October 1994

Express Checkout

A quick review of your many hotel options

By Rayna Skolnik

There is no such thing as a "typical" hotel when it comes to exhibit space. Hotel exhibit facilities come in many shapes and sizes. Some have dedicated space, while others use ballrooms for exhibits. Some have space at street level, others' space is reachable only by elevator. Some hotels are downtown, others are at suburban or airport locations. Exhibit space can be found at resorts or casino hotels, and some hotels even have their own separate convention centers.

Somewhere in this mix could be a facility that is just right for your show. Of course, there is also one that is probably all wrong. But acceptance or rejection of a facility shouldn't be based on its being a hotel. Each facility should be evaluated individually.

To illustrate the variety of hotel exhibit facilities, we will consider what kinds of shows work best in five different categories of hotels.

Suburban convention hotels -- facilities that are not downtown and that have extensive exhibit and meeting space.
Downtown hotels -- for the purpose of this article, downtown facilities with dedicated exhibit space.
Hotels with ballroom space -- facilities with large ballrooms that can be used for exhibits.
Hotels with convention centers -- facilities with full-fledged exhibit areas in a separate structure.
Resort hotels -- facilities away from downtown that have extensive recreation and either dedicated or flexible exhibit space.

Obviously, this list is not comprehensive. It is intentionally limited to several narrowly -- and subjectively -- defined industry segments. We also are providing a limited number of examples, which are in no way representative of all the impressive hotel facilities available for expositions. Creating your own narrow definitions can help you zero in on what you need.

Suburban convention hotels

• Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN. Guest rooms: 1,891. Meeting space: four ballrooms totaling 69,800 square feet, two boardrooms and 74 breakout rooms. Exhibit hall: 145,000 square feet; accommodates 750 10- by 10-foot booths; 16-foot ceiling. Restaurants: Six. Lounges: Seven.
• Loews Anatole Hotel, Dallas, TX. Guest rooms: 1,620. Meeting space: Five ballrooms totaling 72,022 square feet, eight boardrooms, 58 meeting rooms and six theaters. Exhibit hall: 73,000 square feet; accommodates 336 10- by 10-foot booths; 20-foot ceiling. Restaurants: Seven. Lounges: Eight.

Wasmuth says the exhibit hall works for any show from computer and bank card shows, to auto and boat shows.

The International Liquid Waste Haulers Equipment and Trade Show was first held at Opryland in 1981 and has returned several times. "A big plus for us is the parking," says Robert Kendall, President of show sponsor Cole Publishing in Three Lakes, WI. "A truck show needs a lot of parking and staging space." Downtown facilities, he says, seldom have enough. Opryland also can provide adequate water for the mobile truck wash used to clean the 150 trucks that are exhibited.

The management's attitude is another plus. A truck show is not a glamorous event, Kendall says, and some facilities don't particularly want the business. "Move-in is a little more difficult at Opryland, because of the columns," Kendall says. "But the personnel is very accommodating. They do whatever they can to make this work. Opryland has always treated us as one of their better groups."

Don Palasek, Food Show Manager for distributor Gourmet Award Foods in Dallas, moved his show to the Loews Anatole Hotel after it outgrew another hotel. "We were in two halls, and people wouldn't go to exhibits in both halls," Palasek says. The larger space at the Anatole enabled him to add 50 exhibitors and have them all in one hall.

The Anatole's layout also works well for Palasek's show. "They have several loading docks and streetside doors for the smaller manufacturers who just bring in a few cases," he says. Another plus is the ambience. "The Anatole's image is upscale."

The Anatole is one of the few hotels with exhibit space large enough for Deirdre Feeney, Director of Special Events and Corporate Travel for New York City publisher and show sponsor Lebhar Friedman. Feeney's two shows, Multi-Unit Food Service Operators Conference and Store Planning Equipment Construction Services, each have more than 100 exhibiting companies and 1,000 to 2,000 attendees. In another city, when she used a convention center, she was hit with union problems and high costs. At the Anatole, she avoids those problems and has an additional advantage. "The manufacturers who exhibit are our advertisers, and we must give them the best possible show," she says. "At the Anatole, we can guarantee that the operators who attend are under the same roof as the manufacturers."

