Guidelines for Conference Location

Educational conferences for PBC and other autoimmune liver disease patients, family members, friends and those wanting to learn more about Primary Biliary Cirrhosis.

Every few years the PBCers Organization hosts a PBC conference, either National or Mini-conference. If you would like to submit a city for consideration, please read the following.

What we must consider when choosing a conference location:

1. Price: Is the main factor. Maximum “average” hotel rate of $85 per night. Many hotels charge a higher rate for weekends.
2. Hotel: Must have meeting space available for our friendship and speakers meetings at the same location, or directly across the street. We prefer the same location.
3. Catering & refreshments: Must be available in meeting area.
4. Hotel restaurants: Hotel has at least 2 restaurants or 1 restaurant and snack bar on hotel site. Room service also available.
5. Major Airport: The City must have a major airport, with good access to the city/conference location, or shuttles at a low cost. We try to keep travel time from airport to hotel less than 30 minutes.
6. Activities and Attractions: Outside activities and attractions within walking distance or easy access for PBCers/family members/ friends to enjoy.
7. Security: We try to set our conference in areas that are safe for those PBCers who wish to walk around alone or in small groups. But as most of us know, things can happen in even the safest areas.
8. Good weather: We try to plan our conference during the months of March – June.
9. Transportation: Activities within walking distance or free/low cost shuttles. We don’t want our conference attendees to rent cars or use taxis for majority of travel in conference location.
10. Medical facilities available: Distance of closest hospital & transplant facility.

Submit the following for the city you would like for the next PBC conference:

1. If you would like your city considered for the next conference, please submit the following information. All the information must be included for consideration.
2. Your name, e-mail address and city location.
3. Why you think the PBCers conference should be held in your city and what it offers.
4. Confirmed group rates for at least 2 hotels with meeting space available.
5. Month and days of week the group rate would be available.
6. Name and phone number of contact person who quoted the hotel rates.
7. Hotel and amenities offered: Hotel must be large enough to accommodate our blocking 75-125 rooms.
8. Hotel must offer 1 comp room for each 50 our members reserve. We normally use the comp rooms for speakers to help lower our conference expenses.
9. Hotel must state the PBCers Organization has 30 days “prior” to our conference to cancel the unreserved rooms in our block, without any type of penalty.
10. Meeting space must be large enough to accommodate up to 300 for sit down dinner. Catered meals & refreshments must also be available at the same location.
11. The cost of meeting room space at various hotels range from $300 to $1,500. With the amount of meals and refreshments we order, we do “not” pay for meeting room space.
12. The location must have the following equipment available for our conference to rent through the hotel: LCD screen, slide projector/screen/ VCR & large screen TV, mics, podium, electrical outlets in meeting room.
13. Major airport facilities and airlines available.
14. Shuttle and public transportation available including current cost.
15. Activities and attractions available in your city. Distance from conference hotel/ meeting location.
16. Medical facilities available. Distance of closest hospital and transplant facility.
17. If the hotel has a printed planning package with the above information you can request this be sent to PBCers Organization, 1430 Garden Road, Pearland, TX 77581.

We must have all the above information to consider a city. Please mail the information to the PBCers Organization, 1430 Garden Rd., Pearland, TX 77581. Be sure to include your e-mail address.

Thank you