I didn't mean to slight any cities that I didn't mention in my earlier post. There are many wonderful cities in the United States (and Canada) that could be great hosts for the ARMA Conference.

I can't speak to the rationale for not publicizing future Conference dates and locations. I know the term "conspiracy theory" was floated somewhat tongue in cheek. I suspect it has more to do with looking at where the right venues might be and perhaps compressing the amount of lead time to have money committed. There may be some advantages in procuring venues closer in to the conference date simply because there is increasing competition for trade shows and conferences.


Another consideration that I neglected to point out is transportation to the venue city. I would expect that certain cities (Milwaukee, for example) might be excluded due to airfare costs, likelihood of connections, airlines serving the city, etc.

I think all of us recognize that the cost of any Conference is increasingly hard to justify in these economic times. While ARMA's registration still tends to be a relative bargain compared to other conferences, you're still looking at a $2500 to $3000 price tag all in, which can be a budget buster for many. My biggest beef with Vegas was the room cost (ok, I wasn't thrilled with having to navigate the casino floor every day). I've attended the ARMA Conference 25 consecutive years, very often as a speaker, and the last several out of pocket. The choice of city really is seldom an issue today, although I might not attend based upon the choice of city. I would hope that folks decide to attend ARMA (or any other conference) based upon the education and not the sightseeing or shopping.


Part of the push to reduce the length of the Expo has been to reduce the cost of holding the exposition floor, as well as the amount of time that vendors commit with people on the floor. Likewise, I think there are changes planned for pre-con and post-con events to reduce cost (and the cost is more than just venue rental, but includes travel for staff).

 
Patrick Cunningham, CIP, FAI
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