About Trade Show Association
Trade Show Association is a private, independent accreditation and seal program for US trade shows. We focus on TCG, sports card, and collectibles shows.
We are not a government agency, and we never present ourselves as one. Taking part is voluntary. Our role comes from a private agreement that each organizer signs with us, and nothing else.
Why it exists
Anyone can advertise a card show. Attendees, vendors, and venues often have no simple way to tell whether a show's organizer has put the basics in place. The seal gives them one: a public, checkable record that a person at the Association reviewed a specific show against published standards.
The seal does not guarantee any card, grade, vendor, or sale. Always use your own judgment when you buy or sell.
What we check
The program has two layers, and an organizer needs both to use the seal.
- Organizer registration. We look at who the organizer is, their business details, their standing policies, and their signed Participation Agreement and Seal License. We re-check the yearly items once a year.
- A sanction for each show. Each show is reviewed on its own, for one date at one venue. The organizer uploads the certificate of insurance for that show, and a person reviews it by hand. The organizer also confirms the rest of the show standards, covering venue and permits, safety and security, vendor rules, and consumer protection.
Every seal is tied to one show. After the show date passes, its verify page shows Expired. The full list of requirements is in our Show Standards.
How the seal differs from a directory listing
A listing in a show directory or calendar tells you a show exists and when it is. Being "verified" on a listing site usually means the listing details are accurate.
Our seal is about the show itself:
- A person reviewed it. Each sanctioned show's insurance certificate is checked by hand against our standards.
- Anyone can check it. Every seal has a QR code and a verify link. The verify page shows the show's current status: Valid, Expired, or Revoked.
- It can be taken away. If an organizer breaks the standards, the seal can be suspended or revoked, and the verify page shows the real status.
- Shows can display it live. Sanctioned shows can put a live badge on their own website that always shows the current status and links to the verify page.
Standards, appeals, and reports
Our standards, our enforcement steps, and our appeal process are all public. Enforcement follows four formal steps: warning, probation, suspension, and revocation. It only affects an organizer's seal, status, and listing with us, never their right to run shows.
Every formal step comes with written notice and 10 business days to respond. Organizers can appeal a decision within 15 business days to a panel of at least 3 people with no conflict of interest, and the panel decides within 30 days.
We also make firm promises: no boycotts, no territories, no price setting, paying never guarantees approval, and competitors don't judge competitors.
If something at a show worried you, you can report a concern. A person reads every report.
Pricing
Organizers join with a show runner membership that covers all of their sanctioned shows, with no fee per show. See Membership and Fees for current plans.
Contact
Questions? Email info@tradeshowassociation.com.