RE: COMMON Conference locations.

I agree on one conference a year. COMMON is too diluted.

I dunno...I only go to sessions during the day. If there's no other
difference between someplace like Orlando and Charleston, and one is
bland and the other has character, and they cost the same, why not
choose something that's interesting?

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: COMMON Conference locations.
> From: pnelson@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Thu, July 14, 2005 12:41 pm
> To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> Although they are fine towns, the problem with Milwaukee and Grand Rapids 
> is primarily the weather. Grand Rapids is further hindered by its airport. 
> I have said many times to many board members that the cities we should use 
> are Atlanta, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Anaheim. Easy to get to, they 
> are in the southern part of the US, and the facilities (and any unions) 
> are easy to deal with.
> 
> I also think that COMMON should cut back to one conference per year, and 
> hold it in May. If we want to use more northern cities, May would take the 
> weather out of the equation.
> 
> As for blandness, who cares? Bosses are paying for attendees to be 
> educated, not entertained.
> -- 
> 
> Paul Nelson
> Arbor Solutions, Inc.
> 708-670-6978  Cell
> pnelson@xxxxxxxxxx
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JOberholtzer@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> 07/14/2005 11:00 AM
> Please respond to Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
>  
>         To:     midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>         cc: 
>         Subject:        COMMON Conference locations.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> <snip>
> So, anyway, now that COMMON attendance is down, I wonder if it would be
> possible to have COMMON in an interesting location. Orlando and Anaheim
> have to be two of the blandest cities around. NOLA is always
> interesting, but it's old hat. Miami may be interesting though.
> </snip>
> 
> OK, this is a question that the COMMON board and many of the rest of us
> have been struggling with.
> 
> Definition:  Destination City:  A city that has several thousand hotel
> rooms within reasonable walking distance of a massive convention center,
> IE:  Las Vegas, Orlando, New Orleans, San Francisco, Boston, New York,
> Chicago etc..  These cities have a significant draw, but are expensive to
> stay in.
> 
> We now have come to an attendance level at COMMON where many cities 
> outside
> of the "Destination Cities" criteria that has been used in the past to
> determine where to go is no longer valid.  We don't need as many meeting
> rooms and hotel rooms as we used to, so cities like (duck and run)
> Milwaukee, WI, Grand Rapids, MI, and many others can now support COMMON
> where once before they could not.  Even the NAACP is in Milwaukee this
> week.
> 
> So, the question is:  Where should we look to put the conferences in the
> near future?  The contracts for the convention centers do not run out as
> far as they used to, so there is some flexibility in planning.
> 
> Please speak up.  Contact me privately if you do not want to use the list.
> 
> BTW:  if you are a COMMON member, and have not yet voted in the COMMON
> board election, please do so.  The end of the voting is tomorrow.
> There are five candidates for the board: myself, Larry Bolhuis, Beverly
> Russell,  Bruce Collins, and Leo Lefebvre.  Please vote for three.
> 
> Jim Oberholtzer
> 
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