Feeney's experience at the convention center demonstrates why show managers shouldn't make assumptions about any facility. "At the convention center, we used the second floor and had problems with the elevator," she says. The Anatole's exhibit space is at ground level, yet some show managers assume that hotel facilities will present elevator problems.

Although these types of hotels seldom house public shows because they prefer an event that will book sleeping rooms, there are other concerns. "The additional traffic puts a glitch in our service to our guests," says Jim Carra, Director of Sales at the Anatole. "And if we give our complimentary parking spaces to a public show, that also inconveniences our guests."

Downtown hotels with dedicated exhibit space

• Hyatt Regency, Chicago, IL. Guest rooms: 2,019. Meeting space: Two ballrooms totaling 41,060 square feet and 53 meeting rooms. Exhibit space: 70,000 square feet, divisible into 2 rooms, from 30,000 to 40,000 square feet; accommodates 325 10-by-10-foot booths; 14- to 17-foot ceilings. Restaurants: Six. Lounges: Four.
• Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston, MA. Guest rooms: 1,147. Meeting space: More than 44,000 square feet, including 23,876-square-foot ballroom divisible into 11 sections, plus 27 additional meeting rooms. Exhibit space: 22,500 square feet; accommodates 143 8-by-10-foot booths or 172 8-by-8-foot booths; 7-foot, 8-inch ceilings. Restaurants: three. Lounges: one.

Located in the heart of downtown, the Hyatt Regency Chicago has eight dedicated loading docks and a marshaling area big enough for 10 semitrailers. "A 300-booth show is perfect for our exhibit hall," says Stephen D'Agostino, Director of Sales at the Hyatt. "That pretty much fills the hall and allows space for a food area as well. Without a food area, we can fit up to 400 booths."

Column placement limits the number of island booths that can be accommodated, but there are few limits on utilities, D'Agostino says. "When the American Vacuum Society did a show here, they brought in machines that take two to three days to set up; it was like building a factory."

Some show managers object when a hotel has an exclusive decorator, says D'Agostino, but there can be many advantages. "A lot of the heads of the different unions are full-time employees of GES or Hyatt," he says. "These people are here all the time, and they know the hall." Also, using an exclusive contractor can sometimes keep costs down.

One satisfied show manager is Sarabel Stemer, Director, Division of Meeting and Travel Services for the American Academy of Pediatrics in Elk Grove Village, IL. "The labor is easy to work with," she says. "Since the GES-United merger, the hall is more user-friendly."

High praise also comes from Vera Heuberger, Director of Meetings and Conventions for the American College of Chest Physicians in Northbrook, IL. "The people at the hotel are so experienced; there's never any problem with move-in or move-out," she says. Another highlight of the Hyatt is the food. "Every time we go there, we're amazed at how good the food is. After one meeting, a doctor in Hawaii wrote to tell me it was extraordinary."

The Boston Marriott Copley Place is the only hotel in downtown Boston with a self-contained, dedicated exhibit hall, notes Mark Epstein, President of service contractor Champion Exposition Services Inc. "It's a good choice for shows with general sessions because it has both an exhibit hall and a ballroom."

Putting in the exhibit space was "the best decision Marriott made about this hotel," says Jonathan Moore, Director of Marketing at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. "We do about 75 shows a year." Many of these are medical, high-tech, software and financial conventions. There are also some labor-intensive shows, such as auto parts, or optical shows with heavy equipment. "But we don't do the major heavy shows. They're not usually in the 100- to 140-booth range."

