When evaluating potential meeting sites, consider whether your location is easy to reach both by ground and air travel. Hotel rooms should be clean and available in a variety of sleeping options (single, double, suites). Meeting rooms should be pleasant, have comfortable seating, and be adaptable for classroom, group, and seminar-style seating.

Some hotels charge a hospitality fee based on the number of guest rooms requested or participants in your workshop. This fee might include basics such as table coverings, water pitchers, tablets and pens. Make sure you know what is and is not included before booking the site.

Hotels might charge both a service fee and a gratuity fee. Others provide free meeting and/or hospitality rooms if your group books a specific number of guest rooms. Ask the hotel what dates they consider "off-season." You might be able to negotiate a reduced room rate by scheduling the workshop during this time.

Speakers and participants expect Internet access in meeting and hotel rooms, so be sure to confirm its availability during your negotiations. Be cautious of sites that offer to install connections for a fee because this can become quite expensive.

A hotel with on-site restaurants and lounges enables workshop participants to schedule informal networking sessions. Those with on-site restaurants also might have a larger selection of food and beverages for group events.

Most hotels with conference facilities have a coordinator to help workshop hosts with the details. To avoid confusion between the hotel and the Planning Committee, identify one person to work with the on-site conference coordinator.

Hotels, caterers, and other vendors frequently require a signed contract. Every institution and agency has criteria about individuals signing a legal document. It's best to share all contracts with your agency or institutional legal counsel before signing anything. If ACE is covering an expense, Headquarters should sign the contract.

Considering special needs

More people have disabilities than we realize. About one in six Americans has some degree of disability. Consider these disabilities when you design your workshop.

Make sure your site has elevators, rather than stairs, so it is easily accessible to people who might use a guide dog or a wheelchair. When setting up your meeting rooms, make certain there is enough aisle space for guide dogs or wheelchairs.

Add a section to your registration form asking about special needs beyond dietary restrictions, such as the need to provide a sign-language interpreter or providing materials in alternative formats such as Braille, captioned videos or tape.

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