Didn't want to bug you.

all of the planning. I really miss taking pictures and talking with the attendees, but I have to sacrifice that so everyone else can have fun.

The smaller events (SATC & RABM) are better for me b/c we have a lot less attendees.

But, I do love doing it. The best event I ever attended was my first COI and when the organizers were calling it quits I had to take over.

I organize and run a large number of events for the various professional societies I am involved with. They can range from 50 - a couple thousand people (ugh). When I am doing last minute setup, etc., as much as I want to be able to stop what I am doing and chat with guests (and I will to be a good host), I really can't afford to stop at that point in time.

It does mean you really don't get to enjoy the event, which can be frustrating. I would guess I don't get to eat at about 85% of the dinner events I run just because I am too busy runnign around. But when people give positive feedback it is worthwhile.

Thanks again for the work you put into COI. It was my first GTG and I had a really good time. Hopefully I will be able to get myself to one of the smaller events sometime.