[Harp-L] Re: SPAH convention locations

[BluzeHarp@xxxxxxx]

Many, many hundreds of unpaid volunteer hours go  into planning a SPAH 
convention.  A large share of  those hours go toward selecting and contracting a 
hotel.   Someone then has to lay out vendor-seminar-ballroom spaces,  
someone else has to find sound and backline providers,  others figure out 
transportation options and work  to establish duties/roles with the host club.  
There's  a hundred + EXTRA things like this to do every time SPAH  changes 
locations.  The staff works for free, but  obviously there are expenses in 
regard to travel and lodging  during a hotel search.  There's also a lot of 
sacrifice involved,  family dynamics and work schedules are often disrupted while 
a  convention is being put together.  While it's a labor of love,  it's 
nonetheless a labor of large proportion.  
 
As a staffer only since 2012, I  already can see the enormous amount of 
resources it takes to  pull up our stakes and move every year.  Having the 
convention  repeat in the same location makes tons of sense, especially so for 
2014 as the  St Louis Renaissance Hotel was so outstanding.  Repeating  
causes around 80 percent of the above mentioned work  to disappear.  With the 
logistics already in  place fine tuning becomes possible, which is  likely to 
result in an even better convention experience for  everyone.  Call me 
selfish, but with the decreased  workload I'm hoping that I'll be able to attend 
at least one  seminar in 2014... an actual sit down lunch would be pretty 
cool too!
 
This next bit is me speaking as a private citizen, it is not an official  
position or opinion of SPAH, nor does it have anything to do with the  
decision to stay in St Louis in 2014, I came on board after that was in  place.  
Because of this newly gained perspective I've become an  advocate for moving 
the convention on two or even three year  cycles instead of annually, I 
honestly believe that SPAH would be stronger  and better if this was adopted.  
As local clubs shrink and  membership demographics change we will need to 
find ways to partner  with entities who can add support to the ongoing efforts  
of the clubs.  These aren't simple issues  requiring but small amounts of 
consideration, the  personal resources needed to address these questions will 
have to come  from somewhere.  The 'break' provided by multi-year location 
cycles  could provide a way to fulfill these types of needs.
 
Christopher Richards
Staging & Production - SPAH