All: I must, with respect, disagree with Director Stratton. First, in my long history with the organization, the decision to award the designation of the National Convention is one that has been reserved for the Board. However, also in my experience, the CEO has never had much input to the decision, and I don’t see why you would need to wait for the new CEO to begin his tenure to make this decision. Second, we have committed to HamCation which indicates we felt, at that point, the event was worthy of presenting a National, and to renege on that commitment would be perceived as a negative comment on their event. Planning for the event, both by ARRL and HamCation, has begun with volunteer commitments having been made. It would also be horrible optics for the organization and, possibly, appear to present the Board as a dysfunctional body that could mar the image of the organization in the eyes of the members. If we don’t announce on October 5th in conjunction with the postponement, the questions will start about our commitment to HamCation and impact our relationships with future events. Additionally, the organization decided some years ago, that an annual National Convention was not in our best interests. There weren’t enough quality events to support the kind of event that could present a quality National. We have, on occasion, made some questionable decisions about National Convention sites based on the premise that we needed one every year. We didn’t want to diminish the importance of the event by having one every year. HamCation is unique in that it is a February event, a timeframe that encourages people to travel. For those from colder climates, who wouldn’t want to travel to Florida in February? We have experience with the event and know we can present a quality National Convention there. To have a National in 2021, likely in the summer or later, when most of the large events occur, and then have another in February 2022, would likely diminish membership support for both events. I hope that, no matter what the decision, that the Board makes it quickly, as HamCation is planning an announcement of the postponement on October 5th. It is only fair to them, no matter what the Board decides, that it be made by then. 73, Barry, N1VXY Interim Chief Executive Officer From: exec-com <exec-com-bounces@reflector.arrl.org> On Behalf Of John Robert Stratton Sent: Friday, September 18, 2020 11:08 AM To: exec-com <exec-com@reflector.arrl.org>; arrl-odv <arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> Subject: [exec-com:9617] Re: 2021 National Convention - Postponement Barry and EC The postponement discussed below is neither the fault of our brethren in Florida nor that of the ARRL, but times and circumstances have changed. Add that we have a new CEO taking office in 10 days, that there may be other venues with better circumstances in a year and a half and that the League's interests may not align with a National Convention in Florida in 2022, I suggest that the decision as to whether to commit to a 2022 HamCation National Convention warrants review by the full Board with the new CEO on board. There is NO emergency or time critical requirement that compels an immediate decision. Haste makes waste and we don't have the resources to waste. I suggest we defer a decision to review by A&F, the new CEO and the Board. ______________________________________ John Robert Stratton N5AUS Director West Gulf Division Office: 512-445-6262 Cell: 512-426-2028 P.O. Box 2232 Austin, Texas 78768-2232 ______________________________________ On 9/18/20 8:17 AM, Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) wrote: Good Morning: As everyone knows, the ARRL Board approved the 2021 Orlando HamCation as an ARRL National Convention. For the past several weeks, ARRL staff has been in discussions with the Orlando HamCation volunteers regarding what conditions, if any, would need to be in place to actually conduct an in-person event of the size and scope that would befit an ARRL National Convention. I’ve attached a memo prepared by our staff that discusses the factors and recommends postponing the event, at least from our perspective. We heard yesterday from the HamCation Executive Board which has agreed that the best course of action for the upcoming event is to postpone it entirely until February 11-13, 2022. John Knott and Michael Cauley were grateful for the effort we made to summarize so many contributing factors that would need to be considered. These, and some concern that they won’t have an excellent 5-star show as their 75th anniversary event made the decision easier. Additionally, they have some last minute concern that their convention services contractor may be out of business by December – causing a last minute cancellation. We’ve agreed with HamCation to make a formal, joint announcement using our respective news and media outlets on Mon, Oct 5. In the meantime, they have some work to do to inform 30+ committee members, hotels, and other close stakeholders. We will begin working with our hotel immediately. The information will surely leak, but HamCation has asked our help to keep it out of our formal news engine until we, together, publish a joint announcement on Oct 5. No one is happy about the prospect of postponing the convention but we want to be able to deliver a positive and substantial event which does not appear possible, given the current environment of restrictions, health officials recommendations and people’s basic reluctance to travel and gather, especially our community which includes a disproportionate number of high risk individuals. In that regard, HamCation officials are eager to host the National Convention in 2022 and have asked that we carry over the sanctioning of the event to their 2022 HamCation. I believe that is within the purview of the Executive Committee and, given the unusual circumstances with which we’re still dealing and the uncertainty regarding how long these conditions will exist, I strongly recommend the Committee take that action. If done timely, the decision can be included in the joint announcement on October 5th. I’ve included both Bob Inderbitzen and Kathleen Callahan on this email as they are the two managers most responsible for our position and participation at the event. If you have any questions, please include them as they are likely the one who will have the answers. 73, Barry, N1VXY _______________________________________________ exec-com mailing list exec-com@reflector.arrl.org<mailto:exec-com@reflector.arrl.org> https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/exec-com