WPB TDI FRED said:
I respect your opinion, and I do agree that a big city is not a guarantee to anything. However, some of the attendees may choose to do something other than to stay in the hotel 24hrs a day for 3-4 consecutive days without exploring the area. I can't honesty say that the King of Prussia / Philadelphia was a "rain fest" or a waste. There was plenty to do and see around the hotel area, the historical surroundings, and in the city. And who could drive to Philly and not have a cheesesteak sandwich at Jim's Steaks or Pat's Steaks?
Every area has something unique to offer, but the location should have significant choices to offer the attendees in order for them to "find their own entertainment" to supplement Fest activities. Who in their right mind would like the choices to be limited to either going in the woods to hunt for bears or stay in the campground and get bitten by a rattlesnake. ???
I'm of the mindset that you have expectations that no organizer is ever going to meet.
You state that you are undecided if the Philly fest was a success or not. That is a very telling statement. The simple truth is that it was an overwhelming success! The organizers pulled it off. It did happen as it was planned to. There was record attendance. The auction raised a respectable amount of money. Vendors sold products & services. Cars were worked on. Sunday it cleared up and the "Show & Shine" was held along with the rally. The majority of attendees refused to let the rain dampen their spirits, dismissed the adversity, moved on and had fun.
Monday Fred, TDIinRI, another guy ( I forgot your name, sorry), and I did venture into Philly and went to the Mutter Museum and hit Jim's for the real-deal Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. It was great but getting downtown and parking was not easy to negotiate even on a holiday.
I've been to 5 out of 7 fests now and I have never been disappointed. I kept my expectations simple and that was the key. Every fest has had something go wrong despite the best intentions of the organizers.
If you are undecided that the Philly fest is a waste or not, then you would have hated the Lake Mills fest. Lake Mills was a hard-core wrenching fest. You would have had to invent your own entertainment pretty much all of the time.
Who in their right mind would like the choices to be limited to either going in the woods to hunt for bears or stay in the campground and get bitten by a rattlesnake. ???
With this statement I don't know what you are saying except showing your contempt for someone's fest idea with unwarranted sarcasm. You still have your trump card to play. Submit your proposal for a FL fest. This is your baby. Make it the biggest most successful fest ever! Show all those other fest organizer slackers that their efforts were lame, sub-par, inferior, etc. Raise the bar! This is your moment. Carpe diem!