Hospitality Room Committee After Action Report (AAR)



November 30, 2010

The Goal: “To provide an environment which fosters camaraderie, relaxation and enjoyment for all RMPO Reunion attendees.”

I. Overview of Operations

A. Budgeting and Hospitality Room Hours: As reunion registration data was finalized at about 250 participants, the HR spending goal was set at $2000 (see previous reunion attendance data below.) With the exception of the Memorial Breakfast, the Potomac Dinner Cruise and Reunion Dinner, the HR was open to all attendees throughout the reunion (see enclosure 1.) We were originally going to open the HR from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m., Sunday, October 3rd. We decided not to do so in that most of the attendees either slept in or prepared for departure at that time. As you schedule each day’s HR operating hours, make certain to plan for set up and clean up time. The primary objective of the HR committee (Joel Leson and Don Cook) was to ensure food, snacks and beverages were available to attendees during all HR operating hours. All of the food, snacks and beverages were permitted for use under the reunion committee’s contract with the hotel and were purchased by the HR committee. Note: As noted in previous RMPO reunion PRR, a reunion committee can spend a great deal of money to allow a hotel to provide HR support, or spend a great deal of effort and achieve the same, or even better results! We determined that hotel prices for HR requirements were cost-prohibitive. It was worth the effort to operate the HR on our terms. If allowable in your hotel contract, we recommend this approach.

B. HR Personnel Support: Although initially envisioned, a “duty roster” of attendee-volunteers to assist in the operation of the HR was not used. The HR committee decided that it was easier to share the HR duties between themselves rather than impose upon attendees. If and when it became necessary to call on a fellow attendee for assistance, this was easily done. The need for such assistance was rare. One of the other changes from past reunions was to have an “open” bar at which attendees were free to pour and/or mix their own drinks. This negated the need for “bar tending” by HR committee members and/or attendees. The “pour-your-own” policy proved an efficient and particularly well-received method of providing liquid refreshment, especially when the high cost of hotel drinks was considered. Note: Staffing the HR in this manner was a choice of the HR committee members, who specifically chose not to take part in the reunion’s optional scheduled activities (i.e., wreath laying, golf, numerous tours.) Other reunion HR committees may choose to do otherwise. If so, a “duty roster” of as many as six people may be necessary. If done this way, two volunteers from the roster should man the HR at-a-time.

II. Purchasing

A. What To Buy: The HR committee used the past attendance and purchasing experience of a number of prior reunions to determine its purchasing needs (i.e., Kentucky - 214; Wisconsin - 117; and Augusta, GA - 200 attendees, respectively.) For those mornings when the HR was open, the HR Committee wanted to ensure that the attendees had the equivalent of a continental breakfast available to start the day. Various pastries, rolls, bagels, butter and cream cheese, with coffee, tea and juice were provided each morning. A wide selection of potato chips, pretzels, various candies, cakes, donuts and other sweets were available throughout the day. There is no “rule of thumb” for what is purchased for a RMPO reunion. You are limited only by your budget, prohibitions in your hotel contract, availability of products, and what you would like to serve.

B. Food, Non-Alcoholic Beverage and Paper Product Purchases: Numerous military commissary stores are available in the Northern, VA area. However, we used the commissaries sparingly. It was more cost-effective to purchase food, snack items, wine, soft drinks, water, paper and plastic products at an area COSTCO store. It is worth the time to compare product prices at stores in your area. We made our purchases on Monday, September 27, 2010. We used one POV to transport the purchases and store them in a garage. To ensure the freshness of baked products, an order was placed and baked goods were picked up the evening of September 28, 2010. Two POV were required to bring all of the food, coffee pots, and utensils to the hotel. Hotel porters assisted in bringing the food to the HR. We set the HR up from 10:00 -12:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 29th. Note: We purposely chose to spend about five to six hours on one day making HR purchases rather than spreading purchases over a number of days or weeks (See enclosure 2.) Within the time and manpower resources available, make sure there is sufficient lead time to purchase HR items. Doing so in one day worked for us. It may not work for you. Previous HR committees used as many as three weeks.

