This is typical, you post asking for suggestions and then you ignore
them and pick your own, why do you keep bothering everybody here with
this question? Couls it be so that once again you get to advertise
your conference for free under the guise of "asking for suggestions"?
If you think you are being clever, think again!

After many years of learning from this group, I finally got tired of all the
personal p***ing matches and left it for a while to just take pictures.
On returning, I'm disappointed to see not much has changed except that a lot
of the participants I fondly remember are also no longer in the group.

This thread may be a good example why.  I hope you will permit me a couple
of observations.

Large format photography can hardly be described as a "boom" business or
tremendously fast growing hobby, yet we do have ONE
national-scope conference available to us.  What is the response?  The
silliness witnessed here for the past few days.  Isn't it interesting that
not one of the "big-bucks" LF manufacturers is putting on such an event, not
the film manufacturers, not the photo super-stores -- and not one of the
vicious critics in this newsgroup.  After all, any one of us could have
written the dozens of letters it must take to pull together an agenda we
felt was perfect, at a location we wanted, etc.  None of us apparently are
so motivated, yet some sure are willing to pillory the one guy who does make
the time.  Yes, it will help his commercial venture - and if we had more
than one such national conference to choose from we could get picky about
whose commercial venture we were going to support.

I've seen a lot of photo magazines die and I'm grateful to have one that is
still around devoted to my favorite area of photography.  I'm extremely
happy a few companies continue to make LF sheet film inspite of declining
sales and profit margins.  I'm impressed by the tenaciousness and innovation
expressed by Sinar, Wisner, Calumet, Linhof and the shrinking list of other
manufacturers who not only keep a product line available but occasionaly
expand it.  None of these are perfect and I occasionaly complain about all
of them, but I also recognize we LF afficianados are an endangered species.
With only a few exceptions, we are all to some degree dependent on those who
try to make a living manufactuing and selling photo equipment and
particularly its supplies.  I see our mutual love of LF photography giving
us a vested interest in hoping these manufacturers survive - not doing all
we can to convince them their customers are a bunch of foul mouthed
curmudgeons who can't be pleased and insist on everything being priced below
cost.

Of course there is another side to the issue.  It is not uncommon for some
in the industry or their reps to "take the bait" and respond to some vicious
criticism with more of the same.  While I can understand the emotions, it is
the kind of horrible customer relations that also hurts our group in general
and their business in particular.  If we can't use common decency then how
about a little common sense - there aren't enough remaining in our group for
us to engage in the canabalizm often exhibited here.  Thanks for listening.