Don't let the awards presentation discourage you. The awards presentation has posed problems for many of the conventions. The usual problem is the slide show presentation gets fouled up somehow during the banquet, but the results have always been available and accurate. The time it takes to post the results has varied from year to year.
The 2003 and 2004 convention both had nearly flawless presentations at the banquet, and the results were posted in less than a week after the convention. Pictures of the winning entries were also posted probably within two weeks of the show.
The guys in Atlanta did a great job, and I'm sure they didn't plan for the system to crash. Unfortunately, in the end, what everybody remembers, is the presentation. The presentation in Atlanta did not go well. There are more members that didn't attend than did. For those who did attend, the show was probably great. For those who do not attend, the results is all they have to judge the show.
Two frequently used excuses:
1-The event is run by members who volunteer their time.
2-In the "old days" results weren't available until the journal was published.
my response
1-the convention and the organization is not by some " fly by nights". Each and every one of those volunteers are very capable people in both their professional and personal lives. They make a commitment to do a job knowing what will be expected of them.
They all put forth their best efforts and sometime things go wrong. Why they would try to trivialize their efforts by using the volunteer excuse is beyond me.
2- It is not the "old days" any more. The information should be available to each and every member as soon as possible. The results should not be treated as an after thought. The job is not done until it is done. It is not a secret that a large part of the membership from year to year will not be able to attend the event. The results are part of the convention coverage which starts sometimes before the convention. Again, don't trivialize all your hard work with some stupid "old days" garbage. You know what is expected ... follow thru.