You can see this as the conventions do improve over time. But, in many other areas, egos and intramural squabbles are more important than running a better convention. On the other hand, the implementation issues can be stored, added to, recategorized, etc. Most convention implementation issues have been honed to a craft if not a science by some individuals and some groups. Running a convention is not rocket science.
History does repeat itself.
Many states have severely curtailed smoking areas over the last ten years, but not all. It helps, if possible, for the convention to take a large number of rooms in that area, then rent them out to committee members. While small cons can get away with notebooks, etc., databases can really help you manage data. Spreadsheets can also be helpful to manage gopher hours and rental equipment. It may not match the amount the sender claimed.