Terry,
Thank you very much for your efforts to find a spot for the next LPC convention, and for sharing the results of this research with our members.
The LPC poker tournament sounds like an excellent fundraising idea! I'm very much in favor of a model that will allow the public to see our speakers for free, and to cover expenses and raise money via other means. (Of course to get the most mileage out of this, we need to publicize our event to the public.)
One immediate question I have is that it sounds from their representative's letter to you that they have only 31 rooms available the weekend of April 8-10. That doesn't sound like much. Also, I don't understand their offer of a free room night for every 45 rooms booked, if they only have 31 rooms available. Or does "45 rooms utilized on a cumulative basis" mean, for instance, 15 rooms for three nights each?
Here are some other considerations:
-Are there any opportunities for LPC visibility or activism in the South Lake Tahoe community in conjunction with the convention? Is there a good place nearby for an outdoor public rally, and how likely is weather in early April to be snow/rain-free? Steve Kubby and any other local LP members in the area should be consulted about this stuff and made part of the planning team. Would it be possible to have the convention later in the year when it's warmer?
-How many organizational booths could be accommodated? I think our best bet is to charge them little or nothing, and seek to attract as many as possible -- but to do this, we need ample free or very affordable space for them to set up.
-Can the hotel give us a block of rooms in the same part of the facility, so that our event will be as conducive as possible to partying, networking and community-building?
-How visible will our presence be in the hotel? Will they allow signs/banners, stuff taped to walls, advertise our presence to other guests, etc.? What else are they willing to do to help us get the word out?
-Will they allow us 24-hour use of the pool/workout room areas, if they are not already available on that basis? It can be explained that due to our busy event schedules, late night when nothing else is going on is when people may wish to use these facilities.
-For people not staying at the hotel, are there other cheap accommodations nearby?
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
P.S. - I posted the above on your website (http://terrytime.net/?p=132#comment-4), but am also posting it here to increase the chances of more people seeing it. Another thought which just occurred to me, on seeing that you've sensibly copied a member of the Nevada LP on your correspondence, is the possibility of holding a convention concurrent with the Nevada LP, or otherwise involving them in our events, since we'll be right on the border of Nevada. Bringing together members of two different state parties could be an exciting and productive cross-pollination. I've copied a few more Nevada Libertarians.