That may be so - I wasn't at the meeting, so couldn't comment. That wasn't the reason that was publicized or the one I got from discussions with others, but it may well be a valid perception. To which I might reply - what of it? A convention is contextual. Place matters. For a lot of people it's a transportation issue, for many others it's a convenience issue, but at its heart it may simply be that it's an out of context problem that may not be solveable. In my wild youth, I attended Balticon frequently - except for the years where it was held out in the burbs instead of in downtown Baltimore because they were stingy on the hotel pricing. Part of the con-ness of the convention was the geospatial context. Cons like Worldcon can get away with moving around because that's part of their context, but Arisia, not so much.

(I am going to make a solid attempt to actually make meetings this year. Oh, the joys of impending student life!)