Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12

reSpondeHce, booklets, pamphlets ana
all other such material are useful in
bringing conventions to any city and
sometimes unaided will achieve success.
At least they can never be sighted
One convention organization contacted
recently by the committee involved the
ccmposition of a 10,000-word letter
Another called for the preparation and
printing CT an entirely new pamphlet
on Washington. Banners and ribbon
badges and many other things are re-
quired. But, after all, the plan that Is
safest in attracting part OF the two
or three hundred million dollars of con-
vention money to any city is to have
personal representative OF the city's
convention bureau on the job.
Business Clubs Meeting.
There is, for example, the national
convention Of the American Business
Clubs, which Is to be held next IN
Washington. The scene OF battle Tor
this convention was Ponca City. Okla,
/ 500 miles from Washington. The con-
yention manager Of the committee, who
had Just returned from Montreal,
packed his grip and spent two days
and two nights getting to Ponca City.
Arriving there he hurried to the con-
vention and for three days was In the
hottest of the fight. He bagged the
convention and thus paved the way for
the expenditure in Washington OF
times larger than his expenses on the
trip. The same day he received tele-
gram from tn home office announcing
that the National Retail/Cred Mems
Association, in session in st. Louis, had
decided to hold its next meeting in
Washington, with 1000 delegates who
would remain the greater part OF
week. Since the convention manager
had spent q great dSal of time prepar-
ing facts, figures and pamphlets ana
arranging for invitations to the credit
men, and had, in fact, co-ordinated the
efforts Of those who were working for
this convention. it was little wonder
that he was jubilant and that in his
jubilance he hoped plane at Ponca
City and arrived in Washington smiling
broadly. His smile was frozen quickly
when he found that so per cent of his
efforts in Toronto and Montreal had
been without effect. One convention on
which he had been working had decided
stubbornly to go somewhere else.
Bridge playing If carried out success
fully by any player, must be done ac-
cording to well established rules. The
player who trumps his partners ace
runs the risk at once of losing the game
and possibly being murdered in cold
blood. So it is In the convention bust
ness. Rules must be followed.
The first thing the convention bureau
manager must do is to find out what
body IS going to make the decision as to
the next meeting place and where and
when 1t will make 1t. If 1t develops
that the decision is to be made by a
board Of directors, the convention man.
ager has one problem. If it is to be
made by the national convention in
session then he has quite another prob
lem. If the board Of directors controls
the situation it Is up to the convention
manager to load himself down with lit
erature, maps and charts showing the
advantages Of his city as a meeting
place for conventions-the sights to be
observed, the facility for entertainment,
number of country clubs, city clubs,
night clubs and day clubs, distance of
main convention hall from the leading
hotels, floor space for exposition pur-
poses. hotel rates and accommodations
in all brackets and a host Of other
things.
Information Is Supplied.
Arriving at the meeting Of the board
he proceeds to make a speech and ex-
plain his maps and chasts and answer
all questions that are PROPOSED. The,