The National Reunion Bureau – that’s exactly what Armed Forces Reunions (AFR) is – AND SO MUCH MORE!
We have booked military reunions in over 150 cities since 1988. Over that time we have developed long term relationships and partnerships with hotels and industry partners from coast to coast. We know exactly what cities and what hotels in those cities are ‘reunion-friendly’ – and we’ve worked with them for decades. Think of what a city’s Convention or Visitors Bureau (CVB) does – i.e., Visit Norfolk or Visit San Diego. They distribute leads to their members on your behalf and round up proposals from every hotel that has availability. Nothing is truly negotiated and there is no thought about your specific needs when the lead is sent out – that part is left for you. Not to mention the whole process of deciding what city to get proposals from in the first place, a CVB only helps once you have decided where to have your reunion. When you know nothing about a certain city, Convention Bureaus are great. What they cannot do, though, is recommend a certain hotel or tour operator. They are a clearing house for all hotels, vendors, and attractions in their city and will ensure that all receive your lead. Then what?
You will receive lots of proposals, some qualified but most not. Never will you receive proposals like you will if you issue the lead through AFR. Does the hotel allow the group to provide its own alcohol and snacks in the hospitality room? (Suites are too small for any group’s hospitality room.) Can the hotel provide a meeting room for free over multiple days, where your group can provide its own refreshments, alcoholic and otherwise? Are banquet prices negotiated, inclusive of service charge and tax? What are the financial risks to the group? Room attrition, Food & Beverage Minimums? What ballroom is assigned for the banquet (or is one?)? What is the comp room policy (free sleeping rooms for selling X number of rooms)?
Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. acts like a city’s CVB would, but only for military reunions and we do it nationwide. When a group comes to AFR, the options are endless. Groups always think of the city first, what would be a great city to visit for our reunion? The question you should be asking is “where can we get a military-friendly hotel that will give us free meeting space for the entire week where we can bring our own snacks and refreshments into our hospitality room?” Now you are taking a targeting approach that will allow you to only look at places where you know the reunion will be successful. It is a waste of time to get more than a few hotel proposals in ANY city because there aren’t more than a few hotels there that will accommodate your needs. The key to a successful reunion is the hotel and hospitality room, and that’s how AFR approaches site selection. We think of the hotel first. We recommend cities where we know there are hotels that will allow this and much more.
So why not cut to the chase and only receive proposals vetted by the nation’s top military reunion planner? Having dominated a niche market like military reunions for over 30 years, we have been there and done that with hotels in countless cities. We don’t send leads to hotels that have proven time and time again to not be military reunion friendly, we only send leads to the few that appreciate and go out of the way to accommodate what reunions want. We understand your needs and will ensure you receive the best possible deal by 1) using AFR’s own widely accepted AFR Military Reunion Hotel Contract or 2) using pre-negotiated contracts with our longtime hotel partners.
When you contact AFR we will guide you to the most reunion-friendly hotel in whatever city you like – or we’ll recommend cities and trusted hotel partners that we’ve worked with for decades. To a hotel, your reunion is a one-time event. When booked through AFR, your reunion is treated as a repeat client. Please call anytime to discuss the many ways AFR can assist your group and “Get a Professional on Your Side!”
Call or email Charley Dey at 757-625-6401 or charley@afri.com to discuss how AFR can help your group.