I know that many of you have not been to distric conventions in some time, but what I am about to describe is a recent trend.
1. More people than seats. For the past six or seven years, they've tried cramming too many congregations into one convention hall at one time. In many cases, if you do not get to the convention more than an hour before the program starts and you need more than a couple of seats, you cannot find seats. At all. The local brothers will say things like "arrive early to get seats". But the logic is flawed. If everyone arrived ninety minutes early, there still would not be enough seats! I have been to conventions (and also assemblies) where they have literally turned people around and sent them home because too many cars and people would violate the capacity laws. It doesn't help when they have these "invite everyone you know to the convention" campaigns. Where are they going to sit?
2. Poor behavior from servants of Jehovah. So you arrive at the convention early because that is the only chance to get seats for your family of five. You wait at the doors for an hour or more just standing there. The doors open and it turns into an American NFL football game. Grown people--grown people--are running through the place, briefcases and purses swinging, trying to find seats. They will knock you down if you let them. I always have the urge to clothesline someone, but I never do it. But you walk patiently and still find okay seats. Then you get up to go retrieve your family from the vehicle and come back and someone has stolen your seats. They've taken your bibles and song books and replaced them with theirs. Then there are arguments and attitudes.
3. Parking attendants. To this day, I do not know why we have parking attendants. People would fare much better if left to their own driving abilities. They will hose up exiting traffic in ways that cannot be described in words. It once took me almost 2 hours to leave the convention site for sitting in my vehicle in a crowd of unmoving motor vehicles.
4. So, so long. Can't they make these shorter? Yes, I have kids. They are altogether evil, according to the Society. They make me miss spiritual gems that flow from the platform. They distract others. They will only grow up to leave the Organization, anyway. Why not just abandon them? Why are the sessions so numbingly long? Five o'clock in the afternoon? Can we not subject small kids to this sort of torture?