This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Clyde Hollinger=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: July 19, 2002 4:08 AM Subject: Re: "PTG Convention is focused on teaching...." Friends,=20 I'm glad I'm not the person who needs to make the decisions on these = things. While some of us would be willing to pay more for the = convention, there are already those who don't come because of the cost. = The convention committee has to try to hit that happy medium. If an = increased expense keeps too many more people away, the committee will = have less money to work with, not more.=20 Sometime in the past I heard that PTG conventions are inexpensive = compared with conventions for other occupations. Maybe, but it may also = be true that large companies cover the cost of their employees' = attendance, while for most of us the money comes directly out of our = wages. That makes a big difference.=20 Regards, Clyde=20 This is sometimes true, but certainly not always. Many professionals and = semi-professionals are self-employed as most of us are. Regardless of = the line of work you are in, unless you are the employee of some company = that sees the value in on-going education and training there will be no = one else to pick up the tab.=20 Our conventions are a once-a-year bargain for anyone wishing to devote = the time and energy to attend. So much of a bargain, in fact, that I am = one of those who believes the registration rates could be (should be) = raised. Rarely is it just the lack of money that keeps someone from = attending one of our conventions. While allowing for the occasional = emergency, it is generally a matter of setting priorities and budgeting = the requisite time and money. Other things in our lives have a higher = priority and get a larger share of our budgets. (Maybe the convention = registration rate should be doubled with a 50% discount given to those = who have attended at least 50% of the previous years local chapter = meetings. That ought to shake things up....) Our convention tries to be all things to all technicians. Other = organizations tend to focus their conventions toward those who are = already professionals in their field. They are less of a training event = for beginners. One reason for this, of course, is that there are few alternate avenues = of education in our work so we use our conventions to try and take up = the slack by offering a multitude of classes, lectures and services for = piano technicians at every level from the rank beginner to those who are = quite advanced--a formidable task, indeed. We are trying to structure = our once-a-year convention to make up for the relative lack of viable = school facilities around the country. Personally, I would like to see our conventions change some and focus = more directly on those who are a bit more experienced--but I could be = wrong. This is the direction our organization has decided our = conventions should take and as long as that is the case we're pretty = much stuck with the way things are. There is a strong motivation for = leaving things relatively alone--the status quo does work for quite a = few people. Changes are always uncertain. And we know from experience = that there will be enough folks willing to devote substantial portions = of their time and energy throughout the year to provide a reasonably = high level of technical content even if they are not compensated = appropriately.=20 As you say, I also am glad I'm not the person who needs to make the = decisions on these things. Regards, Del ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/cc/20/c2/4f/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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