Chiming in from TO & Traveling player perspectives:
If the community as a whole is determined to pick and choose events I'd recommend 1 per region (North West, South West, Midwest, North East, South East) that cover as many populated tri-state areas as possible. Its unlikely most players can attend more than 4-5 a year due to standard vacation time limits. Traveling farther than 7-8 by car also gets difficult for many (both due to the extra day off of work and travelers fatigue). Regions taking turns traveling to pockets of players is always a smart plan.
From a popularity standpoint the instinct to chase "Majors" is understandable but not necessarily required to make an impact. This is particularly true as the definition of a Major event continues to change. Having a showcase stage, a popular or well advertised streamer, and consistent player/dev/promoter social media support can be more important than competing well numerically with Street Fighter. Considering this, looking at events like GUTS, KIT, Frosty Faustings and the like can be as valuable as gathering weekends as SCR, NEC, or CEO community wise.
I appreciate greatly what we accomplished with SG at Combo Breaker, but remember thats because the community decided to make the event a destination. Key community members worked with me to advertise SG, build a spectacle around it, and maximize your at-and-post-event impact. YOU CAN DO THAT ANYWHERE. Please remember that.
As always, go where you can, when you can. Always travel with friends if possible or go to places where you can meet with people you know (even if its just from online rivalries or this forum). Just doing that will drastically increase happiness levels at events and create the infectious atmosphere proven to bring new people into the fandom.
Keep building, don't lose steam, see ya'll around.
