Thanks James and Derek. Definitely a kettle o' fish here.
I read that some dealers might not come back because of this and I wonder just how many of the membership are cigarette smokers.
The non smoking contingent is getting stronger by the year. Here in Canada you cannot smoke in any public places without the risk of being fined and as much as smokers and hotel/pub/restaurant owners complained about business suffering if this law was passed,it turned out to have the opposite effect,as business actually increased due to non smokers who suddenly realized that they could go out to dinner and not have to smell smoke.
That said,I know that smokers are now in the minority. Because of this, I am wondering if South Point,or Nevada for that matter does have this non smoking policy at or near the convention hall,that we try perhaps to get them to aside a "smoking room" or area close to the convention room to accommodate those who have the need. Maybe this would be impossible but at least we could give it a try to make the smokers happy. Because there are so many non smokers out there now,we definitely do not want to make it uncomfortable for attendees and sellers who hate the smell of cigarettes,and that includes walking through the gauntlet of smokers who might be lingering outside the door. I am sure that many would not even walk into the convention room if there was the "ciggy" odor.
As for the suggestion that smokers just light one up if they want to at the convention:not a good idea simply because that would alienate hundreds of non smokers who could be in the hall at those times and...it is against the law anyway? Not to mention the fact that if members broke this policy/law,it could prevent us from ever returning to the South Point in the future.