Location

SITE AND SELECTION

Location

The meeting site is your meeting's environment. Once your meeting gets under way, there is little you can do to change it; for this reason, site selection is one of the most important steps taken in planning your meeting.

Convention Bureau or Chamber of Commerce	Investigate the Site	Who Handles What?
Types of Facilities	Other Regulations	Down to Details
Travel Problems	Volunteer Help	Something Extra

Convention Bureau or Chamber of Commerce Service

If the meeting requires more than one hotel, the services of a Convention Bureau or Chamber of Commerce are available in most cities in the United States and Canada. Both bureaus and chambers supply data on the hotels in their cities, will offer lists of suppliers for audio-visual equipment and photography, and will provide brochures on sightseeing and interesting facts about the city and its institutions.

Give the Bureau (or Chamber) details about your section, its recent meeting history including attendance, and your preference and the range of flexibility concerning potential dates, types of meetings, and exhibit patterns.

With this information returned, you have a clear idea of where and when your meeting can or cannot be handled, so you can now shelve the paperwork for awhile and get down to some legwork.

Types of Facilities

You can choose from six types of facilities for your meeting: university facilities, convention or conference centers, large metropolitan hotels, airport hotels, small hotels, and resort hotels. Each differ by relative location to other activities, meeting space, services, and rates.

	1.	University facilities. Although unbeatable for rates, university facilities may lack contiguous space needed for convenient management of the meeting. This applies especially to exhibits and registration space, which should always be part of the main traffic flow. University facilities often have a conference staff that can be very helpful; however, other services may be difficult to get. Good quality equipment and services are very important in arranging for audio-visual and decorating services. Electrical hook-ups and phone outlets are increasingly important and frequently in short supply in campus set-ups.
	2.	Convention centers. Convention centers come in all shapes and sizes, but are most often operated by the city or state, which sets the predetermined rates and terms of use. The advantage is that the space is adequate for convenient set-up of session rooms, exhibit and poster booths, registration, and offices. Use of convention centers helps to keep your registrants together in one location and encourages colleague contact. Many convention center catering services offer food and beverages at lower cost than hotels. You may be sharing the building with another group and should always know the details about this group and its requirements.
	3.	Large hotels. Large hotels usually offer the most in facilities—more meeting and banquet rooms and more hotel rooms and suites. You have a greater choice of rooms for your sessions. Another advantage of a big metropolitan hotel is that it usually is in the heart of the city, near major attractions. There is usually a broad range of after-hour activities. This may also prove to be a disadvantage in that all the outside attractions might siphon off your attendees.
	4.	Airport hotels. Airporthotels are a relatively new kind of facility for meetings. Built on the outskirts of the city and near major airports, the new airport hotels rival many downtown hotels in facilities and services. The advantage in transportation is great. Parking is little or no problem for those who drive. A disadvantage of the airport site is its remoteness from the downtown for those who seek after-hours entertainment and for those who want to shop during the day. There are fewer distractions at the airport facilities, but when attendees do wander off to the city, you may lose them for the entire day.
	5.	Small hotels. The advantage of a small hotel is that you are the prime customer. Your group gets the attention because, in effect, you take over all or most of the facilities. A disadvantage is that you have less choice in meeting rooms and sometimes there are less sophisticated staffs to service specialized needs.
	6.	Resort hotels. Resorts offer many advantages for meetings. Fun and recreational facilities are abundant. In addition, attendees are likely to stay together and you have more control over the group. Services at resorts tend to be more personal, and meeting facilities usually are good. Off-season rates can be especially attractive.

Travel Problems

Some sites offer excellent facilities, but have limited transportation. Do not rule out a site based on transportation until you have examined methods to mitigate the limited service. Often facilities for your meeting can more than compensate for poorer transportation that can be augmented.

If transportation into the city is limited, it is imperative that you let your members know how they can best arrive and depart. Check on possibilities of charter movements from major cities. (Transportation problems are never as bad for members if they are told what to expect and if something has been planned to ease the problem for them.)

Investigate the Site (see checklist)

It is absolutely vital that either you or a competent member of your local committee visit and personally check out your potential meeting site. Notify the Director of Sales at the facility that you want to inspect the property with the possibility of scheduling a meeting.

What specifically are you looking for during this inspection?

	1.	General condition of the facility and its meeting rooms.
	2.	Accommodations and service—number and type of rooms, range of conveniences, condition of furnishings and decor, housekeeping and food service, check-in and front-desk handling, attitude of personnel; in short, you are looking at the place through your members' eyes.
	3.	Compliance with ADA standards.
	4.	Number, size, and type of meeting rooms; notice pillars, obstructions, convenience for audio-visual use, and presence of outside distractions (i.e. windows).
	5.	Transportation facilities—frequency and convenience.
	6.	Exhibit space in an appropriate location.
	7.	Registration area.
	8.	Facilities, equipment, and services; assess this in terms of what the facility will supply, what the Convention Bureau will supply, and availability of outside sources for other materials.
	9.	Discuss possible plans for renovations or expansion of facilities.

Other Regulations

Policies on many items vary from city to city. Ask the facility executive and the Convention Bureau representative to determine how local rules and regulations can affect your meeting. Go over a complete outline of hotel and local required licenses, policies, and practices. Have them spell out local alcoholic beverage laws and policies, the local tax structure, gratuity or other automatic service charges, and especially any union contract requirements.

You will want to check special events, local attractions, and other conventions that occur during your dates. You should determine early in your planning whether any of these other events would conflict with the best interests and servicing of your meeting.

If there will be other meetings in the facility you choose, find out NOW if they will affect your arrivals, departures, and choice of meeting rooms. It is your right to know the name of the group, its characteristics, and what its requirements are.

Volunteer Help

Much of your meeting planning will be handled through local committee members. Let both the facility executives and the Convention Bureau representatives know who these individuals are, what functions they will handle, and how far their authority extends. Unless you take this precaution, you could wind up with duplicated orders and total chaos as the meeting opens.

Who Handles What?

You will provide the appropriate facility staff with an authorization sheet listing the names, addresses, phone numbers, and responsibilities of all persons from your committee with whom they will be dealing. The facility executive should give you the same information for its staff, along with an outline of the methods and procedures used in servicing your meeting.

Down to Details

Now that you have covered all the preliminary groundwork, the facility executive will probably arrange a meeting with you at which you can prepare and review a master worksheet. This should be a detailed function-by-function work list, which includes: time and place of all meetings, meal functions, exhibits, other activities. Also included are detailed specifications: room set-up, type of seating, facilities, equipment, services, other.

Something Extra

Because the facility executive knows the property inside and out and has seen what other meetings have achieved there, he/she may maintain a file of ideas to pass on to you if you are stuck for an idea for a special event. The main thing to remember in working with both facility and Convention Bureau personnel is that they are professionals working with meetings on a daily basis and will be glad to help you in any way they can.