Think Before You Ink: Contract Checklist
(Or Think Before You Ink I. See Think Before You Ink II)

Contracts are Negotiable Instruments and they are never legal until both parties sign. Would it come as a surprise to learn that some of the best hotels and properties have the worst contracts? As the hotel or property they take care of themselves, they always come signed and they rarely send you a blank standard contract. For the Meeting Planner - Contract Checklist, a contract can be the basis for success or failure for your event or for you financially.

1. Identify all Parties
Each contracting party must be identified using their legal company or person name with associated acronyms following immediately in parentheses.

2. Define a Purpose Statement
Define in clear terms the purpose of the contract and event.

3. Specify Event Dates
Include the date of first arrival to last departure. In cases where rate negotiations have provided extended days prior to and after the event for guests to stay make sure that those dates are include as the "event dates".

4. Define Sleeping Room Blocks
The total number of rooms committed from the hotel should address rooms and suites. For suites, the "room count value" needs to be defined. (Example: a one bedroom suite = 2 rooms, a two bedroom suite = 3 rooms, etc.)

5. Define Check-In / Check-Out Times and Conditions
Since these differ with each property and are impacted by the size of your event, be certain to define the times that your room commitment will be available for check-in. When contracting for large events, early access by guests to check-in may not be possible. In those cases a negotiated scale for available rooms may be included. The same process can and should be defined for guest check-out.

6. Define Room Rates / Types / Percentages
Be prepared to define how many single, double, handicap, suites, smoking, no-smoking, club level, or first floor level rooms your event requires.

7. Specify Reservation Cut-Off Date
Positioning the date that the property will stop accepting reservations (at the negotiated rate) is critical since, in many contracts, it will effect the property's pick-up computation, meeting room charges, etc. Ensuring that after the defined cut-off date registering guests for your event, even at a higher rate, will be included in the pick-up should not be missed.

8. Determine Complimentary Rooms
Contracts vary from a flat number of complimentary rooms based on the number of rooms pick-up to a number of complimentary room nights based on the number of total rooms nights picked-up during the event. Where use of complimentary rooms is not essential, contracts should define how the value of the complimentary rooms will be credited to the master account.

9. Use Management Reports
Critical to your post-event evaluation is having accurate management reports on reservations, pick-up, early departure, in-house spending (gift shops, room service, bars and dining) is very important. Understanding the property's capability to provide these reports is essential. During your site visit, or in phone conversations, request samples to review. In your contract demand these reports and demand your receipt within 30-45-or-60 days of the events conclusion. You may even be willing to pay for these reports. Their use in evaluating the performance of the event immediately, and for use in establishing valuable historic information for future bidding is very important.

10. Specify Space Requirements - Meetings and Function
Accuracy is imperative. Ensure that your contract includes accurate descriptions, including the names of meeting and function rooms requested along with exact times the space will be utilized. Ensure that adequate set-up and break-down times are included.

For each of these ten items be prepared to discuss and agree upon penalties if you or the property fail to deliver. The property will include clauses to more than cover their pockets, a good Meeting Planner - Contract Checklist will include equal levels of penalties on the property. Fairness is your key to successful negotiating. Being able to "defend" your requirements will make your tasks easier. In negotiating remember that each party to a contract has a single focus -- "what's in it for me?"

(See Think Before You Ink II.)