Why am I not willing to drive to Minneapolis for Arcanicon 2015?
First, the drive time from Chicago to Columbus, with pretty minimal stops is about 7 hours. Chicago to Minneapolis is more like 8. Assuming traffic is equivalent, on a pleasant summer day. That extra hour may not seem like much, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
Second, weather. Chicago is cold. Minneapolis is even colder, and generally snowier. So I figure we're more likely to get stuck there because of a winter storm, or worse yet, stuck on the road, or forced to drive at a snail's pace because the snow is coming down so hard. Been there, done that, don't want to do that again. Yeah, I'm a wimp. Somehow, driving North in the winter makes no sense to me. So that factors in.
Third, unlike Origins, which a bunch of my friends attend, I expect I'll be driving to Arcanicon alone next year. An 8-hour drive by myself is a lot longer than a 7-hour drive with good company.
Right now, I can't think of any argument that'd twist my arm enough to get me to drive to Minneapolis. Maybe I'll be surprised
In any case, I'm only one person. I really think that the organizers need to collect the poll data (after a reasonable period of time has passed) and base their decisions on that. How many of the player base will attend Arcanicon in different cities should be the driving factor. It doesn't matter how cheap it is to get somewhere, or how nice the hotel rooms are, or the traffic, or whatever. What matters is: what cities will draw the greatest attendance?