Task Force on Conferences and Program Committee Structure

Report, 26 June 2013

Members: Beth Christensen, Jim Farrington, Michelle Hahn, Paula Hickner, Amanda

Maple (chair), Laurie Sampsel

Contents

1. Conference page

1.1. Convention Budgets...... 2

1.2. Hotel catering agreements...... 8

1.3. Ensemble performances organized and performed by MLA members.....9

1.4. Local Arrangements Committee...... 12

1.5. Convention Managers...... 19

1.6. Printed programs and advertisements...... 21

1.7. Exhibitors and exhibits...... 22

1.8. Attendance at annual meetings...... 22

2. Program

2.1. Program Committee and Annual Meeting Program...... 22

2.2. Committee business meetings...... 24

2.3. Virtual meeting technology for committees...... 24

2.4. Virtual conferences/online delivery of program sessions...... 25

2.5. ILS (OPAC) Users Groups...... 26

3. Remaining items in task force charge...... 28

Appendix A. Charge to task force...... 29

Appendix B. HelmsBriscoe suggestions...... 31

Appendix C. Recommendations (summary list abstracted from body of report)...... 33

1.1. Convention Budgets[1]

The Board of Directors charged the task force to determine why some annual meetings go over budget. The task force analyzed cost data related to conference hotels (catering, or F&B [food and beverage]; blocks of guest rooms MLA promises to fill; and cost of meeting spaces per MLA’s “conference footprint,” that is, how much meeting space our program requires. The task force began with data from the most recent annual meetings, intending to work backward from there once we developed a process for data-gathering and analysis.

The task force requested Convention Budget reports from administrative officers and convention managers for the four annual meetings held from 2009 to 2012. We then requested explanations of certain budget lines from Pat Wall at A-R Editions. Linda Blair, Laura Gayle Green, Bonna Boettcher, and Pat Wall were extremely helpful in supplying budget reports and explanations.

The task force created a Budget Comparison Spreadsheet into which we entered line-by-line data from each convention budget to enable comparisons across the four years. The “income,” “expenses,” and “final balance of income and expenses” sheets are inserted here:

Income

2009
chicago / 2010
san diego / 2011 philadelphia / 2012
dallas
registration fees / $106,900 / $73,790 / $107,428 / $98,055
exhibitor fees / $29,900 / $22,440 / $24,750 / $26,070
catering / $1,200 / $6,871 / 0 / $950
program advertising / $5,800 / $4,100 / $4,960 / $4,500
packet inserts / $3,700 / $2,500 / $1,000 / $2,000
contributions / $4,656.13 / $1,000 / $19,700 / $10,150
tours / 0 / $2,036 / 0 / 0
MOUG / $5,924.91 / $3,933.33 / $4,657
total income / $152,156.13 / $118,661.91 / $161,771.33 / $146,382

Expenses

2009 chicago / 2010 san diego / 2011 philadelphia / 2012 dallas
catering / $69,919.42 / $138,530.63 / $96,250.39 / $70,280
equipment / $40,022.75 / $26,218.47 / $23,550 / $21,562
wireless for all attendees for 4 days / $3,600
exhibits (includes table fees, drayage, security, taxes) / $12,069.88 / $12,294 / $13,598.64 / $7,946.49
registration expenses / $285 / $2,083.06 / $8,882.68 / $8,105
program expenses / $4,670.79 / $2,307.03 / $5,448.25 / $850
program printing / $3,500 / $2,467.85 / $2,890.84 / $3,000
contingency / $2,233.34 / $8,375.03 / $4,612.61 / 0
liability insurance / $700 / $592 / $515 / $700
local arrangements / $12,194.36 / $3,772.40 / $17,540.94 / $1,800
MOUG / $5,743.29 / $3,657
Big Band / $105.08 / $1,256.39 / $5,519.78 / $1,300
tours / 0 / $1,806 / 0 / 0
total expenses / $151,600.35 / $205,446.15 / $178,809.13 / $122,800.49

Final balance of income and expenses

2009
chicago / 2010
san diego / 2011 philadelphia / 2012
dallas
total income / $152,156.13 / $118,661.91 / $161,771.33 / $146,382
total expenses / $151,600.35 / 205446.15 / $178,809.13 / $122,800.49
balance / $555.78 / ($86,784.24) / ($17,037.80) / $23,581.51
registration fees income / $106,900 / $73,790 / $107,428 / $98,055
catering adjusted expense / $68,719 / $131,659 / $96,250 / $69,330
balance / $38,181 / ($57,869) / $11,178 / $28,725