C. Alcoholic Beverage Purchasing and Permit Requirement: Per the Reunion Committee’s contract with the Hyatt Hotel, we were permitted to purchase liquor, wine and soft drinks and bring the beverages into the HR for consumption by reunion attendees. However, the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (VA ABC) requires that a “banquet license” be obtained by an event’s sponsor when alcohol is served. Ensure that you check state and local liquor licensing and purchase regulations when planning a reunion. Should it be required, your hotel can assist you in this effort. We chose to process the VA ABC application ourselves. At enclosure 3 are copies of the VA ABC “Application for Banquet License” and the “Banquet Special Event” license that was issued. For tax purposes, VA ABC regulations require that these products be purchased at VA ABC (liquor) and civilian food stores that sell wine, rather than at a military Class VI store.

D. Coffee and Tea: An important requirement at a reunion is the provision of coffee and tea (both regular and decaf), milk, cream, sugar and artificial sweetener. Hotel coffee and tea service is very expensive. To reduce this expense we chose to purchase and serve the hot beverages. With a large turn-out, this required a lot of time and work brewing coffee. We used two of our own coffee makers and rented two urns. These hot beverages were always available to attendees. Note: If you can negotiate acceptable prices, we recommend that you have the hotel in which you hold your reunion provide this service.

E. Hotel Support: The Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel is to be commended for the service it provided the HR Committee. The HR Committee members met with the hotel representative twice; one month, and then two weeks, prior to the reunion. We received tours of the HR facility and a schematic diagram. We indicated our requirements for tables, chairs and linen and their arrangement (this service was free.) The hospitality room was large, well-furnished and comfortable. Plenty of seating was provided for the attendees. At enclosure 4 is the lay-out of the HR. On-going refills of ice and fresh water were provided gratis during the reunion to keep the soft drinks and beer cold and for brewing coffee and tea. Ensure that there is access to water for cleaning coffee pots and utensils. The hotel provided an evening cleaning crew that replaced table linen, emptied trash receptacles and vacuumed the carpets.

F. In-Process Reviews: Starting in April 2009, the entire RMPO Committee met on numerous occasions to plan the reunion. This planning is critical in scheduling and coordinating events and, for the HR committee to finalize its budget and purchasing requirements against the final number of attendees. The reunion committees communicated within their groups and with the HR committee members to coordinate event scheduling and change arrangements, as necessary.

G. Donations Jar: Have a jar marked “Donations” placed in an obvious place on the food/snack.

table. The $275 donated by reunion attendees helped defray our HR costs.

III. Signage:

A. Hours of Operation: Post the HR hours of operation on signs at the HR door(s), include them in your reunion program and have signs that direct attendees to the HR (signs for this purpose have been passed to the Little Rock, AK reunion sponsor). If commercial reunion sponsors can be obtained for the event, invite them to hang their advertisement banners in the HR.

B. Events Bulletin Board: Keep an “Events” Bulletin Board posted and current in the HR. Remind the attendees to view the board on a routine basis.

IV. Observations:

A. The HR is the hub of all RMPO reunion activities. For many of the attendees it can “make or break” the overall event. The HR committee should work hard to provide a comfortable, warm atmosphere. It was our goal to ensure that this was the case for all who had traveled to the Washington, DC area.

B. Work closely with your hotel representative(s). He or she will have the latitude to provide you with a number of cost-free services - ice, fresh water, table linen, set-up and clean-up - and possibly other basic HR required items that will enhance the operation of your HR and contribute to its successful operation. However, other hotel support is expensive so, where possible, provide those items and services via reunion committee resources.

C. We coordinated with the Regional VA ABC law enforcement office’s special agent-in-charge for guidance regarding alcoholic beverage purchases. He advised that it would be beneficial if the RMPO obtained a charter under Internal Revenue Service 26 U.S.C, Section 501(c), Tax Exempt, Nonprofit Associations; (19) Post or Organizations of Past or Present Members of the Armed Forces. Note: During the 35th Annual Reunion Business Meeting, Colonel (Retired) Vern Pike was tasked to research this matter. The results of his research are forthcoming.

