[Harp-L] SPAH and host clubs

[icemanle@xxxxxxx]

Relying on host clubs to do most (if not all) of the work is a recent philosophy brought to SPAH by Doug Tate.Â



Before Tate changed the direction of this organization, 95% of the planning and execution was done by the core - BOD. A host club was used as local support to help with gathering info on media and organizing transportation. This streamlined the operation, as all decisions were really made by 2 to 4 people with BOD approval to implement and a strong chain of delegation was in place. It worked fast and efficiently, built over time through trial and error.




Primary concern was cost of hotel - even before location. The attendance at this time was driven by affordability at this level. This was a make or break point - nightly room rate. It was considered more important than hotel amenities and/or interesting things to do that were walking distance from the hotel.Â




Hotels need guarantees to hold blocks of rooms at discount rates. For instance, if SPAH promises the hotel it will rent 100 rooms for the weekend at a certain rate, SPAH is obligated to pay for these rooms whether or not they are used, so it is a bit of a balancing act to get the most rooms for the least money without having to eat the difference.




It was great to use the same facility over and over again, as this really simplified the event over time. One approach discussed was to use the same location every other year, moving the convention around the country to different loc
ations on the off years. This spreads the "unknown" factor around so that you really only had to deal with it every other year, while simplifying and streamlining the problems at the facility that you return to every other year - kinda the best of both worlds and could please the most people over time.