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Next Year's TAM?

Cost was also a problem at other times of the year in FL, if I remember correctly. Even with the reduced conference rate, rooms were $109/night. There may have been cheaper places, but they would accomadate the amount of people we had.
But I think the reason the Meeting is held in FL is so Mr. Randi and staff won't have to travel.
Dang! I'd love to see the Meeting held in Vegas. That's only a day and a half drive from here.
 
Larry Barrieau said:
Lisa, the black hills are beautiful. How about Sturgis after the bikers leave!?
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Because the Black Hills are beautiful, the weather will still be nice, so I'll be out on my bike.;)
And if the organizers are determined to have the Meeting in January, South Dakota probably isn't the place to be.
 
arcticpenguin said:

I'm sure the rates would be dirt cheap.
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I pointed that out, no one seemed to amped at the idea. Mumbled something about nose hairs freezing.
They had a point.
 
Lisa said:

I pointed that out, no one seemed to amped at the idea. Mumbled something about nose hairs freezing.
They had a point.
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Ha! These same people would probably pay to have their nose hairs frozen at a fancy spa.
 
I've been asked to weigh in on this topic, so here goes. First of all thank you to everyone that helped me out at the registration desk and merchandise tables. We'll be much better organized for next year. We have pretty much settled on the same weekend for the conference next year...Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2004 (Sorry Larry!) There has been a lot of discussion as to location, with Las Vegas being seriously considered. I'm voting for Fort Lauderdale again mainly due to logistics and cost. JREF would have to hire a professional meeting planner to make arrangements, fly our staff out to Vegas and pay for hotel rooms plus pay to ship books and merchandise to sell. That would pretty much wipe out any money we made from this conference.
Assuming we are having it here again next year, we will most likely be at a different hotel....one that is less "isolated". I think we will start on Friday morning with sessions, and give more social or "down" time. While there has been much discussion of having concurrent sessions, the majority feeling is to have only one session going on at a time. Depending on the hotel, we may have to limit registrations unless we do away with the classroom table setting and arrange chairs theater style, in order to accommodate more people in the ballroom. Opinions please?
We will plan on having a screen behind the speakers showing the speaker.....like at a concert, in order for people in the back to see.

The evaluation forms have been invaluable in helping us make plans for next year. Many thanks for those of you who filled yours out.
 
Originally posted by Linda (snip)
I think we will start on Friday morning with sessions, and give more social or "down" time.
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Since people will be arriving Thursday that means more people will be attending the Internet show Thursday night!
(snip)the majority feeling is to have only one session going on at a time.
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I always feel I'm missing something at a multi-track conference. I like single-track conferences better.
(snip)unless we do away with the classroom table setting and arrange chairs theater style, in order to accommodate more people in the ballroom. Opinions please?
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Please keep the tables. It is easier to sit with tables. You can lean on them, place your glass of water on them, or even place paper on them and take notes. ;) The 4th World Skeptics Conference just had chairs. I was very uncomfortable after sitting in one all day. Chairs alone are fine for a short time, but not for an all-day conference.
(snip)
 
Linda said:
Depending on the hotel, we may have to limit registrations unless we do away with the classroom table setting and arrange chairs theater style, in order to accommodate more people in the ballroom. Opinions please?
We will plan on having a screen behind the speakers showing the speaker.....like at a concert, in order for people in the back to see.
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Well, I'm all for this if I can get someone to massage my feet or if I can lean on someone if I get tired. :D

G6
 
keep the tables...

well, Girl6 you'll have the guys lined up to massage your back and feet...me, I'm getting on there, so I opt for tables!
I think Vegas would be interesting as I've never been, nor had a real reason to go. Maybe we could do some sort of skeptic take on gambling and why the house always wins despite your lucky rabbit foot. Then again, we could get kicked out of the hotel...

Florida was nice, but any place is nicer than NH in the winter.

I really like the small size, but hey, the point is not only educataion but to make some money, so more people would be better. I really think we need to have more social time, and maybe even some little get togethers for forum members ( and people they brought along too). If we are adding Friday morning just remember that boosts the cost up if people have to come in Thursday night.
 
