Guys,
I'm looking to float an idea amongst you people, that affects each and every one of us at ECN, so listen up!.
In the future, I would like to think that we(as in the ECN Members) could have a get- together somewhere in the US(just for a weekend or so), (Bearing in mind that air travel is so cheap at the moment)
The actual logistics of organising a group like this is quite frightening!.
The other question is when??,as in what time of the year?
This may take a year or two to organise, but I would like to see a sort of registration of interest, through this topic.
This is not a dead cert thing, but I would like to start the planning for it, if it were to come about!.
Tell me, what are your thoughts on a Get-Together like this on this scale?, any input is welcome!!.
Also, how do the Non-US members feel about this idea, as they would have to travel the furtherest!

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 09-21-2003).]

I for one am all for it. I am a sentimental type and think this could be a lot of fun. It would be a lot of work, but worth the effort.
Recently in Orlando I met several of the 'guys' from MH forum and it was very much worth it.

Pierre

Great Idea! I would travel to any location in the US or even abroad.

Some suggestions for a location to be considered:

San Diego, CA
Raleigh, NC
Long Island, NY
Chicago, IL
Boston, MA
Maine
Washington State
Ohio

PS: Invite all boards, MH, JT, ECN, etc...
Joe

One of my favorite topics to read are those where we post pics of ourselves. I also enjoy e-mailing and private messaging with the other users. I think it is a great idea, as we all owe each other a big thank you.

Count me in.

Roger

How about Edison New Jersey for the location,
Then you will have a choice of NYC and AC near by.

Les

[This message has been edited by LK (edited 09-21-2003).]

Ok then,

i will go for that.!!

What an excuse for a holiday, i wonder what my boss would say, He He.

John H (from over the pond)

I all for it, but the only location I would want to go to is Las Vegas, NV.

I was kinda thinking about Vegas myself!

a grassroots electricians jubilee?

with or without the vendors??

Hopefully without vendors or agendas Sparky.

Wouldn't there be too many lights in Vegas??. Electrical violations would be far too much for this crowd , I suggest a back woods cabin with no power

Trumpy,
Nice idea but I would prefer Oz! Or what about Galway in Ireland. Great craic!

Hello Russel, I like your style.

Walrus, what a true observation. We would never meet one another due to critiquing the area.

Roger

Someone said "Edison, NJ" home of Edison Tower, and about 30 min. from West Orange, NJ the home of Thomas Edison & his labs??

Gee, isn't that fitting. (Also happens to be the twp that I work in)

Seriously guys, it sounds like a good idea, no matter what location.

John

Las Vegas would be the place! Cheap hotels,cheap airfare, warm weather, and a place for the wives to have something to do (shopping). Lets do it!!!

Vegas would be a great place. Someone might be able to arrange a tour of one of the newer casino's electrical system? I for one would love to see all that is necessary to make them work around the clock, through thick and thin. Does AC have any newer casino's? Last 5 years or so.

Lost Wages, Nev. seems to have gotten the majority of the votes. I'm for it!

Joe T mentioned San Diego. We could arrange a "field trip" to Tijuana, and have more electrical hazards than we could handle...S

Electure,

Tijuana would be IDEAL!!!

There's tons of stuff to see there. Including smashed meters on the utility poles!

I didn't feel like toting my camera and looking like another tourist when I was down there this past August....preferred to blend in with the crowd.

Course I don't know if I could afford another plane trip.

How about The Fire Island Pines?

Salt water....electricity....X-mas tree light strings and steel-armored cord caps.....makes for a real sight!!! Then there was the three-floodlamp cluster Wonder-screwed to a tree. White NM coming out of the bottom of the box encircling the tree-trunk. At least they used the water-resistant box.

I'm still wondering what a water meter to a house was doing about a yard and a half (in the swamp) away from the walkway to the house!!! How does the utility guy READ that???

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 09-22-2003).]

