The growth of the number of ancillary conference centers has continued throughout 2004, as some hotel chains and properties renovate underused space or upgrade conference facilities.
The ancillary centers—areas of hotels or other venues sectioned off from the rest of the property—operate much as traditional conference centers do, offering the complete meeting package style of per-attendee, per-day pricing and expanded technology options in meeting-specific space
(Meetings Today, July 7, 2003). Notably, the operators of many such centers also have imitated their traditional brethren by applying for membership to the International Association of Conference Centers, a process that requires a rigorous review of facilities and amenities and adherence to stringent quality standards
(Meetings Today, July 19).About 13 percent of IACC's membership is comprised of ancillary centers, following the admission of 18 this year, said executive vice president Tom Bolman. "They all come to us for membership, if they want to be a player in the legitimate conference center industry," he said. "That message clearly is out there."
The trend has attracted independent properties and large chains alike, said Jody Wallace, president of EMCVenues, a division of Thayer Lodging that acts as a sales and marketing organization for unaffiliated conference centers, including ancillary centers. "Thayer Lodging has just raised new funding to find 15 new properties for ancillary centers," Wallace said. "Hilton has really grown the conference center initiative, and Sheraton has expressed interest in bringing their centers back to the level of IACC."
Three-year-old EMCVenues acts as a national sales force for conference centers, most of which are not owned or managed by the larger chains. "Independent conference centers many times do not get into the request for proposal process, if buyers are submitting only to hotels and conference center chains," Wallace said, "but we can give them some exposure."
EMC has expanded rapidly and now represents 75 properties, up from five in 2001 and 20 two years ago. Thayer Lodging, an investment firm that focuses on purchasing underperforming hotels and renovating space, will spin off EMC next year, Wallace said, noting that she expects EMC to represent twice as many centers as it does now.
About one-quarter of EMC properties are ancillary conference centers and another quarter are nonresidential centers, which Wallace said also are gaining in popularity. "You're guaranteed a distraction-free environment," she said. Most of EMC's ancillary conference centers are IACC-approved, and those that aren't must be inspected, Wallace said.
Buyers have reacted positively to the growth of ancillary centers, Wallace said. "They see no difference between the (traditional) Doral Eaglewood and the (ancillary) DoubleTree Tysons Corner," she said. "We go to great lengths to explain exactly what will be provided."