Thank you!!!

[thepedroid]

I already told Kristie a lot of this - but here's my thoughts:

I thought this year was awesome. I LOVED having everything in one place, and I really enjoyed the Sahara. Our room wasn't anything special, but it wasn't bad either, and for $40-50, I'm not really expecting much more than a Motel 6. Plus, the hotel is really nothing more than a place for your drunk ass to crash at the end of the night!

I loved that Sahara is a small casino so it wasn't super crowded with a ton of people, I liked having the cheap gambling that is MUCH harder to find (and more crowded tables) farther down the strip. I loved being on the monorail, I really had no problems taking that around to get down to 9FI or to anywhere else. It's a 15min trip down the strip.

I liked having the big room, even though it was a little chilly it was better than in past years when it was SUPER hot in the suites at the Bellagio. It was also nice because I didn't feel so crowded/cramped. I agree with Seggy that we should have a tended bar to limit our liability.

I vote for the Sahara again, for everything But if you want someplace else, we also saw the Marriott near the LAS convention center (which is also on the monorail!) and they might be a little bit cheaper because they are "off strip" but honestly, I think we spent $137 for the 3 nights we were there, and I couldn't ask for a better deal.

The other thing to think about with costs is that there are a lot of flight instructors and first year guys on the site who are coming to NJC and they can't afford hotel rooms that are $100+ for each night. I know we certainly couldn't afford that this year, which would have led us to find someplace else to stay. I like having everyone in one place - we were able to meet up with Dazzler and his wife, and Tony for breakfast yesterday bfore we left which was nice. If we were all scattered in different places, that never would have happened.

I think this year was by far the best yet. It just keeps getting better I'm so happy to have met everyone, and I (obviously) had a great time. Thanks Dough and Kristie for being so awesome and such great mentors to everyone on this site I love you guys!!

I totally agree with you on this. The Sahara really wasn't that bad at all. Yes it stunk, but I only paid $38 bucks a night and then split the cost with bigey. I wouldn't have been able to make it if the hotel was a $100 a night.

The Golden room was a little bit big, but that won't matter for next year because there will more than likely be more people attending. I thought it was great that the bar was tended by hotel staff and he did a really good job.

Even though it was far from the main strip, it really wasn't that bad. I got an all day bus pass for 5 bucks and a few of us snuck on the monorail on the way back from 9FI.

One thing I would like to see is more tours. The ones we had were great but it really sucked getting out of bed for MGM at 7AM. if it were later there would havebeen more attendees.

The roundtable session was really great. I want to thank everyone that participated and put in their 2 cents. A lot of the subjects even related to me and my non aviation job so I appreciate everyone that contributed to it.

all in all, Vegas was awesome, the people were awesome, and the Sahara was a good place to hold it. I vote for the Sahara again next year!!:rawk::rawk::rawk:


oh, i almost forgot..............THANKS DOUG AND KRISTIE!!!!!

 

[Kristie]

I would like to see a professional speaker so much that I would much rather have a cash bar at the main event rather than an open bar if we could bring in a good speaker.

If we change it to another place besides Vegas, I think it would need to happen from a Thursday to Sunday. In other cities, Sunday through Wednesday are big convention nights, so hotels would be expensive.

the food/beverage for a convention has nothing to do with speaker fees or AV fees..the two are entirely unrelated. we needed to meet a certain food/beverage amount in order to not get charged for use of the meeting rooms which is why we were able to provide open bar.

I do not plan on changing the dates of the event... it's always been held on the 43rd weekend of the year and changing it would probably mess everyone, including myself, up. HAHA

Sun-Wed are big convention days for other cities?? really?? If anything, we'd probably use a marriott cuz then we could get points..HAHHA

Oh, i was also thinking maybe DC would be good with the Udvar-Hazy museum and smithsonian....

 

[Bumblebee]

SAN is a good choice as well, it's just further for those east coasters. If we are going to change, we should at least consider proximity for the main JC event. I love the idea for me. Lots of flights every day and just over an hour in the air!

