Re: RC: 5 Reasons Why I Can't Go To Reno

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

In a message dated 02/02/2000 8:53:17 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
Howard4567@aol.com writes:

<< In closing, is there any way we can have it down South next year, or maybe 
in 
 the near future?  I mean I just joined this year and I know it's been held 
in 
 Reno for the last two years or so, but don't we move it around at all?  >>

I enjoyed your list of 5 reasons for not attending the convention, and I 
realize much of this is in good humor.  However, being of serious mind, I 
have to tell you that AERC has twice scheduled the convention in the general 
area of "the south".  Once it was in Atlanta, during which this fair city 
also hosted a "once in a century" blizzard.  I looked out of the hotel doors 
and saw snow blowing horizontally across the yard.  I thought "how exciting, 
it's snowing" and then realized we WEREN'T in Reno at that moment and that 
certainly a blizzard is a little out of place for the deep south.  Everything 
was closed down, as the city doesn't ordinarily maintain snow removal 
equipment.  This forced ALL convention attendees to eat at the one and only 
restaurant in the hotel.  The food wasn't great and the restaurant was badly 
undermanned, completely incapable of handling the numbers.  Things were 
better in Louisville, KY, but in both cases, AERC lost great amounts of 
money.  It is much more costly to send the AERC office and staff "abroad", 
shipping supplies by whatever means, than it is to load everything into one 
van and drive 100 miles to Reno.  I'm not sure what the future holds for 
having the convention "back east" again, but I think we on the BOD recognize 
that fact that doing so imposes a financial burden on the AERC treasury.

Barbara