RE: The future of MAAC Nats
I'll take a kick at explaining why Mark is wrong (although I don't actually disagree with him)
Events like a Nationals carry with them a level of risk. A week of rain when the Nats were planned and you're out some money. What these events need is protection against the unforseen. Ultimately, this should be a fund that is built up over time, and generated from surplusses from financially viable events in the same area. BUT ... if we want to see events grow and prosper, we need to be able to offer financial protection to the organisers.
That said, that protection should come at the cost of a well prepared budget based on conservative if not pessimistic projections. There should be timelines for projection adjustments and budget re-working.
The big thing is that the board recognises and understands the potential losses if things fall apart. The Brandon Nats has long been held up as an expample of a failure, with the event costing the association over $20,000 ... The board was aware of the costs, for the most part, and knew they were spending the money ...
Where Mark had a problem was with events that ran unforseen and unmitigated losses. Mark has said, but I have no idea if it is true, that the 2005 Nats did not present a complete budget to the board ... I suspect this is where he has the biggest problem.