Another Chaser Convention

[Wes Carter]

We had a discussion tonight in Stormtrack Chat about having a get together in a location that is central to where many chasers live. We discussed Kansas City since it is pretty much in the middle of the United States and pretty central to where most chasers live taking into account the large number of chasers in IL, IA, MN, and NE as well as OK, TX, and the rest of the country.

Also, the timing of it was discussed. We did not want to conflict with Chasercon nor TESSA. When we considered the holiday seasons, chase season, and a myriad of other things we kept coming back to the month of October.

So far we have discussed having showings of video and photos and possibly chase rides as well as having a couple of speakers.

I'm throwing this poll out to guage the interest in having a meet up the last weekend in October in Kansas City. If there is enough interest, we will get the ball rolling. I'd also like to ask for suggestions from anyone who wants to add anything. Thanks in advance for any input any of you are willing to share. I hope that this can be doable for some who have not been able to go to any of the other conventions/meet-ups.

 

[Wes Carter]

I forgot to add, the poll is open 10 days. It will close a 1AM August 30.

 

[Ric Burney]

I would certainly put forth my best effort to not only be there but also make a contribution to make this happen. I hope that others feel this way to make this a reality. Lots of folks may not be able to make it to Chasercon so this might be a good alternative. A few lucky folks will make it to both.. so double your fun

 

[Randall Cooper]

Considering I live only 30 minutes away from KC, I would most likely be there

 

[Danny Neal]

The only thing I can see interfering with the last week of October, is that the National Weather Festival in Norman is usually the first weekend of November. I am not sure how many travel to do the NWR. However I would definitely love to attend a convention closer to Chicago although I loved Denver when I went there. Hell, maybe even St. Louis would be a good place to have it if Kansas City doesn't pan out.

 

[Jason Foster]

I think it would be a good idea...if it could be done with same level or near to the same level as the chaser convention in Denver. I also think if there was a serious effort put to this, this year would be too soon, and planning for next year would be the way to go.

Having it around Halloween would be interesting though. Can you imagine a chaser convention with a custom party....LOL...oh dear god.

I think my only conflict attm would be any chances of late tropical activity. Of course not sure a conference is all that productive for me/my company and I have to consider priorities when the income is low.

 

[Ric Burney]

Our target date is still up in the air and we don't want to compete or interfere with any other established event. Any ideas on exact dates, venues and services are certainly welcome from all. This event is simply to provide a resource for those who may not have the capability to make it to Denver or others due to time constraints or financial reasons.
A simple meeting in a central location where chasers can gather and show off their high polished rides and mobile hail dent collectors, their latest and greatest equipment and products as well as their videos.
Speakers will including chasers, forecasters and other weather specialists interested in expounding upon their expertise in their specific area of study.
The ideal days events would be followed by a good dinner, a better bar and fine accommodations to end the day.
This would be a good meeting to exchange ideas and friendships while leaving the trauma and the drama far behind.
We welcome all who wish to participate in whatever capacity they are able. let us know what you think. Please vote in the poll and post here. If you have further questions or information please PM either Me or Wes Carter for more info.

 

[Wes Carter]

LOL Jason, it will be Halloween weekend. Skip Talbot said we should call it Octuberfest.

It is a little bit too late to have the planning that goes into something like Chasercon, TESSA, or any of the other conventions. However, we could not think of another time that would work as well. November and December are holiday months, January is so unpredictable weather-wise for travel, February is Chasercon, and anything after that might interfere with a chase day. We also considered March, but there could be early season events then. But like Ric said, this is still in the brainstorming stage, so anything can change if need be.

At this point we intend to keep it simple and see how it goes. We can always step up the game next year based on how this year goes.

I would also like to add that if anyone would like to contribute in any way (helping organize, make a presentation, etc...) feel free to let us know in the thread or via PM.

 

[Shane Adams]

I like the idea that folks are willing to try and create something that benefits chasers outside of Denver, but the reality is KC is still 8-9 hours away from home for me.

 

[Jerry Prsha]

Immediately, I saw KC and thought to myself Yes! Not in Chasing Season and centrally located! Great!

...And then I saw the date. I'm getting ready for Halloween and can't possibly leave that close to the event.

Get it away from a holidays like Halloween and Valentine's Day and I'm there!

 

[Jarrod Barnett]

I would be interested but cant say for certain if I can make that but I would try. Its about a 13 hour haul for me.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

There's already a good number of people coming to Norman for the weather festival this year, and that will probably be the weekend after Halloween. I know it's pretty Norman centric, but if you're going to plan something you should do it that weekend here.

 

[Tim Vasquez]

I will try to attend, and I may be able to have Stormtrack sponsor some of it financially.

I think it would be worth considering how much this duplicates the Denver convention... doesn't pretty much everybody capable of reaching KC make it to Denver? It's also further from the eastern US but most people out there bite the bullet and just fly to Denver anyway.

So I think you'd need to figure out how this would be different and unique. The biggest idea I have along those lines is to schedule it in the middle or tail end of summer, since (1) the chase season has just finished and all the springtime events, footage, and meteorology will be ripe for review, (2) people have more time off from work/school, (3) people would be in a better position to bring family on the trip, and (4) no having to contend with winter storms to make the conference (always an issue in the cold season). I know it's too late for a summer conference now, but it would be worth considering for 2011.

I would suggest moving the meeting away from the cities and into smaller towns, which will cut down the costs quite a bit. The closer you are to large airports and high-tech areas, the more astronomical the costs are to get just basic conference rooms, projectors, audio, and so forth.

Tim

 

[Chris Heater]

I'd attend depending if I get off work that weekend. Being as we're a bit tight on money compared to last year, we may not make it to Chasercon in Denver this year and this would make it where we could at least meet up with some chasers and have some fun. My 2 cents worth

 

[Skip Talbot]

Its a great idea. Tim has some good suggestions about the date and purpose. Halloween is becoming a huge holiday and growing each year. I think we may see a good number of people bail due to Halloween conflicts. The problem with the end of summer (which may not a problem at all really) is the mentality storm chasers are in at that point. Provided there was a good season, everyone is fat and happy at that point and shifting out of chase mode. I'm not sure if everyone will have had time to pull their chase footage together by then either. By February, however, everyone is starving for the Spring season and I think it fuels a lot of the excitement during Chasercon. The end of Octuber works for me though, and I will definitely try to make that if nothing comes up.