The “final balance of income and expenses” sheet displays for each convention the total income, the total expenses, and the difference (positive or negative balance). The 2009 Chicago and 2012 Dallas convention budgets had a positive balance; the 2010 San Diego and 2011 Philadelphia conventions had a negative balance:

2009 Chicago: +$556

2010 San Diego: -$86,784

2011 Philadelphia: -$17,037

2012 Dallas: +$23,581

To test the theory that hotel catering (Food & Beverage) costs were the primary causes of negative balances, the task force included on the “final balance of income and expenses” sheet income from registration fees and costs of hotel Food & Beverage each year. With the exception of 2010 San Diego, registration fee income covered the hotel catering costs:

2009 Chicago: +$38,181

2010 San Diego: -$57,869

2011 Philadelphia: +$11,178

2012 Dallas: +$28,725

2010 San Diego presented unusual convention expenses because MLA did not meet its room night commitment, so the task force concentrated on identifying costs other than catering in the more typical 2009 Chicago and 2011 Philadelphia budgets. MLA’s bookkeeping practice has been to track Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) expenses, but not to track Local Arrangements Committee income (from Chapter donations and LAC fundraising). Rather, LAC income is aggregated with all other convention contributions in the income line “contributions.” Nevertheless, the task force was able to make some determinations about the impact of Local Arrangements Committee expenses on convention budgets.

In 2009 Chicago, which had a small positive balance, the cost drivers in addition to hotel catering were Local Arrangements Committee expenses and “program expenses,” the line where travel, lodging, and honoraria for the plenary speakers are recorded:

Local Arrangements Committee

Expenses: $12,194

Contributions (total, including LAC): $4,656

Difference (negative balance): $7,538

“Program expenses” (speakers costs): $4,670

In 2011 Philadelphia, which had an overall negative balance, the cost drivers in addition to hotel catering were a spike in registration expenses, MLA Big Band expenses, and again “program expenses,” which in 2011 included speakers costs and a feefrom a subcontractor (outside the hotel) of $2,732 for poster session graphics and supplies.

Registration expenses increased in 2010 San Diego as a result of MLA contracting with the MLA Business Office (A-R Editions) to administer convention registrations, including on-site registrations. Registration expenses that year included A-R Editions on-site staffing of the registration desk, name badge supplies, receipt printing, and attendee list printing. Similar registration expenses were incurred againin 2011 Philadelphia, with the addition of a $2,941 conference hotel charge for registration space and setup, and a $4,000 charge from A-R Editions for registration-related computer programming. Registration expenses quadrupled from $2,083 in 2010 San Diego to $8,882 in 2011 Philadelphia.

Though Local Arrangements Committee expenses in 2011 Philadelphia were comparatively high, contributions from the LAC/Chapterthat year entirely covered those expenses.

The increase in MLA Big Band expenses is indicated on the “expenses” spreadsheet (see the task force’s recommendations about the MLA Big Band in section 1.3 below).

The “contingency” expense line was used in 2009 Chicago and 2010 San Diego to defray conference hotel expenses, and in 2011 Philadelphia to cover the cost of hotel rooms for MLA officers. Contingency funds were not spent in 2012 Dallas.

The task force also created a “hotel minimums” table(see p. 6) to compare room night commitments and Food & Beverage minimums in the hotel contracts from 2009 to 2012, and to calculate the actual Food & Beverage expenses incurred in comparison to contracted minimums. We included the number of attendees and exhibitors to compare with room night commitments. As the table indicates (see p. 6), in 2011 Philadelphia, hotel Food Beverage expenses were actually $7,430 below the contracted minimum expectation once service charges and taxes are calculated. In 2012 Dallas, hotel Food Beverage expenses were $21,480 above the contracted minimum. The task force did not have enough hotel contract data to calculate 2009 Chicago. MLA did not meet its room night commitment in 2010 San Diego, soMLA agreed with the hotel to incur higher-than-contracted Food & Beverage expenses in lieu of paying the even costlier room-block penalty.

The conference hotel contract for 2015 Dallas (room night commitments and Food Beverage minimums) compares quite favorably to recent years, supporting Convention Managers’ recent reports to the Board of Directors that the agreement with HelmsBriscoe will save conference hotel costs in the future.

