On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 4:47 PM, Patrick Cunningham <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

(snipped for brevity)

There are lots of reasons to hold a conference in one place or another.
> There are lots of reasons NOT to hold a conference in one place or another.
>
> I'd also suggest that if you are
> going to a conference because it is in a "fun" city or one that you've
> always wanted to visit, you might be attending for the wrong reasons. If it
> looks like a junket, management is going to look really hard at your
> attendance.
>
> Hope this provides a little perspective on the challenges that are faced in
> setting the location for an association conference. I'm sure there are many
> other variables and considerations, but these are the issues I'm most
> familiar with.
>
>
A great look "under the hood" provided by Patrick that sheds a lot of light
on things for those unfamiliar with how arma works and what drives
decisions related to venue selection, etc.

I think the BIGGER question to ask though is not "why not NY?" or somewhere
else, but:

"What happened to the CONTENT and the STRUCTURE of the conference?"

I think this is the reason many people have discontinued attendance, or
attend much less frequently than they used to.  And this is especially true
for those who have been in the profession for many years, or like Patrick
(and myself) had to self-fund attendance.  It's also true for new entrants
into the profession, because the lack of a robust and broad program makes
it extremely difficult to justify the cost of attendance for such a
protracted educational program.

I'm 100% with Patrick regarding the "... in a "fun" city or one that you've
always wanted to visit, you might be attending for the wrong reasons..." .
If your company/organization is paying for your attendance, this is NOT a
factor that makes it easier for them to agree to send you.

When I was reading some of the comments from others about "why not here,
there, etc" it was apparent that the driving factor wasn't the conference
venue... it was the VENUE they were interested in and the ability to have
some fun, or tack some extra days on and "go see the Mouse" or "hear some
great music" or "eat some fantastic food" =)   Nothing wrong with any of
those pursuits, but you DON'T NEED a conference to do any of that.

Sunday Meetings/Technical Group gatherings, sessions for 3 full days (and
the morning of a 4th), an Expo Floor for (most of) 3 days ...THAT was worth
the price of airfare and lodging... and there was little, if any, question
you'd find sessions that spoke to you.

-- 
Larry
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*----Lawrence J. MedinaDanville, CARIM Professional since 1972*

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