As far as I'm concerned the biggest problem with any mass meeting--district convention, circuit assembly, and special assembly day--is that they are held in facilities that were not designed to hold large numbers of people for extended periods of time. Even when air conditioning is available, the seats become quite uncomfortable after more than three hours of sitting in them unless one brings his own cushions, and even then you get tired and worn out at the end of a seven- or eight-hour day.
In the thirty years I attended district conventions, only once did I ever have to sit out in the hot sun all day. That was in 2000 when the dc was held in Denver's Mile High Stadium. There was a nice indoor facility available, but the WTS refused to hold the convention there because the management wanted to have all the restaurants and refreshment stands open for the Witnesses to use. Of course, the WTS was in its bring-your-own-food arrangement and wouldn't hear of any alternative to it, even if that alternative would actually have been much more convenient for the convention delegates.
After the 2000 debacle, the conventions were moved to a minor league hockey arena in Loveland, Colorado. The seats were hard, plastic, and a real torture to sit in after two hours or so. Then I got disfellowshipped and haven't attended any big meeting since then. I'm sure the WTS is well aware of the pain and discomfort it puts the rank-and-file through but it doesn't give a damn. What is more important to its leaders is to herd people into these inadequate and uncomfortable facilities so that they can be indoctrinated with the latest schlock. If people suffer back pain, heat stroke, or even death, well, that's the "sacrifice" they should be glad to make to be in the "spiritual paradise".
I used to plan my summer around the timing of the district convention. Since Colorado summers are somewhat brief, although very enjoyable, many Witnesses always wanted the convention to be held early so that we could have the rest of the summer to enjoy the incredible scenery and recreational opportunities that exist here. Now that I am in the free and clear, I can enjoy the summer even more; but I still feel sorrow and pity for those Witnesses who feel compelled to attend the summer district conventions. And I feel the same way about the useless circuit assemblies and special assembly days as well. I found them to be as tasteless as the summer district conventions.
Quendi