--- title: "New Meetings Contracts for a New Era" id: "61526" type: "post" slug: "new-meetings-contracts-for-a-new-era" published_at: "2021-11-10T19:52:13+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:10:03+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/new-meetings-contracts-for-a-new-era/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/new-meetings-contracts-for-a-new-era.md" excerpt: "After associations experienced costly event-cancellation penalties due to the pandemic, many are looking at their meeting contracts differently and incorporating new provisions when possible." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » New Meetings Contracts for a New Era Part of the Deep Dive[Comeback](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/the-return-to-in-person-meetings/) Among the many things the pandemic has taught associations is the importance of contract negotiation. In the midst of 2020’s in-person event cancellations—and the often steep penalties that came along with them—associations have been forced to be savvier about what’s in their contracts with hotels and venues and to more thoughtfully revisit agreements that they may have made before COVID-19. Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum, managing partner of Tenenbaum Law Group, said an association’s leverage will depend on its size and potential to deliver event audiences in the future. But no association should accept a cancellation charge without a discussion, said Eileen Morgan Johnson, CAE, partner at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. “We’ve had a few clients that say, ‘We’ll just pay the penalties and be done with it,’ but we don’t advise that,” she said. “You can say, ‘We would much rather book with you for another year out, whenever the next availability is.’ Some venues are willing to do that.” ### Milestone Provisions Because the state of the pandemic is constantly shifting—cases ebbing one moment, spiking the next, and moving around the United States and globally—associations and venues are building more check-in milestones into their contracts. That gives associations a wider window to make decisions about cancellations or changes without a substantial fee. Venues, in turn, have an opportunity to book rooms that might otherwise be left vacant, as well as a chance to preserve client relationships. “We’ve been telling our [association] clients to build in room-block review provisions,” said Nisha Thakker, counsel at Tenenbaum Law Group. “If your event is four years out, give yourself at least three times to go back to the hotel to either reduce or increase the room block by an aggregate percentage—15 to 20 percent seems to be pretty common. When you do that from the time you sign the contract to 60 days before the event, you’ll have a realistic number of what to expect.” Johnson noted that including agreements to have smaller meetings at a venue—say, a board retreat or a committee meeting—can make negotiations more flexible. [Mark Athitakis](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [An Action Plan for Reconvening in Person](https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/an-action-plan-for-reconvening-in-person/) - [Build an Onsite Health and Safety Strategy](https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/build-an-onsite-health-and-safety-strategy/) - [Four Tactics for Improving the Expo Experience for Exhibitors and Attendees](https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/four-tactics-for-improving-the-expo-experience-for-exhibitors-and-attendees/) - [The New Meetings Mindset: Put the Participant First](https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/the-new-meetings-mindset-put-the-participant-first/) - [4 Lessons Learned From the Return of In-Person Conferences](https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/in-person-conference-return-lessons/) - [Find Your Sweet Spot With Virtual and In-Person Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/2021/11/10/find-your-sweet-spot-with-virtual-and-in-person-meetings/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/the-return-to-in-person-meetings/) ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2Fnew-meetings-contracts-for-a-new-era%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !