Thomas Baker wrote:
>Hello,
>
>It is not the dues of joining NASG that are a problem, at least not in my
>view. The dues are as low as they can possibly be if the organization wishes
>to fund various projects, such as the publication of a magazine and sponsor
>along with a regional unit the annual conventions. It is neither the dues nor
>the cost of the convention that frustrate a person's best-laid plans; it is
>the cost of travel and lodging. I live about 300 miles from St. Louis, and
>that is not an excessive distance, even if gas prices go back to where they
>were.
>
>The issue is lodging which can be costly. And no one wants to lower the cost
>by having the convention held in a cheap motel.
>
(snip)
Most often, the issue is not that no one wants lower costs, but since
just about everyone wants convenience, it is not usually do-able. Cheap
motels do not have the display area or clinic room space needed.
I have attended a couple of narrow gauge conventions where the dealer
room was in the convention center, the clinics in one hotel, and the
contest room in another hotel. And none had decent parking. It was a
true nightmare where we did not get to many clinics and never got to the
contest room when it was open.
Cheap motels, like Motel 6, will still cost $50-90 per night depending
upon location. A few places around the country have hotels with enough
room for the S convention at good rates, but there are not many. The
Indy O meet has a good place, but who wants to go to Indy every year!!
So folks complain about the hotel costs or they complain about the
inconveniece of not having all components of the convention under one
roof. Ya cannot win!
----------------------------
As for the name change... I don't think that will do any good. The vast
majority still associate S with AF, and will for years to come. The
only thing to do is continue with Scale displays at the multi-scale
events and push the mfgrs for more scale ads and product release info in
the multi-scale mags. The Sn3 folks have the National Narrow Gauge
Convention and that makes them very happy, so I don't think there will
ever be a mass flock of them joining the NASG no matter what it is
called.... I still have scar tissue from trying to get them to attend
years ago. ;-)
Take care
Bill
--
============== Scale Model Railroad Products ================
Manufacturer - Retailer - Importer
Bill & Diane Wade Phone: 304-823-3729 FAX: 304-823-2901
B.T.S. RR 1 Box 141A, Belington, WV 26250
http://www.btsrr.com
We wish you Fair Winds and Following Seas.
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
