Music Library Association
February 9, 2016
Convention Managers Report
Jim Farrington, Convention Manager
Diane Steinhaus, Assistant Convention Manager
Board Action Required
 Clarify exhibit table exchange plans
 Tentative approval for Cincinnati plans: a/v and speaker fees
 Suggested locales for 2018 meeting? (2016: Cincinnati; 2017: Orlando)
Denver 2015
BUDGET UPDATE
Registration overview
Category
Rate
Early, member
Early, 1st 3 years
Early, non-member
Reduced for work
Regular, member
Regular, non-member
Student
Single day
Accompanying person
Totals to date:
$270
$220
$370
$170
$370
$470
$100
$145
$135
Pre-conf, member
Pre-conf, non-member
Totals
$160
$180
Other income
Category
Exhibit fees
Contributions
Program advertising
Packet inserts
Conf. email list
Totals
1
Budgeted
number/amount
307/$82,890
36/$7,920
4/$1,480
13/$2,210
2/$740
1/$470
21/$2,100
5/$725
2/$770
391/99,3051
Rate
Projected amount
$550/base
$23,000
$12,000
$4,000
$500
$400
$39900
$200-$400
$100/$300
$200/rental
Actual as of 2/4/2014 number/amount (all
from QB entries)
272/$72,900
36/$7,920
8/$3,330
11/$1,870
2/$740
1/$470
23/$2,300
4/$580
0/$0
357/$90,0802
(34 less attendees and $-9,225 than
budgeted)
33/$4,950
0/$0
33/$4,950
Actual as of 2/4/2014
number/amount
52 paid/$23,705
$4,025
$4,650
$1,000
2/$400
$33,780 ($600 known pending)
The Approved conference budget had a total registration figure of $98,805, but not enough detail to discern the $500
difference.
2
Paul Cary ran another report with more nuanced figures. His bottom line total net income to date was $91,285.
Music Library Association
February 9, 2016
We not only exceeded our room block of 1,105, but through the help of the office at the Westin, we
were able to secure an additional small block of rooms at the nearby Sheraton at our conference rate.
This block of 10 rooms also sold out, and was subsequently expanded to include some of the
Sheraton’s more expensive rooms, although at an increased $15/night. We will ask the hotel to audit
our registration list immediately before and after the conference, to make sure that MLA receives
credit for attendees who may have booked through means other than the web site, as MLA accrues free
nights per number of rooms booked. Beginning in 2014, MLA has been trying smaller hotels to get
better costs. An advantage to the smaller hotel, such as this Westin, is that all of the meeting and
exhibit spaces (except for the secondary large room) are all on the same level and very close. However,
this property has not had as many double double rooms as past properties. That particular configuration
sold out very quickly, and while the King+rollaway has been a popular backup, we will certainly hear
about rooming problems in the post-conference survey. In fact, the Westin had so few double doubles
that the number even surprised our Helms-Briscoe representative. We had to bring her in to the
discussion because there seemed to be no way to increase that number, and since H-B’s bottom line is
affected by how many of our people book at the conference hotel, they have a direct interest. Our
Helms-Briscoe representative and I have already contacted the next two hotels to make sure that we
will be better served, and future convention managers will need to review this for future meeting
contracts.
Scott Stone has done a great job of scheduling the program sessions around the two set equipment
rooms. This translates into our A/V heavy sessions being programmatic sessions, and most of the
committees will be in the other rooms booked for our group. A/V costs are steep, as always, but we
should be able to afford HSIA Wi-Fi for 300 SUs in the meeting areas. One very significant change
this year is that the main meeting space will have all the presentations streamed and archived. Paul
Cary, Scott, and Jim listened to two presentations and compared two vendor proposals, including one
by the Westin’s PSAV team. We anxiously await post-conference feedback about this new service and
its usefulness, especially to those who were unable to attend this year’s meeting. Based on positive
response from the post-conference survey, this year we are also continuing the meeting-ending nonbanquet event that started in Atlanta.
As usual, there are several affiliate meetings that take place during MLA. In addition to MOUG, we
also are hosting the James Adrian Board (Saturday morning morning). Alexander Street Press is using
MLA space for their annual breakfast (Friday) and for their advisory group meeting, but contracting
directly with the hotel for catering and a/v. RILM is hosting a similar breakfast meeting on Thursday.
Other groups are now inquiring about meeting space, one being the Music Treasures Consortium, and
another the “music librarians of Borrow Direct.” During our wrap-up meeting Sunday, we will take up
the question of whether groups like these should follow the protocols of the system user groups and
more formally request meeting space.
We may be a little below income overall, but there are still things that have not been posted to QB (e.g.
most of the contributions), so the budget is still murky, and YourMembership (YM) doesn’t jibe with
QB. We ran into these same issues of trying to get a clearer financial picture last year.
