Bidding to Host the Tau Beta Pi Annual Convention

Basic Information Summary | Information for preparing bid | Email HelmsBriscoe (hotel locator)

The national Convention of Tau Beta Pi is held annually each October. This meeting serves as the annual meeting for Tau Beta PI. The Convention serves as the supreme legislative and judicial body for the Association. Total cost for this event exceeds $300,000.

It is an honor to be selected as Convention host. The host chapter must expend a great deal of time and energy, through its members, on the work of planning and conducting the meeting; but it need not spend a penny of its own money. Blood, sweat, and tears — but no cash! The Convention is completely self-supporting. This is not to say that donations are unacceptable from host institutions, local industry, and nearby alumni; but they need not be solicited. The host chapter will work with the Director of Communications and Development at Headquarters to coordinate donations.

Decisions as to future Convention sites are made by the Convention itself three years in advance (Const. Art. III, Sec. 2(i)). Cost is a primary factor in site selection. Travel costs vary depending on the distance of the host from the "centroid" of Tau Beta Pi's chapters (which is in Illinois). Campus facilities tend to be lower in cost than a commercial hotel. The Convention has outgrown most campuses and many commercial hotels. Larger hotels or hotels next to convention centers are often required. Chapters wishing to host a Convention are requested to contact Helms-Briscoe which is a major site selection firm. They are familiar with the requirements for hosting a Convention and will locate a suitable facility in your area. If your chapter is interested in becoming a Convention host, you should consider the following factors:

Benefits to the Host Chapter.

Besides providing the utmost in service to Tau Beta Pi, a host chapter advances the interests of its institution and community in a major way. A Convention means that approximately 450 people, most of them outstanding engineering students from 225 colleges, will get a close look at the host school. This is a valuable public-relations opportunity for the institution. And all of the host chapter's members have the unique chance of attending a Tau Beta Pi national Convention.

Responsibilities of the Host Chapter.

The host chapter must have the support and cooperation of its Advisory Board, dean of engineering, and its institution's administrative officials. Even a small chapter, augmented by its fall electees, probably has enough members to get the job done. Two or more chapters working together as joint hosts may provide additional manpower. Your District Directors can provide advice and assistance. A Convention site must have housing, meeting, dining, and transportation facilities for some 430 out-of-town Tau Bates. The largest meal function is the final banquet where the out-of-towners are joined by the host chapter's own members and initiates, local alumni, and guests. The total attendance at this major function can range from 450 to 600. Other Convention meal functions require facilities only for the out-of-town group plus perhaps 25 local people. Meeting room requirements range from full-business-session groups of 400 to small committees and seminar groups. Up to 16 simultaneous small meeting rooms are required. Housing must be available for all out-of-towners; typically, about 220 rooms are required, most of them accommodating two delegates, some for three persons, and a few singles for the handicapped or those with special health problems.

Assistance from the Headquarters.

A comprehensive Convention handbook is given to chapters whose invitations have been accepted. It contains detailed answers to many questions, and it outlines the procedures which have been found desirable through the experiences of previous host chapters. The Convention arrangements chair is the student member of the host chapter who is the chief planner and liaison with Headquarters. He or she will attend, at Tau Beta Pi expense, the Convention immediately preceding the one which his or her chapter will host to observe the details of the national meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer communicate weekly with the host chapter's key people and are always ready to answer questions and give assistance. They visit the host chapter in the spring prior to the Convention and spend two days reviewing facilities and nailing down all logistical details.

Submitting an Invitation.

Chapter invitations for a national Convention should be sent by June 1 to the Secretary-Treasurer who will refer them to the next Convention Site Committee. Invitations should be in the form of a letter and should verify by endorsement the support of the chapter's Advisory Board and school administrators. Additional letters of support may be included along with illustrative material on the facilities planned for our use. Proposals may be accompanied by slides, photographs, and advertising brochures.  In 1999, the Executive Council decided to reimburse the travel and on-site expenses of one alternate delegate of a chapter presenting a formal invitation. Several chapter invitations may be extended, but only one can be chosen for any year. The Site Committee interviews representatives of each inviting chapter and makes its recommendation to the entire Convention. The Convention then votes to select a site. Tau Beta Pi is deeply grateful to all chapters which submit invitations.