Re: [Harp-L] SPAH convention locations



On Aug 3, 2008, at 1:44 PM, Philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:

As I understand the main determining factor on where a SPAH convention will
be held is the size and strength of the local harmonica club.

That is why St. Louis is such a popular venue.

Plus it is about at the center of population for the U.S.

While SPAH does indeed have a board and officers, much of the work of setting
up a convention is conducted by the volunteer members of the local harmonica
club.

The exception to this was long-term tenure of SPAH in Detroit because that is
where the organization originated and most of the officers/board members
lived in the Detroit area -- and it was probably just easier to keep it in Detroit
near the airport for easy access over the years.

At one time there was a lot to be said for locating the convention near an
airport: easy in and easy out of the Midwest. Detroit Metro Airport was at that
midpoint. Fly in and take the shuttle to the hotel. At the same time, other
issues were involved such as keeping the convention room rates "reasonable" in a
hotel that was large enough to hold the harp fans. 

The three most depressed areas in the U.S. (right now) are (in order):
1.. Detroit
2.. Pittsburgh
3.. St. Louis.

Ergo: one would think that the CITIES in these areas would be easier to deal with. I have to be honest here. I feel that a room rate of $99.oo that winds up as being OVER $136.oo after all the local taxes and charges are tacked on IS a bit much. I don't mind paying the hotel, but who do these governments think they are?

Since I live in the Detroit suburbs -- 45 minute drive from the airport
hotels, it was fine with me in Detroit. I didn't always have vacation time, but I
could spend the day at the convention and still go to work at the newspaper in
the evening.

For those who want the convention located at a town near them -- wherever
they are -- they first need to make sure there is a viable harmonica club there.
Otherwise, the likelihood of a convention in their home town is nil.

Many people may recall the Memphis convention -- I had limited vacation time
that year so I attending by video purchased after the convention.

I was at that convention.

The Memphis club (group)? said they could handle it and had everything under
control until sometime near the last minute when it turned out they didn't.

I wasn't aware of that. I wasn't even aware that Memphis even HAD a club. I DO know that the 'downtown Brown' hotel had chambermaids that were thieves.

Only through the stelar efforts of Pete Pedersen (and others) was the event able
to come off at all. For most of those attending the convention, they just
showed up and didn't have a clue how close the convention came to not happening
at all.

Yeah, I drove down with mama Cass (the live one), and I didn't have a clue.

So it's not just a matter of geography. A SPAH convention needs dedicated
volunteer workers. Those of us who just fly or drive in for the convention,
socialize and check out the jams and workshops probably don't realize the amount of
work that goes into setting up the convention.

Some people have even opted out of an active roll in convention organization
when they realized that they were spending all this time working on a
"professional" convention and would not get paid for their time.

It would be nice if SPAH had a paid organizational staff that could book the
hotels, arrange for talent, seminars and other good stuff on a rotating basis
around the country. But this is not likely to happen soon.

Spah is too small to do that. And growing is going to be a problem. Spah is similar to the Shriners in a way. It costs money to go to the conventions. To some it is a deal, to others it is expensive. And to some, it is out of the question. Back when I joined (1991), I had 2 kids in college at the same time BUT it was a short drive to Detroit and I roomed with Herb Eck, the room rate was $69.oo. Figuring $180 for my share, plus gas, plus $80 for the ticket, the trip cost
just about $300.oo. Now it is 300% of what it was, while my income is 60%. (which equates to 5X).

A lot of the chromo players are older and there are less and less each year. It's not that there ARE less and less of them, it's just that less and less feel a need to go to the conventions. First of all, the open mikes used to be in the Atrium and there were people constantly milling about and walking by and through. Now, the open mike is shut up in a side room and there's hardly anyone in there listening. THEN, there are some people who will play and then book without listening to anyone ELSE.

So, why should these people go to a convention when they don't get a chance to play.

If I'm completely wrong on this issue or details -- as I frequently am --
feel free to jump in with your corrective comments.

No corrections necessary. You're right.

smo-joe

I'm not fixing any blame here
by the way; just trying to put together a chronology of past conventions.

Phil Lloyd















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