Agenda for today
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Project Plans
Contracts
Stuff coming up for 222/extra credit
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January 30 – setting up for VIP meeting, Radisson
hotel, 4:30-6:30 (if you have class at 6:00 we can move
up)
February 14 - Booth Setup, my office/Ramada, it will
take a couple hours (flexible from 10am-3:00pm)
February 14 – Booth Strike, 3:00pm, my office/Ramada
I have five student scholarships (no charge to you) to
offer to a Meeting Planners How-to – take a look at
it. Caveat’s – you have to be there all day. Contact me
if you are interested.
http://fmhowto2012.eventbrite.com/
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Sweetheart Ball – Saturday, February 11 – waiting for
more info
http://www.rmhcfargo.org/newsandevents/sweetheartba
ll.html
Business After Hours (I will sponsor one tag along –
must be 21)
http://www.fmwfchamber.com/events.php
“You are needed” – Celtic Festival, Pancake Karnival
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http://www.myfirstlink.org/volunteer_opportunities.shtml
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The Top 10 Things I
Learned the Hard Way…
to Put in My Contracts
Things I am NOT~
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Lawyer or paralegal
Advocate of one-sided agreements OR
interested in adversarial relationships
What is a contract?
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Agreement between two or more
competent parties
Offer is made and accepted
Each party benefits
Bind each party to promise – and action
to take if promise not met
Like insurance – for both good and BAD!
Three Tips
Contract Tip #1
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Start at the beginning
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Info about group/meeting needs
Specifications
Concessions
Contract requirements of organization
 Stuff the lawyers want
 Deal-breakers
Contract Tip #2
John’s Golden Rule of Agreements
If you ask for something from the other
side before the contract is signed it's
called ”Negotiating“
If you ask the other side for something
after the contract is signed it's called
”Begging”
John Foster, Esq., CHME
Meetings Industry Attorney
Contract Tip #3
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What is the value of this contract
to EACH?
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Understand the business of EACH
 Planner: Why are we having this meeting
happening? What is at risk? What is
expected return?
 Supplier: What drives the business?
10 Things…
”We aren’t holding the room for
you then.”
# 10 Specific location names with
specific times
Date
Time
Room Name
Description
April 14, 2012
12:00pm –
5:00pm
Super Duper
Ballroom
Set-up
April 15, 2012
5:00pm –
9:00pm
Super Duper
Ballroom
Performance
April 15, 2012
9:00pm –
11:59pm
Super Duper
Ballroom
Strike/Load out
”I called and the hotel says the
block is gone.”
# 9 Sleeping Rooms
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reservation method
listing in hotel’s computer for “Group Name”
type of rooms – suites, doubles, kings
when rates apply/don’t apply/cut-off
always ask about honoring rates outside the
dates!
 use specific dates and times –
August 31, 2010 at 5:00pm ET vs.
30 days prior to meeting
“Oracle is also in house –
heard of them?”
# 8 Areas of “sensitivity”
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noise
construction
competitors
VIP needs
data privacy
food donations
accessibility issues
“You may load in yourself, but the
freight elevator is union.”
# 7 Additional charges/fees/taxes
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newspapers/safe/resort fees/pool/spa
set-up fees
taxes
gratuities
overtime
staffing
“When I opened the mail today,
I discovered we have an accruing
finance charge on a $100,000 bill.”
# 6 Billing
 timing
 What happens if payment doesn’t
happen?
“You can do that, but it is not in
your contract.”
# 5 Spec change vs. contract change
“Congratulations –
consider yourself acquired.”
# 4 What happens if…we CANCEL
 covers both
 sliding scales based on timing
 damages clearly spelled out
“Did someone say flood, flu or
some other sign of the
apocalypse.”
# 3 What happens if…we CAN’T
 Force Majeure (improbable/inadvisable)
 re-booking/re-sale options
 CAUTION! There is a war going on!
“You don’t have an attrition clause
in your contract.”
# 2 What happens if…there is ATTRITION
 show the “math” ($$ spelled out)
 sleeping rooms (cumulative)
 meeting space
 food & beverage minimums
“Who would have thought this
could happen?”
# 1 We are not fortune-tellers, or are we?
In Summary…
1)
Start at the beginning
 details, details, details
 special requirements of your organization
2)
John Foster’s Golden Rule
 prior to contract = Negotiating
 after contract = Begging
3)
Know THE business
Dralion Case Study
Next week
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Project Objectives + Goals Due
Lecture TBD