I agree with the Chair. It sounds like a really good deal. VK On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 5:11 AM, Nicholas Sarwark <chair@lp.org> wrote:

Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

-Nick

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

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Here are some pictures of the Hilton Riverside convention area. I think the hall between the Grand Ballroom and the Salon would provide a good central area for the Vendors to be located in one spot. The Salon seems exceptionally modular and we could have all the break out rooms we needed configured into that area across from the Ballroom. On Jul 30, 2014, at 8:38 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

I had meant to include something like these in my first mail and the lateness of the hour caught up with me.

This is a link to the map from the Hampton to the venue passing the Hilton Riverside on the way to where we are looking at for our Winter Peace party and then on to Bourbon St:

https://goo.gl/maps/wwt3v

Here are some pictures of the Hampton Inn included as well. The room pictures are of a Warehouse Loft, which are the higher price of $149/night. The rooms in the “new” section are fairly standard hotel rooms.

Daniel Hayes

<IMG_0452.JPG><IMG_0453.JPG><IMG_0454.JPG> On Jul 30, 2014, at 7:11 AM, Nicholas Sarwark <chair@lp.org> wrote:

...

Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

-Nick

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

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Can't Robert call the Hilton and try to get a few more concessions on the AV cost, or the food and beverage minimum, to make it easier to choose the Hilton? You get a much better feel for a Hotel as a potential Convention site if you actually get to stay there overnight. Scott Lieberman "Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there. If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC. Nick"

I just got off the phone with Robert and he assures me he has been back and forth with the Riverside over a dozen times and beaten them down as best he possibly can. The Hilton is actually coming in at slightly below national averages for a Convention Hotel. The Hampton is cheaper because…its essentially a motel(albeit a very nice motel) so they have no F&B Mins and give “free breakfast”. TISTAAFBBDEITBSG. There is such thing as a free breakfast but don’t expect it to be so good. The Riverside has waived their room fee for us in lieu of our committing to $2000 Min for Food and Beverage. There is a benefit to doing the food at the possible convention hotel as well. You get to try them out and see if they can deliver. Considering that I am saving on the meeting being here in my town and not getting a room, I will pledge $300 towards the F&B if we hold the meeting at the Hilton. I have wavered back and forth, but ultimately, holding the meeting at the Riverside will be more efficient on many levels. Robert mentions that the Riverside is on the line for the Streetcar(We DESIRE you not call it a trolley) :D but really NOLA is so ideal for conventions etc as its a walking city. You can get to everything just by walking. The Riverside is easy walking distance to the Quarter and across the street from the Casino. The Hampton’s one of the most distant hotels that is still in the city. Expect a need to take a cab from there to anything. Additionally Robert, has educated my newly minted self that before we hold a convention in a Hotel we will almost definitely hold an LNC meeting there. So if we didn’t stay at the Riverside now but decided to hold a convention back here in NOLA in the future we would stay at the proposed hotel to work out any kinks. At that point having signed a contract the hotel knows they have you and make no concessions for he meeting and the LNC would pay through the nose. So having a better idea of process and TANSTAAFL considered… I think the clear choice should be the Riverside.. It will save us more money in the long run and enhance the efficiency of the stay of the LNC members. The main point of the meeting is to consider the city for a convention. Let’s really consider it. If we get it nailed down as a upcoming convention site it saves us money. Participation will be elevated because of NOLA’s status as a premier destination and the fact that 2 of our largest affiliates Texas and Florida are within easy driving distance. Increased participation means increased revenue generated by the convention which means a greater Return on Investment. Also, I am expecting a possible larger bit of public attendance for our LNC meeting as we have many robust affiliates in the area so, the Riverside could certainly accommodate that as well. When making considerations for our members, cost is not the ultimate decision. Value is what we should strive for and in the grand scheme of things I have now become convinced though my conversations with Robert that the Hilton Riverside is the better value and I believe that so greatly I am willing to personally dedicate $300 to the F&B minimums for the Hilton Riverside. Daniel Hayes LNC Region 7 Alternate Representative Daniel Hayes On Jul 30, 2014, at 9:43 AM, Scott L. <scott73@earthlink.net> wrote:

Can't Robert call the Hilton and try to get a few more concessions on the AV cost, or the food and beverage minimum, to make it easier to choose the Hilton? You get a much better feel for a Hotel as a potential Convention site if you actually get to stay there overnight.

Scott Lieberman

"Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

Nick" _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

Helms Briscoe was the name of the company referenced by Norm. We used them to help with the 2016 convention site scouting. -Alicia On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Norm Olsen <region1rep@donedad.com> wrote:

Four points with regard to this thread:

First, I prefer low cost for both LNC meetings and conventions. I am fortunate in that I live in a city which is the hub for three major airlines, so I have several choices in getting to most any city non-stop at a competitive airfare. Others may not be so fortunate.

Second, in my humble opinion, conventions should be held on Memorial Day weekend. I suggest that choosing this date will produce the largest attendance and the lowest cost. Choosing this date, or allowing an alternative, should be the first decision the LNC should make with regard to the 2018 convention.

Third, I suggest that conventions are best run by a private entity (ala Denver 2008) and not by the LNC itself. Doing so enables the producing organization to solicit sponsorships from private organizations and vastly reduces the burden on LNC staff among other advantages. Therefore, given a decision with regard to date as presented above, the first step in selecting a convention location should be to solicit bids from interested private groups for organizing and producing the convention. The LNC should then choose to either accept one of the submitted bids or choose to run the convention itself.

Fourth, in the event that the LNC chooses to produce the convention itself and having made the decision of the date of the convention, the LNC should choose a venue from a list produced by the organization which produced the list from which the 2010 convention venue was chosen. (The name escapes me, but Briscoe & Somebody, something like that.)

Using LNC meetings to check out possible sites is OK, but let's keep in mind that our duty to the membership is to have a convention which the largest number of our membership will be able to attend with due consideration given to both scheduling and financial aspects.

