[Jacob-list] 2001 JSBA Annual Meeting

[Anderson, Gary B.]

The 2001 JSBA Annual Meeting will be hosted by George and Marilyn Brown of
Lodi, California.  I have agreed to help with organization of the program.
One of our first tasks is to select a date that will accommodate and attract
the greatest number of potential attendees.  One idea is to schedule the
meeting to be held the weekend before or the weekend after the Black Sheep
Gathering, which will take place in Oregon June 22-24.  (I've not attended
the Black Sheep Gathering, but I've heard the praises of people who have
attended.)  This arrangement might entice long-distance travelers to attend
both meetings, perhaps spending the intervening week exploring the region
(e.g., movie stars, surfing, earthquakes).  I pitched the idea to several
folks in the West and was surprised to learn that consecutive meetings a
week apart could reduce attendance at the JSBA meeting, as many people would
not commit two consecutive weekends for travel to meetings.

Now I'm interested in surveying a larger group of people interested in Jacob
sheep and who might be attracted to attend next year's JSBA Annual Meeting.
So as not to clog the Jacob List with responses, please respond directly to
me (gbanderson at ucdavis.edu; telephone: 530/756-1193).

For respondents who live in the Midwest, Northeast or South, what will it
take to attract you to travel the great distance to the California JSBA
Annual Meeting?  Will scheduling the JSBA Annual Meeting to allow attendance
at the Black Sheep Gathering (i.e., a week apart) influence your decision?

For respondents who live in the West, is such a schedule likely to dissuade
you from attending the JSBA Annual Meeting?

For everyone, what will make an attractive program sufficient to convince
you to attend?  

Our preliminary thoughts are to invite University of California, Davis
veterinarians and researchers to make presentations on sheep health,
genetics, nutrition and management.   Can you suggest other topics that will
be interesting and educational and would encourage your attendance? 

What else should the organizers do to encourage your attendance?