Location, location, location

[bobrfish]

A thread was lost recently.

A newcomer asked why ACA does not have conventions in a central location year after year. Or a

similar question.

If this newcomer is still about, please repost here or start a new

thread.

[ccones]

Well,,, I am here, but now I am

scared to stay it again, I was not saying the ACA was doing anything bad with the West or East

coast locations. I just suggested using a Central location so that the travel to the Convention is

easier for everyone. At our Bonsai Conventions ( yes I torture little trees) when we have them

Centrally located, our attendance is much higher. I mentioned this was not meant to be a bashing or

a pitty pary, just an intrest in what others thought. the Newbe

[tjudy]

You have a good point Ccones,

and the success of the Chicago ACA this year was due in part to location (and equally because it

was a very well organized convention... thank you GCCA!).

The reason the convention

is not held in the same general every year is because the ACA is dependent upon a hosting club to

put on the event. Most of the work to do an ACA convention is done locally, and it is a lot of

work. A local club will bid to get the convention because they want to host one, and because the

host club earns a portion of the money generated. So the ACA convention goes where it is

wanted.

Having the event in different places has its advantages too. Local clubs get

the opportunity to show off their cities and we visitors get a chance to go to a different part of

the country. I think that if the ACA were to centrally locate the convention every year we would

lose some of the interest from other ares fo the country, especially now that there are several

larger clubs that host awesome events of their own every year (OCA, GCCA, MCA, Pittsburgh to name a

very few). All those shows are in the same city every year and regional crowds.

[bobrfish]

CCONES It was an excellent

question. I did not find it bashing, disrespectful or detrimental in any manner.

In

addition to what Ted wrote.
ACA BOT seeks to move the convention to areas that have not had a

convention for some time. If two host clubs bid, one will lose the bid. In some cases the losing

host club may have hosted a bigger and perhaps better convention.

Those cities in the

West have cool cichlids and want to show them off. Traveling long distances with big fish is risky

and expensive. In general, fish keepers are like cheap everything including rooms, travel, food,

beer, etc.

As Ted said, some cichlid keepers would not attend an ACA convention if it

were not in their city or close.

As for membership density. I believe New York is #1

and New Jersey #2. Other states with many members include Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania. If we

wanted to max the convention size, we would hold it somewhere amongst the dense membership. I

predict ACA would slowly lose members from distance cities if we did this.

[Lisachromis]

We need to do one in

winter in Florida... they'll come just for the weather. LOL

[bobrfish]

I would love to visit

Southern Florida during January http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Big_Kill]

I think that it is a good

thing that it is in a different location every year. As Ted stated, it gives people a chance to

visit different parts of the country. I think part of the reason some people go every year is

because they get to visit somewhere new. One of the reasons i drove nearly 4,000 miles roundtrip

this year was because i have never been to Chicago before and wanted to visit that city. Of course

the convention was the main reason i went but i also made a vacation out of it with my dad and my

cousin. My traveling partners were not even ACA members but i convinced them to go with me so we

could go to a Cubs game, blues club, deep dish pizza, Field museum, etc. Personally it is good for

me because i live in Washington state and if they were held where the membership is most dense i

would have to fly every year and it would be very expensive. Sacramento is only about a 10 or 11

hour drive from me so i am very excited about next year. I like to be able to drive because i like

to bring fish to and from the convention. Kyle

[Patrick Kelly]

Very well stated,

everyone.

My first one was Cin. Ohio. I had to work and drove out Friday afternoon and

home Sunday afternoon.
8 hour drive or so each way. It was too hecktic that way.

Since that year I also make it a vacation. I usually show up on Tuesday and explore. Then fly

home on Monday.
In Denver, I spent two days in Aspen.
In Fortworth I just rented a car

and drove around.
This year I spent Wed down town doing the tourist thing. Checking out the

Sears tower and the city.
This year I plan on flying to California on Monday renting a car

driving north to see the Redwood trees and such. Then who knows. I have never been to

California so to me that is a big part of it. Makes it easier to get the wife to go also.

The amount of work that it must take to put it on, would make it impossible to get people to do

it every year. They would burn out.

[JanS]

For me a lot of it is seeing the

different parts of the country too. The convention is my yearly get-away, so I'm always

excited to hear where the next one is going to be when it is announced.
I always fly since I

don't carry the massive amounts of fish that many people do (except maybe coming back...), so

it's just a matter of driving a couple of miles to the airport and I'm almost there. http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

I think so far, Denver was my

favorite location, and Chicago was about the most meticulously planned out one I've been to.

