AAHOA Moves Its 2008 Convention And Strives To Protect The Interests Of All Members

During the meeting of the Board of Directors on July 13, 2007, the Board engaged in lengthy discussions about how best to promote and protect the interests of all of its members by hosting a world class convention in a top tier city. The AAHOA convention is attended by thousands of hotel owners, more than any other hospitality show in the world. In addition to hotel owners, the AAHOA convention is attended by the executive staff of all recognized hotel franchise companies, AAHOA’s founding medal partners, its allied members, and hundreds of vendors. AAHOA has established key milestones for a successful event, and its convention has become the standard that other associations in the industry respect and hope to achieve.

In September 2006, the AAHOA Board of Directors approved the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois to be the venue for the 2008 annual convention by a majority vote. The competing host cities at the time of the decision were Rosemont, Illinois, and Houston, Texas. As had been the situation for prior conventions, the criteria for the convention site were primarily based on the rental and food buyout costs, and the intense square footage requirements for the annual event.

Following a noteworthy convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in March 2006, the Board of Directors and the AAHOA staff started their processes for planning and executing a successful convention in Rosemont. However, as a growing organization, AAHOA’s needs and criteria continue to change. Knowing that the AAHOA convention is the showcase event of the association, the Board wanted to do what was in the best interests of all AAHOA members so it could continue to meet their high expectations.

As part of the decision-making process, the Board conducted a significant amount of due diligence. This included, among other things, multiple visits by the officers, a majority of the Board members, staff, and consultants to several cities and convention centers. The AAHOA officers and staff also assembled packages of documents, including notes of the site visits, computer layout analyses, floor plans, physical measurements, third-party consultant reports, and production company opinion letters, and distributed those to each of the members of the Board for their review. Further, the AAHOA officers and staff engaged in negotiations with the various convention centers and corresponding hotels in an attempt to mitigate the total costs of changing the convention center venue, which will now be significantly reduced by the concessions offered by San Antonio.

On July 13, 2007, after extensive discussion and analysis, the Board of Directors voted to rescind the decision to have the 2008 annual convention at the convention center in Rosemont, Illinois, and to terminate all contracts associated with that venue. The Board also approved a motion to have the 2008 annual convention at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Since AAHOA is scheduled to host its 2009 convention in Washington, D.C. at the newly-built Gaylord Hotel, the Board adopted a special and protected resolution that AAHOA will host its 2010 annual convention in Chicago or other parts of the Upper Midwest region.

According to AAHOA Chairman Dilipkumar “Danny” Patel, “One of the most important aspects of this decision was the Board’s recognition of Chicago and the Upper Midwest region. The members from these areas are a critical part of our organization, and they provide valuable contributions to AAHOA. I applaud the Board of Directors for approving a special resolution to host the 2010 convention in the Chicago area.”

Danny Patel further commented that, “Many wrongful and misleading statements have been made in the press about the reasons for the move. We recognize that Rosemont and the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center are great places to visit, and AAHOA is considering hosting other events there in future years. At this time, the actions of the Board show that it was trying to promote and protect AAHOA and all of its members, and we are so pleased that San Antonio will be the host city for 2008.”

AAHOA Vice Chairman and 2008 Convention Chair Ashwin “Ash” Patel stated, “Each year we host a top notch convention, and we continue to learn what works best for our members and their families, our founding partners, and our hundreds of allied members. During the Board meeting on July 13, 2007, we agreed that AAHOA must take this knowledge and create a new list of criteria for all future convention site venues, to ensure that our members are happy and the AAHOA conventions are the best in the industry.”

Ash Patel also explained, “I have heard many questions about why the Board promised to host the 2010 convention in the Chicago area. As everyone knows, the 2009 convention is already planned for Washington, D.C., which is part of a three-year plan that we did not want to not change. Prior to the Board meeting, the AAHOA rotation schedule would have placed the 2010 convention in California or the Southwest region, which is my area. I, along with the California officers and directors, agreed to delay our convention plans for a year so we could give 2010 to Chicago. This was the best way to continue providing world class conventions for our membership and the industry, and meet the rotating requirements. While this is a major change, it was the right thing to do for Chicago and its members.”

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