D. The key to successful HR operations are planning and good service! Define a timeline and milestones that work for you based on the time, budget and people available. We decided early on to accomplish the majority of the prior reunion work in a concentrated time-frame. Much of this had to do with food freshness and relatively easy product availability. Manpower-wise, we chose to take an approach that required an intensive work-effort during the reunion. This, of course, was optional. We would advise against it if the HR committee members are golfers or are interested in attending a reunion’s other activities. Our overarching approach was to run the HR as if it were our own “restaurant”. Great service for our attendees was our most important product. From the feedback the Reunion Committee Co-Chairs have received, we believe we achieved our committee’s goal!

Respectfully Submitted,

Joel Leson and Don Cook

Military Police Corps, Retired

Hospitality Room Committee

Enclosure 1

Hospitality Room

Hours of Operation

35th Annual Retired Military Police Officers Reunion

29 September- 2 October 2010

Tidewater Room

The Hyatt Regency – Crystal City Hotel

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

1200 – 1830

Thursday, 30 September 2010

0700-2300

Friday, 1 October 2010

0600-1730

Saturday, 2 October 2010

1000-1700

Have a safe journey home!

Enclosure 2

|RMPO HOSPITALITY ROOM AFTER ACTION INVENTORY Washington, DC 2019 |

|29 September - 3 October 10 |

|Beverages |

|Item |

|Item |

|Item |

| | | | | | | | | |Item |Size |Count |Purchased |Cost per |Total cost |Used |Balance |Remarks | |Stirrers | box |1000 |1 |4.29 |4.29 |N/A |LR |  | |Hot cups |10 oz |160 |2 |10.99 |21.98 |2 |0 |  | |Party tumblers |10 oz |120 |4 |6.99 |27.96 |4 |0 |  | |Large red cups |18 oz |240 |1 |10.99 |10.99 |0 |1 to LR |  | |Party tray |16" w |1 |6 |2.49 |14.94 |3 |3 to LR |  | |Party Tray Lids |16" |1 |3 |3.49 |10.47 |3 |3 to LR |  | |Paper plates |6.78 |300 per package |2 |10.99 |21.98 |1 |1 to LR |  | |Beverage Napkins |1 |  |4 |0.90 |3.60 |0 |0 |  | |Table cloths |54"/108" |  |1 |5.99 |5.99 |0 |0 |  | |Serving Bowls |20 ozs |18 per package |2 |3.98 |7.96 |1 |1 to LR |  | |Plastic wrap |100 sq ft |box |1 |1.49 |1.49 |0 |1 to LR |  | |Scrub cloths |6 pack |6 pack |1 |2.30 |2.30 |0 |1 to LR |  | |Trash bags |13 gal |33 |1 |4.99 |4.99 |0 |1 to LR |  | |409 Spray Liquid cleaner |1 bottle |  |1 |  | |  |  |  | |Liquid Hand soap |1 bottle |  |1 |2.38 |2.38 |0 |1 to LR |  | |Hand sanitizer |1 bottle |  |1 |1.95 |1.95 |0.5 |.5 to LR |  | |Doilies |10" & 12" |6 per pack |3 |2.99 |8.97 |2 |1 to LR |  | |Tongs |  |1 |2 |1.99 |3.98 |0 |2 to LR |  | |Poster board pins & sign material tape |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | |Plastic cutlery |80 sets - 360 pieces |  |1 |9.99 |9.99 |UNK |to LR |  | |Hospitality Room Signs |  |3 |  | | |  |3 to LR |  | |Announcement Signs |20x30 |2 |  |6.29 | |  |2 to LR |  | |WSI Banner |  |1 |  | | |  |1 to LR |  | |Box of misc products |  |  |  | | |  |1 to LR |cups, 4 aluminum serving trays, plastic bowls, | |Napkins |4 pack |1300 |1 |6.99 |6.99 |2 of 3 |1 to LR |  | |ABC License fee |  |  |1 |175.00 |175.00 |  |  |  | |Coffee Urn Rentals |2 |  |1 |75.00 |75.00 |  |  |  | |Sterno |1 |  |12 |1.00 |12.00 |  |  |  | |Scotch Tape |1 |  |1 |1.65 |1.65 |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  |  |436.85 |  |  |  | |

Enclosure 3

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Enclosure 4

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