Hotel Identification

Helms Briscoe performs the contract negotiation for MARAC.  Once MARAC has identified a city of interest our Helms Briscoe representative sends out a call to hotels in the area.  At times a particular hotel is identified to approach, or is the reason that MARAC is considering that city as a venue, the Hotel Roanoke is a prime example.  In these instances Helms Briscoe still makes the first contact with the site.

When Helms Briscoe receives responses from their call, they prepare a chart identifying the names of interested hotels, along with their addresses, the initial room rate, along with the food and beverage minimum, and open dates for the hotel. This chart is forwarded to the MCC Chair. The MCC Chair then determines which hotel MARAC is interested in evaluating.  The LAC Co-chairs can often provide insight into the desirability, based on such factors as location of the hotels on the list.  Helms Briscoe then makes arrangements for the MCC Chair and/or the LAC Co-Chairs to visit one or more hotels.  The hotels provide complimentary sleeping rooms for the visits.

Considerations in identifying a suitable meeting venue:

•  Size and number of available meeting rooms, along with the number of sleeping rooms they are willing to place in a room block.  
• Location of the hotel - ideally the meeting hotel should be near historic sites and good restaurants that can be reached on foot; in practice, the perfect site is not always available. A hotel in a mall setting or a secluded location is not desirable.
• That said, the primary consideration in selecting a meeting hotel is the price of its guest rooms, fees for meeting space usage, and the amount of the food and beverage minimum charge, along with what can be obtained for that charge. In some cities, there will be several choices of hotels, in others, only one.
• MCC Chair and the Helms Briscoe associate should evaluate and negotiate using these guidelines regardless of the number of hotels they have to consider. The LAC Co-Chairs can often provide advice on the location and desirability of particular hotels.
• When several hotels are financially equal the input of the LAC Co-Chairs should be taken in to serious consideration when the hotel is selected.  It is the LAC who knew their community best and who will be working with the hotel following the signing of the contract.  A careful balance should be maintained between the experience of the MCC Chair and the LAC’s insider knowledge. Again, all things being equal the MCC Chair should respect the insight and opinion of the LAC.  It is the MCC Chair’s obligation to provide the LAC with the best environment possible for the creation of a successful meeting.

Initial Evaluation of Hotel Site

The size of the hotel needed for a MARAC meeting is based upon the anticipated attendance, the types and number of program sessions to be offered, and the number of exhibitors expected (typically 15-20 exhibitors). For an overview of MARAC’s meeting history, see Appendices I and II.

Attendance at meetings varies based upon the location, season of the year, location of SAA near the MARAC region, and other factors. In general, recent meetings have blocked (reserved) 25 guest rooms for Wednesday, 100-125 for Thursday and Friday, and 5-10 for Saturday.  Regardless of attendance, the number of meeting rooms and types of food functions are about the same for each meeting; obviously if a lower number of attendees is expected, the capacity of the meeting rooms can be smaller.

 The guidelines which follow lay out the meeting room needs for Thursday through Saturday of a typical meeting, as well as the food function needs. These guidelines, after approval by the MCC Chair, are what Helms Briscoe forwards to hotels during their call for proposal.  The MCC Chair may alter the numbers prior based on the tentative location of the meeting.  For example, a meeting in the furthest reaches of the MARAC region, or that is not easily accessible by plane or rail, will need smaller rooms than a meeting located on the I-95 corridor or in the heart of Pennsylvania.

Meeting Room Needs and Times:

Meal Function Needs:

In addition to the capacity of the rooms,  other factors to be considered and assessed during the site visit are:

• Layout of the meeting rooms: Preferable that all meeting rooms are on one floor, but  in historic properties this is not always possible.  Meeting rooms that are too far apart in a modern hotel should be a deal breaker.
• Accessibility of meeting and guest rooms for disabled persons.
• Proximity of the exhibition space to the program session activity, plenary, and luncheon spaces: Friday breakfast and breaks should be served in the middle of the exhibit space. There must be a very good reason for this not to occur.
• Is ballroom space adequate to handle a plenary session theater style in the morning and lunch set in rounds a few hours later? Hotel should be willing to break down the theater seating for the plenary and install the rounds for lunch. While plenary in rounds can be very comfortable it more often than not creates a cramped, unfriendly environment, unless the room is very large.
• Hotel food (Sample the food during initial visit.)

