Planning a meeting, meal, reception, etc.
Planning information for meetings, meal events, receptions, and other functions that are sponsored by synods, presbyteries, seminaries, affinity groups, PC(USA) agencies and committees, etc.
Timelines and deadlines: |
Questions: |
Kerry Rice The basicsThis information and the attached request form, etc., is for G.A. boards, agencies, departments, committees, synods, presbyteries, seminaries, affinity groups, etc. that plan to sponsor a meeting, meal, reception, or other event before or during the 219th General Assembly. Please follow these procedures to request a location in the convention center or an assembly hotel, and/or to have the event listed in the assembly schedule, and/or to arrange for the G.A. Meeting Service to handle ticket sales for the event. |
| October 19 | Function requests due |
| November | Event descriptions due |
| January 5 | Ticket prices must be confirmed |
| March 9 | G.A. registration and ticket sales open |
| May 1 | Confirm menu selection with caterers Confirm room set, A/V needs, etc., with G.A. Meeting Service |
| June 1 | G.A. registration deadline |
| June 14 | G.A. advance ticket sales close; ticket sale totals available |
| June 21 | Deadline for finalizing on-site ticket sale requests |
| July 2 | On-site registration and ticket sales at Convention Center |
| 3 working days before your event | final guarantee due to caterer |
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Here are the steps:
- Determine the preferred date and time, anticipated attendance, etc., for your event (see below regarding the assembly docket, etc.).
- Return the completed space request form ASAP or no later than October 19, 2009.
- The G.A. Meeting Service assigns a location, notifies the sponsor, and provides information on contacting the hotel/convention center to proceed with arrangements for menus, etc.
- Draft a concise description of the event for inclusion in the assembly registration materials (due by November 23). The ticket price may be confirmed later, and submitted by January 5.
- More information on follow-up procedures (confirming menus and other arrangements, setting guarantees, etc.) will be distributed with notification of the space assignment.
Assembly registration information — including descriptions of the optional events submitted in this manner — is available to assembly participants when registration and ticket sales opens on March 9.
Choosing a date and time
Attached is the preliminary docket for the assembly, as approved by the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly.
Please note:
- The opening plenary session begins at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 3 – a change from last year. A pre-assembly conference (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Saturday) will include Riverside Conversations
, which all commissioners and advisory delegates are expected to attend. - The docket provides for 5 group meals and the OGA breakfast for commissioners and advisory delegates. Avoid these times if you are planning a meal event to which you hope to attract those attendees.
- The reception for the Moderator of the 219th General Assembly (sponsored by the Committee on Local Arrangements) is on Sunday evening, allowing participants to enjoy 4th of July festivities along Minneapolis’ waterfront.
- This docket is subject to change.
Locations
The Minneapolis Convention Center will house the assembly plenary sessions, committees, exhibits, G.A. offices, and some other functions. Additional meeting/function space has been blocked at both the Hyatt Regency and the Hilton, both within two blocks of the convention center and attached by skywalk. A limited amount of space may be available at other GA hotels (Doubletree Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and the Millennium), which are also near the convention center.
Most meeting space at the convention center and G.A. hotels will be used for assembly-related functions. Available space not used for the official meetings will be allocated for optional events sponsored by PC(USA) agencies, middle governing bodies, organizations, etc. Please complete the Request for Function Space form and return it no later than October 19.
Event sponsors will be asked at a later time to reconfirm anticipated attendance, room sets preferences, AV equipment needs, etc. Please be as accurate as possible about those plans when submitting your initial request, which helps in assigning the most appropriate space, minimizing the expense of resetting rooms, maximizing use of AV equipment, and so forth. Note that some caterers will assess a fee or surcharge if the final guarantee for an event is considerably lower than the initial estimate; work to be realistic. (The G.A. Meeting Service can provide information on ticket sales from the last few years for repeat events.)
Offices conference rooms, and other long-term use
Some groups request a meeting room for the duration of the assembly, with a 24-hour hold, for such purposes as offices, daily staff meetings, and more. With limited space at the convention center and assembly hotels and the number of functions anticipated, it may be difficult to reserve this kind of space. If rooms can be allocated for such purposes, the group should expect to spend a minimum amount in food and beverage or incur room rental charges. Another option is a suite at one of the assembly hotels; agencies and organizations that want/need 24-hour access to meeting space should consider requesting a suite. Contact Deb Davies (deb.davies@pcusa.org or 800.728.7228 x5409) for information about availability and rates.
Room sets and changeovers
Many event sponsors have experience in planning meetings and other events directly with hotels. They have very specific preferences for room set, desired lead time for accessing the room to place materials, etc. Those expectations may not be realistic or achievable in the context of the General Assembly.