 

[Kristie]

SAN is a great idea. Especially if we can arrange to stay in the Gaslamp District as there will be less need for rental cars. SAN has a cool aviation museum in Balboa Park, the zoo, and lots of aviation opportunities (both military & civilian. Not to mention its an easier trip for Mr. & Mrs. Taylor.

easier trip? how do you figure?? vegas is a 5-6 hr drive...SAN, 8 hrs

 

[SeanD]

DC would be a great choice also.
Georgetown - :buck:
Adams Morgan - :buck:
The Smithsonian -
Colgan -
Udvar Hazy -

The Metro is among the best in the country. You can get just about anywhere within the DC area for less than $10 a day.

Agree, that PHX to SAN road trip is brutal.

 

[mpenguin1]

Vegas is a good location for the partying & places that are able to handle a large group of people....

If Seattle is a chosen location, I can probably work out some really good tours, since that is Boeing's backyard.

If I had a vote, Vegas should be the main J/C event, while Seattle would make for a fun meet/greet event.....

If we wanted to do something away from Seattle, maybe a place that is warm? Hawaii would be loads of fun, but, jumpseating can be a pain, but, October may not be that bad as the kiddies are in school.....

 

[Kristie]

yea... but Hawaii = $$$$$

JC does have a budget limit.

 

[Qgar]

Dear Lord...if I had to sit on a plane for anything much longer than 5 hours, I'd have to put a bullet between my eyes!

 

[N826AW]

<p>

easier trip? how do you figure?? vegas is a 5-6 hr drive...SAN, 8 hrs

PHX-SAN is about a 5.5 hour drive. Its only 70 miles further than PHX-LAS and you don't have to worry about traffic at the dam. Not to mention if Doug isn't hurting he can probably shave another .5 off the trip.

 

[SRA_kbad]

The one downside to moving it? LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL.

:yeahthat:

San Diego is a great city (born and raised). But without any wheels, you'll be limited to just the area around the hotel. That could be a good thing or a bad, depending on where the hotel is. There is just so much to see and do in SD, ie... the beaches, the mountains, the zoo, balboa park, seaport village, just to name a few. And in my opinion, the public transportation isn't the greatest either. Just my .02
I kinda like the idea of Naw'lins though! What more does a networking event need than some Zydeco and Boiled Crawfish!!!

 

[mikecweb]

I'll throw another city in there on the east coast... Orlando.
Super easy to jumpseat to. October might work out as an in between summer and winter busy seasons, might be able to get a good rate. October in Florida is pretty nice time of year. NASA and KSC are a short drive plus plenty to do around Disney. Great for families. Polar probably has the dl on all the gay bars for max.

 

[SeanD]

:yeahthat:

San Diego is a great city (born and raised). But without any wheels, you'll be limited to just the area around the hotel. That could be a good thing or a bad, depending on where the hotel is. There is just so much to see and do in SD, ie... the beaches, the mountains, the zoo, balboa park, seaport village, just to name a few. And in my opinion, the public transportation isn't the greatest either. Just my .02
I kinda like the idea of Naw'lins though! What more does a networking event need than some Zydeco and Boiled Crawfish!!!

Where were you man?

 

[SeanD]

PHX-SAN is about a 5.5 hour drive. Its only 70 miles further than PHX-LAS and you don't have to worry about traffic at the dam. Not to mention if Doug isn't hurting he can probably shave another .5 off the trip.

I do believe the bridge will be done next year eliminating the damn traffic.
5.5 hours is a stretch. I remember it being well over 6 hours through the desert and it was a brutal drive.

 

[WacoFan]

Perhaps something in the middle? KC fits that definition, but is dreadfully boring with only one airplane museum - the Airline History Museum (flying Connie, soon to be flying DC-3, Martin 404). Dallas is in the middle, has a great museum or two, but is antiseptic somewhat. NO is ok and kind of in the middle. Chicago is an awesome city. My vote is Austin though, Seggy can host. Picking a middle city allows people from either coast to have no more the 3 hours to fly.

