Tips And Tricks For Finding A Conference Hotel

Writen by S Wander

If you have been given the job of finding a conference hotel, you'll know that this can seem to be a daunting task. Whether it's for a sales conference, a seminar you are holding or any other reason, you need to be sure that the your chosen conference hotel is up to the job.

Whenever possible, you should make arranIf you have been given the job of finding a conference hotel, you'll know that this can seem to be a daunting task. Whether it's for a sales conference, a seminar you are holding or any other reason, you need to be sure that the your chosen conference hotel is up to the job.

Whenever possible, you should make arrangements to visit the hotel before choosing it for your conference. Try to schedule several visits in the same day so that you don't spend too much time away from your main job. And don't be afraid to just call in to a hotel if it looks promising - you may have to wait a while to be seen, but it is highly unlikely that a hotel will turn you away if you are looking to run a conference there.

What to Look For in a Conference Hotel

Firstly, make sure that the conference room you are looking at is big enough for the conference you are holding. Your chosen hotel will tell you how many people the conference room will seat. There are several different ways of measuring the number of seats. The most common are:

Theatre style

Dining

Board room

Classroom

Reception

These names should be self explanatory, but if you are not sure then you should double check with your conference hotel before finalizing your booking.

If you need other facilities at your conference, you should check whether your hotel can supply them or if you need to bring your own.

Some of the things you need to check for when you are organizing a conference at a hotel include:

Flip charts and marker pens

Overhead projector

Slide projector

Sound system

Your chosen conference hotel will make a charge for using their conference room. If the conference is only to be held during the day, then there is no need for an overnight stay for your delegates. In this case, you will be charged a 'day rate'. Usually, the day rate will include tea and coffee for breaks and possibly a buffet style lunch. As with everything else, you need to be certain about what is included in the price you are quoted.

If your conference lasts longer than a day, you should negotiate a special deal with your hotel so that delegates can stay overnight, probably at a special reduced conference rate. After all, you will be booking a number of delegates for your conference in the hotel, so you should expect a discount on their normal rates.

Copyright 2005 Smooth Hound

S Wander http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk offers affordable hotel and guest house accommodation throughout the world.

Ceramic And Pottery Defects 3 Defects Generated During Forming Operations

Writen by John T Jones, Ph.D.

Forming methods of ceramics are sometimes classified as wet or dry. Dry forming refers to pressing operations from dry or perhaps damp powders. Wet forming includes slip casting and plastic forming methods. For a review of industrial forming methods see Ceramics: Industrial Processing and Testing by John T. Jones and M. F. Berard, Iowa State University Press.

Dry pressing requires that a shape be dimensionally stable after firing. That will occur if the pressing operations are in control and the firing is specified. If a pressed part is oversize after firing, it can be ground to size, but that is an extra operation usually not included in the costing of the part. If the part is undersize after firing, the part is scrap.

Important factors in pressing are the die size, the particle size distribution of the powder, the binder system, the pressing pressure and pressing cycle. Problems are powder sticking to the die, powder not flowing into the die freely, and incorrect fired shrinkage.

In isostatic pressing an additional problem can occur due to the incompressibility of air. This can sometimes be relieved by flooding the tooling cavity with propane which is compressible and on release will evaporate into the air slowly rather than expand instantly like air expands which can crack the part. In isostatic pressing the part usually must be machined after forming.

Laminations in pressed parts can be caused by the powder not flowing easily during die filling or during pressing. These laminations will not usually heal during firing and must be eliminated in the pressing operations.

Experiments with binders such as paraffin, gums, and starches, etc., must be conducted to determine the correct binder type and amount. Binders with lubricating properties can help.

Sometimes a lubricant or anti-sticking agent is needed to prevent sticking of parts to the die. See the reference for more information including spray drying of powders. Dow Chemical company and others supply a number of aids to pressing.

Plastic forming by machine such as plate rollers and jigger machines usually require the clay to be in the flocculated state. Small amounts of plaster added to the body when in slurry form before filter pressing and extrusion will provide the desired plastic properties.

Cast jiggering is an exception but even then the clay slip is placed on a plaster mold providing what is needed to flocculate the slip as it builds up on the mold before jiggering.

Clay for plastic forming must have the correct moisture content or the dimensions of the dried product before firing will be incorrect. Firing will not improve this situation.

Most other problems occurring during plastic forming can be resolved by keeping the clay flocculated.

Nepheline syenite and alumina tend to deflocculate plastic bodies before forming so it may be essential not to delay forming in these cases only.

Generally, aging of plastic clay improves forming operations especially for bodies with low inherent plasticity such as porcelain bodies.

Slip casting requires that the clay slurry be dispersed. The slip specific gravity and viscosity must be controlled. The particle size distribution is critical and must be controlled by formulation as well as processing. See the referenced text for details of testing and slip control.

Whether from plastic forming or slip casting, leather hard ware must be handled carefully during finishing operations. Clay has a memory and distortions in green ware can reappear during firing.

See the reference for other forming methods and problems.

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine, Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. He calls himself "Taylor Jones, the hack writer." More info: http://www.tjbooks.com Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)