Girl 6 said:


Well, I'm all for this if I can get someone to massage my feet or if I can lean on someone if I get tired. :D

G6
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I'll provide both. :)

I have a bad back that tightens up if I can't move around enough. The other day I sat for about an hour and a half in a chairs only room and it was very uncomfortable. The tables also facilitated note taking which was invaluable when I did my review for North Texas Skeptics.

Putting the speakers on a screen would be great. My single complaint about TAM was that I, and I'm fairly tall, frequently couldn't see the speakers.
 
UnrepentantSinner said:



I have a bad back that tightens up if I can't move around enough.
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We could always open a massage and reiki clinic on site and charge $10 a head to go to the foundation.

Only kidding. I just like whacking that ◊◊◊◊ out of peoples backs!
I'd do it for free!

Anyone else?

I bet Eddie will be up for it! Especially if he has that "Terminator" eye again.
 
sadluxation said:


We could always open a massage and reiki clinic on site and charge $10 a head to go to the foundation.

Only kidding. I just like whacking that ◊◊◊◊ out of peoples backs!
I'd do it for free!

Anyone else?

I bet Eddie will be up for it! Especially if he has that "Terminator" eye again.
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LOL Several years ago I transferred from chiropractic to good old fashioned Ibuprofin. The effect is about the same only the Ibuprofin lasts longer and I have more convienient access to it.

If your massages are like a potter working clay and not a blacksmith working iron, I'll suppress my willies and take one. :)

I'll even drop the $10 so Eddie can get one too.
 
Although tables add to the area needed, I think they are very useful! It gives you something to lean against, too.

Having been to umpteen conferences, I am not a big fan of parallel sessions. It always means you miss out on something. Are there so many potential topics and speakers that we need this? I know a shorter conference means saved money (for JREF as well as attendees), but I worry that quality may be sacrificed.

A logistical note: flying from the west coast to to the east takes a full day of clock time (6 hours flying minimum plus 3 hours time difference), so that means people coming from California need an extra day coming. However, flying back saves those three hours. When I leave a meeting, I tend to wait until the next day to fly out, but an evening flight still gets me home at a reasonable time. So a last day session ending at, say, noon, may be a good idea. Then people can hang out and spend the rest fo the day chatting, or go home as they see fit. Ending at 3 or later, though, means an extra day for sure. We lost a lot of folks who had to leave before the meeting ended because it ran long!
 
Girl 6 said:


Well, I'm all for this if I can get someone to massage my feet or if I can lean on someone if I get tired. :D

G6
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ME! ME! ME ME ME me me me me me me me...

...please?... :)
 
Are there any more thoughts on When and Where for TAM2?

I'd like to attend, but it's a big thing to organise a trip from Australia. So I'd like to incorporate a couple of weeks of sightseeing while in the USA (Cape Canaveral, Washington, New York...anywhere else I should go?).
 
I think that it's going to be the same weekend (last one of January). I also think that it may stay in Ft. Lauderdale but in a different hotel.

Linda would know these details. I'm sure that they will announce it as soon as all of it has been arranged.

G6
 
Opinions needed......
We're seriously, seriously considering having the conference in Las Vegas next year. Weekend of Jan. 30th. I'm having a problem finding an affordable hotel in Fort Lauderdale that can accommodate the number of people we're hoping for and I have a contact in Las Vegas that is willing to do all the legwork. I'd like a show of hands as to how many would want to go to Las Vegas.
 
Las Vegas, in terms of flight tickets, would be more expensive to me... and maybe to Europeans too?

BUT...

LAS VEGAS RULES! I've been to Las Vegas in 1999 (exchange rate then: 1,80. Now: 3,20! I was rich and I didn't know it) and I visited the Grand Canyon too, and I'd love love love to visit it again.

Wait, I still don't know if I'll make it to the next TAM, so don't count me in yet! (I believe nobody can guarantee anything at this stage). But the mix of TAM + Grand Canyon is too good to be true!

So count my vote as YES!
 
Las Vegas is closer to me, which would make it much easier for me to attend.
 
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