Region 3 Executive Committee Meeting

Saturday, October 21, 2000

Myrtle Beach, SC

Southcon Report

Jim Howard, Southcon Director and Chairman of the Board

2000 Southcon

The 2000 Southcon show was held in Orlando, Florida May 23-25, 2000. We had approximately 168 booths on the floor, which was one of the lowest booth counts of late. Additionally, our attendance did not go as well as we had hoped either. The final number only reflected a registration of approximately 1,500, the lowest registration Southcon has ever seen.

These low registration numbers did not occur due to lack of effort on the part of IEEE or anyone else. We mailed to ALL members in Region 3, had ads in the local newspapers, sent special flyers, and in general blanketed the area

However, this was the first time in Southcon's history that we used IEEE Conference Management to produce the show. They had a very difficult time adjusting to selling booths and operating a show rather than a conference. This was compounded by changes in management at IEEE Headquarters during the time Southcon was being planned and produced.

2001 Southcon

The 2001 Southcon was planned for Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center , Duluth (Atlanta), Georgia, on April 3-5, 2001 and would have been co-located with the Atlanta SMTA Chapter, however the Southcon Board of Directors has opted to skip the 2001 year for Southcon. This will give the Board a chance to consider its opinions for future Southcon events.