Re: RC: Reno forever?

[Lynne Glazer <lynne@glazer.org>]

At 2:51 PM -0500 2/4/00, BMcCrary27@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 02/03/2000 9:38:45 PM Pacific Standard Time,
>eyler@mindspring.com writes:
>
><< It seems to me that the purpose of that treasury is to serve the interests
> of AERC's members.  IMO, holding the convention in Reno each year does not
> constitute good member service.
>  >>
>
>One of the purposes of the treasury is to be and remain solvent.  If locating
>the convention in another area depletes the treasury, then THAT is not
>serving the members' interests.  Other than that, I think it's a good idea to
>move it around peridically.  If the membership comes and supports it to the
>same degree in another location, and if the treasury does not lose large
>amounts of money, and if AERC can more than cover expenses and actually make
>a profit that will keep the treasury solvent, then I support the idea of
>moving the convention around the country.  So far, in the two times the
>convention has been held back east, none of these requirements has been met
>successfully.  It's purely a matter of economics, which I'm afraid, tends to
>drive most of the societies everywhere.
>
>Barbara

Barbara, et. al.

I think greater effort could be expended to find an Eastern site that 
is economically and geographically desireable for the members, 
vendors, BOD and office staff.  All the "deals" are to hub cities, 
Lexington is anything but a hub city.  I paid a serious premium to 
fly in there on a year when I also went to Equitana (in Louisville), 
not to mention having to change planes and have a stopover in 
Chicago.  The next year, when the convention was in Lexington, I felt 
it was too costly to attend.

As a small convention, we don't have the leverage that the big boys 
do.  I would imagine (but don't know) that the proliferation of 
convention space in Reno makes it attractive for a convention buyer. 
I think that hotel costs are really cheap in a gambling town, 
offsetting the flight costs by some amount.  I don't know what "deal" 
the lecturers get, but if we're paying for their housing, this is a 
consideration.

I had a magazine customer for years who held an annual industry 
conference, and they were perennially disorganized.  When their 
conference was close to home, there seemed to be fewer administrative 
and logistical snafus.  It would be nice if we had anybody in the 
membership with convention-planning experience, to point out the 
economies of scale--at what membership or projected attendance point 
do we need professional mgmt, for instance?

A major part of an Eastern convention's success is the attendance 
level of the vendors--power comparison shopping is a huge part of the 
AERC convention experience, not to denigrate the value of the 
meetings and lectures.  If enough vendors don't make it East, that 
will both make it harder to attract locals despite advertising,   If 
we don't pick a site to facilitate vendor attendance, we're cutting 
our own throats.

The AFA's convention is being held here in Ontario (Calif) at the end 
of this month.  A *local* farrier was grumbling about how it's 
usually held contiguously with the Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium (in 
Lexington), and since the AFA event was moved, the symposium was 
cancelled.  We aren't the only outfit with geographical issues--guess 
where the AFA headquarters is?  Lexington.  Their convention member 
fee is $220, BTW.  Non-members $300!  $30 for the banquet.
 
The Internet makes it easier to take advantage of special fares. 
Southwest, for instance, has weekly Internet specials, via an e-list. 
For instance, this week, from Ontario to Houston is $99.  I've been 
watching for a cheap Reno fare, last year there was one for $39 each 
way, offered *one* time.

I think this discussion is really useful.  I've long felt sort of 
"guilty" at being happy that the convention was in my time zone...but 
thought the Eastern choice was impractically implemented.

My $.02

Lynne


Ontario, California    http://www.lynnesite.com
Norco Riverdance Ride (PS) 9/2/00
& Rem-member Me, Celesteele