[TheForge] University vs Fair grounds

[Dann]

At LaCrosse, there was at least a couple dozen members camped at the 
same grounds that my wife and I tented.  We are old hands 
at  Buckskinning and Ren Faires, so it wasn't a big deal.

Tom Clark is right.  I think some of the old ABANA  war horses need 
to get back into harness.  They pulled in "world class" conferences a 
decade or more back and still can.  The 2008 NY conference:  cost 
wise,  has gone the way of the current Iraq War.

It is easy for me to see the model that our conferences got set on 
college campus.
ABANA is about education.   Universities have food service, and 
summertime dorm space, etc.

Coin flip is that even a thousand or 1,500 participants at most 
county fair grounds wouldn't be a big deal.  There are concession 
stands, fair buildings for demonstrations.  Fair grounds are 
accustomed to LP bottles, and usually  there are  hotel rooms, and 
regional airports,  those that plan to fly in.

When my son got married in So California last summer, we could 
probably have flown  a good share of the family to Seattle / ABANA 
for less cost, but for  us, but the wedding was mandatory,  the World 
Class ABANA  Conference wasn't.


Dann