Association Success Stories

Association Success Stories are provided by meeting professionals on a voluntary basis. The recommendations may or may not be appropriate for every organization. Please consider your organization's policies prior to the implementation of the suggestions outlined below.

A summary of each success story is provided below. For more detailed information, click on the link at the end of each summary.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD)
Annual Meeting & Other Meetings
Issue: Attendance numbers are higher than projected but AAPD does not fill all the sleeping rooms contracted for.
Success Story Solution: An article on “Why Should I Stay at the AAPD Headquarters Hotel?” was included in meeting registration materials. The response from attendees was mixed, but it was obvious that attendees learned important information about attrition.

American Pharmacists Association
Annual Meeting
Issue: APhA achieved record attendance (+15%) at their Annual Meeting in New Orleans during the first two weeks of the war in Iraq.
Success Story Solution: "We attribute these positive numbers to improved educational programming, wider reach of our marketing communications, an earlier Web site presence, and the appeal of the destination," said Windy Christner, CMP, APhA director of meetings and expositions. The marketing efforts for the meeting included a monthly pharmacy newspaper and broadcast e-mail newsletters sent to members and non-members. These were especially important with the organization's name change after 150 years as the American Pharmaceutical Association.

American Society of Neuroradiology
ASNR Annual Meeting
Issue: Attrition at 2001 Annual Meeting
Success Story Solution: Communicate how attrition affects the association and how the association needs to address it. Implement new housing reservation deposit and cancellation policies for exhibitors and attendees.
Click here for more details on this success story.

Insurance Accounting & Systems Association (IASA)
2003 Annual Meeting & Tradeshow
Issue: Attrition liability of $200,000 after the 2002 Annual Meeting & Tradeshow; 54% of exhibitors stayed outside event-contracted hotels and 12% of attendees stayed outside event-contracted hotels.
Success Story Solution: Education of attendees and exhibitors on attrition, $100 discount on the registration fee for attendees that stayed in a contracted hotel, incentives for exhibitors including three complimentary exhibitor badges per 10x10 booth (and admittance to a complimentary reception, continental breakfast, etc.), and two priority points for each hotel reservation made at an IASA contracted hotel. The points are used for priority placement in the exhibit hall the following year.
Click here for more detailed information on this success story.

American Academy of Physician Assistants
Annual Conference
Issue: Of the 9,000 attendees, 3,800 people stay in event-contracted hotels, 1,500 people stay outside of the event-contracted hotels and 1,500 people are locals (stay in their homes).
Success Story Solution: AAPA maintains detailed tracking of group room history, analyzes future destinations and the number of members based in each destination, conducts on-going attendee surveys, and enforces strict housing policies including a bus sticker for attendees that stay in an event-contracted hotel.
Click here for more details on this success story.

National Speakers Association
NSA Convention
Issue: Attrition
Success Story Solution: New approach to negotiating hotel contracts – solicit the lowest rate for guest rooms and pay for all services ad hoc. Increase registration fee accordingly. Educate the attendees with a letter from the NSA President.
Click here for a more details on this success Story

Produce Marketing Association
Fresh Summit 2003
PMA's International Convention & Exposition
Issue: Attrition of contracted guest room blocks.
Success Story Solution: PMA created strict housing policies, provided a detailed explanation to attendees/exhibitors, and outlined frequently asked questions (and answers).
Click here for more details on this success story.

American Academy of Neurology
Annual Meeting
Issue: AAN’s annual meeting has a total attendance of 8,000-9,000 people, but their room block peaks at only 3,500 nights.
Success Story Solution: AAN has added an audit to their hotel contract, and they have partnered with CMR to handle their convention housing issues. They also require international attendees and exhibitors to sign individual contracts that have earlier cut offs, require them to pay a first and last nights deposit, and stipulate that their payment is non-refundable seven days out. Further, if an exhibitor signs outside of the block, it can hurt their position on the show floor.
Click here for more details on this success story.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Issue: Karen Schneider, meetings coordinator for AAOS feels that there is little unique that AAOS does other than a tremendous amount of monitoring on their small and large meetings.
Success Story Solution: AAOS stipulates that their attendees must state where they are staying before they receive their registration packet. Further, AAOS audits their convention hotels and receives credit for rooms found. According to Ms. Schneider, “As long as AAOS occupies or pays for 80% of their adjusted block (and the last adjustment could be as soon as 21 days prior to the meeting), they get all the ‘perks’ of the contract. If they exceed their accumulative block for 10% or more, they get additional ‘perks’”.

American Concrete Institute
Issue: ACI’s numbers fluctuate if there are a large number of members in a certain area (increased daily attendance, but decreased rooms), and if there is extremely good air service for a destination (attendees will fly in just for a day – so rooms go down). Rates are a major reason ACI’s attendees go around the block.
Success Story Solution: Renee McAdams, Director of Event Services handles 100-150 meetings per year with the largest being 750-800 on peak and a total of 3200-3500 room nights. Building a strong history has enabled Ms. McAdams to block accurately on historical information versus projected growth. She also requires an audit in her contract. To help her members understand not only why they should utilize the system when making their hotel reservation, but also other issues related to a convention, Ms. McAdams and her Convention Chair wrote an article for their magazine that has 30,000 subscribers. It is an excellent way of answering the many questions that most attendees have.
Click here for more details on this success story.

Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society
Issue: HIMSS suffered a significant drop in pickup for their 2002 annual meeting.
Success Story Solution: HIMSS made the conscious decision to take a much more proactive role in communicating with their attendees and exhibitors by enacting an aggressive marketing campaign to bring attendees and exhibitors back into the official hotel blocks.
Click here for more details on this success story.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police
Annual Conference
Issue: The International Association Chiefs of Police annual conference is a citywide convention that picks up approximately 6,000 rooms on peak night, and has about 17,000 attendees.
Success Story Solution: The IACP has been able to book citywide conventions without signing attrition clauses in their contracts due to being able to provide good solid history on housing requirements, as well as developing good relationships with hotels’ national sales representatives. Further, IACP uses a lottery system for hotel booking. IACP also uses a third party, Travel Planners, to handle housing.
Click here for more details on this success story.

National Association of Electrical Distributors
One Annual Meeting & Three Regional Meetings
Issue: NAED budgeted $10,000 for attrition for their annual meeting in May of 2003. They ended up being charged $25,000. Records indicate that 14% of the people attending the conference stayed outside the block. Hotel occupancy was only at 55%.
Success Story Solution: NAED was proactive in trying to avoid attrition by sending letters to attendees prior to the meeting explaining the “Top 10 Reasons to Stay” on site. The letter explained that if the Association did not fill the block they would face financial penalties. It also promoted the amenities of the hotel. Meeting planner Becky Burgess further notes that she will not rebook either of the two hotels in which she held her annual meetings over the past two years. Additionally, in anticipation of low room pick up, Ms. Burgess has slashed all future room blocks by 30% in order to avoid paying attrition.
Click here for more details on this success story.

Pet Sitters International
Annual Meeting
Issue: Pet Sitters International has a small annual meeting with 250 rooms blocked on peak night.
Success Story Solution: While Pet Sitters International is a small group, they have not had to pay attrition to date because of their planner’s diligence in lowering room blocks in advance, and due to the fact that hotels seem to want the pet business.
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Smith Bucklin & Associates
Issue: In 1999, a Smith Bucklin & Associates (SBA) client contract was signed for 2003 and 2005. Nine to twelve months out, the client association found itself facing approximately $1 million in potential attrition (inclusive of room revenue as well as food & beverage) because of the need to reduce their room nights by approximately 48%.
Success Story Solution: Strong relationships, constant communication between association staff, the hotel, the association board, and the organization’s executive director all contributed to solving the challenges and producing an outstanding meeting.
Click here for more details on this success story.

American Planning Association
Issue: Not enough pick up of contracted room nights.
Success Story Solution: Educating membership. Deene Alongi, Director of Conferences for APA feels that once members understand there are consequences to going around the block, fewer will do so.

American Society of Civil Engineers
Issue: Attrition.
Success Story Solution: Meggan Farrell, Director of Conferences & Meeting Planning for ASCE is responsible for 15-25 meetings with peak nights ranging from 100 to 700/800 rooms. For all of these meetings, Ms. Farrell requires a weekly pick up report. Two months out, she will ask the hotel to compare their reservation list against her registration list. This takes place again two weeks out, two days out, and then on the second or third day of the meeting. She has found a 10% increase in her room nights through this audit. Ms. Farrell notes that destinations with a large number of economy hotels are the most difficult for her to track. She is now contracting fewer rooms – but is offering to pay for meeting room charges (although hotels have not been receptive to this). As for educating her members, Ms. Farrell frequently notifies them about what happens when they make reservations outside of the block, and that it could have a detrimental effect on the society. She realizes, however, that many of her attendees have corporate agreements with chain hotels, so will utilize that hotel and/or rate versus going through her system.

Association of Fund Raising Professionals
Issue: Attrition
Success Story Solution: Lynn Smith, Senior Director of Business Development & Conferences for AFP notes that beginning a few years ago, contracts for AFP stopped containing attrition clauses and food and beverage minimums. If a hotel insists on these clauses, Ms. Smith will not use them. This March, her meeting block had approximately 2400 rooms on peak. In most cities where AFP has booked, the Association has a number of hotels from which to choose, so Ms. Smith can afford to hold her ground on the attrition issue. In 2003, Ms. Smith audited her hotels and found at a property with an 800-room block, there were an additional 100 rooms outside of the block. She comments that, “Hotels are continually undercutting each other and must start working together as a community. Each city/CVB needs to get involved to make this happen. One of the problems is that hotels do not position themselves correctly when rate negotiations begin.”

Bowling Proprietors Association of America
Issue: Tracking attendees’ room nights.
Success Story Solution: LeeAnn Norton, Director of Meetings for Bowling Proprietors Association of America contracts fewer rooms, and requires in her contract that additional rooms be available at the negotiated rate even after the block is filled. She also holds drawings and surveys her attendees.