Three cheers for the ‘Burgh!

Back home from an excellent NTA convention! Yes, I did say excellent…those who read my words last year after the debacle that was Kansas City may be surprised, but I had a wonderful NTA convention last week, accomplished a bunch of goals, and chalked it up as a successful event.

Congratulations to Barb, Meryl, and the whole gang on a very well run and planned show. From the opening luncheon with Jeff Corwin (I really wish I had gotten downstairs to get his autograph on his book now!), to the closing “Prom” with Marvin Hamlisch (his mastery of the keyboard is simply astounding), it was a great event. Good food (but I never got a Primanti Brothers Sandwich!!), great friends, and a good convention floor (even if the energy level is not at the same pitch as ABA). And I had forgotten what a pretty city Pittsburgh is…on the three rivers, especially at night.

I think the only real disappointment I had all week was with the lack of attention to Orientation. Sure, they run “Convention 101″ the first day or so, but not to the level we do at ABA. I was supposed to take out two floor tours (my specialty) on Sunday, and neither one ran, due to nobody being there. If you don’t put a premium on education, people ignore it, and struggle later. I would encourage NTA to push Orientation more to new members, as a proper foundation is so important.

I actually had a gentleman come looking for me during the final event, to say “Thank you”…he had taken one of my lengthy floor tours in Virginia Beach, and said he was still using some of what I taught during that hour. That really meant a lot to me! When you put a lot of effort into something, and you never know if it’s effective or beneficial to others. To hear that was a real boost, especially after not getting to do any teaching at NTA. So thanks very much, Brad!

So, does this change my opinion of NTA? Sorry, but not in the slightest. While my appointments were good, and while I accomplished my #1 goal for the week (to promote our Arizona theatre to the major west coast Receptive Operators), I still don’t think that the number of quality appointments is worth the expense. I get 66 appointments at ABA every year (and if we took a second person, I know that they would get a full book as well). Anything less than a full book for the same cost is just not worth it to me, especially in this day and age of budget cuts. 37 appointments was very nice (and very high, to hear what some others said), but not worth $4,000!

So I won’t be going to Reno, and probably won’t be going to Montreal in 2010, either. I’m going to keep a close eye on what’s happening with the organization, and can change those plans if I need to (and if the market swings the other way), but for now, it’s “see ya later” to NTA. Nothing personal, folks, but my dollar is getting tighter and tighter, and I’ve got the responsibility to spend money in the most effective way I can.

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