During this visit, the MCC Chair and Co-Chairs should discuss potential dates for the meeting, and determine what the hotel has available.  Helms Briscoe will have already supplied a date range in the initial call and there will already be dates “in play” at the time of the site visit.  (See Appendix X)

• Consider religious holidays, popular holidays, college sports schedules, graduation dates, and community events. Consider anything that might negatively impact MARAC attendance or impede navigation in the city by attendees. Also, these events could also impede an expansion of the roomblock if needed.  
• Contact the local tourism bureau to confirm a major citywide event is not taking place on the same weekend.  The LAC Co-chairs should take the lead in identifying such events. Often MARAC signs the hotel contracts earlier than, for example, sports schedule are made public.  
• Remember that September meetings can be problematic for MARAC’s academic members and an early October date could adversely affect conference planning (e.g. Program Editor coordinating over the summer, vacations and absent members to finalize conference details, vendor ad placement, MARAC is renewing dues July 1 – September .)  A preferable time period would be mid–October to mid-November.
• Be as flexible as possible about dates in order to secure the best rates.  
• Find out if the hotel is planning any renovations and determine what impact if any this will have on MARAC.  

DO NOT discuss room rates, or other finances, during the hotel visit, Helms Briscoe will address these issues. 

Contract Negotiation

Following site visits, MCC Chair asks Helms Briscoe to request contracts from the hotels MARAC is interested in pursuing.  The most important consideration is the guest room rate followed by the Food and Beverage Minimum and then any meeting space fees.  

The MCC Chair, with advice from the Helms Briscoe associate, will evaluate the contracts. The Helms Briscoe associate will negotiate with the hotel offering the most favorable proposal. Only the MCC Chair is authorized to sign the hotel contract.

Contracts should include the following information:

• Number and rate of guest rooms per night
• Preferably, a waiver of charge for meeting rooms
• Number of complimentary guest rooms provided per registered guests (1 per 50 rooms)
• A staff room rate for several rooms
• Taxes, where applicable
• Parking fees
• Exhibit area charges
• Deposits, guarantees, cancellation policy, etc.

At the time of the contract the actual number, and type, of needed meeting rooms may not be completely known. Workshop types, program sessions, number of plenaries, and reception needs will not have been determined. It is important, however, to be sure that the hotel has the space to take care of the high estimate. The rooms detailed in the contract should be on the higher level.  It is much easier to give back space, and doing so is at times cheaper, then to add space.  The contract will specify what areas will be available for exhibition space, meal functions, sessions, and workshops.

During conference planning, after the contract is signed, the LAC Co-chairs have the authority to give back rooms, alter space usage, and add new spaces as long as no greater financial obligations are made. If fees need to be added the MCC Chair and the MARAC Treasurer must be consulted.  Only the MCC Chair can sign a contract that further obligates the organization.

Hotel Questions for the Site Visit

General questions to ask when investigating hotels. The cost of the sleeping rooms , number of available sleeping rooms, fees for meeting space, number of “comp rooms”, and several available dates will already be supplied by the hotel to Helms Briscoe.  Both of these factors may be negotiated with the hotel by Helms Briscoe after the site visit.

1. Where is the exhibit area and how many tables can the area accommodate?    

NOTE: exhibitors like to be near the action e.g. registration desk, meeting rooms and they prefer to be where the breaks are held.

Note the location ____________________________   #  it can hold ______________________.

2.  Parking facilities/fees for meeting guests   $ ________________

3.  Is there a van service?  

NOTE: MARAC has used the hotel van for tours that are located close by   Yes ____ No _____

4. Cut off time for registration?   4 weeks out  _____  5 weeks out _____  6 weeks out _____   more _______

5. Is there a board room near the registration table that LAC and PC can use?  

NOTE:  Both committees need some space to lock up equipment that may have been loaned for a session; to store registration materials; handouts, etc.   Yes ______  No ________

6. If a plenary is planned MARAC would need space to hold at least 250-300 people, perhaps more.  Is there a room big enough?   Yes ____  No _____

7. Luncheon space for 150-175 people?    Yes ________   No ____________  We usually sit in rounds and service is provided.

8. Can we set up a registration desk on Wednesday evening?   Yes _____   No ______

9. What are the shipping policies?  

NOTE: Some exhibitors like to send materials the day before. Is this permitted?  Is there a charge?

10. What are their AV policies?  Get a cost sheet. MARAC has six LCD projectors.

11. Get food menus.

12. Is the hotel planning any renovations?  If so, when?  What impact if any will it have on the meeting space or the availability of sleeping rooms?

13. Take a recent meeting program so that the representative can see what our needs are.