Yoshi212

Just to clarify is there any reason a late winter early spring would not work? I haven't booked a convention beyond a 16 person fraternity trip a decade ago but have been back since and think it would work well....

GUWonder

I have found that New Orleans isn't generally as centrally located, including for those flying or driving, as ORD; and airfares to MSY from more parts of the U.S. tend to be worse for MSY than for ORD IME when it's just a weekend conference.


Due to the US Government, flying to Canada without a passport/NEXUS card is broadly required of airlines serving the U.S.; that ramps up the costs for Americans using Canada.

chgoeditor

Assuming you're referring to New Orleans, Mardis Gras is on Feb. 28 in 2017, meaning the city will be swamped with Mardis Gras attendees followed by spring breakers through Easter, which must be in early April. If money is an issue, I wouldn't head to New Orleans during that stretch.

fredman

I ask where are most of the people coming from?
Ages?
What do they like to do?

While LAS always seems to be on top, what is there but gaming, really? Culturally?
Phoenix is always a top pick for late-winter/early spring?

Maybe think outside the box, look at Kansas City, Dallas, Austin, Nashville, not sure about San Diego($$$)?

DenverBrian

Nothing much - just every top chef has a restaurant there, dozens of stars have shows, there are something like 8 Cirque shows to choose from, plus Broadway-style shows...yeah, what is there but gaming, really?

OK, back to the discussion: For that time of year, and given costs and easy transpo, LAS is most certainly a contender.

The new Westin at Denver International Airport should be open for your dates, and they might be very interested in filling rooms midweek during that time of year. If you had your meeting at an on-airport hotel, transportation gets much easier.

Other on-airport hotels include ORD and MCO.

I'm thinking Dallas might work, especially Los Colinas.

Austin787

Also consider San Antonio, especially in the Riverwalk. Lots of hotels close by, plus plenty to do around the Riverwalk.

JY1024

Moving this to the USA destination forum. Thanks. /JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator

cbn42

Vegas may be cheap, but there is a reason for it. The hotels sell cheap rooms and then expect to make profit on other things. Attendees show up to morning meetings hung over, or late, or not at all, and the general atmosphere of the city might make it hard for people to focus and get work done. I don't know if this is a concern for your demographic.

One trick is to look for cities that are major business centers but not tourist destinations, and pick a time when business is slow. Many small state capitals fall into this category. For example, I have scored cheap hotels in Sacramento when the legislature is not in session and the lobbyists are out of town.

Another trick is to go to cities that are tourist destinations during a different season. Arizona in the summer is an example. Of course, you have to deal with the heat.

One question I have: do you need to convince people to attend, or are they attending by default? If the former, then the location is important since a bad location will result in lower attendance.

Finally, a piece of advice. Negotiate hard. Hotels will usually bring down costs substantially if they don't have a lot of business on those days, but you need to ask. Tell them what other offers you have, and ask if they can beat them. Make it clear that you are concerned about cost as your major criterion.

kettle1

A few of the above posts must be a joke. LAS is MUCH, MUCH more than gambling. When is the last time you visited?

MSPeconomist

What does the presence of technical colleges have to do with this? if you want visits or some other form of help or interaction, having contacts there would matter a lot.

Cloudship

The problem isn't so much getting people to want to attend, it is about making it so that they can get budget approval and have their parent organizations pay for them to attend. I don't want to divulge the organization online, but it is an organization of special labs that usually are located within colleges and non-profit organizations, which often don't get the attention, support, or funding they really deserve and need.

SimonB77

I get the feeling that you are looking for someplace with few distractions. Have you considered SLC? First off, it's a fairly easy location to get to. Second they have the University of Utah. And lastly, the only distractions you'll encounter are a couple of nice shopping centers. There are a good number of hotels to choose from as well. Good luck with your search!

neuron

Does this group have flexibility wrt timing? It soynds like something like Gordon Research conferences model which has some meetings on college campuses during summer. It can be quite economical

AA_EXP09

But, of course, Toronto is not in the USA, nor it is a cost effective destination (even with the low CAD) due to high costs once there and airfares to YYZ not being cheap.

Yoshi212

It's not in the USA....yet. Canada has oil and we must "liberate" them of it.

I mentioned it because Toronto is very close, easy to get to, has good conventional possibilities and I have found many good fares from cities. Also remember YYZ is not the only airport. I gpt good deals with PD when I did conventions there.