The RIMS 2018 Annual Conference & Exhibition hotels offer not only premium amenities, discounted rates and the best networking opportunities, but staying within the RIMS room block will help the Society effectively control exhibition, attrition and penalty fees, all which directly benefit RIMS Exhibitors.
All companies exhibiting at the Conference are required to book housing for their registered representatives though Connections Housing, RIMS’ official housing bureau. Any exhibitor who does not follow these procedures will be subject to a loss of priority points, as per RIMS 2018 Exhibitor Rules & Regulations Contract.
BUYER BEWARE! Connections Housing, Inc. is the only housing company authorized by RIMS to provide housing services to conference participants. Please do not conduct business with any other travel or housing company claiming to represent RIMS. Should you happen to receive communication from any outside company, please forward their contact information to Blanca Ferreris, RIMS Senior Business Events Manager via email bferreris@RIMS.org.
Hotel room assignments are made on a first-come, first-served basis based on availability and are not dependent upon where affiliate event space/suites will be assigned. The online hosted block request process will start on Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 2pm (EDT) and confirmations will be sent via email on October 31, 2017 for those who submit on October 5, 2017. Please note that access to the online portal will not be available until 2pm (EDT), on October 5, 2017. Hosted blocks will be confirmed under the company name until March 12, 2018. Confirmed schedule and instructions on how to request your hosted block will be forwarded via email to the individual listed as the exhibitor booth contact by October 2, 2017.
Please note, requests for Affiliate event space and suites will begin being accepted on October 12th at 2:00 pm EDT. Assignments will be made based on Priority Points.
Until January 29, 2018, the Group requesting the housing block may release up to 10% of the Total Room Nights booked without penalty. Should the actual rooms utilized (i.e., Total Room Nights utilized to include no shows and cancellations) be less than 90% of the Total Room Nights initially reserved, the Group agrees to pay RIMS for the number of Sleeping Rooms not utilized up to 90% of the Total Room Nights booked.
Example: Group contracts 100 room nights, 10% allowance for release
90 room nights - Guaranteed
80 room nights - Actually Utilized
10 room nights - Variance
10 room nights (x) cost of room, inclusive of tax and occupancy charges, is the dollar amount due and payable to RIMS within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the Conference.
Affiliate event policies and guidelines will be accepted electronically when you request your housing block starting Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 2:00pm EDT. Also, we will not assign/confirm room blocks if your company has an outstanding balance due to RIMS.
All block cancellations must be made in writing and sent via email or fax to RIMS Housing, c/o Connections Housing, 950 Scales Road, Bldg. 200, Suwanee, GA 30024; Email: RIMS@connectionshousing.com, or via Fax: 404-601-7442.
The deadline for cancellations up to 10% (as specified above) is January 29, 2018. After this date, you will be held responsible for 90% of the total room nights initially requested.
Any negative variance between actualized and 90% of your rooms requested will be due and payable to RIMS within forty-five (45) days of the conclusion of the conference. In the event the participating company cancels their entire room block, attrition penalties of room and tax per night for 90% of the entire block cancelled will be due and payable to RIMS within forty-five (45) days of the cancellation. This will be strictly enforced.
All exhibitors must be registered for the Conference. Please be advised that we will be conducting an audit of exhibitor room block usage at RIMS 2017. If it is determined that exhibitor rooms were provided to clients, then we will decrease those exhibitors’ room block accordingly for RIMS 2018. In addition, any room blocked for any individual who is not registered as an ECOMP or Exhibitor Personnel will be subject to a $100.00 fee per room night. If you receive an invoice, and you have cancelled the reservations, you will need to provide a cancellation number from Connections Housing or the Hotel.
Early bird registration fees will be in place through February 15, 2018 for attendees and exhibitors are encouraged to order booth badges prior to this date, as all fees will increase after this date.
Rule Violation |
Points Deducted |
Going outside the room block |
-40 |
Badge Swap |
-10 |
Booth Violation |
-10 |
Violation of Mailing List Agreement |
-20 |
Branding Violation |
-40 |
Hosting competing off site events |
ALL POINTS |
Cancelling Advertisements |
-5 |
Please click HERE to access Exhibitor Rules and Regulations.
