Thirty-eight months to go! I’m writing this column in early December and just watched the last match Team USA played in the soccer (otherwise known as “football” elsewhere) World Cup, getting beat by the Netherlands. Well, at least with our World Expo there will be only winners with no tickets required, as entry is free!
It is definitely not too early to start making plans to attend Boston 2026 World Expo, taking place for eight days from May 23 to 30, 2026 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
One of the highlights of such an event is the opportunity to “meet and greet” other like-minded stamp collectors from around the world. This is especially welcomed as we continue to shake off the hibernation that the Covid pandemic brought upon us in recent years. Perhaps there’s no better way to do so than by visiting the Expo’s many society booths and attending meetings and presentations taking place throughout the show.
Several major U.S. philatelic societies and organizations have already begun planning their participation at Boston 2026, including the United Postal Stationery Society, U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, United States Stamp Society, Philatelic Foundation, and American First Day Cover Society. They will be joined by many more as the show nears. Now is the time for groups to start considering taking part in this once-a-decade event. And yes, organizations based outside the U.S. are especially encouraged to join us.
Heading up our work in such participation for show floor tables and meetings is Society Chair Mark Schwartz of Philadelphia. Reach him by email at [email protected].
Society tables on the show floor are being made available. These must be staffed every day of the show. Table configuration details are pending.
While more than 40 meeting rooms of various sizes are being made available to Boston 2026 at the convention center, we expect requests by societies for a meeting or presentation to be overwhelming. That was the case for Washington 2006 and New York 2016. Priority dates and room blocks will be assigned first to donating societies, however, ample hour-long slots will remain for any bona fide philatelic group that requests to reserve a meeting room sometime during Boston 2026.
What should you do?
Decide who within your group should act as its liaison with Boston 2026 and have him or her send an email request to Mark. Please include the society name, liaison contact information (name, address, email address, phone number), society web address (if applicable), estimated number of attendees, preferred meeting date and/or request for a table. We cannot guarantee specific meeting dates or times but will do our best to accommodate requests.
Scheduling is not expected to be finalized until 2025, but every effort will be made to release details as soon as possible to allow societies ample time to notify their membership to make plans to attend.
Even if you don’t attend Boston 2026 with a society, I’ll bet you will leave having joined at least one of them!