The change was a concession to the European manufacturers who were finding it very expensive to support an annual convention in the US
That is understandable from their point of view but I bet that the majority if the SSA members attending could care less about the latest shiny toys from across the pond, since they are way out of financial reach - me included.

Yes, the conventions are money makers, but the Philadelphia conference was a money loser. The weather was a factor, but the lack of eye candy was a larger factor.
The weather was definetely a factor for those flying in. I drove in from SC w/o problems but the lack of eye candy (the long-winged type) - really?
I agree with what others posted reg. their reasons to attend - meeting friends, taking in the papers, seminars and presentations, etc. Therefore, an annnual convention with an alternating format would be the right thing to do.. To avoid the weather trap, consider places which are statistically less likely to be frozen over and/or snowed in the January/February timeframe. Even the US-vendors could attend these mini-conventions - I know that Paul Remde was in Philadelphia and had most of his wares on hand. Its all doable!

Uli