Moore suggests that 8-by-10-foot booths work better than 10-by-10-foot booths because of the configuration of the columns. The third-floor exhibit hall is reached by a large freight elevator. The four loading docks are on a back street, making it easy for tractor trailers to assemble.

Because the exhibit hall was originally intended to be the top level of a parking garage, the ceilings are only eight feet high. Consequently, the space sometimes seems dark. Renovations are underway to lighten and brighten the look.

But the space is fine for Stella Bardsley, Trade Show Manager for the New England Alliance, a trade association for independent insurance agents. The Hopkinton, MA-based group has held its annual convention at the Marriott for the last several years. "We have almost 100 exhibitors, and the room holds us nicely," says Bardsley. "The freight elevator comes from the street right into the exhibit hall -- it's very easy for our exhibitors. Any exhibitors who have just suitcases can come through the front door, and the bellman holds their things while they park." She also notes that the parking is "phenomenal."

Hotels with ballroom space

• Fairmont Hotel, New Orleans, LA. Guest rooms: 732. Meeting space: Four column-free ballrooms, totaling 43,666 square feet, plus 19 meeting rooms. Exhibit space: Three ballrooms can accommodate, respectively, 100 or 60 or 40 8-by-10-foot booths; 13-foot, 8-inch to 20-foot, 8-inch ceilings. Restaurants and lounges: Four.
• The Peabody, Orlando, FL. Guest rooms: 891. Meeting space: 54,000 square feet of space in 32 meeting rooms, including a 27,000-square-foot grand ballroom and two 8,600-square-foot junior ballrooms, all column-free. Exhibit space: Grand ballroom accommodates 177 8-by-10-foot booths; each junior ballroom accommodates 54 8-by-10-foot booths; 11-foot, 8-inch to 18-foot ceilings. Restaurants and lounges: four.

Picture the carpeted elegance of the Fairmont Hotel ballroom as the setting for the pipe-tapping competition at the American Water Works Association's southwest regional meeting. Contestants drill holes in a water-filled pipe, just as if they were bringing water into a private home. To set up the contest, "we made modifications from one of the water pipes in a hotel stairwell," says Marvin Russell, a Plant Manager with AWWA. "The hotel was so flexible with us." AWWA had met at the Fairmont before. They returned not just because the size was right, says Russell, but because "our board enjoyed the ambience, charm and special service."

Of course, the pipe-tapping contestants had to be more careful in a carpeted ballroom than in a convention center. And one vendor was upset because he couldn't bring a forklift into the ballroom. Otherwise, move-in went smoothly; even the largest pumps were palletized and brought in on dollies.

"We have to off-street load," says Fairmont Director of Catering Jerry Ursin. "But we have a 19-foot cab elevator. And the floor can handle anything that fits into the elevator." Medical shows work especially well, he says. And because the grand ballroom connects with one of the two smaller ballrooms, the exhibit space is even more flexible.

The Peabody is a little small for the Florida Chiropractic Association's convention, which has about 400 exhibitors and multiple education sessions each day. Yet association CEO Dr. Ed Williams would rather be there than at a convention center. "We tried a convention center once, and it was a fiasco," he says. "The exhibitors were just looking at each other, not attendees. We like a configuration that forces people to go into the exhibits." Three adjacent ballrooms, all usable for meetings or exhibits, give Williams that control.

Larger groups may prefer a dedicated hall, says Barry Anderson, Vice President of Marketing for the Peabody. "But the smaller groups like a ballroom with carpeting and, in our case, 24 crystal chandeliers,which are suspended from 18-foot ceilings," he says.

Hotels with convention centers

• Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center, Marlborough, MA. Guest rooms: 435. Meeting space: Ballroom with 7,950 square feet and 15 meeting rooms. Exhibit space: 47,500 square feet; accommodates 280 8-by-10-foot booths; 21-foot ceiling. Restaurant: One. Lounge: One.
• Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Park Plaza Castle & Conference Center, Boston, MA. Guest rooms: 977. Meeting space: Two ballrooms totaling 15,744 square feet and 32 meeting rooms. Exhibit space: 17,280 square feet; accommodates 110 8-by-10-foot booths; 33-foot ceilings. Restaurants: three. Lounges: three.

