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October 2008
Moving On
Tips for transitioning from a hotel-based show to a convention center
By Linda C. Chandler
If you can answer yes to more than one of these questions, it might be time to move out of that hotel and into a convention center
• Are you turning away exhibitors for lack of space on the show floor?
• Do you want to add special pavilions or features or co-locate with another show, but the hotel can’t accommodate such expansion?
• Are exhibitors expressing concerns about inadequate facilities or utilities and various charges at the hotel?
• Does the available meeting space limit your educational programming?
• Are you already using more than one hotel for room nights or educational sessions?
• Does the whole experience feel cramped, for example, are lines too long for restrooms or is traffic flow always congested?
• Are you considering a new destination for attendance draw, but the location doesn’t have hotel facilities to accommodate your show?
What to anticipate the first year
• If you expect a larger show floor, have a specific attendance-building campaign planned to prevent diminished traffic density.
• More people to deal with. Various services will likely have separate representatives and contracts.
• Potential transportation issues. If all hotel rooms aren’t within walking distance, you may incur shuttle costs not previously budgeted.
• More exhibitors and opportunity for larger exhibits.
• Lots of questions. Be prepared to answer questions and justify the move to attendees, exhibitors, board members and planning or show committees.
• More money to be paid up front, for example, in deposits for rental fees.
Advantage: hotel
• Sleeping rooms are the profit center, and meeting space is often complimentary.
• Food-and-beverage discounts may be negotiated based on room counts.
• All-under-one-roof intimate feeling for participants.
• Usually fewer union issues to contend with.
Advantage: convention center
• Easier move in and move out of exhibits. More docks, bigger elevators, higher ceilings, more space and maneuverability. Convention centers usually give the organizer more time for move-in and move-out than hotels do.
• Large, well-lit, open public spaces that aren’t as enclosed as hotels may be. Attendees won’t feel cramped and enclosed.
• Show and meeting may get “big fish in small pond” treatment from local officials and press. Booking in a city- or stateowned facility may get you welcome speeches from the mayor or governor as well as CVB marketing support, including Web sites, banners, signage, attendance-building assistance, etc.
• Potential to grow your show with the additional space available.
• You can offer hotels at various price points for attendees’ selection.
Deuce
• Transitional convention centers generally can produce foodand- beverage service comparable to hotel F&B. You may not lose anything on impression, but it may cost more at a convention center.
• Many smaller convention facilities have elegant ballrooms, with lighting, wall treatments and carpeting, at an upscale feel — more like hotels than large convention centers.
• Security issues entail more entrances and docks at convention centers versus 24-hour accessibility of hotels. You can’t overlook security at either.
• If you’re weighing a transitional convention center and adjacent/ nearby hotels against a bigger hotel/convention facility, take note that the walking distance from rooms to show floor may be less in the first scenario than in a mega-hotel complex.
What first-timers in convention centers may not know — but should
• Who owns the facility? It may be a city or a state government property or even privately owned.
• Who operates the facility? Are employees hired by a municipality or a management company?
• How closely does the facility partner with the local CVB? Does a CVB salesperson represent the facility?
• What’s the size of your show in square feet? Hotel show organizers may measure by counting the number of booths, but convention centers measure square footage.
• What deposits are required up front and how far in advance are they due?
• What union labor issues are involved and what are straight time and overtime rates?
• Will you be charged for the use of tables, chairs, room resetting and water service?
• What charges are incurred for HVAC during extended installation and dismantle hours?
Contract negotiations with transitional convention centers
• Outline all the requirements of your event in writing to ensure the facility can meet your needs. Spell out exact rooms to be used and move-in and move-out times.
• Be sure insurance indemnifies both the facility and the show organizer. Watch for language that removes the facility from liability even when something is due to their negligence.
• Be sure all fees and any surcharges are spelled out and that all exclusive vendors are identified. Know what it will cost for everything from AV to water service to room resets.
• Specify security hours and responsibilities (such as for building interior or for parking lots and street access).
• Have contingency clauses that involve booking hotel rooms as well as meeting space for your event.
• Request written guidelines to help you understand (and communicate to exhibitors) union policies within the city and the facility.
• Require that the facility’s condition when you see it is the same or better during your event (not in the midst of construction or painting, for instance).
• Be sure you have indemnification clauses for claims involving food-borne illnesses or alcohol service.
• Read force majeure clauses to be sure you’re covered for rebooking or refunds if anything — from weather conditions to airline strikes to threat of terrorism — happens to close the facility or cancel your event.
• Spell out all interim and final deadlines for confirmation, counts and payments.
Selling the move
Presumably you haven’t made this decision on your own, and have research, committee, exhibitor and attendee backing for the move.
• To a board or oversight committee: Know your numbers in order to overcome the fear of the unknown. Anticipate onetime and recurring costs and balance them with projected increased revenues from more and bigger booths and increased sponsorships. Enumerate all complimentary services and marketing provided by the CVB and convention center.
• To attendees: Promote the move as an exciting development resulting from the show’s growth and success. Maintain the show’s previously intimate feeling in the look and feel of your brochure. Highlight the ability to offer more sessions and other opportunities with the newly expanded space.
• To exhibitors: Push the chance to be more creative with expanded booth space. Emphasize better installation and dismantle hours, expanded utilities and other services. Outline opportunities for demonstrations or on-floor classes as well as events on the floor to keep attendees there. Identify cost differentials up front, as this will be a concern.
Sources
• Larry Dilworth, Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, (703) 706-0560, www.cadca.org
• Amita Patel, Ontario Convention Center, (909) 937-3002, www.ontariocc.com
• Gary Schirmacher, CMP; Experient, 303-825-8333, www.experient-inc.com
• Neil R. Schriever, Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, (401) 456-0237, www.goprovidence.com
• Johanne Stogran, Botanical Society of America, (740) 281-3752, johanne@botany.org
Linda C. Chandler is a freelance writer and editor based in Tyler, TX. She has written for association and convention publications for 20 years and is an active member of Tyler CVB’s tourism committee. Contact her at linda.chandler@earthlink.net.
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