I’ve been working with Fred Roman of Branson, MO, about the possibility of having our 2018 NDC Convention held in Branson. One possibility is to have our convention at the Branson Hilton and Convention Center. The prices for the rooms and meals would be higher than what we’re use to paying, so we'd like to know if our members will be willing to pay more knowing that they are going to get their money’s worth by staying in the heart of Branson. By staying right downtown, you'll be within walking distance of many of the attractions and shows, and there's a free trolley system to get you to places a bit further away.
The room rate would be $145.00 plus tax (currently 12.6%) for a total of $163.27 per night. This rate does not include a breakfast, and there is an additional charge of $20 per person per night if you have 3 or more people in your room. The Hilton has set aside 100 rooms at this rate for us for the dates of August 15th through August 19th, 2018.
The cost of the Awards Banquet dinner is estimated to be $40.00 per banquet plate per person plus tax (9.75%) and service fees (21%) for a total of $52.30 per person. The ice cream social on Friday is estimated to be $15.00 per person plus the same tax and service fees for a total of $19.61 per person. (And no, we can NOT bring in our own ice cream as we have done at some places during past conventions.) The farewell breakfast on Sunday is estimated to be $20.00 per person plus the same tax and service fees for a total of $26.15 per person.
And the car show would be inside the Convention Center! Just think - no worries about rain or if the temperature and/or humidity is too high. (That should make our judges happier!) Our Awards Banquet would be in the same room as our show - minus the cars.
In case you're not familiar with Branson, MO, here's a link that I hope works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3bmip_HQEs So, is it worth paying more to have our show inside? Are these prices acceptable? Please let me know what you think of all of this; thanks.
Bill Noble
NDC Convention Coordinator