A Letter from the President

Hello everyone and welcome to the 2024 Edition of the Duke City Hamfest and Convention. My name is Larry Goga AE5CZ and I am the President and Chairman of the Duke City Hamfest Planning Committee for 2024.

Our last event was held in 2019 at the Isleta Resort and Casino almost 5 years ago. At that time our event, like so many others, was shut down due to pandemic restrictions. We then lost our Lead Organizer, Mr. Peter Spotts NM5PS (SK) in 2021. Since then, the Hamfest has been shut down and we have lost a lot of momentum. In September of 2023 I took over as President and proceeded to rebuild the Board of Directors to its full complement of nine members. We are all now working very diligently to recreate the marvelous amateur radio event that you have come to expect.

This year finds us trying to work in a whole new economy. In the past, event venues were forced to shut down because of COVID restrictions. Today they are in demand and commanding top dollar while trying to make up for lost revenue. On top of that the rampant post-pandemic inflation has raised the costs of recreating an event such as ours by over 20%. But today we have set some very reachable goals and we have a plan that will return us to the playing field with the fiscal strength we will need to be competitive.

We consider this to be a year of rebuilding. The 2024 event will not be held at a hotel venue. This year we will be returning to the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Center. That’s one of the venues where this event started a long time ago. The traditional Friday night mixer and Saturday night Banquet will be hosted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

A successful Hamfest depends on the ham community supporting it. We need you ALL to register for our event and to assist wherever you can. In previous years, Volunteers have received free admission to the Hamfest, but this is a perquisite that we will not be able to offer this year. We MUST rebuild our Treasury to be competitive in this market and place us in a position to continue offering the top-level Hamfest and convention we have come to expect. You can all help us do that by your modest contribution of $15 for your Registration.

Our THANKS to every one of you. Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for your participation. Thank you for your donations. And thank you for your interest in this wonderful hobby of Amateur Radio.

73,

Larry Goga, AE5CZ

President and Chairman
Duke City Hamfest Planning Committee for 2024