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From:
Subject: RE: [APG] Eastmans conference updates
Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2005 19:20:44 +0000
I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses. I think it's a valid topic and
should be discussed.
Also, since people are free to chose where they stay, it's possible that not
everyone will stay at the host hotel. I guess it's a risk the conference
planners take.
I have been to 3 major conferences.
FGS, 2001, Quad Cities - I stayed at on off-site hotel that was a part of the
conference. Rate was cheaper than on-site hotel and free shuttle to and from
the conference was available.
NGS, Milwaukee (was that 2002?)
My husband came along and we made a vacation out of it. We stayed a distance
away. He dropped me off at the conference each morning, sometimes picking me
up for lunch, and then picked me up at the end of each day. I did not register
for all conference meals as I wanted to dine with my husband part of the time.
(At our hotel one night, the people in the room next door were having some
kind of party. Early the next morning (I don't remember if the conference was
still going on or if we were leaving town) I called their room number and let
it ring a few times. :) )
GenTech, 2004, St. Louis -- I stayed onsite and parked across the street for a
daily fee.
I think people will do what they feel is best for their individual
circumstances. I'm sure the conference organizers try to do they best they
can, but they won't be able to please everyone.
Debbie
> I have been involved in the planning of three national conferences. Here's
> how it works:
>
> The conference needs a large exhibit hall + meeting rooms of various sizes
> + very large room for opening session + luncheon rooms + Friday night
> banquet room. PLUS ease of getting from classrooms to the exhibit hall. If
> the exhibit hall is too far from the classrooms (at one conference it was
> on a different floor, several floors up) attendees will not be too inclined
> to visit it between sessions. If exhibitors don't get traffic, they don't
> sell, so often don't even make expenses. And so don't come back the next
> year. A high number of exhibitors is an essential draw for any conference,
> so keeping the exhibitors happy is absolutely essential.
>
> This means using a large hotel in a large city, or a large convention
> center with adequate rooms available close by.
>
> If a hotel, then the question is, how much with all this cost the
> conference? Hotels will offer the exhibit hall and classrooms free, *IF* a
> minimum number of hotel rooms are paid for by attendees. So the conference
> wants attendees to stay at the conference hotel. They encourage it
> strongly. They *need* attendees to stay there or their total conference
> costs will zoom sky high.So they guarantee the minimum and reserve a block
> of rooms. The group rate is negotiated. Yes, as someone pointed out, by
> using AAA, AARP or other ways to get a discounted room, you can sometimes
> get a lower rate at the conference hotel. You do this by not saying you are
> attending the conference. I was on a elevator at the conference hotel at
> NGS Houston some years ago, and some men from a church group were
> discussing their room rates. I found out that that group had a lower group
> rate than NGS attendees had. So yes, the conference makes something off
> your room payment, as well as gets the conference facilities fee, *if*
> enough attendees stay at the conference hotel.facility.
>
> If at a convention center -- and I am thinking of Portland, Oregon, in the
> early 1990s -- then a conference hotel is still needed for the meal venues.
> And similar deals are offered, per number of room nights paid for by
> attendees. (There are always, in my experience, comp hotel rooms for the
> conference committee.)
>
> I was on the board of one group planning a national conference. The board
> was suggesting schemes to get people to stay the conference hotel,
> essentially manipulating people into staying there. I did not approve of
> this, and did calculations showing that if the group would just pay for the
> hotel facilities and give people the freedom to stay wherever they wanted
> to, then attendance would rise significantly and the conference would still
> meet budget or even make a profit (which is always hoped for, of course,
> but is not always realized).
>
> Which way is better? Maybe each conference situation is different. But the
> more people find out that they can stay somewhere else for less cost (or
> use some other discount card to get a lower rate at the conference hotel,
> and then the conference doesn't get credit for their room nights), the
> fewer will stay at the conference hotel and the conference will not meet
> their minimum for room nights. The conference sets the conference
> registration fee based on their projected costs plus anticipated profit. If
> they end up having to pay for the hotel facilities because too many people
> stayed elsewhere, then they lose money big time.
>
> If the conference agrees up front to pay for all hotel facilities, they
> will have to raise the registration fee. So what will attract more
> attendees and at the same time make a profit for the conference group? A
> registration fee of $200 with hotel rates at $125 (or more) or a
> registration fee of $300 (or more) and stay wherever you want? The whole
> scheme is based on cost to out-of-towners. Locals will not have hotel fees,
> so the lower registration fee will attract many more of them.
>
> My solution was the lower registration fee and stay wherever you want. This
> would be beneficial to out-of towners, so more would attend, and would be
> beneficial to locals, so more would attend. And should be beneficial to the
> conference: If the conference took in 50% less in conference fees but 200%
> more people attended, wouldn't that be the most desirable way to go?
>
> Sorry for the long message,
> Joan Neumann Lowrey
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