Here's what was in the IFB:

2004:

Friday: 19 rooms (12 blocked) Saturday: 23 rooms (15 blocked) Sunday: 7 rooms (5 blocked)

About 70 people attended the Saturday dance.

2003:

Approximately 20 rooms were taken, most doubles with people sharing rooms. ~5 stayed in the Annabelle Hotel ($110/night), and the rest in the Safari Inn ($85/night).

Approximately 60 people attended the Saturday night dance.

Great. I'll give this a day to breathe to let people chime in on the other issues, and then I'll call tomorrow.

I'm frustrated that the IFB, which has a attachment with detailed info about all the prior F2F, and on which I spent time writing with the intent that it gets linked in this thread, has not been linked. I don't know to host an attachment like that, so, am emailing it to the Admins and asking that someone attach it in this thread.

JC, when it shows up, I'm just going to forward it to ND, since he's 2005 point person. You could send it straight to him, if you read this before you hit "send".

I am asking that Admins by-pass ND and post it here, ita. ND received it a few times already, and, per post above, is busy enough right now with moving, etc. to not be in this thread working on organizing right now. It contains information that I spent some time compiling, that Kristin is asking for right now, that applies to the planning that's going on now, and if it is linked, voila - the info is there for the having

Okay -- I'm not sure what was intended by attaching, so I'm just reposting it here:

INVITATION FOR BIDS
FOR ROOMS, HOSPITALITY SUITE & CATERING/BARTENDING
FOR FOURTH ANNUAL BUFFISTAS FACE TO FACE MEETING
Thursday, May 19 to Monday, May 23, 2005

Dear Hotel Sales Manager:

On behalf of the Buffistas, I invite you to submit bids for a long-weekend social event. The Buffistas are an Internet social group based on common interests in arts, literature, media, and popular culture. Once a year, we hold a "Face to Face" ("F2F") gathering to spend time with each other in person. 2005 will be our fourth annual Face to Face, this year, held in the Midwest.

Prior year's F2Fs were successful. We endeavor to find a hotel and location that can accommodate similar or improved set ups for rooms, a hospitality suite, and Saturday dance, bar and buffet. . Our set-up needs are described in more detail in Attachment A, Description of Requirements. Information on prior F2Fs is included in Attachment C. Suggestions are welcomed as well.

If you are interested in submitting a bid, please fill out and return the Bid Sheet, Attachment B. Please include tourist publications and maps that are usually made available to visitors plus any brochures or additional information with which you would to like supplement your bid. Mail, fax or deliver it to me at:

Name
Address
Fax.

If you have suggestions to change or improve our set-up while keeping our costs down, please include your ideas with your bid.

If you have any questions, please contact me at:

t Email
Home: X; Work Phone: X; Cell Phone: X

Thank you for your interest. I look forward to receiving your bid.

Sincerely,

Name
Attachments
C:\My Documents\Buffistas\F2F 05\F2F 05 RFP.rtf

ATTACHMENT A
DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS/NEEDS
FOURTH ANNUAL BUFFISTAS F2F, May 19 to 23, 2005

Special Needs:
· The rooms, hospitality suite, and dance locations must be wheelchair accessible and, of course, be able to be reached by elevator if on an upper floor.
· One member is in a wheelchair and has an attendant. Her room must have a wheel-in shower.

Hotel Rooms
· Doubles - 95%
· Quads - a few
· Proximity to Hospitality Suite a plus
· Rooms located on same floor(s) a plus
· Internet access mandatory. Free Internet access a plus.

Hospitality Suite
· Must be accessible to us continuously from Thursday check-in to Monday check-out.
· The suite is our central meeting place. Up to 60 people will congregate there, then split up for activities. Sometimes, only two people will be there. If it is a hotel suite, instead of a meeting room, no one will be sleeping there. A kitchen and/or refrigerator is useful.
· It must have a TV.
· Living room-type seating. If the hospitality suite and the dance location are the same, there must be room to create space for dancing.

Saturday Dance, Bar and Buffet
· Location & catering for a buffet, bar & dance on Saturday night.
· Sound equipment may be needed (microphone, speakers)
· If the hospitality suite and the dance location are the same, there must be room to create space for dancing.
· Access to outdoors (patio, deck, pool area) a plus

Location and Transportation

· Location close to major tourist attractions or city center is secondary to cost.
· Access to public transportation is very important, especially if you are outside a city center or major tourist attraction area. Please give details on your transit access.
· Parking fees?

