We have created a monster....

["Paul Gordon" <paul_gordon@xxxxxxx>]

Hi all, - I just got back from UKHA2003.... :-)

have to say, this was, all things considered, an absolutely fantastic
weekend.

I have to issue a few special thank yous...

My thanks to Kwong Li for plying me with food, *especially* those excellent
truffles - a whole KILO of them!!

My thanks to Phil Harris for not bringing my wife's bum into the
conversation at any point....

My thank to Darryl Mattocks, for plying me with beer on the Saturday night
by way of setting up a tab... (a very dangerous undertking at a UKHA meet,
I'm sure you'll agree!)

My thanks to all the exhibitors for supporting the event, - even though
some
of them were put in small dark rooms.... without any electricity.... for a
month... (sorry, ignore that,  - I ramble...)

My thanks to Graham Howe for doing most of the legwork in organising and
making it happen.... (and "Stefan" his German rent-boy!!).... 
;-)

OK, next my personal opinions and feedback... (and I know there is to be an
"official" write-up & review of the meet, so I'll try not to
steal Ian's
thunder!)

The room arrangement could be improved next year by not having the smaller
rooms so far away from the main room.... I almost felt a bit sorry for some
of the exhibitors in the smaller rooms, - many delegates never actually got
round to visiting them, purely because there was always something going on
in the main room, and possibly because they were on different floors, some
people didn't know where the other rooms were.... conversely of course, it
meant that the exhibitors who were in the other rooms, also had to miss out
on all the fun that was going on in the main room, and for putting up with
that, I think we owe those exhibitors a big thank-you...

The event is now of such a size and complexity, that the two-hours we had
on
the Saturday morning to set up was definately not enough! - we could
definately have done a better job had we had a half-day or so to get all
the
kit set up, configured & tested in advance...

interesting factoids:
- There were 96 delegates paid-up on the Saturday, and 76 on the Sunday....
- The dinner bill in Fatty Arbuckle's came to just slightly over £950!!!
- The fattest **stard was Phil Harris, for not only finishing his *own*
"Desperate Dan" dinner, but then also finishing off half of Tony
Butler's as
well!!
- The only person *known* to have thrown up was Ken Watt...

So, an all round, unqualified, resounding success in my opinion! - A
fantastic time, and I can't wait for UKHA2004 which will no doubt be even
bigger & better....

Paul G.

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