Exhibits
Initial contact with vendors occurred in October 2014 and registrations trickled in until the end of
January. The registration process for vendors in YourMembership was (again) cumbersome and
confusing and many vendors ended up just calling the business office to make the transaction. As was
Music Library Association
February 9, 2016
mentioned in last year’s report, the main obstacle is that YM requires people who interact with it be
dues-paying members of MLA but most vendors are not, or they belong as an individual but not
corporately. Katie Cummings in the business office deserves a medal for her seemingly unending
patience and good will toward the many vendors she assisted.
The number of paid tables for this year’s exhibits is 52, up from 46 last year. The MLA Silent Auction,
MLA Career and Résumé Services, and IAML took up another 8 tables, which maxed out the room.
We were glad to be able to accommodate the silent auction inside the exhibits hall this year so they
won’t have to dismantle their displays at the end of each day.
The number of paying vendors this year is 39, down from 46 last year. New or returning after not
participating last year are: Amalivre, College Music Society, Equinox Publishing, Musical Theater
Songs, New York Life Insurance, Recital Publications, Routledge, Scholar’s Choice, Steglein
Publishing, and University of North Texas Dept. of Library and Information Science. Absent this year,
despite follow-up emails to them, are: Ashgate, Broude, Gary Thal, Galant (conflict with ACDA
conference), SingersBabel, Stainer & Bell, and Tonal Refraction. We’ve had to gently remind some of
the vendors that there will be no lunch during set-up, something they were not happy about.
In an email dated Dec 15, 2014, Tom Cook of CMS wrote: “As to an ad in your conference program
book, I would like to propose an exchange. We would be happy to give your organization a full-page
ad in our national conference program book for one in yours. Our next national conference comes up
in November, 2015, in Indianapolis. We normally attract a registration of approximately 550 members
to our annual conference. I would be delighted to enter into a negotiated agreement with you, if that
would be the best way to handle this. Please let me know once you have given this offer your
consideration.” A flurry of emails ensued between DS, JF, SN, MC, and MR. JF noted that it would be
to MLA’s advantage to offer a gratis table rather than an ad since we pay something like $55-60 per
table (and charge $550). But either way, the decision has budget implications, which were not
accounted for in the Denver convention budget. JF and DS think this consideration should be routed
through Advertising and Publicity, perhaps with a more formalized proposal for the board. The issue
wasn’t formally resolved, but according to QB, CMS’s full-page ad in the program is gratis.
Board action required: clarify advertising/exhibit table exchanges, and who is responsible within
MLA
We have Guidebook again this year, albeit with only partial sponsorship by Music Industry Data.
Theodore Front has provided this year’s tote bags and $1,000 toward the food at the closing reception,
and Arkivmusik is sponsoring drink tickets ($2,000) for the opening reception. We have no coffee
break sponsorships, but Laurie Sampsel was able to drum up considerable support ($5,250) for Friday
night’s silent movie.
We would like to express our thanks and gratitude to the following people:




Rhiannon Dreadon and the staff of the Westin Denver Downtown
Corey Beckman and the staff of PSAV
Scott Stone, Laurie Sampsel, and the MLA Board
Pat Wall, Jim Zychowicz, Katie Cummings, and Ann Peter of our business office
Thank you all!
Music Library Association
February 9, 2016
Cincinnati 2015
Reminder: March 2-5, 2016 at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (this hotel is a National Historic
Landmark); rate of $159 single/double occupancy. $30,000 food and beverage minimums (plus 21%
service charge plus 6.5% sales tax, with a clause that if we spend more than $75K they will comp WiFi throughout the hotel for us) and 884 minimum guest room nights (1105 reserved in our block, 80%
required pickup).
I highly recommend follow the same practice that occurred for the past several meetings: set the
tentative A/V setup and honorarium/speaker fees budget at the 2/2015 board meeting for the 2016
meeting. These parameters helped keep the Program Chair as well as the Convention Managers
focused and on target. I would recommend an A/V budget of $28,000 (which would include Wi-Fi in
the meeting spaces for attendees).
Board action required: preliminary approval of a/v requirements; set a speaker-fee budget for the
program committee.
Orlando 2017
February 22-25, 2017 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. Our room block is the same (1105), the attrition rate is
85% (meaning we’re ultimately responsible for 939 room nights), and the room rate is $185
single/double (and children 17 and under stay free). We anticipate that with this property being so
close to the Orlando attractions, many attendees may opt to bring families and extend their stay.
2018 – TBD
ATC/HELMS BRISCOE
On the site selection side of things, we could not have asked for better service. HelmsBriscoe has
access to a wealth of data and has provided excellent service in site selection and contract negotiation
so far (see those room rates and other terms above), and we recommend continuing our working
relationships with ATC and HelmsBriscoe.
Board action required: continue our working relationships with both ATC and HelmsBriscoe, and,
assuming we are no longer soliciting invitations, suggest area(s) of the country to explore next.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Farrington
Diane Steinhaus