Finding a Face-2-Face Conference Site

Finding a Face-2-Face Conference Site

Much of the time at this stage the wing has decided on a theme and a date. It has decided on areas of the wing where it wants to concentrate its search. Remember, ideally this process begins at least 14 months out from the conference start.

Location, Location, Location

It’s a wing decision whether to locate a conference in a downtown area close to shops, restaurants and other amenities; or whether to locate in a resort town where there might be fewer amenities around the venue but is compensated for by the variety of amenities the hotel provides. (For our purposes the discussion about military facilities is contained in the attachments).

Whatever general area is chosen, when considering where to locate a conference be sure to contact local membership and web-based travel review sites to see how well the area and the venue quality suits your needs, how safe the area is, and whether there are any inappropriate venues which might present a concern.

Building a Venue Request for Proposal (RFP)

It’s a big name. It’s a critical step. It’s also a great way to help move the vision from brain to paper.

While the specifics of forming an RFP (as well as a sample) is located in Attachment 1; for this discussion what follows are major items that may be included in the RFP:

• Duration of the conference (days/nights)

• Probable number of total attendees (members, guests, DVs, staff, etc.). Of this number,

  • How many room nights are required for each night?

  • Breakdown of single v. double bedded rooms

  • Whether hospitality suites are required and for how long

  • Whether disabled-accessible rooms are required and if so, how many

• Top rate desired for a room charge per night. It’s okay to low ball a little. Best case is that you get it; worst case is that venues make a counteroffer and the negotiation begins. When figuring this top rate, consider all potential add-ons such as taxes, resort fees, parking, etc., that could add substantially to member cost.

• “Comped “free” room night based on the total number of room nights sold to the group (this is known as “room pick-up.” 40-to-50 nights sold for 1 free night (40– to–1 or 50-to-1) is standard). Have the hotel credit the free nights to the final invoice for the contract as this gives you flexibility.

• Waiver of resort fees.

• Access to secure, lockable rooms where the wing has the only key.

• How many meeting rooms are required as well as the number of people you expect to host in those rooms.

• Whether you expect the venue to cater the event, and if so, which meals, snacks, coffee breaks (including number per meal).

• Audiovisual requirements (this includes production capacity and bandwidth for streaming capability if holding a hybrid conference or recording events for on demand viewing)

• The projected minimum amount of $$$ the wing expects to spend on this food and beverage (F&B) before service charges and taxes.

• Guaranteed F&B pricing, set as close to the signing of the contract as possible (so there are no last-minute up charges).

• Whether you wish to receive any special amenities or concessions from the venue, such as discounts, free meeting space, free internet, free parking, etc. Never hurts to ask.

• Payment terms

  • Have the members (other than DVs) pay for their own rooms. Rooms that are comped by the region or wing should be billed to the master invoice.

  • Try to ensure that the room rate for the block extends out a couple of days before and after for those who need to be at the venue early or stay late.

  • Allow for name changes up to 24 hours out for those rooms that the region/wing does book to the master bill, or for which the region/wing has submitted a lodging list.

  • Hotel room nights should be totaled cumulatively (over the entire event) and not totaled per night. This gives you room if one night is light.

  • Honoring the host wing’s tax-exempt status (if it has it).

It’s better to be conservative about what one is willing to block or spend. Most hotels have something called an attrition rate. This is the percentage of rooms which are contracted but not bought. Typically, at least 80% of the sleeping room nights contracted must be filled without incurring a penalty, including loss of free meeting space and monetary penalties.

F&B must also meet the minimum (before service charge and taxes) promised in the contract. This will be paid regardless of whether the food is actually consumed. (More on F&B charges later).

It’s also a really good idea to provide a one paragraph summary of what CAP is and to highlight the volunteer, self-paid nature of the organization. This tends to build awareness and goodwill with the venues; who might be more inclined to work to make the conference more affordable.

Many wings build their RFP based on past contracts with known properties. This can be an effective method if the conference format and schedule doesn’t change. However, its often better to start fresh and begin this step when blocking out the schedule. The schedule is going to inform the number and type of rooms, social events, breaks and meals, and other needs.

The document should be completed, coordinated and approved by the wing commander before sending to prospective properties.

When to Get at Least Three Quotes

This is the time to start speaking with the wing director of finance and wing legal officer.

It’s always good to get at least 3 quotes when planning a conference. Conferences cost wings thousands of dollars. If the wing cost for the venue is $25,000 or over (F&B, room rental fees, audiovisual, service charges, taxes, miscellaneous expenses covered in the contract) then you must get 3 quotes.

Sending RFPs

The approved RFP is completed. To whom or to where is it sent? By now, the CPO and team have done some basic research as to the venues in the desired area (No use sending a large wing’s conference RFP to a venue with 50 rooms and no food service). For ideas on how to research, consider:

• Monitored travel review and ranking websites where hotels are graded, and photos are a mix of hotel-provided and traveler-provided. While reviews should be taken with a grain of salt; patterns do emerge. Look out for words like “renovation in progress” or “to be completed.” While this isn’t an instant turn-off and might get a lower price it may also disrupt the conference program or comfort of the attendees. Ask questions.

• Hotel websites: Once you have an idea of a few properties; go to the websites and “swim around.” Pay attention to the location, driving directions, number of rooms, room amenities and whether it has a “meetings” or “events” page. If it does, study this page to see if it might be a good fit.

• Contact the local convention and visitor’s bureau (CVB). They are a valuable resource in helping to get your RFP out, providing visitor information, even providing incentives to come to the area. They know the town.

• Local members. They are a valuable source of intel about the properties and area.

• Using an online map search, find the hotel and filter in local, walkable restaurants if breakfast and/or lunch are not provided.

This conversation is designed to do 2 things: answer initial questions about the venue and CAPs specific needs as well as to give CAP and the venue a chance to get to know each other.

The goal of the conversation for the hotel is to get you to agree to see a contract. Your goal, as CPO, is to learn more about if the hotel is a good “fit.”

• Will the venue suit your specific needs?

• How well will they work with you?

• How satisfied are you with the answers to your questions?

• If this is a new venue to the wing, or the wing hasn’t been there in a while; how open are they to a site visit?

• What other groups are holding meetings/conferences at the same time? Is there any conflict in their schedule or meeting space to what is being proposed for you (such as a wedding reception with a loud band in the ballroom next door)?

Unless a venue being considered is well-known to the CPO and there are no changes to the CPO or the venue’s representative, ask to conduct a sit survey. Most hotels will say yes. If they hedge, and it’s not because its booked because of an event, holiday or other good reason, consider it a red flag.

The Site Visit

Once the hotel has agreed to a date for a site visit, depending on the travel distance, ask if you can stay the night. While they might comp (give you the night for free) the room, even if they don’t stay anyway. The expense is worth it. It gives a chance to see in detail how the venue operates. It’s also a good idea to take someone with you to provide a second set of “eyes” and assist with meetings and photos.

When planning the visit ask to see sample rooms, meeting spaces, speak to the line managers from the different departments (including A/V) and otherwise tour the facilities to be used. A sample checklist for performing a site visit is contained in Attachment 4a. Choose the checklist items that best fit the wing’s needs.

Also, be sure to try their food and search for the health inspection permits (which are publicly posted). This and sleeping room condition are most remembered conference experiences.

Take photos and note items such as where electrical sockets in meeting areas are located, condition of public spaces, and note distances between meeting rooms, food venues, restrooms (empty, of course) and sleeping rooms.

Consider any physically challenged members – are there steps, elevators, long walks between meeting rooms? Ask about the hotel policy for food allergies. Some hotels will prepare special dishes, some may permit the member to bring in outside food if allergies are severe.

Envision your event in the meeting rooms? Will the ceilings permit the color guard to post easily? Will you require extra screens so all can see the presentation? Are the restaurants large enough to fit your guests in a short time if breakfast or lunch is not part of the conference?

Be sure to meet with the venue’s A/V rep and ask if you can bring some of your own equipment, especially laptops and projectors for breakout rooms. Many wings bring these but contract with the hotel for screens, projector tables and other equipment (known as a LCD Support Package w/screen). This saves a lot of money as it is several hundred dollars per projector rented.

If cadets are attending your meeting, learn the hotel policy for minors. Many will not permit minors in the pool or gym area without adult supervision and have other requirements for rooming cadets without parents. Take time to explain the cadet program and why the cadets would be attending.

Know that the venue is going to show you its best face. Let them do that; but also ask polite and thoughtful questions to give you a sense of the venue’s ethic, expectations and capabilities.

The Contract

The RFP serves as the basis of the contract between the wing and the venue. The contract is the legally binding document between the wing and the vendor concerning services provided, costs, terms and conditions of service, payment, postponement/cancellation and other special clauses.

If you remember no other thing from this pamphlet, please remember that if it’s not written in the contract, it wasn’t agreed to – it never happened.

Compare the contract with the RFP and your notes from the hotel discussions. If something was agreed to verbally or in the original quoted response but is not in the contract; contact the venue salespeople and ask that the contract be fixed before it is sent to National Headquarters for review and signature. It is much, much harder to fix a mistake after a contract has been signed. Note: No one in the wing has the authority to sign a contract or to bind the CAP Corporation (of which the wing is part). Contracts can only be signed by NHQ CAP.

Hidden Costs: Contract Pricing for Food & Beverage and Service Charges

Hotels count the following against the minimum spend obligations for their contract pricing:

• Base pricing for food and beverage

Hotels do not count the following charges against guaranteed minimums:

• Service charges (usually 24-27% of each item, meal, or service)

• Sales taxes

• Fees (such as for excess use, extra attendants or servers at receptions, bartenders, etc).

For example, let’s say that pricing for a continental breakfast buffet is $25 per person. The contract is to serve for 100 people. The base price is $2,500. However, the service charge for the service is 25% of the menu cost. Let’s also say that sales tax is 10% on both the meal and the service charge (known as ++) and the wing is not tax-exempt. The question is, what is the total cost to the wing, and how much is credited to the F&B minimum agreed to in the contract?

The equation looks like this:          $25 (base price) x 1.25 (service charge) x 10% (tax)

$25 x 1.25 = $31.25 (1.10) = $34.38 (rounded up) per meal

$34.38 per meal x 100 meals served = $3,438.00 total cost

Cost for wing’s budgeting purposes:                                         $3,438.00

Value against the wing’s contracted F&B minimum:                 $2,500.00

These service charges taxes and fees may also be charged against audiovisual services, labor, delivery and hold charges, etc. More importantly, they are rarely negotiable as they normally are used to offset labor costs. Always remember to calculate these into the total price for the budget.

The Contract Review Team

This is a good time to define the conference contract review team. Members of this collective at the wing level are:

• The Wing Conference Project Officer (you)

• The Director of Finance/Finance Committee