Hats off to all of the clubs who take on the huge challenge of hosting the convention each

year. http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif I can't even imagine

all of the work that goes into it....

[Big_Kill]

Chicago was my first

convention so i dont have anything to compare it to but i was extremely impressed with the job that

the GCCA did.

[Patrick Kelly]

<div

class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>i was extremely impressed with

the job that the GCCA did</div>

That was only my 4th one,

but I would agree. It was, by far, my best yet.

[sumpnfishy]

You have to remember too

that some people simply can't afford to fly to the conventions. I'm in Kansas City, so I

love the idea of centrally located conventions because I can drive. But if I was on the East or

West coast I would probably never have the opportunity to go to a centrally located convention

because I can't afford to fly to them. Moving the convention around gives a lot of members an

opportunity they might not otherwise have.
Michael

[fishfarm]

Micheal, Get your local

club to bid for 2009, then it'd be right in town! Ken

[dstuer]

<!--quoteo(post=3013:date=Nov

21 2006, 10:38 AM:name=fishfarm)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fishfarm @ Nov 21 2006,

10:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=3013)</div><div

class='quotemain'>Micheal, Get your local club to bid for 2009, then it'd be

right in town! Ken</div>
I like Lisa's idea about Fl

in winter, with a collecting trip to help rid Fl of those pesky exotics.

[fishfarm]

The convention guidelines

call for July as it's the best time of year for people to travel. Ken

[Big_Kill]

<!--quoteo

(post=3013:date=Nov 21 2006, 06:38 AM:name=fishfarm)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fishfarm

@ Nov 21 2006, 06:38 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=3013"><{POST_SNAPBACK}

></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Micheal, Get your local club to bid for 2009, then

it'd be right in town! Ken</div>

yeah KC would

be cool. Ken, why did you say 2009? Has 2008 been chosen already?

[bobrfish]

<!--quoteo(post=3042:date=Nov

22 2006, 07:39 PM:name=Big_Kill)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Big_Kill @ Nov 22 2006,

07:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=3042)</div><div

class='quotemain'>yeah KC would be cool. Ken, why did you say 2009? Has 2008 been

chosen already?</div>

http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif
Yeah throw a bid in for 2008. It

would be good to see a couple of clubs competing.
http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif

[JanS]

Well, after taking a look at the

plane fares to Sacramento (almost $800 for me), I had to make the hard decision to skip the

2007 convention, for the first time since I've started going. http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif
The rest of my friends who I meet up with there are

also in the same boat for this one.....

I sure hope the ticket prices come down by next

year, or that it's in a more central location....
So much for me saying that I like to see

the different parts of the country every year when the prices skyrocketed like that.

[Tim]

<!--quoteo(post=3325:date=Dec 14

2006, 04:30 PM:name=JanS)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JanS @ Dec 14 2006, 04:30

PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=3325)</div><div

class='quotemain'>Well, after taking a look at the plane fares to Sacramento (almost

$800 for me), I had to make the hard decision to skip the 2007 convention, for the first time

since I've started going. http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif
The rest of my friends who I meet up with there are

also in the same boat for this one.....

I sure hope the ticket prices come down by next

year, or that it's in a more central location....
So much for me saying that I like to see

the different parts of the country every year when the prices skyrocketed like that.<!--QuoteEnd--

></div>

A search on nwa.com (seems Northwest is the only airline to fly

out of Duluth, came up with prices of $569).
Or you could do a round trip to Chicago for

$265 and pick up the $89 Southwest Flights. That's $265 + $180 giving you a

total price of $445. The only problem is that Southwest is only booking through May 10th right

now. http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif
Tim

[bobrfish]

I will likely fly from MSP to

SMF.
Prices vary from $430 for one stop flights to $490 non stop.
Travel

dates also enfluence the price.

[JanS]

I hadn't even checked out of

Duluth since I didn't think it would be much less than Hibbing. Huh...
I did check MSP,

but that would involve extra time off from work for the driving time, so it would still wind up

costing almost as much.

I will have to keep Duluth in mind though. Thanks for the tip.

http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[Big_Kill]

<!--quoteo

(post=3325:date=Dec 14 2006, 01:30 PM:name=JanS)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JanS @

Dec 14 2006, 01:30 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=3325"><{POST_SNAPBACK}

></a></div><div class='quotemain'>almost $800 for me</div><!--

QuoteEEnd-->

Wow! I thought you could go anywhere in America roundtrip for a lot

less than that. I flew from Spokane, Washington to Bangor, Maine for way less than that.

[fishfarm]

Right now, Atlanta to

Sacramento is only $330 round trip, Gotta look for the deals. Ken