Large Format Photo Conference

[Timothy Dunford]

Hey, what about New Orleans?

[Tom Westbrook]

No, Steve, Denver is not far enough east. I'd think somewhere around the Appalachians would be nice if you need distractions external to the conference. Avoid doing it in high summer though, if held in the South. I would vote for somewhere in Minnesota/Wisconsin area for purely selfish reasons (Duluth would be cool, but about as easy as Monerey to get to).

[Joe Lipka]

Way up near the top some one suggested Chicago. A real good site based on easy air access, plenty of hotels and a big photography community. The folks from Calumet certainly wouldn't have to travel far.....

[Mark Houtzager]

Albuquerque was manageable thanks to the kind hotel shuttle drivers. I decided not to attend this year because of the long haul and logistics. It should not cost me a fortune to get to the chosen location. Therefore, another vote for Chicago.

Mark from NYC

[Ben Calwell]

How about Columbus, Ohio? Or Cincinnati? Both within easy drives of where I live.

[Brian Ellis]

Since everyone is suggesting the place where they live or a place very convenient to where they live (what a surprise), I vote for Tampa because that's where I live. Bartow, Mulberry, or Lakeland would be o.k. too, I can get to them in less than a half hour. Winter Haven, Polk City, and Davenport are reasonably close - about an hour from me - so I'd probably attend despite the long drive if it was held in any of those places, but Tampa is really the best place for me so please hold it there.

[David Richhart]

I'm with you Ben, or maybe Dayton... Draw a 300 mile circle on the map with Dayton as the center point and you will be amazed.

For it's size Dayton is well prepared to host major events. Hara Arena would be ideal, located on the corner of Interstate 70 and Interstate 75. Hara Arena is capable of handling small groups, or 28,000 people if necessary. Browse around the website of the Dayton Hamvention to see what I mean.---> http://www.hamvention.org/

[Ed Eubanks]

Why not St. Louis? Major city, major airlines, major accommodations and conference facilities. Not far from Chicago (4 hours) but not far from Kentucky (6 hours) or Tennessee (5 hours). BARELY west of the Mississippi, so it (almost) meets that requirement. As for extracurricular distractions, the Ozarks are 1 hour away; the Arch is always fun; there are a number of parks nearby; the Cathedral Basilica is fantastic; Lake Carlyle and Lake St. Louis, as well as the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, offer plenty of waterfront opportunities. (There are also pro baseball, football, and hockey games at any given time of the year.)
Sounds ideal to me. (And it doesn't hurt that I live in St. Louis...)

[David A. Goldfarb]

I think St. Louis is a neat place if you have a car and can wander around, but having been there for a conference once without a car and being stuck in that area near the arch where all the big hotels are, it can be kind of desolate. Fortunately, a friend of mine had a car and we were able to get to the St. Louis art museum, which has an incredible collection of work by the German Expressionists, particularly Max Beckmann, as well as some impressive work by some more recent German artists, including a few very large pieces by Anselm Kiefer that would be so complicated to move that it is unlikely one would have any other opportunity to see them.

[Paul Metcalf]

Steve- Nope, no suggestions as to locations for follow-on conferences from me. As far as this coming year's conference, will there be a room or such at the conference where attendee's can place some of their prints for general showing? This was a nice feature at last year's conference to allow photographers to get some exposure within the community outside of a formal portfolio review. Comments and suggestions from peers was one of the things I particularly enjoyed. I would think the room would need to be somewhat controlled (e.g. inside the conference area) to avoid non-conference attendees from "helping themselves." Thanks.