Planning the big events tended to be an act of herding ADD cats in a catnip field, trying to satisfy disparate wants and needs, with resultant bitching and moaning. Then the stories and rumors and lies that were flying about afterwards on who did what (or whom) put a pall on the big ones. That’s my theory.
And I think the City Council of Springfield, IL actually passed an ordinance against us.
The Twin Cities Dopers used to have fairly regular lunches, until the organizing force behind them went to rehab and stopped posting. (Possibly unrelated events.)
We still do have get togethers once a year, or so. Basically whenever someone says, “Hey! Let’s have food!”
I have NO idea why ChiDopes stopped happening. I know I organized the first bunch of 'em, and they were just big drunkfests, really. Well, for me, anyway - I can’t say for sure what anyone else was doing, I just know I ended up smashed and probably embarrassing every time. I don’t know why I stopped being involved in them, but I believe there was more interest in having non-sloshed activities and I just didn’t care about sort of thing at the time.
Then they became bigger, all-weekend affairs with day trips and a handful of people hosting. I wouldn’t be surprised if that group of organizers ran into the problem of trying to please EVERYONE and therefore running themselves ragged every time. It’s the kind of thing that can really burn people out.
I also think that some of the core early-ChiDopers started drifting away from the Dope itself at some point, and newer Dopes from around here might not have even been aware that a ChiDope was something to start demanding. That’s when I’d always start planning one - when people would bitch enough that it had been too long.
I’d like to add that I’m pretty sure I’m the reason we’re no longer welcome in Springfield.
I think Springfield is safe now. Tibby moved.
Speaking personally, I think I just kind of fell away from hanging out as much on the forums and going to the ChiDopes. The times I’d start to pay attention again, the crowd had changed and they had, in my mind, seemed to shift from “Buncha folks hanging out, having some drinks, etc” to “Excuse to get drunk and fuck”.
I’ll be the first to admit that my perception may have been wrong since I wasn’t there. But I never really got back into the swing of it.
'Sides, I was there for Spiffled I & II. What else was going to compare? 
I know a couple people that planned big Dopefests (in Chicago and in New York) and both of them swore they’d never do it again. Total pain in the ass, with people complaining about the restaurants that had been chosen, behaving wildly inappropriately in peoples’ homes, etc. Also, the comments that were made about people in the anonymous forums after the events engendered a lot of hard feelings.
I lived in the Bay Area until 2002 and then in Chicago from 2003-2006 and some of the Bay Area and Chicago people that I met at Dopefests are still some of my best friends, and those groups still get together to hang out. They just don’t post to the SDMB anymore.
I’ve tried to organize Doper get-togethers a couple of times, but in general there aren’t enough people with enough free time/initiative in my area to come. The more successful ones tend to be in big cities with lots of Dopers living there.
We do dinners here in Philly from time to time. They tend not to be big or drunken – I don’t think we’ve ever had more than 10 or 12 people. Also not a source of hookups, AFAIK – none involving me, anyway. 
Us LA dopers must just be easy to please. We’ll go about anywhere that food, drink and other dopers will be.
Strange. I mis-read that as “Hump me neither.” Wonder how that happened?
I know of at least five weddings and a fair few engagements and several hook ups. And I’m mostly talking from the Euro side. The Yanks have been even more active
If you include Nadsfests I’d make it four or even five.
Yeah; I mean, think about how goddamn opinionated we are on the boards. Now extrapolate that to apply to IRL places to go and things to eat (and what, if anything to drink).
Also, the board has gotten to big for people to be really into it. When it was smaller, you’d likely have gotten to know your locals a bit so a Dopefest was pretty much hanging out with a few friends and a few people you didn’t know. As the board grew, the gatherings would get bigger, and lots of people are turned off by that. And those that would show up and already knew each other would mostly hang out together.
You think so? The early attempts at Boston or New England dopefests were pretty sparsely attended. (Maybe that suits me, I got into a deep funk at the mega New York 'fest.) It’s been better lately; once or twice a year, and I even see the same people coming back.
No hookups, though.
Or they were very discreet.
Or I’m just really clueless.
0 : - )
Good point, I’d forgotten about those…
Well, I planned and organized the infamous Dopetoberfest in Redondo Beach/Los Angeles a few years back. No complaints about the location or the restaurant or activities or anything else that I recall. There was some dispute as to whether there was a “lobby” at the hotel, but I plead innocent. 
IIRC, there were about 75 or 80 people there from all over the world, and while I’m unaware of any “hookups”, I do know that one couple who met there are now married. Here’s the “aftermath” thread.
I, too, met my husband at a Dopefest; Amsterdope. But we didn’t “hook up” there, which was the subject of much teasing after-the-fact. 
Next time pay better attention, well at least better attention to folks other that that Yurpeen guy you hang out with.
We’ve had a few OrlanDopes.
Haha, no kidding. I was getting updates by phone from someone who was complaining that he was the only person there who didn’t get laid.