 

[SRA_kbad]

Where were you man?

Packin up the apartment bro. Moving to Charlotte on Sat.
And these guys are complaining about an 8 hr drive from PHX to SAN

 

[SRA_kbad]

I do believe the bridge will be done next year eliminating the damn traffic.
5.5 hours is a stretch. I remember it being well over 6 hours through the desert and it was a brutal drive.

The dam bridge is scheduled to be done late 2010

 

[AZBigDog]

Alright I'm going to go out on a limb here and say why not change the venue every year? You'll have a different scene every year and then you can rotate back to Vegas once every so often.

Although I had an awesome time in Vegas this year, I wouldn't mind seeing other parts of the country as well. Plus the cost of Vegas skyrockets when you start factoring in some gambling and/or other extra curricular activities. This might be important to some folks that are just getting their careers started and don't have a lot of extra money for a trip to Vegas.

Kristie, I don't know what that would do for your workload in organizing the events but I think it's maybe something to consider.

Thanks to Doug and Kristie and the rest of the NJC organizers for all their efforts in making NJC 08 a really great time.

Al

 

[ready2fly]

My thoughts:

Wherever NWJC is next year, I'll do my best to be there. You'll never meet a better group of people. Seriously!

That said: The Sahara was okay. For the price, it was what it was. In the end, we really didn't spend too much time there.

The room for the main event was indeed big, but it worked out fine. We weren't bumping into each other like we would/did in a suite. A smaller conference room may have been cozier, but in the end, it worked out. Maybe a HUGE suite or a smaller conference room might fit the bill.

Entirely too much walking..... .... but that's a byproduct of (a) Vegas, and (b) me not knowing where in the hell I was going.

I like the Thursday-Sunday idea for the next event, wherever it is.

I might even suggest that we have the main Meet-n-Greet first (like on the day we ususally do 9FI)...perhaps that would give folks more incentive to get out there early and stay longer.

In the end, I had an incredible time....again!!! GREAT to meet new people and re-acquaint with those I've met before!

Thanks to Doug, Kristie, Toria, BobDuck, Mpenguine, and many many more who planned the event and made it happen!!

ABSOLUTELY OUT-FREAKIN-STANDING TIME!!!! :bandit:

Stan

 

[Polar742]

I'll throw another city in there on the east coast... Orlando.
Super easy to jumpseat to. October might work out as an in between summer and winter busy seasons, might be able to get a good rate. October in Florida is pretty nice time of year. NASA and KSC are a short drive plus plenty to do around Disney. Great for families. Polar probably has the dl on all the gay bars for max.

First, thanks to Doug, Kristie, and all everyone for such a great time. I look forward to returning next year.

Even though his taste in men is exquisite, I'd agree with mikec. for my home town area.

The weather is just getting good this time of year, and it's slow season as summer vacation is over and the snowbirds haven't arrived yet. You can get to MCO from just about anywhere in the world direct or with 1 stop.

Of course Orlando is convention central, so that is a given, but in brevard county (Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral and such) there is mucho aviation related activities. It's only an hour drive from the airport, not super crowded either.

As mike pointed out, there is Kennedy Space Center with some wonderful tours (that's a whole day just for that). Liberty Aircraft which makes a certified airplane, CompAir which makes kit planes, and is in the process of certifying a plane, and numerous other aircraft MRO and upgrade facilities. I think Embraer is also spooling up a production line for the Phenom series as well.

For non-aviation related activities you have: bon fires at the beach, free trolley that runs the Cocoa Beach area, Casino cruises, live music, plenty of hotels with space (which I'll volunteer to scout out), flight schools galore (in the line of adding to our network), and a 1.5 hr ride to the theme parks (IMHO is worth it, cause the west side is a bit touristy)

That's my sell on it. Even though mike might be lost to the Parliment House the entire time, I think it'd be an interesting place to hold the event.

I know no matter where it's at, it'll be a great time!!

 

[TurdBird]

I WILL be there next year.

Bring NJC to Florida!