Request to Host the 31st National Conference on Problem Gambling August 7, 2015 We are delighted that you are interested in submitting a proposal for hosting NCPG s 31st National Conference on Problem Gambling. NCPG has engaged Experient, a nationally recognized event logistics company, to assist in researching, qualifying and negotiating a hotel contract for our 2017 conference. Experient is supported by an extensive database of hotels throughout the nation and a search engine that can assist in researching hotels that can meet all of the RFP requirements. Experient will act as your consultant, obtaining your input and facilitating an exhaustive search of your region to provide you with the best opportunities to meet the bid requirements. Once we have selected the location for 2017, Experient will negotiate a hotel contract that will offer NCPG the best possible negotiated rate and concessions, as well as mitigating our financial risks. The request for proposal for the 2017 conference is attached. The meeting specifications have been provided to Bob Fraser, National Account Manager for Experient who will be responsible for researching hotels in your area that meet our criteria. Bob can be reached at (503) 746-7384 or robert.fraser@experientselect.com. The deadline to submit a Statement of Intent to NCPG regarding your desire to bid on hosting the conference is Friday, August 28, 2015. Upon this submission, bidders will work with Bob to evaluate properties in your area and prepare a bid. The deadline for Proposals to be received by NCPG is Friday, October 2, 2015. The bid proposal (5 pages plus supporting documents) must be received at the NCPG office by close of business on that day. Electronic copies required.
Request for Proposals (RFP) to Host 31st National Conference on Problem Gambling The National Council on Problem Gambling requests proposals to host the 31st National Conference in the summer of 2017. I. Background A. History This event is the world s oldest and largest annual conference on problem gambling. We expect approximately 550-600 attendees in 2016. From past events, approximately 50% of attendees are from the region, 40% from outside the region, and 10% from Canada and overseas. Between 50 and 75% of previous attendees listed their occupation as counselors. Past conferences: June 23-25, 2005 June 22-24, 2006 June 8-10, 2007 June 26-28, 2008 June 25-27, 2009 June 10-12, 2010 June 30-July 2, 2011 July 13-14, 2012 July 19-20, 2013 July 11-12, 2014 July 10-11, 2015 July 15-16, 2016 New Orleans, LA: Hotel Monteleone St. Paul, MN: Crown Plaza Riverfront Kansas City, MO: Marriott Kansas City Downtown Long Beach, CA: Hyatt Regency Long Beach Indianapolis, IN: Hyatt Regency Downtown Portland, OR: Hilton Downtown Boston, MA: Park Plaza Hotel Towers Milwaukee, WI: Hyatt Regency Seattle, WA: Doubletree Sea-Tac Orlando, FL: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Baltimore, MD: Hilton Inner Harbor Tarrytown, NY: Westchester Marriott B. Dates Mid-July dates are preferred, but consideration will be given to any dates in June and July. C. Host Responsibilities All previous conferences have been hosted by a state-based non-profit council on problem gambling affiliated with NCPG. Organizations wishing to host the conference are strongly encouraged to work with the NCPG Affiliate chapters in their region on the bid. The conference host and NCPG sign a Memorandum of Understanding with a detailed description of each organization s responsibilities, but in general, the host will solicit and organize volunteers, work with state and
regional media to publicize the conference, arrange the highlight and offsite events, assist on program, speaker selection, registration and logistics during the conference, and assist with basic coalition building and fundraising among stakeholders in city/state/region. The host will co-chair the conference committee with NCPG. NCPG is responsible for all other aspects of conference planning and will sign all contracts. Upon request NCPG will provide the host a host fee of $30,000. D. State Sales Tax Exemption Prospective conference hosts must provide information as to state requirements for granting tax-exempt status to NCPG, an out-of-state 501c3 corporation. Tax-exempt status must be acquired before the conference location will be decided. II Room and Meeting Space Requirements A. Hotel Room Block Requirements a. Preferred inventory of 500+ rooms b. Target room block rate of $159 or less per night c. Total of 1,000 room nights: i. Monday 10 ii. Tuesday 100 iii. Wednesday 130 iv. Thursday 290 v. Friday 310 vi. Saturday 150 vii. Sunday 10 B. Banquet & Catering Requirements a. $90 or less per person per day including all service charges and taxes C. Meeting Space Requirements a. 20,000 square feet Preferred Inventory b. IMPORTANT: All meeting space is provided free of charge. c. Prefer but don t require all meeting rooms on same floor and contiguous
Day Time Type Set Up Capacity Arrival Monday 12 pm 10 pm Staff Office Conference 10 12 pm 10 pm Registration /Finance Office 3 6ft tables 6 Set-up Tuesday 24 hr Staff Office Conference 10 24 hr Registration /Finance Office 3 6ft tables 6 Pre Conf Wednesday 24 hr Staff Office Conference 10 Day 1 7 am-9 am Breakfast Buffet 120 10 am & 3 pm 2 half-hour Breaks (morning & Buffet 120 each afternoon) 12-1 pm Lunch Buffet 150 9 am-5 pm 4-5 Pre Conference Workshops Classroom 30-50 each 7 am-7 pm 3 Committee Meetings Conference 15-20 each Pre Conf Thursday 24 hr Staff Office Conference 10 Day 2 7 am-9 am Breakfast Buffet 150 10 am & 3 pm 2 half-hour Breaks (morning & Buffet 150 each afternoon) 12-1 pm Lunch Buffet 150 9 am-5 pm 4-5 Pre Conference Workshops Classroom 30-50 each 7am -10 pm 3 Committee Meetings Conference 15-20 each 9 am -5 pm Board meeting Conference 60-80 6 pm-8 pm Welcome Reception Reception 250 3 pm-8 pm Exhibits Tabletop 20-30 Main Conf Friday 24 hr Staff Office Conference 10 Day 1 24 hr Exhibits Tabletop 20-30 7 am-9 am Breakfast Buffet 500 9 am-10:30 am Keynote Rounds or 500 10:30 am-11am Break (with Poster Sessions & Buffet 500 11 am-12 pm 4-5 Breakout Sessions Classroom & 12-1:30 pm Lunch Rounds or 500 1:30 pm- 2:30 4-5 Breakout Sessions Classroom & pm 2:30 pm- 3 pm PED Talk in main ballroom Rounds or 3 pm-3:30 pm Break (with Poster Sessions & 300 Buffet 500