The Grand Hyatt San Antonio, Hilton Palacio del Rio and San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter are the Key/Hospitality Hotels for RIMS 2018 and will serve as the location of many key RIMS functions and Conference hospitality suites.
RIMS will allow companies to request "Entitlement Rooms" at the Key Hotels for company VIPs, executive staff, etc. These rooms are not complimentary and will be billed to each company at the confirmed conference rate. Rooms entitled at Key Hotels are guaranteed to be available through October 20, 2017. Requests received after this date will be processed based on availability. The total number of entitlement rooms that can be requested will be based on booth size. Please refer to the chart below to determine how many rooms a company is allowed to request. Please note there is no guarantee that all rooms will be accommodated in one hotel, but we will try our best to meet your needs. Suites reserved at key hotels will be counted towards your room block commitment.
Booth Size |
Total Number of Rooms |
|
Booth Size |
Total Number of Rooms |
10 x 10 |
1 |
20 x 40 |
6 |
|
10 x 20 |
2 |
20 x 50 |
7 |
|
10 x 30 |
3 |
20 x 60 |
8 |
|
10 X 40 or 20 x 20 |
4 |
20 x 70 |
9 |
|
20 x 30 |
5 |
20 x 80 |
10 |
Please note: The following hotels require a three (3) night minimum stay: Crockett Hotel, Grand Hyatt San Antonio, Hilton Palacio del Rio, Menger Hotel, San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, and San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk hotels.
Please note, the term “Tier” is not a rating scale for the quality of the hotel. “Tier” is the term used to categorize RIMS hotels by the size of the room block available at each property.
Tier A: |
Tier B: |
|
|
Please note, actual number of rooms assigned will be based on availability at time of booking.
RIMS 2018 Housing opens and electronic acceptance of Hosted Block and Hospitality online submissions |
October 5, 2017 at 2pm (EDT) |
Suite Selection and Affiliate Event Space Request commences |
October 12, 2017 |
Rooms entitled at Headquarter Hotels are guaranteed to be available through |
October 20, 2017 |
Confirmation of Hosted Block and Hospitality assignments received on October 5th will be sent via email |
October 31, 2017 |
Confirmation of Hosted Block assignments received after October 5th will be sent via email |
November 6th and later |
Last Day to reduce room blocks by 10% without penalty |
January 29, 2018 |
Rooming list due to Connections Housing |
February 9, 2018 |
Last date Hosted Block Forms accepted (rooming list must be included) |
March 12, 2018 |
Rooming list changes will be conducted through Connections Housing until |
March 30, 2018 (subject to change) |
Connections Housing staff onsite in convention center |
April 14, 2018 |
Affiliate events at the RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition provide an ideal forum for networking with clients and prospects in a setting that is unique to the host.
Please note, affiliate events on Sunday, April 15th, must end at 5:00pm and/or cannot start until 8:00pm due to RIMS opening reception. No functions are to take place prior to 10:00am on Monday, April 16th due to RIMS General Session and breakfast functions throughout the rest of the week must conclude promptly at 8:30am. Exhibitors found to be in violation of this schedule will be subject to the loss of two seniority points per incident.
At RIMS, the term "affiliate event" encompasses every type of function including a large party for hundreds of guests, a VIP suite for your organization's executives, a small private reception, or an off-site event.
There are many details involved in arranging affiliate events. To request information, or if you have specific questions, please contact Blanca Ferreris, RIMS Senior Business Events Manager at bferreris@RIMS.org.
The RIMS 2018 Affiliate Event Guidelines Form is due upon submission of a hospitality request.
No exhibitor or any affiliate thereof may conduct any meeting or event during show hours that encourages attendees to leave the conference. The offering of any educational programming that competes with RIMS is strictly prohibited and violators will have their functions closed.
RIMS reserves the right to control activities associated with the Conference & Exhibition, including those sponsored by an exhibitor whether inside or outside the convention facilities.