Norm -- Norman T Olsen Regional Representative, Region I Libertarian National Committee 7931 S Broadway, PMB 102 Littleton, Colorado 80122-2710 303-263-4995 Norman.Olsen@lp.org

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Gandhi

-----Original Message----- From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Sarwark Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 6:12 AM To: lnc-business@hq.lp.org Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

-Nick

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

Helms Briscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters we give them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We can tell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect it for us. The committee we appoint to oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons, and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists. Helms Briscoe does not have any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have the final say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don't like any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a different way if needed. During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site, there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating other business, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveraging the offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions. At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on our spreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guest room rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, the other one is offering new perks, etc. The LNC is billed nothing for this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoe negotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtor gets paid out of the seller's revenues. Speaking as a person who did a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using Helms Briscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do other projects instead. Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating these types of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNC members aren't experts in the subject. If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it is signed, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigate the problem with the hotel. I was very pleased with the experience with them last time. We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, *before* we solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoe should submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there. -Alicia On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 2:52 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

Members or Staff,

What did Helms Briscoe do for us exactly and what exactly did that cost us? How many times have we used them?

Daniel Hayes

On Jul 31, 2014, at 3:54 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> wrote:

Helms Briscoe was the name of the company referenced by Norm. We used them to help with the 2016 convention site scouting.

-Alicia

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Norm Olsen <region1rep@donedad.com> wrote:

...

Four points with regard to this thread:

First, I prefer low cost for both LNC meetings and conventions. I am fortunate in that I live in a city which is the hub for three major airlines, so I have several choices in getting to most any city non-stop at a competitive airfare. Others may not be so fortunate.

Second, in my humble opinion, conventions should be held on Memorial Day weekend. I suggest that choosing this date will produce the largest attendance and the lowest cost. Choosing this date, or allowing an alternative, should be the first decision the LNC should make with regard to the 2018 convention.

Third, I suggest that conventions are best run by a private entity (ala Denver 2008) and not by the LNC itself. Doing so enables the producing organization to solicit sponsorships from private organizations and vastly reduces the burden on LNC staff among other advantages. Therefore, given a decision with regard to date as presented above, the first step in selecting a convention location should be to solicit bids from interested private groups for organizing and producing the convention. The LNC should then choose to either accept one of the submitted bids or choose to run the convention itself.

Fourth, in the event that the LNC chooses to produce the convention itself and having made the decision of the date of the convention, the LNC should choose a venue from a list produced by the organization which produced the list from which the 2010 convention venue was chosen. (The name escapes me, but Briscoe & Somebody, something like that.)

Using LNC meetings to check out possible sites is OK, but let's keep in mind that our duty to the membership is to have a convention which the largest number of our membership will be able to attend with due consideration given to both scheduling and financial aspects.

Norm -- Norman T Olsen Regional Representative, Region I Libertarian National Committee 7931 S Broadway, PMB 102 Littleton, Colorado 80122-2710 303-263-4995 Norman.Olsen@lp.org

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Gandhi

-----Original Message----- From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Sarwark Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 6:12 AM To: lnc-business@hq.lp.org Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

-Nick

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

I take no position on whether we use a contractor or not. I also, as a side note, would love to see New Orleans - it's been on my list for quite some time. When I moved to Texas, I in fact got off at New Orleans to see the city, but my schedule didn't permit an overnight stay. Neither did my budget, which is the concern I raise today. The hotel we are considering for this convention will cost us about $5000 to hold an LNC meeting there. I am assuming that this is with the knowledge that we are considering them as a venue for a major convention, hence a really good deal (respective to the hotel.) I understand that the average cost of an LNC meeting is in the neighborhood of $2500. I am only guess, then, that this will be a quite expensive convention. Floor fee or no, the more expensive the venue, the less we are likely to net profit/greater net loss, unless either: 1. We have states who have more willing delegates than spots (not too many) and an expensive venue will keep the poorer delegates away, thus increasing sales of larger packages. I would object to this on moral grounds if I thought it, in fact, were the case, but I don't. 2. We charge more for packages that are substantially the same. Of course, for instance, banquet tickets will cost more at a costlier location (I'd expect) since food costs will be higher - and of course we don't know where the point of unitary elasticity is, although I strongly suspect (see 1 above) that this point doesn't move when the convention is held at a fancier location. Given the cost of this venue for an LNC meeting, I therefore lean towards it not being a great venue for a convention, and would support having the meeting at the Hampton Inn instead. I would add that, while it's a good idea in any case, we really need to minimize costs for the next couple LNC meetings since we are, in a sense, bankrupt. So even if using the Hampton Inn will increase costs in the future, I think it makes sense at this particular moment to defer some costs into the future - time preference, etc. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 11:53 AM, Scott L. <scott73@earthlink.net> wrote:

I strongly agree with what the Secretary wrote below.

Ms. Mattson did a spectacular job of creating spreadsheets comparing the competing hotels for 2012 and 2014, but needless to say it took her a lot of time to create those spreadsheets.

I think it would be a very good idea to use Helms-Briscoe to help us select the 2018 Convention site.

Scott Lieberman

------------------------------

“Helms Briscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters we give them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We can tell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect it for us.

The committee we appoint to oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons, and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists.

Helms Briscoe does not have any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have the final say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don't like any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a different way if needed.

During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site, there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating other business, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveraging the offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions. At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on our spreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guest room rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, the other one is offering new perks, etc.

The LNC is billed nothing for this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoe negotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtor gets paid out of the seller's revenues.

Speaking as a person who did a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using Helms Briscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do other projects instead.

Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating these types of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNC members aren't experts in the subject.

If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it is signed, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigate the problem with the hotel.

I was very pleased with the experience with them last time.

We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, *before* we solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoe should submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there.

Alicia”

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

It is a reasonable objection on its merits, since I assume the reason Dr. Lieberman had trouble recalling the term is its irrelevance to Austrian work, and expressions relying on mathematical models and not derivable a priori should probably be banned. However, I raise a point of order regarding timeliness. An hour passed between the incident in question and Dr. Lieberman's response. The hour of silence should count as acceptance. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 5:00 PM, Scott L. <scott73@earthlink.net> wrote:

Madame Secretary:

I request that you deduct two points from Mr. Katz’s point total because he used the phrase “point of unitary elasticity”

in an e-mail to this list.

