HRTM Ch. 4 Meeting, Expositions, Event, and Convention Venues

industry norm is __ complimentary room(s) for every 50 rooms blocked

1

ships are typically booked __ years prior to the event

1-2 years

yachts are typically for __ attendees

100 attendees

European barges hold __ passengers

12-20 passengers

commissions paid back to the hotel from specialized services can be as high as __%

40%

colleges that have excellent reputations as meeting venues

Purdue University, UMass Amherst Hotel and Conference Center, the University of Nebraska, Oregon State University's Conference Center

a variety of professionally run conference centers, equipped with state-of-the-art technology in uniquely historic buildings in Europe

The Historic Conference Centers of Europe (HCCE)

the UK's largest consortium of dedicated conference venues, which share the highest possible standards for conference facilities and service quality

Venus of Excellence

who started Unique Venues?

a University of Nevada, Las Vegas Harrah Hotel graduate who began helping colleges and universities market their facilities to event planners

retreat facilities are mostly owned by...

a family, closely held corporation, non-profit entities, charitable organizations, or religious groups

Unique Venues

a marketing and membership organization that represents thousands of non-traditional venues in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Ireland

conference

a meeting with an agenda and set objectives designed for consultation, education, fact-finding, problem solving, and/or information exchange

how would a planner of a local event get complimentary meeting space?

a minimum amount of catering revenue would need to be guaranteed

room block

a minimum number of sleeping rooms for a minimum number of nights

consortium

an association, partnership, or union that is created by its members to expand their services to the regional, national, and international clients

pre-function space

area adjacent to the main event location often used for receptions prior to a meal or coffee breaks during an event

peak ship demand

begins in May and runs through August

cruise ship meeting attendees are a ____ audience while the ship is sailing and ____ likely to miss meetings

captive audience; less likely

attrition for conference centers

charges a planner a fixed price for up to a certain number of delegates

residential conference centers

conference centers that have overnight guest rooms

planners face attrition penalties when...

event attendees book hotel rooms for a cheaper rate online than the negotiated rate

convention centers charge for...

everything they provide on a pay-per-use basis

finances for special use facilities

generally a fixed fee for the use of the facility and a specific subset of its equipment and services; facility may require a minimum level of staff for which there would be an hourly charge based on a minimum number of hours; all other labor, equipment, and services would be on a bill-per-item system

larger arenas and ampitheaters are often owned by...

government agencies or are public-private partnerships

some services to convention centers (like AV equipment, catering, etc.) are exclusive because... (2)

governmental regulations OR an attempt to avoid liability lawsuits

usually the bigger the room block, the __ the rate

lower

conference center characteristics

meeting rooms are specifically designed to enhance learning; conference centers are known for their in-house inventory of AV technology and full-time media technicians

typically, room blocks are also linked to __

meeting space availability

major discussion points for the meeting planner and conference center venue to negotiate

meeting space costs, sleeping room rates (for residential conference centers), F&B menus and costs, and AV and technology options

shoulder nights

nights when the hotel doesn't have its core corporate business

ship pricing is more attractive during __ seasons

non-peak travel seasons - Jan, Sept, Oct, early Dec

in addition to catering revenue, hotels can also receive revenue from commissions paid by...

other support vendors for the privilege of working in the hotel

many of these venues don't have support equipment permanently in place, so virtually everything needed for the event must be brought in

outdoor event venues

these venues have little or no staff

outdoor event venues

staff at entertainment event facilities are frequently composed of...

part-time employees or retirees

3 categories of tents

pole, frame, clear span

the type of stateroom on a ship selected for your group impacts the...

price per guest

costs to run meeting space in hotel is usually covered by...

room blocks

convention center's single biggest revenue source

room rental, by the square foot per day

conferences are usually of a ____ duration and ____ scale than a convention

shorter duration; smaller scale

sleeping room rates are often negotiated by the __

size of the block of rooms the meeting planner needs for the event

major discussion points for meeting planner and venue in negotiation stage

sleeping room rates, F&B menus and costs, meeting space costs, and audiovisual (AV) & tech costs

is convention center cost packaged or itemized?

specifically itemized

many conference centers' pricing strategy is called...

the complete meeting package

attrition

the difference between the actual number of sleeping rooms (or F&B or revenue) realized and the number agreed to in the facility's contract

when booking rooms for transient or corporate hotel guest segments, the hotel's customer is...

the guest staying in the room

when booking meetings and events, the hotel's customer is...

the meeting planner

the newer the ship is...

the more expensive the pricing is

the international association of conference centers (IACC)'s guidelines ensure that...

their conference centers provide the ideal learning environment

T/F: a cruise program brings about significant savings because most of the event costs are included in the cruise fare

true

T/F: some conference facilities may belong to several associations and consortiums to maximize their marketing efforts

true

the complete meeting package

whatever the facility owns, the planner may use at no additional charge

do cruise ships have dedicated onboard group coordinators?

yes