Negotiate for the best value, then get it in writing
Those tagged to select an out-of-town hotel for a company's annual meeting should keep in mind two simple truths: everything is negotiable, and get it in writing.
Before choosing a hotel and negotiating terms, consider the meeting's objective and review its history.
Event planners say a meeting's objective will dictate its location. For example, if it's a quick board meeting, a hotel near the airport might be best so executives can fly in and out the same day. If it's a stockholders' meeting that requires seating for 2,000, a downtown hotel with space to accommodate the group would be best.
"You should develop your vision and budget based on the objectives and needs of the meeting," said Barbara Connell, senior vice president of education for the Professional Convention Management Association. "After that, you can quickly hone down the location."
Safisha Mance said she thinks about a client's needs when she picks a hotel for the seminars she coordinates for the Institute for Professional & Executive Development, based in Washington. Many of the professionals who attend the institute's one-and-a-half-day seminars network with clients, so she said she looks for a downtown hotel near attendees' client base. She also chooses a convenient location, no more than 30 minutes from a city's airport.
Once the objective is clear, examine the history of the meeting being planned. Where did it take place in previous years? How much meeting space was used? How many people attended? How many sleeping rooms did attendees use?
However, it's tougher today to estimate the number of sleeping rooms needed, Connell said, because some attendees are booking discounted rooms online, rather than using the sleeping rooms the meeting planner has reserved for the meeting.
"People are becoming savvy consumers," Connell said. "They are willing to get online and shop for a world-class destination site and get a room at a better rate."
In response to this, Connell said some planners include a clause in their contract with a hotel that says if attendees get lower room rates via the Internet, the hotel must match that lower rate for all sleeping rooms reserved for the meeting.
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