I have a minor in economics, and I still had to look that phrase up on the Internet to refresh my memory as to what it meant.

Scott Lieberman

------------------------------

*From:* Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] *On Behalf Of *Joshua Katz *Sent:* Friday, August 01, 2014 12:34 PM

*To:* lnc-business@hq.lp.org *Subject:* Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

I take no position on whether we use a contractor or not. I also, as a side note, would love to see New Orleans - it's been on my list for quite some time. When I moved to Texas, I in fact got off at New Orleans to see the city, but my schedule didn't permit an overnight stay. Neither did my budget, which is the concern I raise today. The hotel we are considering for this convention will cost us about $5000 to hold an LNC meeting there. I am assuming that this is with the knowledge that we are considering them as a venue for a major convention, hence a really good deal (respective to the hotel.) I understand that the average cost of an LNC meeting is in the neighborhood of $2500. I am only guess, then, that this will be a quite expensive convention. Floor fee or no, the more expensive the venue, the less we are likely to net profit/greater net loss, unless either:

1. We have states who have more willing delegates than spots (not too many) and an expensive venue will keep the poorer delegates away, thus increasing sales of larger packages. I would object to this on moral grounds if I thought it, in fact, were the case, but I don't.

2. We charge more for packages that are substantially the same. Of course, for instance, banquet tickets will cost more at a costlier location (I'd expect) since food costs will be higher - and of course we don't know where the point of unitary elasticity is, although I strongly suspect (see 1 above) that this point doesn't move when the convention is held at a fancier location.

Given the cost of this venue for an LNC meeting, I therefore lean towards it not being a great venue for a convention, and would support having the meeting at the Hampton Inn instead. I would add that, while it's a good idea in any case, we really need to minimize costs for the next couple LNC meetings since we are, in a sense, bankrupt. So even if using the Hampton Inn will increase costs in the future, I think it makes sense at this particular moment to defer some costs into the future - time preference, etc.

Joshua A. Katz

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

“On another note, as you will notice if you have observed the other charts provided previously by Robert, we have unexpectedly had another hotel come in with a good bid. The Loews is in a better location that will prevent or decrease cab/pedicab fees, it’s prices are very close to the Hampton and its a much higher end hotel chain. It’s still not a convention capable hotel, but I suspect it is one that could bid on a Convention Center based convention to provide us with rebates in exchange for room rentals and the banquet or some other such event, etc to make one of those happen. Ultimately thought, I say the Riverside would be a better venue for reasons I previously stated. Daniel Hayes” By my calculation, it is a good ¼ mile walk from the Loews Hotel to the Convention Center. That is probably at the upper limit of reasonableness for able-bodied Convention attendees to walk, and too far for mobility limited attendees. I think there are several public buses that travel between that hotel and the Convention Center, but most people would probably dismiss that option as being far too much trouble to be worth utilizing. Scott Lieberman

In 1973, I visited an old girlfriend in New Orleans. After a week of visiting among locals, I left a city called N'Orlinz to return home to 'Lasker. I agree with Josh that we should forgo long term research projects and find the fiscally conservative meeting place. Let the liberal Democrats meet in the Federal Reserve rip off Hall. Ron Windeler rowindeler@aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Joshua Katz <joshua.katz@lp.org> To: lnc-business <lnc-business@hq.lp.org> Sent: Fri, Aug 1, 2014 12:34 pm Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting I take no position on whether we use a contractor or not. I also, as a side note, would love to see New Orleans - it's been on my list for quite some time. When I moved to Texas, I in fact got off at New Orleans to see the city, but my schedule didn't permit an overnight stay. Neither did my budget, which is the concern I raise today. The hotel we are considering for this convention will cost us about $5000 to hold an LNC meeting there. I am assuming that this is with the knowledge that we are considering them as a venue for a major convention, hence a really good deal (respective to the hotel.) I understand that the average cost of an LNC meeting is in the neighborhood of $2500. I am only guess, then, that this will be a quite expensive convention. Floor fee or no, the more expensive the venue, the less we are likely to net profit/greater net loss, unless either: 1. We have states who have more willing delegates than spots (not too many) and an expensive venue will keep the poorer delegates away, thus increasing sales of larger packages. I would object to this on moral grounds if I thought it, in fact, were the case, but I don't. 2. We charge more for packages that are substantially the same. Of course, for instance, banquet tickets will cost more at a costlier location (I'd expect) since food costs will be higher - and of course we don't know where the point of unitary elasticity is, although I strongly suspect (see 1 above) that this point doesn't move when the convention is held at a fancier location. Given the cost of this venue for an LNC meeting, I therefore lean towards it not being a great venue for a convention, and would support having the meeting at the Hampton Inn instead. I would add that, while it's a good idea in any case, we really need to minimize costs for the next couple LNC meetings since we are, in a sense, bankrupt. So even if using the Hampton Inn will increase costs in the future, I think it makes sense at this particular moment to defer some costs into the future - time preference, etc. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 11:53 AM, Scott L. <scott73@earthlink.net> wrote: I strongly agree withwhat the Secretary wrote below. Ms. Mattson dida spectacular job of creating spreadsheets comparing the competing hotels for2012 and 2014, but needless to say it took her a lot of time to create those spreadsheets. I think it would be avery good idea to use Helms-Briscoe to help us select the 2018 Convention site. Scott Lieberman “HelmsBriscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters wegive them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We cantell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect itfor us. The committee we appointto oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons,and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists. Helms Briscoe does nothave any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have thefinal say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don'tlike any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a differentway if needed. During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site,there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating otherbusiness, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveragingthe offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions. At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on ourspreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guestroom rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, theother one is offering new perks, etc. The LNC is billed nothingfor this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoenegotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtorgets paid out of the seller's revenues. Speaking as a person whodid a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using HelmsBriscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do otherprojects instead. Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating thesetypes of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNCmembers aren't experts in the subject. If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it issigned, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigatethe problem with the hotel. I was very pleased with the experience with them last time. We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, beforewe solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoeshould submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there. Alicia” _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