I vote for Las Vegas,

In early December, that way I can make a company Christmas Party out of it.

Tev

Kinetic:
AC has a new casino (July '03), "Borgata", at a tune of 1 Billion plus. I haven't seen it yet.

Vegas is OK, much more to keep everyone occupied. (And it's warmer)

John

Vegas next February 2004 will be great because I already have plans to attend the Electric Show West for the EC&M Convention, plenty of things to do there and the rooms are cheap.

Trumpy, let's have another beer!!

PS: I refuse to leave my camera at home!!

Rotate the meeting place.
First year
Las Vegas tour the city of lights, and Fire alarm installations that are the latest and greatest, they think!

Second year

Chicago tour the UL Testing Labs. Then tour the city, and find out how power distribution switch gear works under water.

Third year

Boston tour the place that has a book we can't understand.

Fourth year

Stay home, were out of money.

[This message has been edited by LK (edited 09-22-2003).]

Wow, a lot of responses so far!

Las Vegas sounds like Fun, but might be hard to justify (for me anyway) and hard to come home with shirt too if you know what I mean.

If we're talking about winter time Orlando is nice in Feb too. Anyone for Hoover Dam? Never been to Chicago, but touring the Labs might be intertesting. (sounds like a cold place in Winter though .. )

Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 09-22-2003).]

Sounds like a great idea!

Perhaps we should find a venue with a suitable name? There's Electric City, WA (not surprisingly near to the Grand Coulee Dam), and another Electric City in Texas.

According to my well-traveled Rnad-McNally atlas, there's also a Sparksville in Indiana, and towns named Sparks in GA, KS, NV, and OK.

If it's going to be in winter, I vote for heading south!

Maybe if we put Joe on point with his camera,they'll throw poker chips instead of potatoes.

Russell

I agree with Vegas in Jan or Feb.
Cheaper airfares, and rooms; plus the contractors are slow that time of year, and it won't take too much from profits.
I don't know how far we would have to book ahead to get a good rate on hotel, we could bring lightbulbs, ballasts, etc, and 'sing for our supper'.

Vegas, San Diego . . . . sounds good. But how about a trip to Paradise?
http://www.americasparadiseresort.com/
http://www.tva.gov/sites/paradise.htm

Note: These two locations are actually several miles apart . . . but what could be better than power generation/transmission and fishing?

Jim

Vegas sounds good to me. Just keep me away from the tables.

http://west.electricshow.com/
These shows are free with pre-registration.
The seminars, however, are lotsa $$$
We could certainly do much better with lodging rates than their suggested places.
I'd be happy to volunteer as a "designated driver", so you can party away

[This message has been edited by electure (edited 09-24-2003).]

I know that I havn't posted for a while but I've been thinking the same thing for some time now. A get together sounds great!

In fact, my wife's sister and her husband just moved to Vegas and we promised to visit.

It just so happens that my wife's husband is a linesman for the Airforce who is about to retire. He 7 I both would be interested in attending the ec&m seminar also.

This sounds perfect if I can afford it.

I like it Electure.

Roger

OOp's let's disregard that one! :0

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 09-28-2003).]

OK, I need two (2) people from the US to give me a hand with co-ordinating this whole thing.
Please email me at my profile e-mail.
As it is a given, that i would like this thing to happen somewhere on the North American continent, Las Vegas?, I would sooner go for a place that is away from civilisation and city folk, not that I have anything against built up areas, but we could all do with a break from NOISE!.

I will seriously consider going to an ECN event.

Regards,
Doc

Given that this event is most probably going to be in Vegas.
Where are we going to stage the thing?
Also where on earth are we going to stay?, bearing in mind that probably none of us have a bulging wallet!(I know that I haven't!)
Just as an indicator of numbers attending this event, please send me an email to let me know how many people will be attending with you.
Also, even if this is just for a day or so, what are we going to do?.
And that's another thing, how long should the duration of this thing be?.
Please put your spoke in about this!!.

