To the Editor:
On returning to Cincinnati after the last Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, I found myself wondering about the present state of the so-called piggyback priniciple, according to which the American Psychoanalytic Association holds its spring meeting in or near the city in which the American Psychiatric Association will meet a week later.
My thoughts had been stimulated by the Philadelphia meeting itself. The accomodations for the meetings disappointed almost everyone. Tattered wallpaper hung from the walls of my room; athletes rehearsing in the halls for the Penn Relays through the wee, small hours made sleeping difficult. Most of us, however, put up good-naturedly with the inconveniences, improvising by rearranging furniture, getting extra linens, and so on. Although we grumbled, we were generally a pretty cheerful lot.
Our Philadelphia hosts had been gracious and generous. The American's Arrangements Committee, which always does so well by us, was blameless. It was clear that our hotel had once belonged to the Sheraton chain—the Sheraton name was still on the linens and various other objects in the room. But it had been sold to new owners who had not kept it up. Since the meetings are necessarily scheduled years in advance, the position of the Arrangements Committee is somewhat like that of an impresario trying to get an operatic cast under contract five years in advance: Today's glorious Brunnhilde may be squawking like a crow when it's time for her to sing, but she still has the contract!
Driving in from the airport that day, I suddenly began to think of Cincinnati as an excellent site for an Annual Meeting, although it is hardly likely that the APA will be meeting here in the predictable future. Cincinnati is not only beautiful in the spring, it also has excellent meeting facilities. New hotels include the Westin, built only two years ago, and a Hyatt-Regency now nearing completion. The Netherland Plaza, a historic art-deco masterpiece, has just reopened after being closed for two years for complete restoration and refurbishing. Cincinnati is a major hub for Delta Airlines, and it is easily accessible by nonstop flights from almost any part of the country. There are ten nonstops daily to Chicago alone on Delta, American, and United.
But to even consider this would require reexamination of the piggyback policy. Certainly that policy hasn't been working well in recent years. For instance, this years's meeting was held in Philadelphia in order to avoid three* meetings in a row in New York, and I think it was a good choice. When the APA has met in Toronto, the American has had to meet in Quebec City and later in Boston. We met in San Juan when the APA met in New Orleans; and next year we will meet in San Diego instead of Los Angeles. The Denver meeting will “piggyback” on Dallas! These are all great cities for our own meetings, but it's hardly piggybacking. Is piggybacking just not as important as it used to be?
The Annual Meetings are a highlight of the analytic year for many of us, giving us an opportunity for some professional refreshment and a chance to see old friends. They also give us a good chance to see some new sights, and to scratch feet which are itching from our many hours behind the couch.
Surely there are institutes and societies in cities we have never visited that could provide excellent meeting facilities. The Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Society and the Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute would look forward to hosting a future Annual Meeting—piggyback or no.
Robert L. Stewart, M.D.
Cincinnati
The usual reason not to hold the two meetings in the same city is that the one selected by the APA turns out to not have sufficient hotel space available for us in the week prior to their meeting. We must wait for their selection, then hope to make our own arrangements. There have also been last minute switches in the APA site, and we have opted to honor our own prior commitments.
Helen Fischer tells us that the present policy is an official one, confirmed by Executive Council. One reason for the piggybacking policy is that some of our members want to attend both meetings, and piggybacking makes it more practical and affordable to do so. Additionally, scheduling the two meetings in the same location (or at least near each other) tends to increase the number of who attend our meetings (and theirs).
Mrs. Fischer also conveyed to us an appreciation of the warmth and enthusiasm Dr. Stewart expressed in suggesting Cincinnati be considered as a future site for one of our annual meetings.
Perhaps other criteria other than the meeting sites of the APA should be used in determining the sites of our own meetings. There are other cities in which member institutes are located which may not be likely sites for an APA meeting in the foreseeable future, but which might be good for us for other reasons. Any of our members who have thoughts as to whether our present policy is the best or most necessary one might want to send us their views.
In any event, Mrs. Fischer assures us that Cincinnati is on record as willing and able to be piggybacked as necessary. Their generous offer is being considered. If, as Dr. Stewart notes, Boston can be piggybacked on Toronto or Denver on Dallas, we shouldn't be too surprised if Cincinnati came to mind the next time we are closed out of some other meeting site, at least one that is, say, east of the Rockies.