Although I composed this message for an unnamed member who question where I got the Starchild quote from, it occurred to me that it was appropriate for the whole group. As I implied in my open message, Starchild responded to my post on the transparent discussion list with a direct, private email message. (not marked "Confidential" and he encouraged me to forward it) I'm not sure if you noticed the "quotation marks" around his comments separated my tongue in cheek comments about camping in the parking lot and running a bed and breakfast. I understand that libertarians are far too impractical to do anything like that. But, I think that we have been politically homeless (officeless?) for so long that the perfectly ordinary idea of holding our board meetings at company headquarters is alien to many of us. In Alaska, some Legislators actually live in their offices because the Capital is so isolated and expensive. I haven't heard of any of them operating a bed and breakfast in their office when not in session, but it could happen if they got cut off from the generous bribes of the oil companies. Ron Windeler rowindeler@aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Ron Windeler <rowindeler@aol.com> To: lnc-business <lnc-business@hq.lp.org> Sent: Sat, Aug 2, 2014 4:57 am Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting In 1973, I visited an old girlfriend in New Orleans. After a week of visiting among locals, I left a city called N'Orlinz to return home to 'Lasker. I agree with Josh that we should forgo long term research projects and find the fiscally conservative meeting place. Let the liberal Democrats meet in the Federal Reserve rip off Hall. Ron Windeler rowindeler@aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Joshua Katz <joshua.katz@lp.org> To: lnc-business <lnc-business@hq.lp.org> Sent: Fri, Aug 1, 2014 12:34 pm Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting I take no position on whether we use a contractor or not. I also, as a side note, would love to see New Orleans - it's been on my list for quite some time. When I moved to Texas, I in fact got off at New Orleans to see the city, but my schedule didn't permit an overnight stay. Neither did my budget, which is the concern I raise today. The hotel we are considering for this convention will cost us about $5000 to hold an LNC meeting there. I am assuming that this is with the knowledge that we are considering them as a venue for a major convention, hence a really good deal (respective to the hotel.) I understand that the average cost of an LNC meeting is in the neighborhood of $2500. I am only guess, then, that this will be a quite expensive convention. Floor fee or no, the more expensive the venue, the less we are likely to net profit/greater net loss, unless either: 1. We have states who have more willing delegates than spots (not too many) and an expensive venue will keep the poorer delegates away, thus increasing sales of larger packages. I would object to this on moral grounds if I thought it, in fact, were the case, but I don't. 2. We charge more for packages that are substantially the same. Of course, for instance, banquet tickets will cost more at a costlier location (I'd expect) since food costs will be higher - and of course we don't know where the point of unitary elasticity is, although I strongly suspect (see 1 above) that this point doesn't move when the convention is held at a fancier location. Given the cost of this venue for an LNC meeting, I therefore lean towards it not being a great venue for a convention, and would support having the meeting at the Hampton Inn instead. I would add that, while it's a good idea in any case, we really need to minimize costs for the next couple LNC meetings since we are, in a sense, bankrupt. So even if using the Hampton Inn will increase costs in the future, I think it makes sense at this particular moment to defer some costs into the future - time preference, etc. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 11:53 AM, Scott L. <scott73@earthlink.net> wrote: I strongly agree withwhat the Secretary wrote below. Ms. Mattson dida spectacular job of creating spreadsheets comparing the competing hotels for2012 and 2014, but needless to say it took her a lot of time to create those spreadsheets. I think it would be avery good idea to use Helms-Briscoe to help us select the 2018 Convention site. Scott Lieberman “HelmsBriscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters wegive them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We cantell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect itfor us. The committee we appointto oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons,and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists. Helms Briscoe does nothave any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have thefinal say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don'tlike any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a differentway if needed. During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site,there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating otherbusiness, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveragingthe offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions. At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on ourspreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guestroom rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, theother one is offering new perks, etc. The LNC is billed nothingfor this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoenegotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtorgets paid out of the seller's revenues. Speaking as a person whodid a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using HelmsBriscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do otherprojects instead. Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating thesetypes of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNCmembers aren't experts in the subject. If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it issigned, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigatethe problem with the hotel. I was very pleased with the experience with them last time. We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, beforewe solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoeshould submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there. Alicia” _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

I'm not knocking Robert Kraus' capability of putting together competitive convention bids for us. But Robert already has a job that keeps him busy, and there's only so much free time he can put into a project like this. The reality is that even with Robert on staff, I still wound up spending well over 100 hours researching, gathering data, etc. for the 2012 and 2014 convention site selection processes. When we used Helms Briscoe for 2016, I only had to invest a small fraction of that amount of time in the process. It is not "free" to use Robert. We pay him a salary, and there's always the opportunity cost of what else he could have been doing with that time. I do agree that we're often better off making our own arrangements for small events like LNC meetings because the volume is so small that there's only so much bargaining power to play with. I am only advocating using Helms Briscoe for the convention site selection. It is not true that Helms Briscoe will only work with their preferred partners. They will work with anyone we ask them to. The 2016 site with the Rosen group as a privately owned entity is not one of major national chains that might be in a small pool of preferred vendors. They never hesitated on any site we wanted to look into. Regarding the 2016 process, yes, Stewart Flood (and I think Vicki Kirkland and John Wayne Smith) talked to the Rosen Center first before we brought in Helms Briscoe. Stewart did bring us a partial offer from them that had only a few core data points (relative to the extensive set of parameters we typically get for bid comparisons). I don't have a copy of that document in my records. I think it was only a piece of paper that Stewart had, rather than an electronic document distributed to the LNC where I would have a copy of it. I think the guest room rate they gave us was $99 at the time, but again, that's without the hotel bidding the full set of demands we typically make of a convention site. Once you start demanding shifts in one part of the bid, it can result in shifts in other areas. I don't know what the basis is for the claim that we had better contract concessions without Helms Briscoe because those were not detailed out in the partial offer we had previously received from Rosen. When we decided to cast a wider net for the 2016 process and brought in Helms Briscoe to take the workload off of LNC members, the full bid with all of our demands brought Rosen in at a guest room rate of $115 for starters. But in the end, the contract we signed with Rosen was for $95/night (I just looked at the contract with my own eyes) with Helms Briscoe in the mix and with the full set of demands and concessions spelled out. We did not end up paying more than the previous partial-offer rate. With Helms Briscoe we had a bid from a Westin in downtown LA for $119 a night. I'm skeptical that if only we hadn't used Helms Briscoe we would have gotten a block of 400 rooms in downtown LA for 15% less than that. There is no such thing as a free lunch, but the amount you pay for your lunch may be negotiable. -Alicia On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 9:16 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