With many assembly events and limited meeting space, rooms are often used for multiple functions in a given day, with little time in-between. Even with sufficient time between events, reset fees may apply for the labor to change seating, staging, and more. The G.A. Meeting Service works with the assembly facilities to coordinate assignments and room sets so that the requirements of each group are met, but it is not always possible to accomplish the changeovers that sponsors would expect if they were contracting directly with the hotel and negotiating ample set-up time for a single event. For instance, additional tables are usually not removed for smaller functions; staging, screens, and such, will stay in place if they will be used by most of the events scheduled in that room.
Groups with unusual set-up requirements may incur reset fees; a group that rearranges a room on its own will be charged the cost of restoring the set for use by the next group.
Off-site events
Thinking about holding your event at a site other than the convention center or an assembly hotel? First, please consider that our contracts with the convention center and some of the hotels include food and beverage minimums, so what appears to be a potential savings on one event may end up costing the denomination if we do not meet those amounts. Since off-site functions do not contribute toward the guaranteed food and beverage minimums imposed by hotels and the convention center, G.A. Meeting Service will add an additional $1.00 per ticket fee for these functions. This fee is added to the ticket price set by the sponsor and paid by the purchaser on every ticket purchased from the G. A. Meeting Service (advance and on-site).
If you hold your event at another location, the G.A. Meeting Service staff may be able to provide suggestions about restaurants or other venues. You are responsible, however, for making contact with those venues and all other arrangements. This process will often require contracts and your organization providing proof of insurance to the facility/vendor. If you want the event listed in the assembly publications and/or to use the ticket-sale service, please complete the Space Request Form, noting the location you have selected (using the “Special Requests/Comments” line at the bottom of the form). Descriptions of the event are due by November 23, with ticket prices confirmed by January 5.
Sponsors who use a location other than an assembly hotel are responsible for paying the costs of any transportation that is required. Contact the G.A. Meeting Service to coordinate this through the contract with the designated transportation company.
Location changes
Meeting room assignments are not guaranteed. When an event’s anticipated attendance, set up, or A/V needs change, or other situations arise, it may be necessary to revise meeting room and (rarely) hotel assignments. Every effort is made to confirm these before the assembly Program and Schedule of Events goes to print, but changes sometimes have to be made afterward. Organizations that send out their own advance publicity are advised to list only the hotel/facility, not the specific room location.
Ticket sales
The G.A. Meeting Service operates a ticket-order system in conjunction with assembly registration as a service to event sponsors that need to charge a fee to attend their event, and/or who need an accurate count in advance. To help recoup some of the costs of operating this system, a fee of $1.00 per ticket is added to the ticket cost and retained by the G.A. Meeting Service.
Event sponsors determine the inventory and price of tickets to be made available for their event. When calculating this amount, be sure to add the sales tax and service charge to the meal costs. If the sponsor is not subsidizing costs for A/V equipment, speaker’s fees/expenses, complimentary tickets (staff, VIPs, press, etc.), add an amount to cover those expenses.
Registration and ticket sales will open around March 9. Attendees may purchase tickets online, by fax, or by phone. They can pay by credit card, check, or budget code. It is not necessary to register in advance for the assembly to purchase tickets to assembly events.
Advance ticket sales will end on June 14, giving the G.A. Meeting Service time to communicate final sale numbers to sponsors and print tickets that are distributed at registration and sold on-site.
The G.A. Meeting Service operates on-site ticket sales. Each sponsor will have the opportunity to determine whether to make any tickets available on-site and, if so, how many.
The G.A. Meeting Service uses most of the proceeds from ticket sales to pay for the facilities, caterers, and other suppliers for actual charges for those events. If an event’s ticket revenue exceeds the charges for food and beverage, A/V rental and service, and other related charges, the additional funds will be returned to the sponsoring organization. If the ticket revenue is not sufficient to cover the costs, the sponsor will either be invoiced or the PC(USA)budget code provided to the G.A. Meeting Service will be charged for the difference.
Some sponsors provide complimentary tickets to their staff, speakers, press, or others. The G.A. Meeting Service does not manage complimentary tickets. Every ticket ordered through the G.A. Meeting Service must be paid for, and the total for ticket sales that is provided includes only ‘paid’ tickets. Event sponsors may purchase tickets through the G.A. Meeting Service for those for whom they want to provide complimentary tickets, or they may want to print and distribute their own complimentary passes or maintain a list of those who will be admitted without tickets. The sponsor must remember to add the number of complimentary meals to the final ticket sale number when providing the guarantee to the caterer.
Cancellations — Ticket orders cannot be cancelled after June 14, which is the deadline for advance ticket sales. This protects sponsors who are providing guarantees to the caterers and counting on the revenue. Ticket purchasers who request a refund after that date will be referred to the event sponsor.
