Case study: COAA Spring Owners Leadership Conference

At the Construction Owners Association of America recent Spring Owners Leadership Conference, Lisa DeGolyer (right) had to deal with a few unexpected issues in the months leading up to it. As the chief executive of conferences and education for the group, she’s not surprised by much anymore, so when she found out the convention hotel she was headed to would still be undergoing renovations during the conference, she knew exactly what she needed to do. She told Connect about the challenges she faced and how she dealt with them.

Tell us about the conference.

COAA’s Spring Owners Leadership Conference is a two-and-a-half-day educational conference for 250 people, which encompasses 18 educational programs (36 presenters), an educational tour, two full breakfasts, two lunches, two networking receptions (with open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres) and an exhibitor area.

Where was the event and how did you decide on the location?

We originally targeted a city on the Northeast coast and had Pittsburgh “on the bench” as a back-up city if we were not able to secure an ideal location. As it turns out, we were not able to find the meeting space or rates we had hoped in the original destination, so a site visit to Pittsburgh ensued.

We chose the Pittsburgh Hilton right across from Point State Park for its location, ideal meeting space and rates. This is a very walkable area to sporting events and great restaurants; the view of Pittsburgh from nearby Mt. Washington is absolutely breathtaking.

Did any special challenges come up while planning and executing the event?

Yes. The privately-owned Hilton informed us during the initial site visit of a planned multi-million dollar renovation that should have been completed at least a year before our event. While the sleeping rooms were completed, the remainder of the renovation (expanded banquet facilities, health club and swimming pool) was stalled, which left the exterior of the hotel looking unfinished.

The stall was due to its financial state of affairs, which was actually our bigger concern. Multiple lawsuits were filed against the hotel for non-payment and construction stopped. Our dilemma was whether the hotel would perform well or even survive in these tough economic times. The local media released stories that would frighten any meeting planner.

What did you do?

The first thing we did was renegotiate our contract. We asked to adjust the room block and remove the attrition clause due to challenging economic conditions that many associations are facing. The hotel agreed to the amendments, and that gesture was very much appreciated. It was during this process (about nine months prior to the event), however, that we learned of the many difficulties the hotel was encountering.

One of the reasons the city of Pittsburgh was attractive to us was because we have a strong chapter forming in the state. Of all the hotels in the city, this was only one with ideal space for our event. It came down to making a decision either to cancel our contract and relocate the conference to another city or trust that the hotel could perform.

Thankfully, the hotel underwent a restructuring and began operating under new management about four months prior to our event. I was able to develop a communicative relationship with a new employee in charge of my event. I checked other event planner references and found that other groups had held successful conferences in recent weeks. We decided to make every effort to keep the event at the Hilton and work hand-in-hand to make it a successful event.

How did the event turn out?

Our 2010 Spring Owners Leadership Conference was the best-attended spring event we have ever held. Our conference program was highly rated, and the attendees that had never been to Pittsburgh found it to be a very pleasant surprise. Expectations were greatly exceeded and the hotel performed well under difficult circumstances.

What was the best part of the event? And the worst?

Clearly, the worst aspect of this particular event was the hotel’s unfortunate state of affairs and the challenges that caused. Our conference was held during a period of transition; we could see positive changes being put into place, but we were not in the hands of a well-oiled machine due to turnover and other related factors. It kept us on our toes.

Though I was not able to predict the outcome, the big components of our conference were handled quite well. Even the behind-the-scenes missteps were corrected fairly quickly and our attendees were oblivious to the problems. In hindsight, the nice surprise was the beautiful city of Pittsburgh and the challenged Hilton’s overall on-site performance.

What advice do you have for other planners when organizing a similar event?

Ultimately, I decided not to recommend canceling our contract for several reasons. First, the hotel reorganized and brought in new management, which allowed me to see the “light at the end of the tunnel.” Approximately three months prior to our event, I was finally able to establish a good relationship with a key person (new hire) at the hotel. She was able to supply the information I needed to make wise choices. And finally, it has becoming increasingly important to place our conferences in a destination that will draw local (drivable) attendance. We knew we had strong member representation in Pennsylvania, the Northeast and the Great Lakes region. Their show of support for our spring conference exceeded our expectations.