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Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation

Views From Your President, March 1999

"So you want to host the IAMFES Annual Meeting"
By Robert E. Brackett, IAMFES President

Each year your Executive Board receives offers and invitations by local affiliates to host the IAMFES Annual Meeting. Individual IAMFES Members likewise suggest various meeting locations which seem appealing, but which may not have a local affiliate. It is one of the duties of your Executive Board to sort through all these different choices and invitations and come up with locations that best meet the needs of IAMFES and its Members. In this month's column, I would like to share with you some of the factors that are considered when an Annual Meeting site is chosen.

The first thing I would like to point out is that the needs of IAMFES have changed drastically over the past decade or so. Some Members remember the days when IAMFES met at university campuses or in hotels located in small to medium size cities. Although those small, intimate locations were wonderful in their day and added to the family atmosphere for which IAMFES meetings are known, those days are gone. In the past decade, IAMFES has grown to the point where college campuses and small cities can no longer provide the facilities required.

The most obvious requirement for the IAMFES Annual Meeting is the actual meeting venue. In the recent past, IAMFES has held the Annual Meetings in large hotels. In most cases, the hotels have had sufficient meeting space to accommodate our needs. Last year, how-ever, our Annual Meeting took place in a convention center adjoining the hotel. Although we would ideally like to convene our sessions in the hotel, growth in our Annual Meetings may in the future force us into considering the use of convention centers. What are our needs? We typically look for a facility that has sufficient meeting space to accommodate at least 4 concurrent technical sessions, a 20,000 sq. ft. ballroom for our exhibit hall and awards banquet. In addition, we require 12 to 15 smaller meeting rooms in which to hold PDG and committee meetings.

A second equally important requirement for our Annual Meeting is adequate lodging for our attendees. At first glance, this may seem like an easy task. After all, there seems to be many nice hotels in most cities. However, it is more complicated than simply picking out a nice looking hotel. Details that must be considered include:

· Size: We require 600+ sleeping rooms. Because hotels need rooms for their "normal" business, we look for hotels with a minimum of 800 rooms. In the past, we've tried to keep our group in a single hotel. However, this may not be possible in the future as our meetings grow. So, several closely located hotels may also be considered.
· Proximity to meeting rooms: In past years we were fortunate to be able to hold our meetings in hotels that also offered convention facilities. Again, our expected growth may not allow this in the future. One should also keep in mind that convenience is also important. Meeting rooms that are very spread out make it difficult for attendees to get to their sessions.
· Room rate: Your IAMFES Executive Board and staff have always tried to obtain the most affordable housing possible. However, room rates in acceptable hotels have risen drastically in recent years and are anticipated to continue to rise in future years. It must also be kept in mind that there are often many "hidden" costs that affect our Members and must be taken into account. For example, some hotels offer free parking or airport shuttle service whereas others may have steep charges for the same services. Although it is also advantageous to some of our Members if alternate or lower priced housing is available nearby, we must be careful about promoting such alternate hotels. In most cases, we have negotiated lower room rates and free meeting rooms with the understanding that our group will book a minimum number of rooms. If that minimum is not met, IAMFES will be expected to pay surcharges or penalties.
· Food Service: IAMFES also takes into consideration the quality and affordability of meals available to attendees. Not only are the hotel restaurants considered, but the availability and location of off-site eating facilities. Such facilities are especially important to families with children.

The IAMFES Annual Meeting is primarily a scientific and professional meeting. However, that is not to say that there should not also be FUN involved. In fact, IAMFES has maintained a tradition of having its Annual Meeting being family and fun-oriented and intends to remain that way. So, it should come as no surprise that the availability of recreation facilities, entertainment, and exciting local attractions is important in the selection of a meeting site.

Finally, the enthusiasm and willingness of the local affiliate to host the Annual Meeting is also important to the selection of a meeting site. However, affiliates should not be dissuaded by thinking that hosting the meeting is burdensome. In fact, the amount of effort required of local affiliates is quite minimal compared to past years. The primary responsibility of the local affiliate is to…well… serve as hosts! They are there to make attendees feel welcome, answer questions regarding local attractions, and provide local hospitality. The IAMFES staff handles virtually all other aspects of the meeting, leaving local Members more time to enjoy the sessions and fellowship. It should also be pointed out that the lack of a local affiliate need not preclude the selection of a particular location as a meeting site. It is possible for IAMFES to use professional meeting planners or groups of Members from other locations to undertake the role as "hosts."

Your IAMFES Executive Board appreciates and welcomes suggestions for future Annual Meetings. I am hopeful that this brief summary of requirements will enable you to better serve your Association by suggesting optimum meeting sites.

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