Future Conference Dates « Governor’s Hurricane Conference®

WHY THIS LOCATION?

Since its inception in 1987 and its incorporation as a not-for-profit organization in 1994, the GHC has adopted and implemented organizational and financial business practices to provide a quality program to its attendees while maintaining registration fees that are affordable for all target audiences. As most GHC attendees are from governmental and non-profit agencies with limited budgets, cost-effectiveness for the organization itself is critical to keep expenses for attendees as affordable as possible.

A significant percentage of the annual conference budget is dedicated to on-site costs. These include meeting room and auxiliary space rental, audiovisual costs and food & beverage commitments. Given the size of the GHC audience, there are limited locations across the state that can host the conference.

In selecting the site and venue for the conference, the following criteria is taken into consideration:

Space: The size of the venue must accommodate the number of attendees and the Exhibit Hall must be large enough to accommodate our valued vendors. Based on attendee feedback, GHC gives preference to locations with sufficient space to accommodate training and workshops, the General Session and the Awards Ceremony in one facility or campus.

Date Availability: The venue must have specific dates available for each year in May for a minimum of three consecutive years using a Sunday through Friday format. Entering into multi-year contracts as a standard business practice provides significant advantages for overall cost reduction as well as savings for programming, organizing and executing each year’s event.

Affordability: In order to keep our registration fee low, we must keep our costs low. In addition to registration fees, we recognize that lodging costs make up a high percentage of attendees’ overall costs. GHC’s site solicitation specifications include requirements for multiple hotels with a range of nightly rates; prioritizing those close to the conference location to reduce transportation costs. Charges for parking, options for secure parking for response vehicles and other considerations due to the unique requirements of our attendees, are closely evaluated. Food & beverage costs and commitments also affect the overall affordability of the GHC and are carefully negotiated.

The GHC Board of Directors, Committee Members and professional staff work diligently to ensure a high-quality program of keynote speakers, instructors and presenters be part of the conference each year. Please know that the business decisions of GHC Leadership reflect the mission to maintain both quality and affordability to all attendees.