The Value of Conventions

As many of you know, I am a New York Times reader.  I don’t manage to read the whole paper every day, but I read and skim large parts of it and am an avid competitor (with in our family) when it comes to the Weekly Quiz.  I get a particular kick when an article in the NYT (I think we are on close enough terms that I can call it that) aligns with something at Pet Camp.

Just the other day, the NYT ran an article on convention centers.  The gist of the article was the cities are spending too much on convention centers when convention attendance is down and that for a convention center to succeed there needs to be reasons to attend besides the the convention itself (think restaurants, music venues, activities).

By coincidence, I just returned from the annual Dog Boarding and Day Care convention in glorious Hershey Pennsylvania. This is a three-plus day convention and trade show full of talking heads and a vendor showcase.  It is the largest gathering of the non-veterinary and non-consumer retail part of the pet care industry in the country.  There isn’t much to do in Hershey PA in November:  the theme park is closed, the Hershey Bears only play on weekends, the restaurants are mostly mediocre (though some are quite good), and there are no music venues or much of anything else to speak of.  However, despite the lack of other available activities in town, the Hershey Lodge, with it’s ONE bar and one centralized meeting area around the bar, remains busy during the conference. That one bar, next to a giant roaring fireplace, may be the reason for the success of this conference.

I have been to pet care conferences at “In” places like Las Vegas, Nashville, and Austin, and those places are great (well, 2 out of 3 of them, anyway). But unlike in Hershey, when I’m in those places I want to do things besides attend the conference.  In Hershey, I know that everyone will be at the bar or near that fireplace all day and most of the night.  If there is someone you want to chat with, you know where they are.  If there is someone who wants to chat with you, they know where you’ll be.  If you just want to hear industry gossip, you know where to go.  I think I spent more time at the bar than at the presentations and, no offence to the presenters, I’m fairly confident I learned more there as well.

So as much as I respect the NYT, when it comes to conferences and venues maybe they have it wrong.  Perhaps having a conference where the only offsite thing to do is visit Hershey’s Chocolate World and purchase 44 lbs. of chocolate to take back to the counselors left behind is the best venue. Of course, as a San Franciscan, spending election day in PA this year was an added (or is that subtracted) perk.

Thanks for reading.

Pet Camp has been providing San Francisco’s most award winning pet care since 1997.  Family owned and operated and certified Green, Pt Camp offers overnight care for dogs and cats, dog day care, pet transportation, dog training, and bathing.  If you have any questions about your dog or cat, give us a call!