What do you think, would it be a good idea to organise a conference for all forum members? I know it won't be easy to organise but it should be fun to see everybody in real life.
Maybe some compagnies could set up a stand to promote their products?
It's just a idea, what do you think?

I have to admit it would be fun.

i doubt you can do that with all forum members, since this forum is very international.

I think it's a fine idea! You have a two day conference, charge suppliers space like at a gun show, have speakers to donate their time and ETS keeps the difference.

Although I don't believe Doug or anyone else at ETS has the time to organize it.

Still your correct, it would be fun to see everyone in person.

Pick a central location, with limited natural disasters, Vegas perhaps. No volcanoes, no hurricanes, not many tornadoes...perhaps the occasional earthquake..minor at best. and finding a decent location for a conference there shouldn't be a problem. Lots of Hotels. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

How about New Orleans? Central(ish) location, great food, great drink, great music, lots of hotel space, they really need the business, and it's a first rate example of the lesons about being equipped to survive, and not being so equipped.

Also, I could use some help tearing out sheetrock................ <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

,,,,,CLIFF
(like, who else?)

...it just seems so... wrong to meet a la convention. I mean, some place like, check in at a central location and you're driven out to a remote site in the boonies and dropped off for the duration - yeah, THAT would be a great ETS get-together.

-- ...a remote site in the boonies and dropped off for the duration....

You could DO that in parts of New Orleans today. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

.....CLIFF
(like, who else?)

I have thought about something like this as well. I think it would be a gret idea. Now that I say that I like it, it will be planned, but I won't be able to go!

Garrett

So a couple of them? Travel is pain for all of us. Say, ETS-West and ETS-East for those in the US and Canada, and ETS-Euro for our friends on the otherside of the pond?

I don't know if I'd want it to be a trade show, though. I'm not sure if we're big enough to get vendors. More than a class reunion thing, have some speakers or a couple workshops. Like a business conference.

Just need to find a hotel with a conference room that would be mellow with something like a fire-by-friction workshop. Or something where we bring in a bunch of bunnies and sheep so that our more urban members can clean thier own meals- pair those who've never done it with those of us who have. Maybe do that before the firemaking class, let them drain while the fire builds.

(And before anyone asks, no, I'm not looking to make proxies out of lunch. That's bad karma.)

We have talked about some sort of get-together for some time. I have been involved in the organization and presentation of numerous recreational and professional events and conferences. There are significant difficulties with making it happen.

1. Cost: About the cheapest weekend event I attend these days, put on with entirely volunteer help in a not very expensive location is about $350 for the weekend, lunch and dinner and a modestly priced keynote speaker included, but no travel or room charges and it assumes at least 75 persons attending for break even. So, by the time you factor in travel and hotel bills and misc, attendees need to be prepared to spend at least $700 - $1000 or more depending upon room sharing arrangements and travel. I see the cost as a major impediment to the majority of those on this board, but I could be wrong.

Sponsorship of an event by manufacturers and wholesalers and retailers requires that they perceive that their expenses, typically a few thousand dollars for a two day event, will pay for itself in sales, either at the event itself or subsequently. I think that is a difficult sell for such a small and niche gathering, especially considering that many suppliers are themselves so small, so it likely needs to be self-supporting.

2. Organization: Someone has to organize it all. This is a significant undertaking and requires an extraordinarily dedicated chairman with a lot of available time and resources and at least a couple very dedicated additional volunteers. I don't have the time myself.

3. Timing and location: Always a PITA to find a date a majority who want to come have free and a location that is affordable and affordably accessible.

Address these issues and I'd be interested in supporting such an effort.

What about piggybacking larger trade shows? Does the ETS foundation show up at any tradeshows? Maybe share a booth with the manufacturers of some of Mr. Ritter's products. Have a seperate room for a keynote speaker. A "nominal" charge for the speaker, but the individual pays full cost of the convention entrance (if any). Conferences on Hurricane Prepardness, and C.E.R.T. come to mind.

This would greatly reduce the planning needed, but could be more expensive. It would still need the 50 - 100 guaranteed participants to pay off (probably, I don't have exact numbers..)

Maybe we could get Les Stroud.. he seems popular here...

