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While the idea of a conclave is good, I've seen a better model for us to follow. This wouldn't cost an arm, leg or any other body part.
ATO has a "drive-in" leadership workshop each spring. They invite chapters in an area that's within a five hour drive from the host site. For example, I attended a conference in Indy, and they had chapters from IN, IL, MI & OH.
This particular workshop was held @ a Holiday Inn Express near the Indy airport. Sign-in is from 8:00-8:30AM & the participants are served juice/bagels/etc. Starting @ 8:30, they have the meeting in a large break-out room.
The conference leaders (IHQ & alums from that particular geographic area) address various subjects over the course of the morning and then have a working lunch (box lunches are wheeled into the meeting space).
Things wrap up by 3:00PM and the participants are free to go. Since they're only facing a drive of five hours or less, everybody gets to sleep @ their home chapter that nite.
Costs for this sort of thing are much less because there's generally no lodging needed (except for chapters farther than a five hour trek). Gotta figure that a prototypical 20-year-old can get up @ 3:00AM for a road trip.
Since I was a conclave attendee back in the Dark Ages (30+ years ago), I recognize the value of having meetings w/other chapters involved. I also realize that the ATO model doesn't provide for the amount of bonding that a Friday nite-Sunday AM meeting does.
However, I observed that these UGs interacted within a small group setting because they were assigned to groups outside of their home chapter. For example, three guys from Illinois State would wind up in groups A, B & C.
Affordable (<$75/person + road trip $$$), utilizing both chapter members and area alumni, AND it's time-efficient - works for me. Of course, if we ever put a chapter at the Univ. of Hawaii, all bets are off...
In ZAX,
BF
__________________
Bill Foltz, B-O 130
Illinois State '77
"People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power."
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