[CQ-Contest] 2005 Dayton Contest Dinner, Super Suite and Forum Wrap Up

[Ted Bryant]

It has been interesting reading all the comments concerning this year's off-site forums.  Like a lot
of people, I was faced with a choice on Saturday between visiting the Hamvention (for a second day)
or attending the two forums of most interest to me. True, I could have still made a short visit to
Hara on Saturday but did not.

K3LR and K1DG are to be commended for their actions to salvage these forums.  Just how would we have
felt if they had done nothing and we were shoe-horned into the meeting rooms at Hara? Remember all
the wailing and gnashing of teeth after last years' Contesting forum?

As a Dayton relative "newbie", the whole experience looses a little flavor for me when the forums
cannot be accomodated at the main venue.  I liked the plan of Hara in the daytime and contest suites
in the evening.

So, a suggestion:

-IF suitable accomodations are not available at Hara Arena, forcing the Antenna and Contesting
forums to be held off-site(the Crowne Plaza gets my vote), then please consider holding them on
different days, possibly Friday afternoon at 3PM for the Antenna Forum, Saturday afternoon at 3PM
for the Contesting Forum.

Hopefully this would allow time for folks to visit Hara yet provide a much more pleasant venue for
the forums. And, if, as it has been claimed, we contesters are a very small percentage of the
attendance, the impact will not be noticed.

73, Ted W4NZ