Re: Oklahoma City GWAA Meeting

**l*@juno.com**

Hi Jeff,

As someone who didn't go to the OKLA. conference, I can't say anything
about the awardees' attendance, but please recognize that not everyone
can afford (in money or time) to attend every single year. After Valley
Forge, my husband decided the GWA Conference was the best thing since
sliced bread and that he wants to go with me. So now every expense is
times two, plus airfare, plus boarding animals, etc. We plan to attend
the ones reasonably close to us geographically, which is why I think it
is important to continue to rotate the locations.

We will probably also go to NC because I lived there for several years
and would love to go back. We are still deliberating whether we should
invest in going to Oregon if we don't get to see rhodies in bloom,
although we both would like to see what else is going on there. To attend
or not to attend is never a simple decision for us, unless it is in our
own back yard.

With regard to editors, broadcasters, and publishers talking doom and
gloom, I don't buy it. I'm out in the field with the gardeners and there
is no lack of interest. The gardeners in my area love to look at pictures
of other people's gardens for inspiration and enjoyment and spend
countless hours in their own gardens. Many are plugged into Master
Gardener programs. In my own life, I have little need for basic books or
TV shows on plant culture, but I buy plenty of gardening-related books
and magazines, visit public gardens again and again, and never tire of
the interesting people I meet as field editor for a national publisher.
The garden clubs in New Jersey are THRIVING and their members are very
active.

In a previous career, I ran an advertising and PR firm. I can tell you
from experience that most people who spend money on advertising DO NOT
know what they are doing. 

Regards,
Lois
Visit http://loisdevries.blogspot.com

On Wed, 3 Oct 2007 10:46:03 -0400 Jeff Ball <JEFFBALL@USOL.COM> writes:
> Nancy and I agree that the okc meeting was right up there among the  
> 
> best in terms of all general categories.  It is clear the local  
> committee worked their butts off and we all thank them profusely.   
> 
> Only one seminar bombed and that is probably a record.  The crowd,  
> 
> all 450 something was incredibly noisy on the buses, at meals, and 
> on  
> trips.  That means everyone had a good time.
> 
> Now my concerns - I have two and they are probably related.  I'm 
> just  
> talking here off the hip.  I've had no time to research this stuff,  
> 
> so I may be way off the mark.
> 1.  I left the awards banquet feeling really disappointed.  I didn't 
>  
> figure it out until later on the bus.  The museum was fantastic, the 
>  
> food was excellent for institutional food, and the winners of the  
> Fellows and Jung awards were eloquent, funny and tear jerking.  I  
> realized I was uncomfortable because it seemed that half of the  
> recipients of awards did not attend the meeting.  I guess I resented 
>  
> that.  Most years, the awards session has been really fun - lots of  
> 
> clapping, yelling, and delight in the faces of the winners.  This  
> year since they didn't mention any award where the recipient was not 
>  
> present, the awards part was over in a very short time.  We rowdy  
> types didn't have time to get warmed up. I guess the awards didn't  
> 
> mean so much to me this time as they have in the past.  I think this 
>  
> is a bad sign.  If we as a group can't get excited and up for our  
> very own awards, enough to come and get them, then what is that  
> saying about our feelings about our organization and our profession. 
>   
> It just concerns me.
> 
> 2.  In the radio/tv session, one participant announced that HGTV has 
>  
> no gardening shows any more and has no intention of having any in 
> the  
> near future.  The reason is that advertisers don't feel that garden  
> 
> shows draw enough interest to make advertising in them worth it.    
> 
> People who spend money on advertising usually know what they are  
> doing.  They are telling us, our profession is becoming less  
> important to Americans.  Then Nancy and I were rehashing on the way  
> 
> home, and while I didn't double check the attendance list, our  
> feeling was that some of the key magazines ignored us; specifically  
> 
> Fine Gardening and Horticulture.  Organic Gardening seems like it  
> disappeared.  Maybe there was a representative there from those  
> publications, but where were the editors?  Maybe I'm being too 
> picky,  
> but if the editors of the top gardening magazines don't make an  
> effort and half the award winners don't show, do we have a problem  
> 
> that we are not addressing?
> 
> Again, Nancy and I had a blast.  All rowdy members showed, so that 
> is  
> fun.  We had 70 first timers and that is good.  Our deep thanks goes 
>  
> to Steve and his crew for making us snobs from Michigan realize  
> Oklahoma is a really neat place to live.  Oklahoma City certainly  
> shows up Detroit as a great place to have fun.
> 
> Jeff Ball
> jeffball@usol.com
> 810-724-8581
> Check out my daily blog at www.gardeneryardener.blogspot.com
> Check out my extensive web site at www.yardener.com
> 
> 
> 
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