I love the Las Vegas idea as well... they should give at least some consideration to the West, and the convention center there can surely accomodate.
Another factor nobody has mentioned is airport accessability and the nimber of direct flights. Las Vegas has tons of direct flights, and can accomodate travelers as well as any city. Connecting flights/limited selection of flights are a real pain, and this factor influences whether or not people decide to attend.
Another Western city that hasn't been mentioned much is Denver. Again, it provides easy access from most areas in the U.S. and has a Major League Team (if that's a factor that matters to people).
Lastly, San Diego is a great city and a place that people LOVE to visit. Not sure about their convention center's size, but I know it's a recently new/improved one, and sits right on the beautiful harbor. It's easily walkable to scores of hotels, bars, good restauraunts, the Gaslamp Quarter, etc. Plus, they have a major league baseball team and lots of other nearby attractions for those who make a vacation out of it (Beach, Zoo, Sea World, Tijuana, etc.). You can easily walk from the Convention Center to Petco Park (as well as tons of restaurants and bars) in about 5 minutes. There cannot be a better venue!
Hopefully, it's not asking too much for perhaps 1 out of every 8 shows to be west of the Mississippi?
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