Cheapest U.S. City to Hold a Conference for about 75
Aug 3, 2015, 10:24 pm
#46
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8,142
Check out prices at airport hotels too. We've run conferences all over the country but the most reasonably priced cities that stick out in my mind were Dallas, LAS, PHX and, believe it or not, a Disney property hotel, the Coronado.
Bobette
Bobette
Aug 7, 2015, 9:05 am
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,573
Airport hotels are a pretty decent bet for a group of that size, I have done a few conferences at such places, normally get a pretty decent room rate / extras included etc. No need for car hire or transportation from the airport.
Miami, Orlando, Vegas, Chicago, are all pretty popular options and you can get good rates if you are willing to be flexible.
I would look at exactly where the delegates are coming from (East? West?) Rarely is there a really even spread (for some things I do, for example, I see larger numbers from NY, Washington, Chicago, so I would not pick somewhere on the West Coast, even though there will be a few from LA and San Francisco. I tend to find that West coasters have an easier time getting approval to come East than those on the East do going West [especially to Vegas - perception carries a lot of weight]).
It is a small enough group that you can do this within a single hotel and their conference facilities. You can normally negotiate some pretty great rates and they will tailor it to what works for you (e.g. for me, free room nights work perfectly, as I will be paying a central bill, if individuals are paying their rooming themselves, then that option is very hard to manage in practice, and you might instead want to negotiate for free snack breaks / drinks / a lunch package in the conference session).
I would suggest involving a travel agent who specializes in group travel. They will know the options available, know exactly what they should be negotiating for in terms of discounts / freebies and may be able to organize a discount with airlines (I am not sure about US airlines but there does exist a mechanism for conference discounts with Canadian airlines, even if people are flying different routes).
I will also throw Toronto out there as an option. Pick the right dates, and there are absolutely bargains to be had especially with the very strong US dollar at the moment, you get an extra third in savings effectively!
Miami, Orlando, Vegas, Chicago, are all pretty popular options and you can get good rates if you are willing to be flexible.
I would look at exactly where the delegates are coming from (East? West?) Rarely is there a really even spread (for some things I do, for example, I see larger numbers from NY, Washington, Chicago, so I would not pick somewhere on the West Coast, even though there will be a few from LA and San Francisco. I tend to find that West coasters have an easier time getting approval to come East than those on the East do going West [especially to Vegas - perception carries a lot of weight]).
It is a small enough group that you can do this within a single hotel and their conference facilities. You can normally negotiate some pretty great rates and they will tailor it to what works for you (e.g. for me, free room nights work perfectly, as I will be paying a central bill, if individuals are paying their rooming themselves, then that option is very hard to manage in practice, and you might instead want to negotiate for free snack breaks / drinks / a lunch package in the conference session).
I would suggest involving a travel agent who specializes in group travel. They will know the options available, know exactly what they should be negotiating for in terms of discounts / freebies and may be able to organize a discount with airlines (I am not sure about US airlines but there does exist a mechanism for conference discounts with Canadian airlines, even if people are flying different routes).
I will also throw Toronto out there as an option. Pick the right dates, and there are absolutely bargains to be had especially with the very strong US dollar at the moment, you get an extra third in savings effectively!
Aug 15, 2015, 5:11 am
#48
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Join Date: Jul 2001
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Cross-border air travel requires a passport or NEXUS card, which increases the costs and hassles for a lot of people in the U.S. That is why generally we now rule out Canada and other countries that are willing to admit in U.S. citizens without a passport.
Dec 19, 2015, 9:06 pm
#50
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,860
I was wondering when BNA would be mentioned. Or a place like Tulsa.