Why have I hesitated to plan anything large recently other than a lunch?

1. I've realized that I am not particularly comfortable at the really large events - more than about 35 people, and it feels like a convention where I end up having to cold-talk people at a table.
2. I count many members of FT as friends. While I agree with Willie's comment on page 1 about meeting more people, it's not as much an urgency for me as it was 7 years ago, when I joined FT in a rather turbulent part of my life.
3. Let's call it like it is: there are people who regularly attend the larger general events whom I cannot stand. And if I'm going to spend my time organizing something, I don't want to have them darken my door.

I will probably continue to help organize occasional niche events, such as the roughly annual travelling Cubs Do (this year was an abberation as the road schedule this year was abyssmal), where a lot of the rules and issues discussed above are moot. And there are more people to organize lunches and dinners in Chicago, so I do not have to take the lead as much - which given my work travel schedule is probably a good thing.