Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!mo
From: mo@seismo.CSS.GOV (Mike O'Dell)
Newsgroups: comp.org.usenix
Subject: Meeting Considerations
Message-ID: <44000@beno.seismo.CSS.GOV>
Date: Tue, 23-Jun-87 09:50:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: beno.44000
Posted: Tue Jun 23 09:50:55 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Jun-87 00:47:57 EDT
Organization: Center for Seismic Studies, Arlington, VA
Lines: 39

Just a few thoughts as to why Usenix meetings get held where
they do...

Winter meetings:  At the moment, there is 
coordination with /usr/group since an overwhelming part of the
membership says meetings with them are important.  This is based
on a real survey of the membership (not just meeting attendees)
which had an astonishing return rate.

Summer meetings:  One big problem is the size of the meeting.
Finding meeting space for 2000 people is hard.  We are too big
for most places, but far too small for the large ones.  Further,
hotel rooms for 1200-1500 hotel rooms are non-trivial to obtain,
particularly when your membership tells you quite emphatically
that the three most important considerations are (1) cost,
(2) cost, and (3) cost, with immediate proximity to the meetings
a close second.  One of the big advantages of Phoenix in the
summer is that it is CHEAP!!  It is also hot, but so is at least
3/4ths of the rest of the country - Phoenix is also DRY which
make HOT much more tolerable.  (I live in Washington, DC, and
would trade you even for Phoenix weather instantly.)

As for the reception at Rawhide, it was clearly not the best
ever held; the best was at Champagne-Urbana when the entire
meeting went over to John Mullen's house for beer in the back
yard and burgers&dogs cooked in his garage.   And it wasn't
crowded.  However, those days are long, long gone.  Again, the
size is the issue.  I will say, however, that if our luck holds,
you can expect an AMAZING time in San Franscico next summer.
And if Choice 1 fails, we could always rent an airplane hanger,
10 helium cylinders, and a billion balloons, catered with the
canonical beer and hotdogs. (grin...)

So, if people have constructive suggestions, not just flames about
the intuitively obvious, I know the Board would love to hear them.
They very much try do new things, and one of the liabilities of that
is they all don't work out like you would have liked.

	-age-ID:age-I