So, I haven't been to a convention yet.... I'm looking forward to going this year hopefully if my car is done by that time :smh: long story... But I see there is a clear organizational problem (I actually read every single post). It's challenging for companies and groups with a reasonable overhead budget to successfully pull off a national event a year in advance and here it is expected from one person or a select few people with no overhead budget to start. Maybe as a new person to the community I can shed some light on a possibly new idea(or get bashed and shunned away into a corner to cry), I don't know how you pick your events or who will host them but why not try this out for the future.
ANY party interested in hosting the "convention" should do research and extensive leg work prior to being selected to host. (eg. phone calls to tracks, and venues for pricing/insurance requirements/as well as group size information). I know people will bring up the fact what if a track goes out of business or closes etc... This is why you call numerous places and get a general idea if a track will be closed for renovation, it is usually known more than a year in advance due to the regulations which are required(Of course no one can prevent mother nature though).
At the end of the current convention every interested party presents the information which they gathered to the group.
The group selects the next years convention by the amount of information provided, and at the same time pre-payment for road course events can be obtained in person if need be or are available....
Now we all need to understand that life happens so things can change. But realistically it's like presenting a successful business plan(the convention research and ideas) to a group of investors(the members who are anticipated to attend) and getting them to want to go to your event, and also since some of the leg work would've been done already prior, planning the rest of the event would/should be easier since all the preliminary steps are complete.