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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>I strongly agree with
what the Secretary wrote below.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Ms. Mattson did
a spectacular job of creating spreadsheets comparing the competing hotels for
2012 and 2014, but needless to say it took her a lot of time to create those spreadsheets.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>I think it would be a
very good idea to use Helms-Briscoe to help us select the 2018 Convention site.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><br>
Scott Lieberman<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>“</span></font>Helms
Briscoe helps scout out options for meeting sites within whatever parameters we
give them. They solicit the bids for us from the hotels. We can
tell them what data we want to know about each property, and they'll collect it
for us.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The committee we appoint
to oversee the process will narrow the field down based on data comparisons,
and Helms Briscoe will further negotiate the offers with the finalists.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Helms Briscoe does not
have any authority to commit us to anything on their own. We have the
final say. In the end, after all the data assembly is done, if we don't
like any of the offers on the table, we can walk away and can do it a different
way if needed.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>During the LNC meeting at which we were going to vote on the 2016 site,
there were two Helms Briscoe agents on site. While we were debating other
business, they were in the hallway on the phones with the finalists leveraging
the offers against each other to get additional last-minute concessions.
At the time of the vote, they came in and told us which items on our
spreadsheets they had improved in the meantime - this one dropped their guest
room rate by $10/night, that one lowered their food/beverage requirement, the
other one is offering new perks, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The LNC is billed nothing
for this service. If we accept one of the contracts Helms Briscoe
negotiated for us, then they get paid by the hotel...kind of like how a realtor
gets paid out of the seller's revenues.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Speaking as a person who
did a lot of work for the 2012 and 2014 site scouting processes, using Helms
Briscoe for 2016 saved me an incredible amount of time so I could do other
projects instead. <br>
<br>
Their people have a lot of experience in event planning and negotiating these
types of contracts. We can have experts on our side even if the LNC
members aren't experts in the subject.<br>
<br>
If circumstances change and something goes sour with the contract after it is
signed, Helms Briscoe agents will step back in to assist us while we navigate
the problem with the hotel.<br>
<br>
I was very pleased with the experience with them last time.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>We should decide early on whether or not to use them for 2018, <u>before</u>
we solicit any formal bids from hotels. If we use them, Helms Briscoe
should submit our RFP, collect the bids, and take the ball from there.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> </span></font>Alicia<font
color=black><span style='color:black'>”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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