BETTENDORF, Iowa- More than 600 Coca-Cola Collectors from all over the world are in the Quad Cities for their 44th Annual Coca-Cola Collectors Club Convention.
Each person has at least one common interest, Coca-Cola.
The week-long convention will be in town June 25- June 30.
While in town, the members will hold auctions, contests, enjoy a riverboat ride on the Celebration Belle, attend a River Bandits game and visit other “must-see” hot-spots around the Quad Cities.
The Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau says the economic impact on the local Quad Cities economy is about $1.1 Million.
The convention ends with a Memorabilia show and sale on Saturday, June 30 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The show is open to the public and takes place at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf.
The President of the Coca-Cola Collectors Club joined WQAD’s Ryan Jenkins on Good Morning Quad Cities and taught us a bit about the history of Coke.
Here are a few fun facts:
The Coca-Cola company has always used celebrity’s to promote their brand. On the trays in the video below, you can see women who Bill Combs would call the “Taylor Swift or the Kim Kardashian of their time” pictured.
Collectors come from all over the world to these conventions. Some art work on display during an interview showcased how many chapters of collectors exist around the globe.
Each collector has their own interest. While their common interest is coke, some collectors get very specific when looking for items to keep. Bill likes wooden memorabilia ... this is why:
Coke was a promise to soldiers during World War II. Learn how by watching the video below.
