Maybe it's time that more of our members stop and think what they can do for the Club.

For an annual fee of $30 our members get one heck of a lot from their Club. But yet when it comes time that our Club needs support too many members turn their backs. Yet they are usually the first ones to complain. I'm sure I won't make many friends with this post but it's time some of our members face reality. Very bluntly, The Riv is the only hotel in town we can hold our Convention without a SUBSTANTIAL increase in cost. You want to complain now? Save it for when we have to hold the Convention somewhere else. Then you will really have a reason to complain.

Let me make this clear we are within one year of losing the Riv as a place to have our Convention because our members refuse to make one small sacrifice for the good of the Club. That is staying at the Convention hotel. Agreed it's not the Ritz but any place cheaper is not better and is certainly a major inconvenience. I have stayed in most of the hotels in LV so I know how the Riv stacks up and for the cost it's a decent place to stay.

There are at last count 14 hotels that have exhibit space big enough to hold just our bourse floor and meeting rooms. Those of you who won't support the Club and want better accomodations, help me out on which hotel to recommend to the BOD for next year. Which of the one of the 14 hotels do you want to stay at? Bellagio, Venetian, Tropicana, Bally's, Rio, Mandalay, Paris, Caesars, Wynn, Mariott, LV Hilton, MGM, Mirage, or Planet Hollywood?

All really nice hotels and all have enough space for us. Of course 7 years ago when I personally checked pricing on every one of these hotels (except the ones built since then) the cost for bourse floor space AVERAGED OVER $20,000, that's only...let's see....$20,000 MORE THAN WE PAY NOW. If we have 2000 members show up we only have to raise registration fees $10 per person. Of course we need additional rooms for the meetings and banquet. Another $5 per person ought to cover that. Banquet shouldn't be more than an extra $15 per person. Not too bad, only an additional $40 total per person. Oh yeah, the cheapest Convention rate room I could find at any of these hotels (7 years ago) was $159 per night. Only $70 more per night per person but you sure won't have to worry about a first class room. Not too bad, unless you want to eat at these hotels then they might be a little pricier than the Riv coffee shop or food court. Now these prices were based on 1000 booked room nights, but since they are such nice hotels I'm sure our members wouldn't think of staying anywhere else. We can't fill 650 room nights at $89 at the Riv!

Yes, I know that is a pretty rude way for an officer to try and make a point but somebody needs to wake everyone up and make this membership realize we are about to lose the best deal in LV for our Club! Remember our Convention doesn't even make a blimp on the radar to these other Convention hotels.

While I'm on a roll I would venture a guess that many of the people who won't support the Club by staying at the Convention hotel, are the same ones that have never donated anything to any Club fundraiser, not supported the Museum Fund, not volunteered to work at the Convention, or not volunteered in any other capacity. Like most organizations we have many members who do and support everything the Club does. Then there are the takers whose only contribution is to complain.

As serious as I can be. We have been told by the Riv today that if we don't fill our room block this year that we probably will not be able to come back in 2009. Think about your Club and if you do nothing else, stay at the Convention hotel in the Club room block.

Let me be clear this post is not aimed at anyone in particular, it is meant for all the members who refuse to support their Club.

I'll be glad to answer any questions or accept any criticism. Thank you for reading this.

Wayne Thompson
President

BTW - Anyone thinking of running for President in the next election now might be a good time to annouce because I'm sure I lost most of the support I had.