So there aint no such thing as a free lunch but there is such thing as a free commission? Its a basic that the cost is ultimately born by US the consumer, even if the hotel pays it to the contracted out event planner. Frankly, that whole, 2 representatives there getting further concession to the last second thing strikes me as a bit of Theater. That cost is a 15% commission. I don’t care who pays it to Helms-briscoe, ultimately WE pay it..it only has value if its something we can’t do for ourselves effectively. if we had an event planner of our own on staff..to negotiate things for us..that wasn’t getting a kickback from the hotel, there is more margin left there for them to give us concessions, its just basic economics. And guess what..we got one… Here’s an excerpt from an email sent to me this morning from Robert Kraus our director of operations.

Speaking about himself: "I am a member of the Association of Meeting Professionals (AMP) and will continue to offer my professional meeting planning services free of charge to the LNC as I’ve done for the past 9.5 years. I make zero commission from the hotels and my #1 goal is to get the best deal possible and the very lowest room rate possible – usually about $10 less than the AAA rate on line. Several folks on the LNC want us to use a “meeting professional with connections” well you already have one on staff! I go to happy hours and events at least once a month and have contacts at the corporate level with most major brands. I drink with these people and know them by name. HB hardly ever attends (and they have heavy turnover of their DC rep) these events and thus they do not have the connections I do. They work with their “preferred partners” (who are willing to pay above average commissions vs. most venues who only pay 10%). This actual limits what they can offer and what they do offer it is overpriced.”

Here’s Robert on Helms- Briscoe:

"In terms of 2016 – HB “negotiated” a room rate that was (no surprise) about 15% higher than what Rosen Centre already gave us for 2014/16. Their previous offer no longer was valid because our chair at the time gave HB the exclusive rights to bid on our 2016 convention. Other concessions were also not as good. Stewart Flood who was involved in both the 2014 and 2016 site selection process (& Mark Hinkle & Geoff Neale) can all tell you the issues with HB in general and the problematic process with 2016.”

"They do not like nor do they do a good job with small conventions (under 1k attendance) nor do they like to plan small meetings. They will of course – anything for an above market commission. Finally, last term we did have them bid for us on 2-3 meetings (while I did the same – we pretty much slit things up by brand) and all the times their prices were about $10-20 HIGHER per night than the AAA rate while mine was consistently $10 lower. If members of the LNC (and our delegates for conventions) are willing to pay an average of $20-30 MORE per night for their “professional services” than sure, go ahead and use them!”

So we had a LOWER negotiated room rate already with the Rosen Centre, but we turned things over to Helms Briscoe and ended up paying room rates 15% higher than we had already been offered previously. HELLO? TANSTAAFL…right? folks like to go Heinlein…doesn’t that apply here? SO Helms Briscoe is able to offer us some miraculous savings that appear out of thin air? Now if I am misrepresenting Robert, I assume he can correct me on any errors I make but, As I am cutting and pasting, I don’t think I am.

Bottom line I take away form that. Using Helms-Briscoe cost us 15% more than it cost us with an in House negotiation by Robert. I am sure that this can all be demonstrated on paper as those previous bids should be available. We need to make use of the resources we have on hand. Imagine what we could have done with that 15% of a 2016 presidential year convention for ballot access etc. If we didn’t have a professional meeting planner on staff it would be one thing, but we do so lets use it.

Daniel Hayes

On Aug 1, 2014, at 5:52 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> wrote:

Helms Briscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters we give them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We can tell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect it for us.

The committee we appoint to oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons, and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists.

Helms Briscoe does not have any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have the final say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don't like any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a different way if needed.

During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site, there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating other business, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveraging the offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions. At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on our spreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guest room rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, the other one is offering new perks, etc.

The LNC is billed nothing for this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoe negotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtor gets paid out of the seller's revenues.

Speaking as a person who did a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using Helms Briscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do other projects instead.

Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating these types of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNC members aren't experts in the subject.

If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it is signed, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigate the problem with the hotel.

I was very pleased with the experience with them last time.

We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, *before* we solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoe should submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there.

-Alicia

On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 2:52 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members or Staff,

What did Helms Briscoe do for us exactly and what exactly did that cost us? How many times have we used them?

Daniel Hayes

On Jul 31, 2014, at 3:54 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> wrote:

Helms Briscoe was the name of the company referenced by Norm. We used them to help with the 2016 convention site scouting.

-Alicia

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Norm Olsen <region1rep@donedad.com> wrote:

...

Four points with regard to this thread:

First, I prefer low cost for both LNC meetings and conventions. I am fortunate in that I live in a city which is the hub for three major airlines, so I have several choices in getting to most any city non-stop at a competitive airfare. Others may not be so fortunate.

Second, in my humble opinion, conventions should be held on Memorial Day weekend. I suggest that choosing this date will produce the largest attendance and the lowest cost. Choosing this date, or allowing an alternative, should be the first decision the LNC should make with regard to the 2018 convention.

Third, I suggest that conventions are best run by a private entity (ala Denver 2008) and not by the LNC itself. Doing so enables the producing organization to solicit sponsorships from private organizations and vastly reduces the burden on LNC staff among other advantages. Therefore, given a decision with regard to date as presented above, the first step in selecting a convention location should be to solicit bids from interested private groups for organizing and producing the convention. The LNC should then choose to either accept one of the submitted bids or choose to run the convention itself.

Fourth, in the event that the LNC chooses to produce the convention itself and having made the decision of the date of the convention, the LNC should choose a venue from a list produced by the organization which produced the list from which the 2010 convention venue was chosen. (The name escapes me, but Briscoe & Somebody, something like that.)

Using LNC meetings to check out possible sites is OK, but let's keep in mind that our duty to the membership is to have a convention which the largest number of our membership will be able to attend with due consideration given to both scheduling and financial aspects.

