Contracting in a Post COVID World

Join PCMA Gulf States Chapter for a Virtual Educational Program on Thursday, March 4th and learn about Contracting in a Post COVID World!

When: Thursday, March 4th, 11:30am – 12:45pm CT

Where: Zoom (Meeting access details will be provided upon registration)

Cost: $25 for Members / $35 for Non-members

Continuing Education: This session is worth 1 Clock Hour

Contracting in a Post-COVID World

Prior to 2020, negotiating with hotels and convention centers was a challenge in particular with clauses that affected both the supplier and the planner equally. Now COVID-19 is here, and negotiating has become even more challenging. What is a planner to do? What is a supplier to do?

Agenda:

Panel Discussion: 30 minutes
Q&A: 15 minutes
Open Forum: 15 minutes

At the end of this panel discussion, attendees will:

• Gain a better understanding of what the top 3 most contentious clauses were prior to COVID
• Understand what key force majeure language/principals are
• Gain some insight on the differences in language when drafting a cancellation clause in combination with a force majeure clause
• What are suppliers looking out for in their proposed contracts with planners? Vice versa too.
• Understand what some new clauses are being introduced (new language or specific clauses for both suppliers and planners to consider)

Meet our Speakers

Join Jason Ware, VP Convention Housing Operations & Contracting as he moderates this panel of industry experts:

Barbara Dunn, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Barbara Dunn is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. For nearly three decades, Barbara has focused her practice on representing organizations in the travel, hospitality, exhibition, and meetings industries as well as non-profits and related organizations on a wide variety of legal issues. She is a nationally recognized hospitality industry attorney and a highly sought-after speaker and author on issues affecting the hospitality industry. Barbara is also a member of the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys (AHIA) and a Past President of AHIA.

Andrea Elizondo, CMP, CMM, Events Director
An experienced meeting professional for the Association of Texas Professional Educators with over 15 years of experience, all of these years being spent as an Association Planner. Andrea has planned and executed end to end, board meetings, committee meetings, leadership retreats, and an annual convention. During the pandemic she has had to navigate cancellations, force majeure, going virtual, and how to plan an event with many health and safety restrictions still in place. The last half of 2020 she earned the Virtual Event & Meeting Management Certificate and the Pandemic Meeting & Event Design Certificate. She is a member of the Texas Hill Country Chapter of MPI and TSAE.

Steven M Rudner, Owner, Rudner Law Offices
Meetings and Conventions magazine has recently referred to Steven M. Rudner as one of the most respected meetings-industry attorneys, and Meetings Focus magazine has referred to him as one of the “leading lights of our industry” as well as a top industry innovator. Rudner’s law firm exclusively represents thousands of hotels, resorts and conference centers throughout the world. The firm’s clients include some of the world’s largest hotel companies, prestigious independent properties, management companies, luxury collections, conference centers and others. Rudner is Past-President of the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys (AHIA), and frequently speaks to industry organizations, including MPI, PCMA, HSMAI, RCMA and AH&LA. He is a member of the State Bars of New York, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and the District of Columbia. Rudner’s creative approach to legal issues has twice captured the attention of The Wall Street Journal and has made him one of the most popular speakers on issues of concern to the hospitality industry.

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