This is a new page on our web site. It's purpose is to answer "Frequently Asked Questions" or FAQ's. In an effort to save you and our staff time, we will list these "frequently asked questions" on this page and of course the answers to them.

FAQ #1: When we first contacted your company you sent us an email with names of some former members listed on several Internet sites. The email asked us to tell you the names of those not in our data base so that you could contact them and provide reunion information to them. Why would your company take the time to contact our missing members? What is the cost for this service? If it is free like you say in your email, then what is the catch?

Whenever we are contacted by a Reunion Group, we obviously want to get a good idea of how many members may show up at a reunion. Since we depend on hotel commissions for our income, the more members who show up at the reunion, the higher our commission. We can get a good idea of your groups potential by seeing how many members are listed on several military reunion sites. We can also see what kind of comments these members have made regarding the command. Since we have to look at these sites anyway, it is a simple matter to macro the names and email addresses to a temporary data file and then send out email messages. It doesn't take long, and in most cases there is no expense involved.

We say over and over that your success is our goal, that is regardless of whether or not you utilize our services for your reunion. We generate a simple message on behalf of your membership chairman and send it out to your missing members. The message usually advises them that there is a reunion planned and gives them the email address of the membership chairman so that they can contact him directly for reunion information. Again, it is simply good business. If at some time you decide to use the services of a professional planner, we hope that we are the one you decide to use. Simply put, its a good sales practice to assist you, that's why there is no charge, that's why there is no catch.

We do actually benefit in several ways. First off, it lets your members know that we exist, it becomes free advertising for MRTR. Secondly, if your Association does contract with MRTR, it increases participation in your reunion, which will in turn increase our commission from the hotel. Finally, if your organization decides not to use our services at this time, it may motivate your Association to try our services sometime in the future.

FAQ #2: Someone from your office called and asked me if I wanted you to do a press release for our group. They said there was no charge and that you would send out information on our reunion to a couple hundred newspapers. What am I missing?

You are not missing anything. It's another sales program, and a good one at that. Starting in 2005, Military Reunions to Remember started sending out four press releases to more than nine hundred newspapers nationwide. Groups that we represent pay for this service. For most groups the fee is between $75.00 and $120.00 per press release. Postage alone for nine hundred first class letters is more than $350.00. It's a bargain for most groups. Let's assume for a moment that your group has annual dues of $20.00. If the press release results in you finding 6 new members who join the Association and start to pay dues, then the first year dues of these new members actually pays for the press release. If the press release results in more than six new members, then the Association realizes a net gain from their investment. Assuming these new members continue to pay dues, then each year the Association realizes additional income as a result of the initial investment.

The one thing we ask is that whoever is responsible for tracking members try to determine how many new members found out about the Association as a result of the press release. That way your Association can determine the actual value of their investment.

As I stated earlier, we send out four press releases each year. Each release has space for up to eight reunion groups. Your first press release is actually paid for by the other groups. We usually try to include at least one World War II group without charge. These groups are getting so small that soon they will not be able to negotiate a reunion with any decent hotel. If I have to explain why we do these small World War II groups without charge, then perhaps we should not be doing business.

FAQ #3: We have found some people who want to have us provide all information via email. They simply don't want to give out mailing addresses. Plus, it would cost less to send information using email since we would not have to pay postage. When I talked to your office I was told that it was important to have mailing addresses on all of our members. Why is that necessary?

There are several reasons why we recommend having actual mailing addresses on your members. First, members who can only be contacted by email sometimes use free email addresses such as yahoo, hotmail or excite. These addresses can be changed at anytime so they cannot be counted on as a way to pass information to your members. Next, using email to send out correspondence requires the chairman to send information out in different formats. If you produce a newsletter and commit to sending it our via email, you might need to send it to some in MS Word some in Word Perfect. Others might want it as an Adobe PDF file. It complicates your ability to communicate with your members. Another major problem with only having a members email address is that you have no idea of where the person lives. When it comes to estimating your proposed room block, you would normally assume that local members will commute from home rather than staying at the hotel. Email is a great way to disseminate last minute changes to the reunion itinerary and it is a good way to send out reminders to your group. We feel however that having a valid USPS mailing address is essential to the group chairman. It shows that your members are interested in the group and that they are sincerely considering attending your reunion. Let's face it, email addresses are easy to change. It takes a great deal more effort and expense to change a persons mailing address.

