[nabs-l] Convention in Orlando for five years

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Hello everyone,

I've seen a lot of comments about the national convention schedule for
the next few years so I thought I'd post what I've been told about the
decision.  My husband is on our affiliate board, and we both have been
involved with our chapter, affiliate and some national groups, and we've
been privy to some information- if I'm wrong, I apologize; I'm merely
stating what little I've been told.

Let me preface this by saying it takes a very long time to plan an event
of this magnitude.  President Mauer and the convention committee spend
time locating facilities that will accommodate a convention such as this
as well as providing the best possible hotel rates they can negotiate.

It takes at least a year to plan an event like convention, so they look
to book hotel/convention centers ASAP.  It's difficult to plan without a
location.

I've been told that the NFB was able to negotiate a deal with the
Rosenburg resort with the condition we would return for a certain period
of time, which ensures us decent rates and ensures business for the
resort.

So convention will be in Orlando at the same resort for the next few
years because this is how the deal was negotiated.

>From a business perspective, if a hotel provides us with discounted
rates (and in most cases, we have been given huge discounts over the
years considering the type of hotels usually booked for convention) it
would make sense a hotel would request a certain amount of business to
make up for the discounted rate.  If you usually charge $190/night for a
room, and are offering it for $70/night, that is a huge cut you take.
So you want to accrue that business more than once so you can make a
little mula back from a particular guest.

Most the facilities the NFB books for convention have expensive hotel
rates that members of the Federation are able to haggle and negotiate
down to the incredible rates we usually have.

As to why it is Orlando- I'm not sure if the Rosenburg has offered the
best deal compared to hotels in other states, or if the locale is
amenable to most convention-goers, or if they feel this facility meets
our needs best- this is something I've not heard much about.

I say wicked awesome, though, to having it in Orlando for a few years.
There is a lot to do tourist wise; the resort seems to provide enough
for attendees to do without ever leaving the resort complex; and
sometimes it's nice to have consistency.

Anyway, contracts have been negotiated and signed (I assume if an
announcement has been made) so we will have to put up with Orlando for a
few years after next year.

Bridgit P