UPHS Convention Site Selection Guidelines
The UPHS Board has a convention site selection chairman, currently Hilding Larson. He is charged with working with prospective convention hosts to be sure they can fulfill the needs of the convention. Some of these needs are:
A local group of at least three UPHS members to organize and run the convention.The usual assignments are one person to be the registrar and finance person, one to be in charge of operations including hotel space, meeting rooms, meals, buses or other transportation and the third person to be in charge of clinics, outside tours and guest speakers. These people should have attended a number of UPHS conventions and be familiar with their operation. There are many other positions to be filled by other volunteers once the basic work has been done by these three persons.
A Hotel must be selected that can handle a group of our size with sleeping rooms at a competitive rate, as well as having meeting rooms for contests, clinics and meals for about 200 persons, sometimes all at the same time.
Another consideration is what is there to see or do in the vicinity. Are there tour friendly industries in the area? Is there a tourist railroad or public transportation rail system that can be ridden as an extra fare trip? How about museums and large club model railroad layouts?
In the early years of the UPHS every effort was made to focus conventions on the pre merger UPRR locations. Now that the UPRR has had time to make it’s own history in all these new locations, Convention proposals from all parts of the system are welcomed, as Convention attendees prefer a variety of locations.
We also try to move the convention across the system from year to year. Our preference is to hold the convention between the middle of June and the middle of August.
The procedure to be followed for a site to be considered is for the key members to approach the convention site selection chairman at least two years and preferably three years before the intended date. A complete proposal including possible hotel sites, tentative program and a budget should be prepared for presentation to the board at it’s mid year meeting 18 months before the proposed date. The convention can then be announced at the next convention.
If you would like to host a convention, please contact our convention site selection chairman. Email him at conventions@uphs.org