Bob,
In general, I think awards ceremonies go on too long. Folks who have had a
long day, a big meal, and some drinks, have about a 1.5 hour attention span
for speakers; maybe 2 hours max. If we have an after-dinner speaker who takes
up 45 minutes, this leaves 45 minutes (or maybe an hour) for the awards.
Indeed, everyone who gets an award deserves it, but they all cannot be given
the spotlight for more than a few moments. We could allot 20 minutes for the
Harrington (15 for the talk and 5 for the recipient) and work down from there.
If it seems impossible to cut down the Awards time, perhaps we should make
this the entertainment and not have a speaker too. However, the speaker is
often the draw for many to attend....... (?)
Julia Costello