FAQ #4: I looked at some of the groups listed on your site and checked out the forms. It looks like you usually select hotels that are pretty expensive. Why not go to less expensive places like Comfort Inn or Super 8 motels? They would cost less and that way maybe more people could afford to come to the reunion.

The group rate for a quality full service hotel usually runs between $80.00 and $129.00 for most of our groups. There are exceptions, but the majority of our groups try to stay under $100.00 per night. They could consider a Comfort Inn or a Super 8, provided they had a meeting room where members and guests could gather. You might save $20.00 per night by staying at an economy motel instead of staying at a full service convention hotel. For a 4 night event, that means that each person needing a room would save about $80.00. In most cases it also means that we would need to arrange meals at local restaurants since most motels do not have restaurants. People who fly in would need to either rent a car or count on others for transportation. It also means that there would be no group meal functions such as banquet dinners. Economy motels are simply not equipped to host a quality event, and the money you save on the room costs will quickly be eaten up by other expenses. I believe that it is essential to establish and maintain high standards for every military reunion group. The chairman should arrange a quality event that is entertaining for both the crew member and his spouse. The fact is that if 50 guys sit around for 3 or 4 days drinking beer and telling stories while their wives sit alone in their rooms doing nothing, it will be the first and last reunion for the group.

FAQ #5: Attending a reunion is expensive, we all know that. In an effort to save money and still have a good time, we want to bring in our own soft drinks, snacks, beer and mixed drinks. Buying these items from the hotel is simply too expensive. Can we buy them ourselves and bring them into the hospitality room?

Attending a reunion is expensive, we all know that. In an effort to save money and still have a good time, we want to bring in our own soft drinks, snacks, beer and mixed drinks. Buying these items from the hotel is simply too expensive. Can we buy them ourselves and bring them into the hospitality room? First, you are talking about two separate issues here, soft drinks and dry snacks is one topic and alcoholic beverages and hot food is another. First let's talk about soft drinks and dry snacks. On our preliminary site inspection form we always indicate that the group should be able to supply soft drinks and dry snacks on their own if they want to. Some hotels will tell you that it is against the law for you to do so when the room is provided on a complimentary basis. Some will tell you that they will allow the group to provide their own soft drinks and dry snacks provided they pay a daily corkage fee. Others simply say it is against their policy to allow groups to provide any hospitality room refreshments on their own. Most hotels however will allow reunion groups to bring in their own soft drinks and dry snacks.

When it comes to hot food and alcoholic beverages the issue is much more difficult. First, hot food means hot plates, cooking, sanitation issues and health hazzards. I know of no quality hotels that will allow a group to cook in the hospitality room. With alcoholic beverages comes the issue of liability and liquor control laws unique to each location. Federal, State and Local Ordinances vary and each location has to deal with both the legal issue, the hotel's policies and finally the legal liability associated with dispensing alcoholic beverages. For these reasons we recommend that all of our groups purchase hospitality room alcoholic beverages from the hotel. Most groups are content to serve draft beer to their members and guests. For those very small groups, groups of 25 or less total attendees it is usually less expensive to purchase case beer rather than keg beer, although our experience is that most members prefer draft beer over cans.

There are some distinct advantages to purchasing beer from the hotel. It all comes down to economics. When we negotiate this issue we simply let the hotel know that we realize they need to make money. We are usually asking for them to provide free meeting space for the hospitality room. The hotel is in business to make money, they simply need to realize some financial benefit in return for providing the space to the group. A 32 gallon keg of draft beer costs around $50.00. The hotel will charge the group anywhere between $150.00 and $300.00 inclusive. We feel that this is a fair price provided the hotel provides the hospitality room free, provides cups and ice to the group free of charge and provides paper plates, napkins, serving bowls and other consumable items for the group without charge.