Both of these facilities have mini-convention centers separate from, but close to, the hotel. However, each is very different. Located on a 35-acre expanse, the Royal Plaza is a 45-minute drive from Boston, while the Park Plaza is in the heart of Boston. The Royal Plaza's exhibit hall looks like an official convention center. The Park Plaza Castle, a 100-year-old armory that is a National Historic Landmark, is a turreted brick structure that truly looks like a castle. At the Royal Plaza, participants who prefer not to walk five minutes from the hotel to the exhibit hall can ride an old-fashioned trolley. At the Park Plaza, people simply cross the street to the Castle.

Both are ground-level facilities. At the Royal Plaza, move-in is almost a do-it-yourself procedure, says Director of Operations Cheryl Bullock. "A lot of exhibitors can wheel in or hand-carry their displays. Our only rules for exhibitors are that they can't operate mechanical equipment, unload common carriers or hire outside labor."

The facility works well for the Boston Curtain and Drapery Show, says Peggy Thorsen, Director of Operations for show sponsor L.C. Clark Publishing in North Palm Beach, FL. "The people at the Royal Plaza are so efficient," she says. "They have move-in and move-out down to a science. And the costs are much lower than in Boston."

Move-in can be a little more difficult at the downtown Castle. Trucks must double-park and cannot be left unattended. "But the police don't bother them as long as the trucks keep moving," says Beverly Meagher, Director of Catering and Events.

The Castle has column-free space suitable for both exhibits and functions. With 33-foot ceilings, it can accommodate double-decker booths. Meagher considers it ideal for start-up shows. And she notes that the space has been used for everything from computer shows, which need heavy electricity, to food shows, which use a lot of water.

The Royal Plaza, a hotel that accommodates public shows, is the choice of Daniel Duke, Vice President of Operations for the International Gem & Jewelry Show. "We're a consumer show," he says. "We need a mid-size, non-union facility on the outskirts of town, with a reasonable rent." Duke also needs a lot of free parking, and the Royal Plaza has more than 1,600 spaces.

Resort hotels

The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV. Guest rooms: 650. Meeting space: Over 70,000 square feet, including more than 30 meeting rooms, ballrooms, theaters and exhibit hall. Exhibit hall: 16,554 square feet; accommodates 104 8- by 8-foot booths or 75 10- by 10-foot booths; 19-foot, 6-inching ceilings. Restaurants: Five. Lounges: Three.

The Greenbrier is a Mobil Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond resort with a mind-boggling array of activities including three 18-hole golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, mineral baths and a spa offering exotic treatments. What makes it a good exposition site?

For exactly those reasons, says General Manager Gil Patrick. "Our clients tell us that they come here because we are a resort and not in the middle of downtown. If a meeting is held in a city hotel, the group is spread out all over town," he says. "Here, the group is in a close-knit environment, and the likelihood of their going through the exhibits is very high. And because people are sequestered, business can be conducted even during free time."

The Greenbrier takes its exhibit business seriously. All technical services, including audiovisual and utilities, are provided by full-time employees of the Greenbrier, not an outside contractor.

The facility can't handle huge fleet utility vehicles that might go to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center or McCormick Place, says Patrick. "We're not in that business." But when the Society of Automotive Engineers holds its annual meeting at the resort, automobile manufacturers bring in cars for display. "The cars arrive in big trucks, are unloaded and driven right into our ground-level exhibit space."

SAE has met at the Greenbrier for 17 years, says Michele McDonald, Coordinator of Public Relations and Special Programs for SAE in Southfield, MI. "Our clientele are company presidents and CEOs, and they appreciate all the amenities," she says.