Norm -- Norman T Olsen Regional Representative, Region I Libertarian National Committee 7931 S Broadway, PMB 102 Littleton, Colorado 80122-2710 303-263-4995 Norman.Olsen@lp.org

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Gandhi

-----Original Message----- From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Sarwark Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 6:12 AM To: lnc-business@hq.lp.org Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

-Nick

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

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Ron, if you were a Republican candidate for governor that espoused family values you could get your diaper changed as well your mind…by a hooker. Now if this was true..if Mr Vitter were a Libertarian…he could at least not be called a hypocrite..though I’d still call him DAMN weird…assuming all these very pervasive rumors are true. What kinda freak messes himself in a diaper and has a woman change him like a baby that isn’t 95 years old? To each their own…I guess. http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/21/prostitute-loving-gop-senator-david-v... On Aug 2, 2014, at 6:42 AM, Ron Windeler <rowindeler@aol.com> wrote:

I love this email discussion group because I can change my opinion with each post. Now I think we should introduce Helms Briscoe to the Republican National Committee and use our own in-house event planner. Watch this space next week, when I may change my mind again.

Ron Windeler rowindeler@aol.com

-----Original Message----- From: Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> To: lnc-business <lnc-business@hq.lp.org> Sent: Fri, Aug 1, 2014 9:16 am Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

So there aint no such thing as a free lunch but there is such thing as a free commission? Its a basic that the cost is ultimately born by US the consumer, even if the hotel pays it to the contracted out event planner. Frankly, that whole, 2 representatives there getting further concession to the last second thing strikes me as a bit of Theater. That cost is a 15% commission. I don’t care who pays it to Helms-briscoe, ultimately WE pay it..it only has value if its something we can’t do for ourselves effectively. if we had an event planner of our own on staff..to negotiate things for us..that wasn’t getting a kickback from the hotel, there is more margin left there for them to give us concessions, its just basic economics. And guess what..we got one… Here’s an excerpt from an email sent to me this morning from Robert Kraus our director of operations.

Speaking about himself: "I am a member of the Association of Meeting Professionals (AMP) and will continue to offer my professional meeting planning services free of charge to the LNC as I’ve done for the past 9.5 years. I make zero commission from the hotels and my #1 goal is to get the best deal possible and the very lowest room rate possible – usually about $10 less than the AAA rate on line. Several folks on the LNC want us to use a “meeting professional with connections” well you already have one on staff! I go to happy hours and events at least once a month and have contacts at the corporate level with most major brands. I drink with these people and know them by name. HB hardly ever attends (and they have heavy turnover of their DC rep) these events and thus they do not have the connections I do. They work with their “preferred partners” (who are willing to pay above average commissions vs. most venues who only pay 10%). This actual limits what they can offer and what they do offer it is overpriced.”

Here’s Robert on Helms- Briscoe:

"In terms of 2016 – HB “negotiated” a room rate that was (no surprise) about 15% higher than what Rosen Centre already gave us for 2014/16. Their previous offer no longer was valid because our chair at the time gave HB the exclusive rights to bid on our 2016 convention. Other concessions were also not as good. Stewart Flood who was involved in both the 2014 and 2016 site selection process (& Mark Hinkle & Geoff Neale) can all tell you the issues with HB in general and the problematic process with 2016.”

"They do not like nor do they do a good job with small conventions (under 1k attendance) nor do they like to plan small meetings. They will of course – anything for an above market commission. Finally, last term we did have them bid for us on 2-3 meetings (while I did the same – we pretty much slit things up by brand) and all the times their prices were about $10-20 HIGHER per night than the AAA rate while mine was consistently $10 lower. If members of the LNC (and our delegates for conventions) are willing to pay an average of $20-30 MORE per night for their “professional services” than sure, go ahead and use them!”

So we had a LOWER negotiated room rate already with the Rosen Centre, but we turned things over to Helms Briscoe and ended up paying room rates 15% higher than we had already been offered previously. HELLO? TANSTAAFL…right? folks like to go Heinlein…doesn’t that apply here? SO Helms Briscoe is able to offer us some miraculous savings that appear out of thin air? Now if I am misrepresenting Robert, I assume he can correct me on any errors I make but, As I am cutting and pasting, I don’t think I am.

Bottom line I take away form that. Using Helms-Briscoe cost us 15% more than it cost us with an in House negotiation by Robert. I am sure that this can all be demonstrated on paper as those previous bids should be available. We need to make use of the resources we have on hand. Imagine what we could have done with that 15% of a 2016 presidential year convention for ballot access etc. If we didn’t have a professional meeting planner on staff it would be one thing, but we do so lets use it.

Daniel Hayes

On Aug 1, 2014, at 5:52 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Helms Briscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters we give them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We can tell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect it for us.

The committee we appoint to oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons, and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists.

Helms Briscoe does not have any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have the final say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don't like any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a different way if needed.

During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site, there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating other business, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveraging the offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions. At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on our spreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guest room rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, the other one is offering new perks, etc.

The LNC is billed nothing for this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoe negotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtor gets paid out of the seller's revenues.

Speaking as a person who did a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using Helms Briscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do other projects instead.

Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating these types of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNC members aren't experts in the subject.

If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it is signed, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigate the problem with the hotel.

I was very pleased with the experience with them last time.

We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, before we solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoe should submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there.

-Alicia

On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 2:52 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote: Members or Staff,

What did Helms Briscoe do for us exactly and what exactly did that cost us? How many times have we used them?

Daniel Hayes

On Jul 31, 2014, at 3:54 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Helms Briscoe was the name of the company referenced by Norm. We used them to help with the 2016 convention site scouting.

-Alicia

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Norm Olsen <region1rep@donedad.com> wrote: Four points with regard to this thread:

First, I prefer low cost for both LNC meetings and conventions. I am fortunate in that I live in a city which is the hub for three major airlines, so I have several choices in getting to most any city non-stop at a competitive airfare. Others may not be so fortunate.

Second, in my humble opinion, conventions should be held on Memorial Day weekend. I suggest that choosing this date will produce the largest attendance and the lowest cost. Choosing this date, or allowing an alternative, should be the first decision the LNC should make with regard to the 2018 convention.