IMHO this event should be held in the central part of the U.S. this way everyone has equal travelling distances, except for our friends across the pond. Also I think to leave the girls home.... they spent too much money anyway, and vegas ain't the place for them. Trumpy, you have the right idea about a quiet setting.....nuf said.

The Geodetic Center of North America is about 40 miles south of Lebanon Kansas at Meade's Ranch. It is the beginning point of reference for land surveying in North America. When a surveyor checks a property line, he or she is checking the position of property in relation to Meade's Ranch in northwest Kansas


It does look quiet and there does not seem to be any electrical installations to criticize.


[This message has been edited by iwire (edited 09-28-2003).]

I'd be for it if it where here in Phoenix AZ.

OK,
This is all just getting rather confusing, from my point of view, time is running out and we cannot agree on a thing like where to hold this thing.
We REALLY need some concensus on where this is going to be held, enough mucking around and although we would all like to have a thing like this in our home town, this just ain't possible.
It's just times like these where you wish that you could have a Poll feature at this BB, but I am not getting at you Bill, for staying with the original format!.
Right, here are some questions, regarding this event:

• Q1: Should this event be (A)in Vegas or (B)in a out of town venue?.
• Q2:Should partners be attending this event? (A) Yes or (B) No.
• Q3: How long should this event last?.
  (A)One night only
  (B)Two nights.
  (C)Longer?
• Q4: Cost of Accomodation what can you guys afford?) I would not put us into a flash Hotel that we could not personally afford, as we will all be going Dutch, I think, it's easier that way.
  How about we all just bring a tent?. , just kidding!.

Please put some thought into your replies.
Cheers,
Trumpy

If you're going to descend on Vegas, check the Imperial Hotel. My high school reunion(s) have been held there for about 4 consecutive years (we graduated in Japan and can't resist getting together every year rather than just once a decade). We get decent room rates and it's on the strip.

Vegas is now turning another marketing corner and going back to their 'sin city' approach to tourism so families may not find as much to occupy their time while you all hash out all the electrical details of the most 'wired' city west of the Mississippi.

[This message has been edited by BuggabooBren (edited 09-29-2003).]

Q1= A
Q2= A
Q3= B
Q4= $1,000.00 for plane, hotel, food for two.

Hello Trumpy.

#1 A
#2 A
#3 B
#4 $1000 - $1500

Roger

1. A
2. A
3. B
4. I have relatives in Vegas. So, I probably wouldn't need a hotel. We've stayed at the MGM Grand for $60 a night before. If you pick the right weekend, hotels in Vegas are cheap. As far as airfare is concerned, The Watt Mama tells me that $200.00 is about the best that she has found lately. With rental cars, food, and not to mention, gambling, my guess is you are looking at $800 to $1,500 depending on the individual (or couple).
Stay away from Valentine's weekend. Everything will be expensive, and there won't be an empty hotel room in all of Vegas.

One for good, Two for bad,
Doc

Typically Valentines day is right before the start of "Winter Break" at school and time for our Family Vacation (Orlando, Florida)

Bill

Bill,
I more or less was planning to hold this event in like a year or part thereof, not in 6 months time!.
Thus far, I have had 1 person from the US offer to help me and really that's all I need really, we just need to finalise on a venue and a date!, this will be the hardest 2 things to pin down, given the large numbers of people we are talking here.
What are your thought's on this Bill?.

Mike,

I've been watching this trying to get an idea what everyone else thinks about it. I was wondering, what would everyone/anyone like to do at this event?

From an Electrical point of view, I was thinking that getting together around one of the Electrical Trade shows might be interesting for us and a curious opportunity for any of our International visitors that might attend to see and handle the latest US Electrical Products and also have the opportunity to interact with the Manufacturers. They have several of these per year in different parts of the US.

