College Sports Information Directors of America

2002-03 CoSIDA Site Selection Committee Report September 11, 2003 The 2002-03 CoSIDA Site Selection Committee recommends that the CoSIDA Board of Directors endorse the selection of Tampa, Fla., and the Tampa Marriott Waterside, for the 2008 CoSIDA Convention. Committee Report: The process was started by working with the sites identified by the 2001-02 Site Selection Committee (Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Orlando, Tampa,Washington, D.C.) and any that were put forth by the membership in the form of a proposal (Greensboro, N.C.). During the course of the year, the chair worked closely with John Monaghan of Marriott International, Inc., to determine potential properties for the 2008 CoSIDA Convention. Marriott properties then submitted general proposals to the chair. A standard form was developed to compare the properties and distributed them to the committee. After reviewing the initial information, the committee narrowed the discussion to four properties: 1. Tampa Marriott Waterside 2. Orlando Marriott World Center 3. Boston Marriott Copley Place 4. Washington D.C. Marriott Wardman Park The committee met on Sunday, June 29, at the 2003 CoSIDA Convention in Cleveland. John Monaghan attended as a representative from Marriott. The committee deliberated and decided to identify the Tampa Marriott Waterside and the Orlando Marriott World Center as the top two selections. It was suggested, and agreed upon, that the committee chair would then do a site visit to both properties, negotiate the rates, and report back to the committee. On August 4 the chair flew to Tampa. A meeting with the staff of the Tampa Marriott Waterside was scheduled in the morning of August 5 with the Orlando Marriott World Center staff in the afternoon. Both properties agreed to adjust their proposals to meet CoSIDA’s criteria of comp suites and rooms. After distributing updated proposals to the committee, the committee voted to recommend the Tampa Marriott Waterside for the 2008 CoSIDA Convention.. These are the chair’s recommendations to future committees: 1) Continue to identify major cities in each corridor, focusing on 3-6, to maximize attendance potential. 2) Tap into the expertise of John Monaghan and the representatives of Marriott. 3) Make every effort to limit the process to individual properties, rather than a proposal with two. 4) Continue to make a site visit, especially after the committee has reduced the field to 1-2 properties.