Third, I suggest that conventions are best run by a private entity (ala Denver 2008) and not by the LNC itself. Doing so enables the producing organization to solicit sponsorships from private organizations and vastly reduces the burden on LNC staff among other advantages. Therefore, given a decision with regard to date as presented above, the first step in selecting a convention location should be to solicit bids from interested private groups for organizing and producing the convention. The LNC should then choose to either accept one of the submitted bids or choose to run the convention itself.

Fourth, in the event that the LNC chooses to produce the convention itself and having made the decision of the date of the convention, the LNC should choose a venue from a list produced by the organization which produced the list from which the 2010 convention venue was chosen. (The name escapes me, but Briscoe & Somebody, something like that.)

Using LNC meetings to check out possible sites is OK, but let's keep in mind that our duty to the membership is to have a convention which the largest number of our membership will be able to attend with due consideration given to both scheduling and financial aspects.

Norm -- Norman T Olsen Regional Representative, Region I Libertarian National Committee 7931 S Broadway, PMB 102 Littleton, Colorado 80122-2710 303-263-4995 Norman.Olsen@lp.org

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Gandhi

-----Original Message----- From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Sarwark Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 6:12 AM To: lnc-business@hq.lp.org Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

-Nick

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

He’s a current US Senator from La…and is the front runner for the governor’s race..He is a Republican. I’d talk smack on him for breaking the “contract” with his wife even if he was a Libertarian, unless she came out and said..I support his activities with these women cause I am not that freaking weird..buuuut..with all our transparency these days…I am going to stop my participation in this part of the thread.. Daniel Hayes On Aug 3, 2014, at 5:14 AM, Ron Windeler <rowindeler@aol.com> wrote:

I'm sorry, Dan. Maybe because I am old and slow (not quite 95) I missed the connection between your diaper references and my comments. What are you talking about? My comments were about the revealed complexities of the Helms Briscoe debate that had seemed so simple at first glance. Is this Mr. Vittner you mentioned, an associate of HB or a competitor? Do the hookers he procures change diapers cheaper than those found by HB?

Ron Windeler rowindeler@aol.com

-----Original Message----- From: Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> To: lnc-business <lnc-business@hq.lp.org> Sent: Sat, Aug 2, 2014 4:52 am Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

Ron,

if you were a Republican candidate for governor that espoused family values you could get your diaper changed as well your mind…by a hooker. Now if this was true..if Mr Vitter were a Libertarian…he could at least not be called a hypocrite..though I’d still call him DAMN weird…assuming all these very pervasive rumors are true. What kinda freak messes himself in a diaper and has a woman change him like a baby that isn’t 95 years old? To each their own…I guess.

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/01/21/prostitute-loving-gop-senator-david-v...

On Aug 2, 2014, at 6:42 AM, Ron Windeler <rowindeler@aol.com> wrote:

...

I love this email discussion group because I can change my opinion with each post. Now I think we should introduce Helms Briscoe to the Republican National Committee and use our own in-house event planner. Watch this space next week, when I may change my mind again.

Ron Windeler rowindeler@aol.com

-----Original Message----- From: Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> To: lnc-business <lnc-business@hq.lp.org> Sent: Fri, Aug 1, 2014 9:16 am Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

So there aint no such thing as a free lunch but there is such thing as a free commission? Its a basic that the cost is ultimately born by US the consumer, even if the hotel pays it to the contracted out event planner. Frankly, that whole, 2 representatives there getting further concession to the last second thing strikes me as a bit of Theater. That cost is a 15% commission. I don’t care who pays it to Helms-briscoe, ultimately WE pay it..it only has value if its something we can’t do for ourselves effectively. if we had an event planner of our own on staff..to negotiate things for us..that wasn’t getting a kickback from the hotel, there is more margin left there for them to give us concessions, its just basic economics. And guess what..we got one… Here’s an excerpt from an email sent to me this morning from Robert Kraus our director of operations.

Speaking about himself: "I am a member of the Association of Meeting Professionals (AMP) and will continue to offer my professional meeting planning services free of charge to the LNC as I’ve done for the past 9.5 years. I make zero commission from the hotels and my #1 goal is to get the best deal possible and the very lowest room rate possible – usually about $10 less than the AAA rate on line. Several folks on the LNC want us to use a “meeting professional with connections” well you already have one on staff! I go to happy hours and events at least once a month and have contacts at the corporate level with most major brands. I drink with these people and know them by name. HB hardly ever attends (and they have heavy turnover of their DC rep) these events and thus they do not have the connections I do. They work with their “preferred partners” (who are willing to pay above average commissions vs. most venues who only pay 10%). This actual limits what they can offer and what they do offer it is overpriced.”

Here’s Robert on Helms- Briscoe:

"In terms of 2016 – HB “negotiated” a room rate that was (no surprise) about 15% higher than what Rosen Centre already gave us for 2014/16. Their previous offer no longer was valid because our chair at the time gave HB the exclusive rights to bid on our 2016 convention. Other concessions were also not as good. Stewart Flood who was involved in both the 2014 and 2016 site selection process (& Mark Hinkle & Geoff Neale) can all tell you the issues with HB in general and the problematic process with 2016.”

"They do not like nor do they do a good job with small conventions (under 1k attendance) nor do they like to plan small meetings. They will of course – anything for an above market commission. Finally, last term we did have them bid for us on 2-3 meetings (while I did the same – we pretty much slit things up by brand) and all the times their prices were about $10-20 HIGHER per night than the AAA rate while mine was consistently $10 lower. If members of the LNC (and our delegates for conventions) are willing to pay an average of $20-30 MORE per night for their “professional services” than sure, go ahead and use them!”

So we had a LOWER negotiated room rate already with the Rosen Centre, but we turned things over to Helms Briscoe and ended up paying room rates 15% higher than we had already been offered previously. HELLO? TANSTAAFL…right? folks like to go Heinlein…doesn’t that apply here? SO Helms Briscoe is able to offer us some miraculous savings that appear out of thin air? Now if I am misrepresenting Robert, I assume he can correct me on any errors I make but, As I am cutting and pasting, I don’t think I am.

