Hey everyone! We're starting to plan for next year's annual AAUBA conference and I wanted to get input on potential locations. We've done Vegas, Chicago, and Atlanta in recent years. What cities would work well for maximum member attendance? I'm thinking somewhere central with good flight connections and reasonable hotel rates. New Orleans could be interesting - great food, central location, and Entergy territory so we could get some local utility speakers. Thoughts?
Annual Conference Location Ideas
Juan, New Orleans sounds great! Dallas could also work well - central location, DFW airport gets flights from everywhere, and we've got Oncor and TXU territory for local utility context. Hotel rates are usually reasonable too, especially if we avoid convention season. I could help coordinate local arrangements since I'm familiar with the area. Either city would give us good attendance from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas members.
Both great suggestions! St. Louis could be another option - very central, Lambert airport has decent connections, and we're right in Ameren territory. Lots of interesting rate structures here to discuss. Plus hotel and meal costs are pretty reasonable compared to coastal cities. We could even arrange tours of some local industrial facilities if there's interest. What time of year are we thinking? Spring or fall usually work best for travel.
I vote for somewhere other than the usual suspects. How about Denver? Great airport, reasonable costs, and we could explore some of the renewable energy billing complexities that Xcel Energy has been implementing. Colorado has some unique net metering and solar programs that would make for interesting case studies. Plus the city is beautiful and would be a nice draw for spouses/families who want to extend their stay.
Sarah makes a good point about Denver! From the East Coast perspective, I'd also throw out Philadelphia or Baltimore as options. Both have good airport access, reasonable costs, and we'd be in PECO/BGE territory with some interesting rate structures. Philly especially has a lot of industrial accounts with complex demand billing that could provide great case study material. What's our target attendance number? That might help narrow down venue requirements.
All good options! Salt Lake City could be interesting too - central mountain location, Delta hub airport, and Rocky Mountain Power territory. We've got some unique industrial rate structures here that could be educational. Hotel rates are very reasonable and the city is easy to navigate. But honestly, any of these locations would work. Maybe we should do a member survey to see which gets the most interest?
Connie, Salt Lake is a great suggestion! Seattle could also work from a logistics standpoint - Sea-Tac is a major hub and we've got some interesting net metering and conservation program billing with PSE and Seattle City Light. But I'm probably biased since I'm local. A member survey is definitely the way to go. We should include questions about preferred timing too - seems like April or October usually work best for most people's schedules.
This is a great discussion! Phoenix could be another option - Southwest hub airport, relatively inexpensive, and APS/SRP territory has some unique solar and demand response programs. Weather would be perfect in spring or fall. We've also got a lot of data center accounts here with interesting power factor and demand charge structures that could make for good educational content. But honestly, all these suggestions sound great - the survey idea is perfect.
Patricia brings up a good point about Phoenix! Oklahoma City could work too - very central, reasonable costs, and OG&E territory. We've got some oil and gas industry accounts with complex billing structures that could be educational. But I think we're getting a good list here. Juan, do you want to put together that member survey? We could include all these cities and let people rank their preferences along with timing and hotel budget preferences.
Great suggestions everyone! Cleveland could be an option too if we want to consider the Midwest - reasonable airport access and FirstEnergy territory with lots of industrial accounts. But honestly, any of these cities would work well. The key is picking somewhere that maximizes attendance and keeps costs reasonable. I like the survey approach - we could also ask about preferred session topics while we're at it.
Frank makes a good point about Cleveland! Tulsa could work too - central location, reasonable costs, and we've got some unique oil industry electrical accounts. But I think we've got plenty of good options now. The survey will help us narrow it down. Juan, maybe we could set up the survey to run through the end of August and then make a decision? That would give us time to book venues and negotiate group rates.
This has been a fantastic brainstorming session! I'd add Providence to the list just for completeness - National Grid territory has some interesting rate structures, especially for manufacturing accounts. But realistically, the central locations like Dallas, Denver, St. Louis, or Kansas City probably make the most sense for member travel. Juan, I'd be happy to help design the survey if you want assistance. We should definitely include questions about budget preferences and session topic interests.