Many groups, particularly World War II groups like to have several bottles of hard liquor for mixed drinks during their reunion. We suggest that all hard liquor be kept in an individuals hotel room if the hotel has a problem with having it in the hospitality room. There is one alternative that gets around the alcoholic beverages issue with most hotels. That would be for the group to either pay for the hospitality room or have the hospitality room located in a private suite or parlor that connects to a sleeping room. In this case, the hospitality room would not be accessable to the public, it would be a private room located in the hotel's sleeping area. We oppose because it places the group in the hotel sleeping areas where it may bother other hotel guests.

FAQ #6: We are a Navy group planning to hold our first reunion. On our survey form we stated that we wanted to have our first reunion in Norfolk since that is where the ship was home ported. Your office told me that it was a bad idea and that you would not consider a first reunion in Norfolk. What difference does it make? I would think that Norfolk would be the perfect place for a first reunion.

The reasons you feel that Norfolk would be a great place for a first reunion are the exact same reasons we feel it would not. The drawback with Norfolk or anywhere in the Tidewater area is the fact that many crew members either live here or have good friends or relatives who live in the area. When negotiating a contract with the hotel, we must compute a room block guarantee. We need to exclude those who live close to the hotel since they may elect to go home at night instead of paying for a room. Almost every hotel contract includes an attrition clause for the room night guarantee. This means that if we guarantee 50 rooms per night for 4 nights, then we are promising the hotel that the group will purchase a total of 200 paid nights during the reunion. Assuming the attrition clause is 80 percent, then the group must purchase a total of 160 paid nights in order to avoid penalties. If, at the cut off date the group has made reservations for a total of 150 paid nights, then I could be required to pay for the ten rooms that we did not buy. Of course the risk can be minimized by setting the room block guarantee very low but then prices for meals and meeting space will probably be higher. This is further complicated by the fact that once we fill the room block, the hotel is not required to sell rooms at the group rate. So, if you don't guarantee enough rooms in advance, some of your members could be forced to pay much more than the group rate for their rooms or even worse, not be able to attend the reunion if the hotel runs out of rooms. It's a catch 22 situation. Even worse is the fact that when you try to arrange your next reunion, there is no question that the next hotel will check and see how you did at previous events. Failing to meet room block guarantees almost always means higher rates at subsequent reunions.

FAQ #7: We have an event planned during the reunion that will be free to our members. Transportation and lunch is being provided free by the host of the event. All we really need is an accurate count of participants so that we can plan for the number of seats on the busses and the amount of food that will be necessary. Why should we charge our members if the event is not costing us anything?

Actually I am the one who asked this question. While not a question that has been asked very often, it is one that should be answered here. This topic came up with one of the groups we represent. It concerns a tour that was being planned for the group that was in fact provided without charge to all members and guests since the tour host was providing the transportation, food and beverages during the tour and all other expenses related to the event. Since there were no costs or expenses related to this tour, it was listed as "Free" on the registration forms.

Out of the first 75 registration packages that we have received, there were 9 corrections from attendees who noticed that their receipt didn't show them booked on this free tour. While it was rather simple for them to notify us of the discrepancy, it means that their registration information has to be updated in our data files so that we have an accurate count of participants for this tour. The reason a nominal fee should be assessed to members planning to participate in this tour is because when it was listed as "Free", some people do not realize the importance of checking the block and entering the information. Had the Association assessed a nominal fee for this tour, then members would have realized the necessity of checking the correct block in order to attend this event. The excess monies collected from this tour option could have been used to offset other reunion related expenses. If the chairman was concerned about collecting an excessive amount of money he could have reduced other event prices or perhaps lowered the group registration fees in order to keep the numbers in balance.

Copyright © 2007 MRTR. All rights reserved. Revised: 02/21/07.