the just renewed our contract with the South Point & did so after exploring many different potential locations. To start, there are not many places that offer the facilities necessary to hold our convention. This means not only the showroom floor, but also rooms necessary to hold seminars, trade sessions & meetings. Next, even though there were a few on the Strip, access to the convention / conference area was not really convenient. For example, I believe that it was either Harrahs or the Flamingo that had acceptable facilities...but they were no where near the actual Strip, so it was doubtful that we would have seen an increase in foot traffic. And the real clincher was the price. The South Point -- through relationships with some of our club members & excellent negotiations -- really offered us the best bang for the buck. Reduced rates for rooms (which most hotels did not offer) plus the best in amenities. And I'm not real certain that anyone visiting would know about or take the time to visit a convention for something that they know little about.

We've held our conventions at a number of different places in the past and some (like the Tropicana & the Riviera) had convenient access to the convention facilities through the back of their properties. But the Tropicana was WAAAAAAAY too expensive and the Riviera?? Well, it's just a dump. And neither one is really convenient for foot traffic. And compared to the South Point, freeway access & parking & pretty much everything else is better at the South Point. And, it is very convenient for the hundreds of thousands of people that work in Las Vegas & live in Henderson. The real trick is getting the word out that our hobby exists & that the convention is taking place -- without spending a ton of money. That has been & continues to be our greatest challenge.

Thanks for your continuing support of the , Scott...and I look forward to seeing you again in June.

Steve B