Hi Denys

Not sure if this is a response to my email, or to another thread
elsewhere, but assuming (always a bad thing to do) that it is in
response to my message may I make the following points.

In article <[log in to unmask]>, Denys Beauchemin
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>Up until last year, the Solutions Symposium, which is TOTALLY dedicated
>to MPE (you could not get more 3000-centric than the
>SolSymp) was held every year in or near Cupertino.  So last year, in
>order to cater to a wider audience, Interex put on 2 Symposia,
>one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast.  The programs were
>virtually identical.  They were totally MPE-centric.  There is a
>small exhibition, with some tables.  The cost was much reduced from HP World.

Good events, I attended them, even if again the numbers were low,
although the East Coast one we know was probably affected by an HP
Migration Forum the previous week.

But I think that's my point, given limited numbers of potential
attendees, three events is too many, or should that be two too many.


>
>Now you are suggesting that we go back to a single event.  This event
>would take place in or near Cupertino because you need the HP
>presence.  This is not the cheapest place in the country to travel to.
>People would still have to fly in and stay at a hotel.
>Granted, they do not have to stay at the main hotel (were the meeting
>rooms are located, and one needs to pay for these meeting
>rooms,) one could stay at a "cheaper" place.  You could do that before
>and you could do that at HP World.

Why Cupertino, if there was an HP3000 event in Timbuktu that threatened
to get 30+ HP3000 users there, the folks from vCSY would turn up. It
their Job, in fact its just about their only job, making sure that the
news gets spread, and trying to make sure that the community doesn't say
they have stopped caring. No offence meant to anybody by that :-)


>
>Irrespective of the flight, the hotel accommodations, etc... it is
>decided to hold the cost of the registration to as close to $0 as
>possible.

Who suggested zero?, I'm just suggesting something lower cost that might
be reflected from a smaller event. Given that I suspect 100+ HP3000
Homesteader's and or Migrator's turning up for an event would be
regarded as successful, i.e. more than double the numbers at HP World or
Solutions Symposium. I'm sure finding a location with a Hotel that could
accommodate those sort of numbers, with 3-4 meeting rooms, in a city
with good all-round air transport communications, can't be impossible?
And No I definitely want a good hotel room to sleep in.

If we were doing it in Europe I'd recommend Malaga in Spain, Holiday
airport destination from everywhere in Europe, lots of cheap flights,
lots of Hotel Accommodation. Must be somewhere similar in the US? Las
Vegas?


> Universities or colleges could be canvassed to find one or two
>cheap/free meeting rooms.  It might even have some A/V
>equipment, but probably not, so you may have to rent some.  Now, these
>colleges probably do not have hotels/motels nearby, so one
>would need a car.  That is not something I usually rent at HP World of
>SolSymp.  Maybe we could sleep in the dorm.  Well, you could,
>but at my age, sleeping in a communal environment lost its appeal, decades ago.
>
>Now, since we are holding the costs way down, we will of course
>dispense with a program, lunches, drinks and such other
>arrangements.

Given that at HP World for 4 of the 5 nights we all managed to organise
ourselves to go and get an evening meal, where we chose, and even to
grab ourselves lunch, if we didn't partake of the HP World lunch. In the
land of fast food, and dinning out, I don't think a hundred or so people
in an American City would have that much trouble taking care of
themselves.

>We will make up the program as we go.  That is good as far as it goes,
>but it sort of prevents someone from going
>into any kind of depth on a subject.  Let's say I want to talk about
>volume management, why would others want to talk about that in
>depth?  Is there a speaker for this subject?  Any handouts?  If I don't
>want to attend that talk, is there another talk at the same
>time?  Do I have a choice?  Who organized this shindig?

Given that many of the SIG members have had experience on program
selection committee's, why shouldn't there be a formal program put
together, with papers submitted and selected. And it doesn't take much
to put papers up on a web-site for people to download, as Interex now
do. And if its the organisation of the registrations, and the hotel
bookings that's a problem, there are several Internet service companies
out there now that specialise in doing this for companies that want to
organise this size of event. Who knows even Interex might want to do it
for a fee?


>
>Well, now I only need to go to my management and say:  I want to take
>3-5 days off, fly across the country and attend a get-together
>to talk about MPE.  There are no registration fees and no set agenda
>either.  We will be meeting in a room at the local Y and oh, I
>need to rent a car because the nearest hotel is 4 miles away and we
>have to go out for lunch and dinner.

OK here's the proposition, you want to go to the major event of the
year, where everything you might want to know about homesteading your
HP3000 or migrating it applications, will be available in one place,
with experts and peers giving presentations and easily available for
advice. And where hopefully you would be able to also access all the
vendors that may help or hinder you with your chosen strategy. Nobody
(well almost nobody) just want's to get together to talk MPE. But
regardless if we are adopting a homesteading or migration strategy, we
all have things to learn.

No its not an HP World experience that can open yours eyes to the
future, or what new and breaking. But as far as I can see most peoples
eyes and budgets are focused a little bit closer to home at the moment.
I guess its like saying, which would I rather have at the moment to read
to help me address the real issues I'm facing, The Technical
presentation papers from the Joint HPQ Microsoft Itanium and .Net
launch, or a copy of Robell's new HP3000 Evolution Book. I know which is
the most useful to me right now


Alan

--
Alan Yeo
[log in to unmask]    Just because you're paranoid
Phone +44 1684 291710   it doesn't mean someone isn't!.
Fax   +44 1684 291712

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