Exhibitors must inform RIMS of any hospitality/business suites, functions, classes, seminars or exhibits being held at venues other than the exhibit floor and must receive express written consent from RIMS for said activities prior to the show. Offsite room hours shall not conflict with posted RIMS exhibit and conference hours. With the sole exception of business/internal meetings, no exhibitor is permitted to schedule or be affiliated with meetings, functions, classes, seminars, exhibits or hospitality events that compete with the RIMS Conference. Exhibitors who are found to be in violation of outside activities, that violate RIMS rules and regulations, will be subject to the loss of priority points.
Affiliate events are allowed one pull-up banner, or a 22 x 28 sign posted at the entrance to an event to help individuals find the activity. Decorations and/or collateral materials are not allowed to be placed in any area of the hotel. One registration desk (6 ft. skirted table) outside the meeting/function room is allowed, if needed. Public spaces, including hallways, hotel/elevator lobbies are not available for company branding. Please note, RIMS neither approves nor authorizes the building of any type of structure outside the meeting room/function area.
In addition, non-compliance with the RIMS Affiliate Event Regulations for two (2) consecutive years will result in the company's future affiliate event requests being assigned last and/or may result in the forfeiture of the company's priority selection for exhibit space.
Non-payment of the fine(s) will result in the forfeiture of hospitality space and exhibit space for the upcoming year.
Thank you for your partnership!
To reserve a function/meeting room or suite at a co-headquarter Hotel, please complete the appropriate Affiliate Event Request Form. All function space/suites will be assigned using RIMS Affiliate Events Assignment Criteria.
Affiliates are required to close their affiliate events and meeting rooms from
This applies to breakfast functions, or other group meetings involving conference attendees. In addition, Affiliates are asked to not conduct any group events during show hours that would encourage attendees away from the exhibition or conference activities. This includes any off-site group events.
We encourage all Affiliates to conclude all hospitality and events by 10:30pm. Please note the following:
RIMS reserves the right to close any suite, meeting room, or public room or decline to make rooms or suites available at future RIMS Conferences, if an organization does not comply with the spirit of these guidelines.
Care of Premises
Exhibitor will be responsible for any damage done to the venue by them, their employees or agents. Material may not
be posted, taped, nailed, screwed or otherwise affixed to walls, doors, woodwork or floors or any horizontal or
vertical surface within the hotel. Stickers, helium balloons and gas tanks are prohibited.
Exhibitors are expected to have clients register for the RIMS 2018 Annual Conference & Exhibition and schedule their meetings in ways to allow maximum participation in the conference.
RIMS will assist exhibitors in achieving their business development goals. The guidelines on group meetings do not apply to meetings coordinated with RIMS and held in the Client Meeting Rooms located in the Exhibit Hall or in convention center rooms open only to registered attendees. These activities need to be coordinated so they achieve your goals without negatively affecting conference sessions. Please email exhibitorservices@RIMS.org, to reserve client meeting rooms or convention center space for such meetings.
Exhibitors are asked to promote their activities in a tasteful and professional manner. Distributing promotional literature outside the confines of your booth (i.e., RIMS hotel rooms, public areas of hotels or the convention center) is not permitted. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Matt Wythe at mwythe@RIMS.org for more information.
Formal invitations are not to use the Society’s official registered logo. Invitations may use the Conference logo or RIMS® 2018. A downloadable version of the Conference logo can be found on the RIMS website, www.RIMS.org/exhibitors.
Each exhibitor must secure Host Liquor Liability (HLL) coverage, endorsed to include RIMS as an additional insured. Such policy will be primary to insurance maintained by RIMS. Upon request, exhibitor agrees to provide RIMS with a certificate of insurance indicating HLL coverage.
For additional information or assistance, please contact Blanca Ferreris, RIMS, Senior Manager, Meetings & Events at bferreris@RIMS.org.
Official Exhibitor Rules & Regulations supersede Affiliate Event Guidelines.
RIMS reserves the right to alter these rules, regulations and guidelines as deemed necessary.