From a social point of view it would be nice to be able to get together in one place by ourselves too. Would a Hotel give us a conference room to use, or would there be a Hall somewhere that we could use? I'm picturing a Name Tag wearing event if enough people got interested in doing this at the same time.

Any thoughts from anyone?

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 10-03-2003).]

I also had a mental picture of name tags in a conference room. If this happened in Vegas, most hotels have about 5-10 conference rooms in them.

I think it would definitely be a good idea for some sort of "private" get together, apart from any sort of trade show.

Maybe the name tags could include little country (and/or state) flags as well?

Bill,
Those two idea's sound great!.
I for one would like to come over and see how trade shows are done in the US, I've been to a fair few over here and I always enjoy them.
As for the Name-tag event, I'd be right into this too.

Folks,
All the ideas sound good to me. I would prefer a private gathering, but it doesn't really matter to me. Just let me know when, and where. If I can make it, I'll be there.

Regards,
Doc

I think Bill has a good idea to pick a time when an electrical convention is in town. It would give everyone a tax write off for the travel expenses and a chance to gain some product knowledge at the same time. Of course we could have several private get togethers apart from the convention.

I know it's a full year away, but NECA is having it's annual show in Vegas Oct 4-7, 2004. I'm not a NECA member, but I did go to the show in Washington, DC a year or 2 ago. It was very informative. Here's a link http://www.neca.org/source/NECA_43_2172.asp

[This message has been edited by Electric Eagle (edited 10-06-2003).]

Eagle,

Yes, I was thinking about the writeoff too. That would probably make it feasible for more to attend.

Bill

Bill,
I'm sort of thinking early 2004, provided that we can organise some good accomodation and a meeting place.
It's just a matter of getting some concensus on where to stage this event.
Get 237 members(I've counted you all up, excluding Webmaster) to agree on two things, and just look at all the confusion!.
I also think that the format for the Gig, will be, get yourself there and get yourself home, I hate to put it this way, but I reckon we will all be going Dutch, through the whole time of the event.
But, one question I ask, is should we have a meal on the first night, as a part of the get-together?.
I really want this to come to fruition, I'd really like to meet all you guys!!.

Hey Trumpy! Have you made any progress on the "get together"? If you have time, hit me with an e-mail. I'm interested.
Regards,
Doc

Joe,

This reminds me of Mystic, Ct. and the SS of many years ago.

Caper

how about munich??

Eagle,
Where does an NECA show leave non-union members?
(I just got another invite in the mail for the Feb. 2004 Electric Show in Las Vegas)

Doc,
Still haven't come up with anything yet.
Owing to the fact that my PC gave up the ghost a few weeks back hasn't helped things either.
We still need concensus on when and where we are going to hold this thing, that's for sure!.
Don't get me wrong, I want this whole thing to happen as much as you guys do.
I'm not wimping out on this idea, we will be having a get-together, it's just a matter of getting the accomodation and venue set up.

Just realised something.
With the threat of terrorist attacks in the US and other places, is this a good time to be organising something like this?.
The chances of it happening are remote, but I don't think that there is a terror alert just for the fun of it.
But, I think we will carry on and organise this thing regardless.

OK,
Here's 3 choices, NY, CA or Missippi(down South).
I'd sooner go with NY personally.
But in the whole thing of this planning I have tried to be everything to everyone, this just won't work, with the US.
I would sooner be in NY, I think that this is as close as we are going to get to a center to focus on.
It's too late in the deal to go anywhere else.
Also, this may not be happening until Early/mid 2004, probably more emphasis on the Mid Period, I am still flat out at work and I can't get time off until May, at least.
Hope that this doesn't put too many noses out of joint.

Certainly doesn't bend my (twice broken) nose!
I'd like to see, smell, feel NY! ...S
Mike,
A threat is just that...a threat.
We all face a certain amount of "threat" every day.
Just say when, and where, and I'm sure everyone will do their best to be there.
I really appreciate your work on this matter...S

[This message has been edited by electure (edited 12-30-2003).]