ATTACHMENT B, BID FORM

FOURTH ANNUAL BUFFISTAS F2F, May 19 to 23, 2005

Rooms

Cost -Doubles
Cost - Quads
Bedroom suites?
Are the rooms near the hospitality suite?
Are the rooms near each other/on the same floor?
Describe Internet access

Hospitality Suite(s)

Note: We need lots of comfortable living room-style seating. The hospitality suite may be room suites, a meeting room, or other space. The Saturday dance may be (continued...)

( continues...) held in the hospitality suit if room can be created for dancing. Please make suggestions.

Cost
Available from Friday [Thursday?] check-in to Monday check-out ?
Where is it in relation to the rooms?
Full kitchen? Refrigerator?
Does it have access to outdoors (pool area, patio, deck, rooftop)?
A/V cost for a TV

Saturday Dance

The Saturday dance may be held in the hospitality suit or a different location. Please make suggestions.

Cost
Menu samples and prices
A/V costs for an amplifier/speakers
Bar and bartender costs?

Location

Where are you located?
How far is it to a transit station?
Is there a charge for self-parking?

Please list any other amenities your hotel has

Please include tourist publications and maps that are usually made available to visitors plus any brochures or additional information with which you would to like supplement your bid.

ATTACHMENT C
INFORMATION ON PRIOR YEAR F2Fs
FOURTH ANNUAL BUFFISTAS F2F, MAY 20 TO 23, 2005

2004 F2F Holiday Inn on the Hill, Washington, DC:

The Holiday Inn provided a large interior meeting room on their penthouse floor near the exercise room and pool/terrace for our hospitality suite. We practically had the floor to ourselves. The room was set up with a few long narrow tables, several cocktail tables & chairs, large comfy lounge chairs and a TV/VCR. The penthouse was wheelchair-accessible. We could access a rooftop patio & pool area easily.

Figures on rooms reserved (with blocking under an attrition-clause contract) were:

Friday: 19 rooms (12 blocked) - $3,029
Saturday: 23 rooms (15 blocked) - $3,657
Sunday: 7 rooms (5 blocked) - $1,113

All rooms were doubles, single or 2 people: $139 per night (with tax, $159.16). Double room, quad rate (4 people) $169/night (with tax, $193.51). All our rooms were blocked for the top 2 floors under the penthouse, although early arrivals took available rooms on other floors. There was a 50% discount on parking: with discount, parking was $9/day, $11/overnight. All rooms had free high-speed Internet access.

About 70 people attended the Saturday dance. A catered appetizer buffet cost $600.00. We spent $355.30 at a cash bar, exclusive of bartender, service charges, and tax. The hospitality suite rental was $250.

NOTE: Bar revenue is exclusive of tax and service charge. For cash bars, the price paid by guests include tax and service charge, which is backed out to get revenue totals, so what was actually paid for drinks with tax and service charge was $469.00.

2003 F2F Data Hotel Annabelle and Safari Inn in Burbank, CA:

The Hotel Annabelle and Safari Inn, adjoining boutique hotels that share an outdoor swimming pool & patio, was our 2003 venue.

Approximately 20 rooms were taken, most doubles with people sharing rooms. ~5 stayed in the Annabelle Hotel ($110/night), and the rest in the Safari Inn ($85/night).

One "Presidential suite" with a full kitchen, living room with couch, chairs, TV & VCR, bathroom and separate bedroom ($150 per night) was used continuously from Friday check-in to Monday check-out as our hospitality suite.

Approximately 60 people attended the Saturday night dance. Neither hotel has meeting space per se. We used their restaurant, which closes at 6 PM, for our dance and buffet and they kept their adjoining bar open for us.

We welcome your suggestions for the 2005 F2F.

Java, as far as I'm aware that IFP was used to get the bids for the hotels in the first place. Heather and -t got copies of it.

Back to moving.

Yeah, that's what I was telling Kristin I had on my computer here and would send her. Which I just did- so Kristin, insent. I hope you don't feel like all your work was for nothing JC- for those of us who have never done this kind of thing, it was really helpful in letting us know what we were looking for and as ND said, getting the original bids.

Yep, it has been used, and useful. The info was very helpful.

I think I have everything ready now for the conversation tomorrow.