Herby,
I have in no way detracted from GIGSE, as a matter of fact, I have been attracting additional people who will be attending GIGSE.
All I did was to give people who did not want to be in a room with Gator a place to go instead. The fact that people took to the idea the way they did may be something to consider in future affiliate conferences – why did the event take off the way it did. It is offering something affcon isn’t.
I have also been very nice and pointed out possible cooperation. I also conversed with Sue and gave alternatives serious thought after Sue contacted me. It was just too late.
When all is said and done, the only problem was Gator. Without that , it would have never occurred to me to put on an alternate event. I would have been happily attending affcon and taking active part in discussions.
You need to take some responsibility for what happened. Sue had a very long time to remove Gator. She had every opportunity to change this around. I am not sure at all that I understand her motivation. The conference was to be for affiliate managers, who go to these things because they want to meet affiliates. But, you put on the one thing that would really make affiliates angry.
The affiliates say so, inform you. Slowly start organizing an alternate event – nothing.
I don’t see the rational of this. Maybe Gator was paying a huge sum? Maybe there are some Gator oriented people who are sponsoring in the back ground?
I don’t know, I can only speculate what might have been a strong enough motivator to stick this out with Gator for so long.
Or maybe it was just underestimating the strength affiliates have.
Because, Herby, affiliates are neither stupid nor weak.
Quite the opposite.