Hotel Minimums

2009 Chicago / 2010
San Diego / 2011 Philadelphia / 2012 Dallas / 2014 Atlanta / 2015 Denver
Room Night Commit-ment (from contract) / 1105 room nights (85% attrition = 939 nights) / 1003 (reduced from original 1180 per attrition clause) / 1156 room nights (85% attrition = 983 nights) / 1105 room nights (75% attrition = 829 nights) / 1105 room nights (72.7% attrition = 804 nights) / 1105 room nights
Anticipated F&B hotel revenue (from contract minimum) / not included in contract supplied to the task force / $70,000 / $80000 + 20% service charge + 8% state tax / $40000 + 22% service charge + state tax (exempt; no state tax) / $60000 + 24% service charge; 8% tax / $45000 + 23% service charge; tax unknown (assume 8% for projection)
Total anticipated F&B cost incl. service charges and state tax / not included in contract supplied to the task force / service charges and state tax not included in contract supplied to the task force / $103,680 / $48,000 / $74,400 / $59,778
Actual F&B expenses / $69,919 / $138,531
(higher than contracted due to room night deficit) / $96250 ($7430 under total anticipated) / $70280 ($21,480 over total anticipated)
Projected F&B expenses / $74,400 / $59,778
attendance (from annual report) / 473 / 364 / 474 / 392
number of exhibitors (from annual report) / 34 / 37 / 39 / 38

The task force gathered data from MLA Annual Reports about the number of conference attendants and exhibitors from 2000 Louisville to 2012 Dallas:

Responses to the 2010 annual meeting survey indicate that 209 members no longer have institutional support for conference travel, or receive support for less than 50% of the cost. Only 94 members reported they would attend the annual meeting regardless of cost. It is likely that MLA members in the aggregate will receive less institutional travel support in the future, and projected estimates of conference attendance should be modified accordingly.

Per the Convention Manual, MOUG usually holds its annual conference at the same time of year as MLA’s annual meeting. Although MLA has no official financial responsibility for MOUG’s events, MLA’s Convention Manager includes MOUG’s hotel requirements in MLA’s contract. The Convention Manager arranges for meeting space, equipment, and catering in accordance with MOUG’s specifications. After receiving the hotel invoice, the cost of these services is reported to the MLA Administrative Officer and the MLA Business Office, who invoices MOUG for payment to MLA. In recognition of the additional demand placed on the Convention Manager’s time, MOUG pays a subvention to MLA (currently $1,000) to help offset the service provided by MLA. The Convention Manager informs the MOUG liaison as plans develop for future MLA annual meetings so that MOUG may consider these venues for its own functions. If ever MOUG were to decide not to meet in conjunction with MLA, the MOUG liaison must notify the Convention Manager at least one year in advance to avoid incurring penalties to MLA from having to cancel already contracted hotel commitments and to accommodate registration programming by the MLA Business Office.

In 2010, the Convention Managers started tracking and recording in the convention budget expenses related to MOUG, and income received from MOUG to offset those expenses.

Recommendation 1.1.A: Itemize the sources of contributions in the convention budget ledger. Match contributions to specific expenses in the convention budget for which the contributions are targeted.

Recommendation 1.1.B: Consult with the MLA Business Office, A-R Editions, about their projections for future registration expenses.

Discussion: Registration expenses for the 2012 Dallas convention included the cost of additional computer programming by A-R Editions, as well as the expected on-site registration desk staffing, convention registration mailings, name badge supplies, and shipping. Though the 2012 Dallas convention budget proves that MLA conventions can recover these registration costs, for planning purposes the task force recommends asking A-R Editions for cost estimates of registration expenses in the near term.

1.2. Hotel catering agreements

Per our HelmsBriscoe representative, and confirmed by the task force’s independent reading of the hospitality industry literature, hotels will negotiate with groups a “package” of fees for catering, guest room nights, and meeting/exhibit space on a case-by-case basis. Within certain parameters, as long as the hotel predicts it will meet its overall revenue expectations, the hotel is willing to provide whatever combination of catering, guest room nights, and meeting/exhibit space the group needs (as long as the hotel has the facilities).According to HelmsBriscoe, hotels predict their overall revenue expectations using their known profit margins, which are (approximately)F&B 35%; Guest Rooms 75%; Meeting space 85%; Wireless 50% (many hotels lease rather than own wireless equipment, finding it an easier way to keep up with current technology).

MLA member responses to three surveys about annual meetings (survey titles “MLA Annual Meeting Survey” 2010, “Annual Meeting Streamlined Survey” 2012, “San Jose Survey” 2013) indicate that members are ready (in many cases, eager) to forego the closing banquet in favor of lunch breaks and coffee breaks. Members want food events during annual meetings for socializing and networking, but the closing banquet is too formal, too late at night, and perceived to be too expensive for the product. Several members are also uncomfortable with the banquet table sign-up procedure. Our benchmarking with other professional associations suggested several other options for catered food events, described below.