Bottom line I take away form that. Using Helms-Briscoe cost us 15% more than it cost us with an in House negotiation by Robert. I am sure that this can all be demonstrated on paper as those previous bids should be available. We need to make use of the resources we have on hand. Imagine what we could have done with that 15% of a 2016 presidential year convention for ballot access etc. If we didn’t have a professional meeting planner on staff it would be one thing, but we do so lets use it.

Daniel Hayes

On Aug 1, 2014, at 5:52 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Helms Briscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters we give them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We can tell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect it for us.

The committee we appoint to oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons, and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists.

Helms Briscoe does not have any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have the final say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don't like any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a different way if needed.

During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site, there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating other business, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveraging the offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions. At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on our spreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guest room rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, the other one is offering new perks, etc.

The LNC is billed nothing for this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoe negotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtor gets paid out of the seller's revenues.

Speaking as a person who did a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using Helms Briscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do other projects instead.

Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating these types of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNC members aren't experts in the subject.

If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it is signed, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigate the problem with the hotel.

I was very pleased with the experience with them last time.

We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, before we solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoe should submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there.

-Alicia

On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 2:52 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote: Members or Staff,

What did Helms Briscoe do for us exactly and what exactly did that cost us? How many times have we used them?

Daniel Hayes

On Jul 31, 2014, at 3:54 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Helms Briscoe was the name of the company referenced by Norm. We used them to help with the 2016 convention site scouting.

-Alicia

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Norm Olsen <region1rep@donedad.com> wrote: Four points with regard to this thread:

First, I prefer low cost for both LNC meetings and conventions. I am fortunate in that I live in a city which is the hub for three major airlines, so I have several choices in getting to most any city non-stop at a competitive airfare. Others may not be so fortunate.

Second, in my humble opinion, conventions should be held on Memorial Day weekend. I suggest that choosing this date will produce the largest attendance and the lowest cost. Choosing this date, or allowing an alternative, should be the first decision the LNC should make with regard to the 2018 convention.

Third, I suggest that conventions are best run by a private entity (ala Denver 2008) and not by the LNC itself. Doing so enables the producing organization to solicit sponsorships from private organizations and vastly reduces the burden on LNC staff among other advantages. Therefore, given a decision with regard to date as presented above, the first step in selecting a convention location should be to solicit bids from interested private groups for organizing and producing the convention. The LNC should then choose to either accept one of the submitted bids or choose to run the convention itself.

Fourth, in the event that the LNC chooses to produce the convention itself and having made the decision of the date of the convention, the LNC should choose a venue from a list produced by the organization which produced the list from which the 2010 convention venue was chosen. (The name escapes me, but Briscoe & Somebody, something like that.)

Using LNC meetings to check out possible sites is OK, but let's keep in mind that our duty to the membership is to have a convention which the largest number of our membership will be able to attend with due consideration given to both scheduling and financial aspects.

Norm -- Norman T Olsen Regional Representative, Region I Libertarian National Committee 7931 S Broadway, PMB 102 Littleton, Colorado 80122-2710 303-263-4995 Norman.Olsen@lp.org

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Gandhi

-----Original Message----- From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Sarwark Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 6:12 AM To: lnc-business@hq.lp.org Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting

Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there.

If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC.

-Nick

On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

...

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

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In recent years, we have found great places to have conventions with and without expensive consultants like Holmes Briscoe. Seems like foregoing their help next time would be a good cost savings measure that wouldn't hurt much. Ron Windeler rowindeler@aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Alicia Mattson <agmattson@gmail.com> To: region1rep <region1rep@donedad.com>; lnc-business <lnc-business@hq.lp.org> Sent: Thu, Jul 31, 2014 1:55 am Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting Helms Briscoe was the name of the company referenced by Norm. We used them to help with the 2016 convention site scouting. -Alicia On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:45 PM, Norm Olsen <region1rep@donedad.com> wrote: Four points with regard to this thread: First, I prefer low cost for both LNC meetings and conventions. I am fortunate in that I live in a city which is the hub for three major airlines, so I have several choices in getting to most any city non-stop at a competitive airfare. Others may not be so fortunate. Second, in my humble opinion, conventions should be held on Memorial Day weekend. I suggest that choosing this date will produce the largest attendance and the lowest cost. Choosing this date, or allowing an alternative, should be the first decision the LNC should make with regard to the 2018 convention. Third, I suggest that conventions are best run by a private entity (ala Denver 2008) and not by the LNC itself. Doing so enables the producing organization to solicit sponsorships from private organizations and vastly reduces the burden on LNC staff among other advantages. Therefore, given a decision with regard to date as presented above, the first step in selecting a convention location should be to solicit bids from interested private groups for organizing and producing the convention. The LNC should then choose to either accept one of the submitted bids or choose to run the convention itself. Fourth, in the event that the LNC chooses to produce the convention itself and having made the decision of the date of the convention, the LNC should choose a venue from a list produced by the organization which produced the list from which the 2010 convention venue was chosen. (The name escapes me, but Briscoe & Somebody, something like that.) Using LNC meetings to check out possible sites is OK, but let's keep in mind that our duty to the membership is to have a convention which the largest number of our membership will be able to attend with due consideration given to both scheduling and financial aspects. Norm -- Norman T Olsen Regional Representative, Region I Libertarian National Committee 7931 S Broadway, PMB 102 Littleton, Colorado 80122-2710 303-263-4995 Norman.Olsen@lp.org "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Gandhi -----Original Message----- From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Sarwark Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 6:12 AM To: lnc-business@hq.lp.org Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Informal Poll LNC December Meeting Thanks Daniel for sending these options out to the LNC. My personal preference is the later weekend and the Hampton Inn, due to the significant savings to the members (on travel and room cost) and the LNC (on meeting space and breakfast). I'm happy to do a tour of the Hilton Riverside as a potential convention venue while we're there. If there is a strong preference for the earlier weekend or the more expensive hotel, I would defer to the rest of the LNC. -Nick On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 1:34 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes@icloud.com> wrote:

Members,

I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive?

"After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year.

I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC.

Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc.

I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.”

Daniel Hayes

ave HQ $1800.

_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

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