[RASC Hamilton Special Announcement] AstroCATS & Canadian Astrophotography Schools (CAPS) - Good New and Bad News

[Gary Bennett]

First, the good news! Our Canadian Astrophotography Schools (CAPS) event is
still GAME ON! This event was started last year, and every indication is
that it is an event that “has legs” and will continue to be a premier
attraction to photography enthusiasts from far afield. The biggest benefit
to RASC Hamilton Centre is that it has the potential to generate as much, if
not more revenue, and at the same time, an exponential reduction in
volunteer manpower to accomplish.

CAPS is a full-emersion, 2-day school where students get hands-on
instruction from leading experts. It appeals to both hard-core deep-space
imagers, as well as those interested in “skyscape” artistic photography and
Planetary (including Solar) photography. Whether the interest is learning
hard-core scientific imaging or skyscapes using simple light-duty equipment,
there is something for everyone!

Even better news, RASC Hamilton Centre members (in good standing) can enroll
in any of the 3 courses for ½ price! More details to follow.

OK, now onto the bad news. On Friday, March 3, the Board of Directors and
AstroCATS Committee met in a special session to discuss concerns about
lackluster Exhibitor participation in the upcoming AstroCATS Trade Show.
With only 10 weeks until show-time, we needed to make a difficult decision
to either forge ahead, or cancel the event. After reviewing potential
consequences, in terms of financial and professional responsibility, we felt
that there was a risk that we would not be able to deliver a rich experience
to either paid attendees or the exhibitors.

Our decision was to cancel AstroCATS 2017. As of this writing, exhibitors
who had already signed-up have been notified. We have already received
feedback that supports the decision we made. Most interestingly, a major
factor was that some exhibitors state-side, were concerned about crossing
the border during the political turmoil that has been the focus of media
attention of late.

I cannot even begin to do justice to passing on my gratitude, to the
AstroCATS committee, who have volunteered countless man-hours of their time.
In particular, Andy Blanchard, David Surette, and John Devonshire, who have
given so much to make AstoCATS a success during the previous 4 years.

Over the next few days, our AstroCATS and CAPS website will be recrafted to
reflect todays announcement. After a few days, we invite you check our
progress, and you can learn more about enrolling in one of the courses
at:http://hamiltonrasc.ca/CAPS/courses/ 

 

Clear Skies!

Gary Bennett

President, RASC Hamilton Centre

 

NOTICE: This announcement may arrive in your email inbox twice. It has been
posted to our Web Forum as well as our email distribution list. Please do
NOT reply to this email (it will “bounce”) If you wish to reply to this
announcement, or participate in the lively discussions taking place on our
forum, please visit our web forum here:

http://hamiltonrasc.ca/forum/index.php?topic=557.0 

 

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