a totally different show so that people do want to come to Paducah in the fall, which we know can be a beautiful time of year here, too. "
Browning said quilters have said they're hoping that two Paducah shows will allow them to get hotel rooms more easily. She said it takes 18 months to completely plan a show, including scheduling speakers, exhibitions and workshops.
The two AQS shows are set for April 26-29 and September 13-16, 2017.