Recommendation1.2.A:Discontinue the catered closing banquet.

Consider scheduling the annual business meeting at a different time during the conference (since there would be no closing banquet as a segue). Ideas to consider:

immediately following an awards luncheon (see below)

catered breakfast meeting (the annual business meeting of the Visual Resources Association is a catered breakfast during its annual conference)

Substitute instead of the catered closing banquet any or all of the following (to achieve the necessary Food Beverage minimum in the hotel contract). Some of the following suggestions arise from the task force’s benchmarking with other organizations. Others arise from suggestions offered by HelmsBriscoe. The list below contains suggestions to be explored, rather than formal recommendations; the task force has not investigated any one suggestion in detail.

Coffee breaks with finger food (according to one Convention Manager, vendors would be in favor of food at the coffee breaks in the exhibits area, to bring more people in).
Lunch breaks with finger food

Catered awards luncheon, at which awards are announced and the recipients are honored – specified clearly in the program as an Awards Luncheon with presentations. Catering arrangements are made in advance to avoid table clearing and other distractions during the presentations.

Also consider moving other social-type agenda items to this luncheon that in the past have been handled during the annual business meeting. This would allow the business meeting to focus on the “business” of the association (and shorten the business meeting).

Closing dessert reception

Could potentially be accompanied by live music, depending on 1) host city and local arrangements situation (see 1.4 Local Arrangements Committees), and on 2) MLA member performances (see also 1.3 “Ensemble performances organized and performed by MLA members”).

Recommendation 1.2.B. Charge the Convention Managers to evaluate, with help from HelmsBriscoe and the hotel, the cost ramifications of separate ticketing for an awards luncheon (or any banquet), rather than including the cost of the luncheon or banquet in the conference registration fee. The ticket would be itemized on the registration form, if handled separately from the registration fee. According to the survey responses, members would prefer to have this choice. According to our benchmarking with similar associations, other associations are able to separate their banquet ticket from the registration fee.

1.3. Ensemble performances organized and performed by MLA members

The Board of Directors charged the task force to consider the value and cost of social content, including the banquet, receptions, and the MLA Big Band.

Recommendation 1.3.A:

In light of the task force’s study of annual meeting survey responses and past Convention Budgets, we recommend the Board of Directors:

engage the membership in discussion about Convention Budget support for MLA-member music ensemble performances at annual meetings, including performances by the MLA Big Band; and then
explicitly formalize policy regarding Convention Budget support for MLA-member music ensemble performances at annual meetings.

Rationale:

Since February 2007, the Convention Budget has contained a line for MLA Big Band expenses.

According to the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors, February 2007, this budget line was intended to be capped at $1,000 to cover performance-related expenses.

According to recent Convention Budgets, the documented expenses of the MLA Big Band for renting instruments, stands, and audio-visual equipment have been:

Chicago 2009: $105.08

San Diego 2010: $1,256.39

Philadelphia 2011: $5,519.78

Dallas 2012: $1,300

According to present and past convention managers, MLA does not incur additional hotel costs for rehearsal space or space to store instruments and equipment between rehearsals. Each year the hotel provides “office space” for MLA, where instruments and equipment can be stored along with registration and other materials, and rehearsal space is found at no extra cost in meeting rooms which are scheduled during the day but unscheduled at night.

Though contributions were raised during some annual meetings to help defray some of the above expenses, MLA’s convention budgeting practices do not track contributions one-to-one toward a specific expense line, so the task force cannot determine to what extent any of the expenses listed above were defrayed by contributions.

According to past and present convention managers, expenses for instrument and equipment rental vary each year depending on local resources and contacts, whether band members can drive to the meeting and thus bring large instruments by car, and which band members attend in a given year.

Member-organized music ensemble performances other than big band jazz occasionally took place at past annual meetings. For example, the March-April 2001 issue of the MLA Newsletter contains a photograph of the “Non-Chicken Singers” as well as a photograph of the MLA Big Band.

The first big band was organized by Steve Fry for the 1999 annual meeting in Los Angeles. The following year, in its report about the 2000 Louisville annual meeting, the March-April 2000 issue of the MLA Newsletter included a photograph and this caption:

“In what may be evolving into an annual tradition, the 2000 edition of the MLA Jazz Band, organized by drummer Marty Jenkins, entertains their colleagues at the MLA Banquet. The original brainchild of Steve Fry, next year’s band will be organized by Vincent Pelote and John Brower.”