[TheForge] ABANA Dilema

[ries]

I keep hearing that the Conferences are a "thing of the past"-

Horse Puckey.

One conference was a bust, for reasons of choices made by the guy in  
charge.
Due to a lot of feuding at the local level, the NWBA did not get  
anywhere as involved in the production of the Seattle Conference as  
it should have.
Me, I was against the location from the get go- even in the expensive  
northwest, there were smaller, regional venues, fairgrounds and  
smaller colleges, where it could have been put on for substantially  
less money, with camping on site, and gotten that extra 100 to 200  
attendees that would have pushed it over the top, financially.

The Seattle conference lost money.
But it was the only ABANA conference to do so, and, there is NO  
REASON why that would have to be repeated.

A well thought out ABANA conference, in  a lower cost, more centrally  
located area, could still easily draw 800 to 1000 paying members, and  
do just fine- the previous model was that each conference made enough  
money to be the seed money for the next one.
This is still a perfectly viable model.

So in the future, there will be ABANA conferences.
And they are different from local conferences.
Me, I love the 3 ring circus aspect of a full blown ABANA show- and  
it takes one that big to draw in enough people to have a variety of  
demos, a big show, lots of commercial exhibitors, etc.
The main purpose of an ABANA conference is not the tailgating- its  
better at SOFA.
And its not to be cheap- there are lots of cheaper shows around.
Its to be big enough to draw international attendance, to make a lot  
of very busy people make room in their schedules, and to create  
something that just does not exist at the local level.
No local meet I have been at, or heard of, approaches the range, the  
variety, and the intensity of an ABANA conference.
None are as fun.
You do not have the chance of meeting the people- the really great  
smiths of the world- at a local meet.
They might have one out of town demonstrator, but otherwise, its the  
same old crew.
Dont get me wrong- I love my local NWBA meets, and I like that same  
old crew- but its not comparable in any way, shape, or form, to any  
one of the half dozen or so ABANA conferences I have attended.

And as for "our interests"- well, its like old Jack Kennedy said-
"ask not what your country can do for you- ask what YOU can do for  
your country".

When I donate, or pay dues, or demo- I am not doing it to benefit,  
although I do, mightily- I am doing it to give back.

Ries




On Oct 23, 2007, at 12:03 PM, Dan Crowther wrote:

Personally, I feel ABANA doesn't represent our interests at the  
individual or club level.

Local groups are plentiful enough (now) that they do the bulk of the  
work teaching, recruiting, and disseminating pertinent information.   
Additionally, other publications are plentiful enough that  
individuals don't have to rely on ABANA for that either.  A vibrant  
local group is far more effective at these things than a "National"  
organization that is effectively too small to cover the entire nation  
or even help those local groups that need it.

In fact, the areas where ABANA really wasn't "duplicating services"  
was their Conferences and (often times) Chapter Insurance.  Both of  
which are now a thing of the past and are still needed by individuals  
and clubs.

If ABANA is truly a "National" organization it should be tackling  
issues and projects that are too large for individuals or local  
groups, not duplicating what we at the grass roots level can do  
without them.


Dan Crowther
http://www.oakandacorn.com
http://www.celticclans.org



At 02:29 PM 10/23/2007, you wrote:
> Phil,
>
> Thank you for the articles you wrote. Your question is
> a really valid one. How does ABANA represent our
> interests, both the individual and the club level?
>
> Jerry



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Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist
http://www.riesniemi.com/