Frankly, I think it's pretty good just as it is. I think that at times we could temper our language a bit more - I'm as guilty as anyone, but if we had our wives/daughters reading some of this, it'd be pretty raw.
Y'know....these "Regional Meets" we do....what's the chance of some of the forum sponsors coming up w/door prizes for 'em, even if it would be gift or discount coupons?
Sell 'em on being a "featured" quarterly event - promo 'em here, with a special section set up for the "Meet of the Quarter", with pics for the latest one, and a section for the plans for the upcoming one.
Another thing...Group Buys. It would HAVE to be run by someone that can be trusted, and a tight rein kept on it - but a GB in conjunction with some of our sponsors could be a dual benefit. Non-sponsors could be done as well - a good turn out could encourage them to become sponsors.
The thing is, we need to get regular meets and people coming out regularly before anyone is going to want to "sponsor" us with giveaways. So far, most of the local meetups we've tried to setup (which granted haven't been a whole lot lately), most people come up with excuses and don't show.
I hear ya - shit, I've missed every one they've done here, even though my PLAN was to be there. However, the last SA attendance was killer from what I understand - and as long as they take pics and post 'em like they did, they'll continue to grow.