Our first step was to scout out some hotels in the St. Louis area. We had learned that while not all conferences have a con site before a bid is submitted, it doesn't hurt to have one in mind. This also helps to generate local interest early, when there will be a new event in town.
When you go to speak with the hotel representative, be sure to take along pictures of costumers (yourself or others), to give them an idea of what to expect. Some hotels may have had certain experiences with past Science Fiction conferences You will need to reassure them of the maturity and the spending power of costumers. Visit the hotel restaurant, and mention that costumers are likely to make heavy use of it, if the prices are reasonable.
The first thing a hotel rep is going to ask is what your expected attendance is, and how many "room nights" (how many rooms rented each night) you anticipate. If you can't estimate this, try to contact previous CC chairmen and get their figures. Even if they don't have this information, so long as you know what hotel the conference was held in, your hotel rep can make some calls and find out. They will want to know this for two reasons: Whether you're accurately estimating what you will need, and if the previous cons gave those hotels any trouble.
When considering a hotel for a possible site, don't be overly influenced by its fancy "ambience". Seriously consider not holding a con in a downtown location, because it's more likely to be expensive and your tech staff may be restricted by electrical workers union rules. Try looking at hotels in industrial parks in the suburban areas. They have the necessary meeting space, and are typically more willing to deal on weekends, because most of their business is during the weekdays. Our experience was that they offered better rates, and were more likely to give you "comps" on room space, like suites for staff headquarters, etc. Another possible attractive feature is they may have free shuttle service not only to and from your local airport, but also local entertainment sites.
Since hotels get most of their money from food service, some may be less willing to have all their meeting rooms tied up all weekend. Find a hotel that has enough space for just your event.
Contracts
Expect that there will be at least one change in personel (like your sales rep) between the time you first agree to a contract and when you actually hold the conference. There might even be a change in ownership. If this is the case, be sure that you review your contract with the sales rep and make sure that everything is still correct and up to date. It's a good idea to touch base with the hotel staff at least once a year, just to be sure the players haven't changed. Keep a copy of this contract with you at all times during the conference itself. Whether deliberate or not, hotel staff will occasionally schedule events for room space you should already have contracted to use. By having your contract handy, you can point out any errors on their part. Chairs: Make sure your hotel liaison gives you a copy of the contract. That way, you have extra coverage in case something happens over time.
Set-up
Room Night Pick-up
CC16 writes:
We had no idea how many rooms to block for attendees per night. Once our rep made her calls, we came to the conclusion that about the maximum number of rooms nights to reserve for Saturday and Sunday night was about 33% of the expected total attendance. Friday should be about 25%, and Monday night around 18%. Since we didn't know how many people a St. Louis CC would draw, we projected a worst case scenario of 300 total attendees for the 4 days of the conference. With the percentages, this broke down to 75 room nights on Friday night, 100 on Saturday and Sunday, and 50 on Monday. We estimated about 25 room nights for the Thursday night before, mostly for Staff. This proved to be pretty accurate, with a total of 387.
Meeting Space Requirements
Hotel Map
Parking and Other Amenities (Pool/Hot Tub)
To make sure your attendees are happy, there are some other features of the hotel you should take into consideration.
Look for a place with on-site parking. Free is best, but on-site is very important. Costumers driving in don't want to look for parking after they arrive.
An indoor pool, or at the very least a hot tub is a good idea. Relaxation time is also important to costumers.
A hotel site should also have a number of open areas where folks can socialize, like a bar open to the lobby, lounges with lots of furniture, etc. This can add to the whole friendly atmosphere of the con.
Proximity to nearby restaurants, shopping (especially last minute costume repairs/finishing/supplies) and even sightseeing stops are good things to plan and plot out. Try to collect a reference sheet's worth of local establishments to help your members find what they might need. Remember: Many CC participants come long distances, and they may never have been to your city before. It's up to you to make sure they can find their way to the sundries you may take for granted.
