Hope to see you all out there!
Fixed it for you Mark. 
No worries about the heat euge, as long as the AC works. We wouldn’t have survived Vegas otherwise. 
I’m one of the ones who flew in to SD early, it was a great time. The better the destination, the earlier I’ll get there and I arrived for the Seattle conference today, so . . .
Agreed, and that’s one of the main reasons I went to SD. It really was nice to meet some of the guys that post here often. It’s amazing how friendly everyone was. To all those I did meet: Kudo, and see ya next in Seattle.
Nice to meet you and your wife, Mic!
I like the way you’re thinking Tom.
Thanks Denny, Likewise.
(BTW - Kelly is not my wife. But I do hope she wants the job… )
Forgive my ignorance, but why is club power a requirement?
Does it make any sense to host the NHC in an area with a lower amount of homebrewers and use it as a catalyst to get more people in these areas excited about homebrewing?
I’d also like to see the NHC on the East Coast. I haven’t gone because of the travel, and I can’t remember when it was on the East Coast last (was it in Baltimore once with the mini-GABF)?
Club power matters because it’s pretty much clubs, not the NHC, that put on the conference. The NHC offers help and support, but the clubs provide the manpower and organization. The AHA staff is only 4 1/2 people and there’s no way they could do it without clubs. Not only that, but in my 6 years of going to conferences, I can’t recall running into anyone there who isn’t already a brewer. It might pull a few non brewers, but I don’t think it would work to assume that it would bring in new people.
BTW, the conference will be in Philly in 2013.
The conference relies on the locals to actually put on the conference. Without the local clubs doing much of the work, it just wouldn’t go well. If this were a professional conference where they can charge $900 to attend they could afford to hire professional planning staff to make sure everything goes well, but we are hobbyists and are paying out of our own pockets. You’ve got to have the local hosts.
Or in other words, what Denny said.
Well Tim, I’m quite the novice on the NHC, but from other national confrences that I have been involved with, the local club, association, or whatever does much of the leg work to make these happen. From arranging pre-conference events, to pouring beer at the educational session. I’m sure the AHA provides great support and such, but it takes many local volunteers to make it work. Last week, all the folks “in yellow shirts” were working the *sses off. And I sure apreciate their efforts and hope to pay them back by helping out in Seattle.
Hey, Tom here’s a sucker…er, volunteer for ya!
I just want to add that as few as 4 1/2 staff is, it still appears like more than it actually is. They all have other duties that don’t include all of the details that need to go into planning a successful conference. For example the 1/2 is Jill, the editor of Zymurgy, and I’d like her to keep doing an awesome job with that.
He’s already on the list of people to abuse
Hey Denny, you’re close enough to help out as well… LOL.
I sometimes feel sorry that I ever saddled Jill with the “1/2” staff thing. The rest of the time I think it’s funny as hell.
And yes, Jill is 1/2 AHA because of Zymurgy and 1/2 BA because she’s the editor of New Brewer as well.
Don’t laugh Mic, he is helping. ;D
Denny should absolutely continue the tradition of GC members being dumb enough to help out with the conference.
One question: will the Seattle conference include a committee for “Old Hippie Services”?
Just for Denny we are trying to arrange to have a Converse repair guy on site. We’re also looking for incense, healing crystal, hemp clothing, and tie-dye vendors. Water supply to showers will be turned off for the duration, and all soap in the hotel swapped out for patchouli oil spritzers. The will also be a “medical marijuana” dispensary in the bottom of the hotel.
ROTFLMAO
Well Denny is cool…so he should get the royal hippie treatment. 8)
Thanks for the reply.
I understand the need for volunteers and clubs seem like the best resource. Is there a bidding process or some other application process for clubs, and what or who makes the final determination for the location?
Sorry about all the questions, I just want to better understand how it all works and see what I need to do to rally support for more East Coast activities.
We can ask Wavy Gravy to attend the festival and serve as Denny’s “Please Force”