Re: [Killietalk] BOT member response to Convention costs

["Erny May" <emay1 at wi_rr.com>]

Monty,

As I said earlier, there is no doubt that all concerned did what
they could with what was available. I do believe that cost factors
should be given consideration by all; hence if you want the convention
in a more reasonable area than those areas need to put in a request
to host the convention. Seems to me this year the choice was a
convention in the DC area or no convention. However, we still all
have the right to moan and groan, and to verbalize that. I appreciate
the efforts put into this event.

Erny


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <lehmann at jlab_org>
To: <killietalk at aka_org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 1:04 PM
Subject: [Killietalk] BOT member response to Convention costs


>
>
>  Hello Fellow Killinuts;
>
>   After reading many of the comments about the costs
>  of this years convention and questions about "did
>  the BOT consider the costs?" I have decided to
>  present my thoughts on the matter and how the BOT
>  (including myself) responded last year when the
>  bid to hold the Convention in DC was presented.
>
>  After listening to Dave Korans and Mike Brems'
>  proposal, various members of the BOT asked many
>  questions. Yes, we were very concerned about the
>  higher room cost in the DC area.
>  From my own point of view, I am not rich. Expenses
>  of attending a convention are my first concern. I work
>  hard but I am the only employed person in my family.
>  In the nearly 30 years of being an AKA member,
>  there have been more than a few times that I could
>  not scrape up the money to go.
>  Other years I had to raise large amounts of killies,
>  then put aside the money from the sales of those
>  killies just so I could afford to go to a convention
>  AND afford new fish.
>  At no time did I blame the AKA for my not being able
>  to go because of costs. The years when I really wanted
>  bad to attend, I did extra work, saved what I could,
>  arranged to share rooms to keeps the hotel costs
>  at a minimum, ate fast food (except for the banquet)
>  and still had a good time.
>  So, as a BOT member I am always concerned about costs.
>  I want to be able to spend as much of my money on
>  fish and the least amount of money reasonably possible
>  on the hotel rooms, and other non fish costs.
>  But lets face the facts. Only one proposal was made
>  to the BOT last year, the DC bid. The bottom line was:
>  have the Convention in DC or not at all. Putting on
>  a convention is a lot of work, and in recent years
>  many times there has been only one bid (or as in the
>  case a few years ago, NO BID. We really had to
>  scramble to have any kind of convention that year)
>  The costs for the DC convention were to be kept down
>  as much as was possible, but given the area there
>  were very few ways to do this at all.
>  The BOT deliberated the facts at length. While it was
>  not unanticipated that there would be complaints about
>  the costs, in the end the BOT had very few other
>  options that made any sense. So we voted for the DC
>  bid.
> I would ask all of the AKA membership to keep in
>  mind that the BOT is made up of killie hobbyists
>  trying to do the best for the AKA and its members.
>  Most of the time we respond to concerns and we do
>  listen to the members, but our decisions are based
>  on what is best for the AKA and not what is best for
>  any one member. In the course of events not everyone
>  will be served equally, but it is not for lack of
>  trying by the BOT or understanding what the concerns
>  of the AKA  members are.
>
>
>               Regards,
>
>      Monty Lehmann
>      AKA BOT 2004-2006 (and other years)
>
>
>
> To join the AKA see http://www.aka.org/pages/join.html
> Archives are at http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/
> 




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