Personally, I would be very dismayed if the fests did not continue. Last year was my first fest, so at least I got to go to one, and if it would be the last then at least I chose to go on the 40th Anniversary. I enjoyed my time there very much, and there seemed to be a lot of first timers there aside from me.
While other people go to the fests to see their DS friends, if there will be another fest this year, I likely will not go for that reason. Why? Because I haven't been to enough fests to have gathered the large list of friends that I would recognize every year. I have friends online that are fans of DS, who I may or may not recognize at the fests, but other than that, there's nothing. I'd go to the fest this year to see the stars again, and I'd probably be able to better enjoy myself since for the 40th Anniversary fest I was running around trying to get all these autographs and take pictures etc etc. I would be able to walk about and do what I please, and not have to care about where, when, why, and how to get into an autograph line.
I think the fest needs more fan-oriented events as well. We don't need the same thing every year--the same clips of DS, the same type of programs, the same stage talks and Q & A sessions. I would become quite bored with that should I go to the next fest. No, what we need is fan stuff. A writing contest. People could write short scripts for the stars to perform on stage. There could be one performance each evening. Not only would this (maybe) help to increase participation, but it would allow the fan to get closer to the stars. Maybe the winners could go over the script with the stars, participate in a read through with them, give them direction should they need it. The stars could sign the respective scripts and they could be auctioned off for the chosen charity of that year. Maybe they'd gain some more money.
Another cool fan event would be to pick fan favorite episodes and have people sign up to play the DS characters. We, the fans, could do the same thing that the stars did this past year--recreate the first and last episodes on stage, or episodes of the fans or committee's choosing.
Reading of fanfiction would be wonderful, and would provide a unique opportunity to get your talents out there. Fan Q&A sessions where FANS get up on stage and answer questions about how they got started as a fan of DS, what DS has meant to them throughout the years, what interests them most about the show, what type of memoribilia they have, etc etc. Fans could be chosen for this special Q&A session by a random lottery drawing, the same type that took place at the banquet last year.
These are just a select few ideas that I've just thought up or added on to while sitting here. Feel free to forward them along to the appropriate people Nancy, I won't mind. I'm always here for further questioning! lol