<HTML>To Brian and John, and all the other any others out th= ere who might share their views. Although the convention does generate income for the PTG, when you look at t= he total budget, it is not a "Major" source of income for the PTG. In fact, = as much time and energy the convention takes, in terms of man power by the v= olunteers, and the expense of paying the home office to run it, the PTG woul= d probably save money by not having an annual convention. But we do have a convention. So should it make money, or should it be a mone= y loosing operation? We can pay for the convention in one of two ways. We ca= n keep our annual dues down at a ridiculously low level, (compared to other = professional organizations), and pay a little more for the convention. Or we= can raise the dues, and pay less for the convention. Unfortunately, as John pointed out, the convention registration is only a sm= all percentage of the total cost of the convention. (In addition to those ex= penses mentioned, don't forget the loss of income for a week.) So the questi= on is, if the registration fee is reduced by a hundred dollars, will that ge= t more people to come to the convention? I think not. Most technicians don't come to a convention because they still haven't figur= ed out that attending a convention is just like advertising. It does cost, i= t pays. These are also the same ones that can't seem to find the time to att= end FREE chapter meetings, or one day seminars in their home town. And the n= on members who complain about the high cost of the convention are the same o= nes who say they can't afford to join the PTG in the first place, because, a= gain, they can't see the financial benefit of belonging. I've attended every PTG convention since 1978, with the exception of two yea= rs ago in Reno, when I moved from St. Louis to Alabama. And the only reason = I didn't go then was a time factor, not a monetary one. Piano tuning is my chosen profession. Therefore, for me, the convention is m= y number one priority. It is the only time, and the only place, I can learn = about my craft, to make me a better technician. Nothing short of a family em= ergency will keep me away. That is how important the convention is for me.&n= bsp; So for all you naysayers out there. Beg, borrow or steal the money to attend= the convention. You will earn enough to justify the expense. And once you'v= e made a commitment to go every year, it will become easier and easier. You'= ll become a perennial. And besides learning, you'll make some great friends.= Wim. </HTML>