ETS does not show at trade shows. Aeromedix, retailer of the RSK knives, etc., has a booth as EAA AirVenture (Oshkosh), the only show it does, but that's not a viable proposition for holding any non-aviation related event and in any case would be even more difficult and expensive due to the enormity of that event. I do attend various conferences (non-public invited) and shows (SHOT, OR, Blade), but none that would lend themselves to public attendance or, again, they are so large that they would drive the price up, or they monopolize my time. Piggybacking on some other event is certainly a possibility, but nothing currently on the schedule lends itself to that.

How about a "virtual" conference? Must be some way we could use a chat room or similar to do a bit of a get together. I don't know much about such things. Just a suggestion.

Good Idea. I do this near daily in my job and I also present to customers now and then in a similar fashion - though it typically involves the phone, most web conference software uses chat as well.

for first pass at the concept, we could use keyboard chat. Each person pre-types a small introduction and sends it to the group in rotation. Would need a moderator to keep thing under control. We hams do this frequently on the various radio teletype modes. Takes a bit of getting used to, but would allow anyone, anywhere to join in.

Not sure what, if anything, it would accomplish though. We get the same effect here on the board without the limiting "be there at the same time" issue. Probably not woth the effort......

If I had my server up and running, we could do it as an IRC chat, but now that I'm off broadband I don't keep the server running.

Any of the rest of us got a box that could host IRC that is on all the time? A ETS channel might not be bad. I just don't know how much traffic it would generate. Might not be enough, might be too much.

Comandeer a campground somewhere?

Somewhere without bears. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Bring your own shelter, food, gear.

Sue

Maybe you're onto something Susan, but, perhaps not just one campground...

As others have indicated, it might be tough to get everyone together in one place, but, maybe we can have something like they do on National Trails Day in the US, where there are activities at various locations around the country. I've worked on trail restoration projects along the Appalachian Trail here in the northeast on that day in past years. At the same time, people were involved in activities from Mount Katahdin in Maine, to places like the Backbone Trail along the Santa Monica Mountains in California. (Which is a cool hike, about 70 miles.) There are places where interested folks get together all over the country.

Anyway, we could, with some planning, designate an ETS Day. Perhaps a few volunteers who were interested... (motivated folks with too much time on their hands) could find a location/park/whatever suitable for camping in their area, and invite those in easy driving range to join in for a weekend away. It could be as simple as a "drive up to the tent site at a state park" kind of camping, or something involving a little backpacking, or canoeing, etc.

Ok, needs more thought... <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I had emailed Les Stroud, his assistant got back to me and said he'd love to do something like this. I didn't ask about cost or anything, only his interest level. He said he'd love to!

He will be doing a new series of survivorman and would be unavailable for anything between September 2006 and probably March 2007.

My job involves creating online extensions of real-world confererences. Suffice it to say that a real=-world conference, at a small venue, in an out of the way place, costs about $200,000 to produce and has a sketchy payback rate for most small organizers.

I know I'm resurrecting the dead, but, I was searching for interest in a chat room, & came across this topic. I was wondering if there were still any interest in this at all? Even a chat room, where we could exchange ideas in real time, I think, would be beneficial. Someone mentioned an IRC server; I have been on them before, and they are a great medium. I do not keep my PC on all the time, as I try to reduce my COL as much as possible. But, again, is there any interest in either a meet & greet type event, or a chat room? thanks!

Hmm, I can't help but think that the govt is spending boodles of money to fund events, many seemingly a riduculous waste, and yet they get their events paid for time and again.

I wonder if there is some way to solicit big ticket sponsorship for such an event. Companies like mine shell out millions every year supporting various non-charitable events as well as charitable ones.

Then again, who here would want to deal with all that bureaucracy?

This reminds me of trying to attend and/or put together similar events for Dutch Oven cooking get togethers. They have them all over the place, usually hosted by a local DO club, sometimes, as with the big IDOS event in Utah, they get thousands together. If it can be done for cast iron, I reckon it could be done for us. What we lack is the independent community organization of local clubs to host these sorts of things. Well, maybe all in time I suppose.

As survival proponents (instead of calling ourselves 'survivalists", which has a less desirable connotation these days), would you say we are more gregarious or more isolationist in our social tendencies? I know this forum is socially attracting us together, but how would we fare under local scrutiny? Would we want other folks in our community to recognize us as being associated with preparedness? I know that for me, there would be mixed feelings about making this information too public.