Costs and fees
The G.A. Meeting Service charges two fees to help cover the costs of administering and coordinating this process.
| Event listing fee | $50 per event, applied to each agency/organization that wants an event listed in the official General Assembly publications. This fee covers listings in the advance assembly registration information and ticket order form, the General Assembly Program, and the pocket “Schedule of Events.” |
| Ticket fee | $1.00 per ticket, added to the ticket price set by the sponsor and paid by the purchaser on every ticket purchased from the G.A. Meeting Service (advance and on-site). This fee helps cover costs of processing the orders and operating on-site ticket sales, as well as credit card fees and toll-free telephone calls. See below for more information on ticket sales. |
| Offsite event fee (for events planned at facilities other than the convention center and assembly hotels- see below) |
$1.00 per ticket, added to the ticket price set by the sponsor and paid by the purchaser on every ticket purchased from the G. A. Meeting Service (advance and on-site). This fee is in addition to the ticket fee and recognizes that off-site functions do not contribute toward the guaranteed food and beverage minimums imposed by hotels and the convention center. |
Rental charges for hotel meeting rooms are generally waived for functions scheduled through the G.A. Meeting Service because of the room blocks and overall food and beverage expenditures. There may be exceptions for certain types of functions, particularly for non-meal events that produce no revenue for the facility.
There is generally no charge for tables and chairs for typical room arrangements. Staging and lecterns often incur an additional cost; A/V equipment (screens, projectors, microphones, flipcharts, etc.) always incur additional fees. Every effort is made to assign consecutive functions with similar set-up needs to the same location so that the cost of equipment can be shared. While this is advantageous for the event sponsors, it makes it difficult to predict the exact cost in advance.
The PC(USA) is not exempt to sales tax in Minnesota. Current tax rates (subject to change) are:
Food 10.775% Alcoholic beverages 13.275% A/V equipment 7.775% Food and beverage costs and A/V rental charges are also subject to a service charge — usually 22% — and are subject to the applicable tax.
Payment and billing
Food and beverage, A/V equipment, and most other costs related to events that are held in the convention center or an assembly hotel are billed to the assembly’s master account. Sponsors will not be required to make separate direct billing arrangements, pay the advance deposit, etc.
For PC(USA) agencies and/or PC(USA) offices providing budget codes: Following the assembly, most charges are assessed to the PC(USA) budget code that was provided on the space request form – after crediting any revenue from ticket sales. This arrangement has been designed to simplify procedures for the facility and the PC(USA). Do not make payment directly to the hotel or convention center. Event sponsors will receive a statement from the OGA outlining the income received from ticket sales and the charges for your event.
For all other event sponsors: Following the assembly, the G.A. Meeting Service will provide a statement of expenses and revenue. If revenue from ticket sales does not cover all expenses, the event sponsor will be invoiced for the balance. If revenue exceeds expenses, the event sponsor will receive a check for the difference.
Working with caterers
Whether your event is at the convention center or one of the hotels, you must use that facility’s in-house caterer for all food and beverage – even coffee service. You may not bring in food or use a different caterer.
Some caterers are not able to guarantee their 2010 prices until late December 2009. Current menus are provided as a guide, but prices may increase slightly next year, which is why the deadline for reconfirming ticket prices with the G.A. Meeting Service is not until January 5.
The catering contact at the assigned facility can help with suggestions for keeping an event within budget. Select your menu as early as possible and no later than May 1. The caterer will send the banquet event order to the designated planner for each event. Review it carefully and sign and return it with any revisions.
Note especially the deadline for the final guarantee for total attendance, which is usually at least 3 working days prior to the event. If your actual attendance is lower, you will still be billed for the guaranteed number. If you do not provide a final guaranteed number by the deadline, the hotel will charge you for the estimated attendance as listed on the banquet event order that you sign.
Transportation
We are fortunate that all of the assembly hotels in Minneapolis are located within a few blocks of the convention center. Several of them are accessible by skywalk. No shuttle service will be provided to assembly hotels. See “Off-Site Events” for information about providing transportation to venues outside the convention center and assembly hotels.
Event sponsor eligibility
Implemented in 2008, organizations sponsoring events at the convention center or assembly hotels, or otherwise utilizing the services of the G.A. Meeting Service, must register at least two of its members as assembly participants. It is expected that the organization staff or member who is the on-site contact for its sponsored event, and at least one other member of the group, will register in advance through the G.A. Meeting Service. Because deadlines for requesting and assigning space and the publication of the registration materials precede the opportunity to register, the G.A. Meeting Service reserves the right to cancel space assignments and suspend ticket sales for events sponsored by organizations that decline to complete advance assembly registration for designated personnel by March 31, 2010.
A word about music
Event sponsors requesting space are responsible for ensuring adherence to copyright laws. Organizations sponsoring events that include the presentation of live or recorded music or provide a program that includes the publication or duplication of music should refer to guidelines presented in Rightful Use: Church Practices and Copyright Law (PDS# 223-91-006). Also recommended is The Church Guide to Copyright Law, second edition, written by Richard R. Hammar, J.D., LL.M., CPA.
