Hi! I'm brand new here, and got here by following Tina because she mentioned that you were discussing putting together a QL convention. (She knows me as QLBecky.) I attended several (LeapCons, IndyLeaps, EastLeaps and OrlandoLeap) in the mid-late 90's and always had a great time. I'd love to see another QL convention and maybe I could be of some help organizing. I've been involved in planning and running literary science fiction conventions since 1977, ranging in size from local cons of less than 100 members to being Assoc. Chairman of two Worldcons that had over 6,000 attendees each. But believe me, that does NOT mean I know it all!
Concerning the site, I posted the following on a different board, where it was really OT, so let me copy it here:
Well, Kansas City has had one Leap Convention in the past, so there might be a couple locals willing to work on another convention, and local experience is always a plus. St. Louis has ties with Scott and vice versa, so that's a plus there.
Chicago gives you a much greater chance at drawing a decent attendance, because you have a huge population base living nearby. And if you're planning anything more than an oversized slumber party, anything that will require a room or rooms larger than standard hotel sleeping rooms, then attendance really is a financial necessity. Unless you've got someone on the committee able to risk $10,000 or so. (I didn't pull that out of the void. I saw a small convention go under by $20,000 in Seattle in the late 70's. And when Westercon was in Hawaii two years ago, it was underwritten
entirely by a well-off couple who had won the lottery and were willing to spend the money)
However, hotels in downtown Chicago are extremely expensive. A suburb along the lines of Schaumberg -- something still on the main 'el' (fast transit) lines, with neighborhoods that aren't too shabby, would probably be a better choice. And if you're thinking that a significant percentage will be coming from out of town, convenience to O'Hare Airport is also important.
One more thing I should add about choosing a location. Look for a hotel that is the right size for your convention. If you can take up a significant percentage of the hotel's sleeping rooms, the facility will be sooo much nicer to you when it comes to the price of function space. Besides, a convention is a lot more fun when you're The Thing Happening in a smaller hotel rather than a lonely speck surrounded by a bunch of Legionnaires .
Becky