Main Conf Day 2 3:30pm-5 pm Classroom & 4-5 Breakout Sessions 7 am-10 pm 5 Committee Meetings Conference 15-20 each Saturday 24 hr Staff Office Conference 10 24 hr Exhibits Tabletop 20-30 7 am-9 am Breakfast Buffet 500 9 am-10 am Morning Plenary Rounds or 500 10 am- PED Talk main ballroom Rounds or 300 10:30am 10:30am-11 am Break (with Poster Sessions & Buffet 500 11 am-12 pm 4-5 Breakout Sessions Classroom & 12 pm-1:30pm Lunch Plenary Rounds or 500 1:30 pm-2:30 4-5 Breakout Sessions Classroom & pm 2:30 pm 2:45 Movement break only (no pm refreshments) 2:45 pm- 4-5 Breakout Sessions Classroom & 125-150 each 3:45pm Theater 3:45 pm 4 pm Break (with Poster Sessions & Buffet 300 4 pm-5 pm Classroom & 4-5 Breakout Sessions 7 am- 7 pm 4-5 Committee Meetings Conference 15-20 each Sunday 24 hr Staff Office Conference 10 7 am-5 pm 2 Committee Meetings Conference 15-20 each
III Proposal The bidder is requested to provide information in each area below so that the reviewers may analyze whether the proposal meets specific hotel and conference space requirements as well as to provide information on the ability of the bidder to host the conference and the desirability of the proposed location. The supporting hotel analysis provided by Experient will be helpful in formulating your proposal. The responses should be provided with a narrative that may incorporate subjective comments along with objective responses. The narrative should utilize the host s knowledge of the area and may include additional information and recommendations on issues and areas not covered in the RFP. The narrative should include with an executive summary of the proposal highlights and rationale for accepting the bid. Together, the narrative response and executive summary should not exceed five pages, although additional supporting documents such as hotel floor diagrams may be attached. NCPG places a premium on a regional approach to hosting the conference. Current regions and the location/dates they hosted the conference over the past decade are: Northeast: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT (Boston, MA 2011, Westchester, NY 2016) Mid Atlantic: DE, DC, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV (Baltimore, MD 2015) Central: IA, KS, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD, TX (Kansas City, MO 2007) West: AZ, CA, CO, HI, NV, NM, UT (Long Beach, CA 2008) Northwest: AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY (Seattle, WA 2013, Portland, OR 2010) South: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN (Orlando, FL 2014, New Orleans, LA 2005) Mid Central: IL, IN, KY, MN, MI, OH, WI (Milwaukee, WI 2012, Indianapolis, IN 2009, St. Paul, MN 2006) Staff will review the proposal and assign a value of 0-5 points per item zero if no information is provided, and ranging from one for very poor or unfavorable to five for excellent. The National Council absolutely reserves all rights to make a selection based on its own subjective analysis of the proposal(s). The 2017 conference location and date will be announced by July 2016. A. Criteria a. Hotel (0-25 points) Please provide specific information on the hotel s: i. Proposed average food costs as compared to requested $90 or less per person per day including service charge. ii. Proposed sleeping room block price, size & date as compared to requested size and rates.
iii. Proposed meeting & exhibit space as compared to requested space. iv. Cost & availability of Wi-Fi in sleeping rooms, public spaces and meeting areas. v. Assessment of overall hotel appearance, upkeep, services and any additional considerations and concessions. b. City/Area (0-35 points) Please provide specific information on the: i. Frequency of flights, cost and availability of public/private transportation options to/from airport and at conference location. ii. Ability of city, area and region to support the conference, including size of city/metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) & tourist visitation/ranking. iii. Number of certified gambling counselors, certified addiction counselors, gambling treatment programs, and GA/Gam-anon meetings in the area. iv. Amount of gaming revenue, number of operators and employees in the area. v. Acceptance of NCPG federal tax-exempt status. vi. Potential competition from other major non-gaming events in area, and major gaming conferences nationwide. vii. Proposed Highlight Event, including cost, suitability and logistics. c. Regional Support (0-25 points) Please provide specific information on the: i. Involvement of NCPG state affiliate chapters and partners in the region. d. Host (0-15 points) Please provide specific information on the: i. Bidder s conference hosting/management experience. ii. Amount of committed and proposed corporate sponsors and their contributions. iii. Amount of committed and proposed state health, regulatory agency and other partners/sponsors. The deadline to submit a Statement of Intent to host the conference is Friday, August 28, 2015. The deadline for Proposals for the 2016 conference is Friday, October 2, 2015. The proposals (5 pages plus supporting documents) must be received at the NCPG office by close of business that day. Electronic copies only. Send proposals via email to NCPG Operations Manager Lissa Cobetto lissac@ncpgambling.org