Bert - You are actually wrong on those places being only for the rich. Because it is the off season there the rates are very very good.
Banff is only a 1.5 hr ride from Calgary and Whistler is about the same from Vancouver and both trips are very scenic so thats a plus. Every major airline flies into Calgary and more so into Vancouver so getting there from anywhere is not a problem.
Vegas is good if you have a major conference but this is something we are looking at making different in a location that is not one of the major US tourist traps. As I mentioned previously I want to look at somewhere in Canada because trying to deal with the unions is BS at the best of times. A classic example is I wanted ten boxes of magazines moved from the entrance to the show to my booth, a two min walk at the max. The union labor there wanted to charge me $650 USD to move them
On the other hand every event I have been to in Canada has been great and the attitude of the people that work with you to make it happen seems so much more helpful than what you find in places like Los Angeles and Vegas. No offence to anyone living there.
Hope that answers your questions. Keep the beer in the fridge for me.
Autorotate.