Would anyone happen to have a map of the U.S. that highlights the locations as to where the biggest conventions are? I mean of course Washington and California will be covered with dots, but I'd like to see where the dots appear across the map. Perhaps having the dots colored coated in regards to the attendance size of the conventions would be something nice to include.
While I know that there are some of us who might be willing to travel any distance for a convention, I'm wanting to look at the map to determine how far a given state would need to drive in order to attend a particular convention.
Like Colfork said, maybe the Midwest Regiment could be split up a little better. What is the closest major convention that people from Kansas and Missouri can drive to? My guess is Akon, but then again, I really don't know what the large conventions are that occur in the Midwest.
Also, just FYI, there is a reason I keep saying things like the "biggest" or "large" conventions.
For instance, AnimeFest occured this last weekend (I think) in Dallas, and this year it had an attendance of 10,000.
But then there is Akon which is known to reach an attendance of 20,000.
...and then there are all the little conventions with less than 10,000 or less than 5,000 that attend.
Now lets say all of these happen in Dallas (both AnimeFest and Akon DO happen in Dallas).
What is the likelyhood of someone in-state versus out-of-state traveling to each of those conventions?
I'm sure most of us would prefer getting together and meeting up at the larger conventions. I'm definitely going to try and have something done for Akon next year.
In fact, if we can get the Southwest Regiment going strong, I would likely select Akon as our yearly meetup since it is the largest convention in our region.
Also, since it is the biggest in our region, it will be the one that we would host for members of other Regiments to come visit us.
As for AnimeFest, I'm not sure if I'm willing to drive from Oklahoma to Dallas for that one and I'm sure others share the same feelings, and it isn't due to the type of convention it is, it's due to the size; I'd be willing to rock Halo armor at an Anime, Comic, or Gaming convention, it doesn't matter to me.
I wouldn't expect members from other Regiments to come visit at conventions like these, but they could be good for meeting up with members of only your Regiment.
Then there are the conventions that are so small that I haven't even heard of them. While they'd be great for Battalions (or whatever we decide to call subdivisions within Regiments), I can't see an entire Regiment going to attend unless it is Gaming or Halo themed.
Maybe I have the wrong perspective on this, I'm not sure, but I would like to hear the input of others.
I'm not saying that the Pacific Regiment should be split up, but there are a large concentration of conventions in the Southwestern part of California (Los Angeles and San Diego) and then there are the large number of conventions that occur in Seattle Washington.
Who is going to drive to Seattle? I would guess those of us from Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Maybe even those who are from Wyoming.
Who is going to drive to the Southwestern conventions in California? I would guess those from Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Maybe even those from Colorado and New Mexico.
I'm not sure if this would be called something like an Atomic Bubble or the "Bubble Effect" or something like that, but the distance it takes to travel to the location you are most likely to meet up with other members of your regiment is important.
While I'm not saying that we should split regions up by the attendance density at particular conventions, I do think it will be something to keep strongly in mind due to the fact that conventions are going to be the most likely place we will meet up with one another. The Pacific Regiment might be different since they have a high population density, but for those of us in the Southwest, unless you live in the same city as another member, you are probably only going to see other members from your Regiment at conventions.
I think this is our best bet, but we need to inspire people in these regions to speak up. One way is to just declare the regiments and see who agrees or complains. Thanks for helping get this moving.
Would it be a good idea to setup subforums for Regiments even if they aren't fully established just to see who pokes their head in?