The Sheraton Denver West Hotel is not only a beautiful and almost perfect venue for any kind of event imaginable, large or small;  this hotel also has one of the most gorgeous views EVER.

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, the view from my window was breathtaking.

The conference I was attending was three days long and was attended by several hundred people.  However, both rooms used by the conference were large enough for even more; it wasn’t crowded in the least.  All of us could easily fit into each individual room!  The chairs were comfortable and the tables were perfect.

I had only two non perfect items in my memory of this venue:  The Wifi, which was excellent, was NOT free, and the tables in the middle of the room had no access to outlets.  Everything else about this venue was FANTASTIC.

I do love an elegant staircase, and the Sheraton Denver West Hotel did not disappoint.  The elevators were large, roomy, and FAST.

The hotel’s catering service was great, and the several restaurants and pubs within were also good.

The Sheraton Denver West Hotel is located at360 Union Blvd, Lakewood, Colorado 80228.  Phone: (303)987-2000.

Summer is in full swing since Father’s Day!  I knew this since I am a father and my kids keep me abreast of the important stuff.  I enjoyed Father’s Day this year in the comfort of the Rocky Mountains near Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado.  I am not sure why Father’s Day means that my kids are the ones that must have fun, but I think it has to do with the experience.  Mother’s Day seems to cost me lots of money too but that is another post for another time. 

I am noticing that there are many outdoor trade shows that are beginning to pop up.  In fact I passed by an outdoor conference that had lots of tables and booth set up under tents, some of them makeshift lean-to’s outside.  This is a great way to save on a facility cost but it is also a little primitive.  I will be looking forward to attending my own outdoor event that I like to go to here in Colorado which is the Scotch Highland games. I like looking at the games and watching the bands play.

Get outdoors this weekend and enjoy summer.  Don’t be cooped up inside!  Perhaps even BBQ something and enjoy.  That reminds me…I think there is a BBQ conventions coming up soon I need to look into.  Someone has to report on the important things!

Tags: Summer, Conventions, Trade Shows, BBQ, Estes Park, Rocky Mountains, Highland Games

I am writing this from about 35,000 feet as I head back home after being at a conference for the last three days.  The conference itself was held in the hotel where I was actually staying in San Francisco.  I have been to that location before so I knew exactly what to expect when I got there but that is not always the case. I have another event that I will be speaking at this weekend and it is the polar opposite of where I am just leaving. I go from a large metropolitan city like San Francisco, California to a very small town in Southern Colorado called Salida. 

The people I am speaking to are not less important to me but the change in the atmosphere will be very much different. I go from $200 accommodations and dinner that costs $50 a plate to a $50 a night hotel and a $7.99 dinner including the free slice of pie.  I don’t point this all out to make fun of the fact that San Francisco is overpriced or that Salida, Colorado is under priced.  My point is that the people come from a different part of the world and speaking in front of one group will be somewhat different than the other.  The other point is that event planning for each is on opposite sides of the spectrum as well.  San Francisco is planned and dealt with higher prices and more complexities and the event held in Salida is much less complex with fewer things with which to deal.

Knowing your destination is important when planning, when speaking in front of an audience and as a user, an attendee and as a planner.  Get to know where you are headed and remember where you just came from and make note of each. I think I am going to somewhere like paradise soon but that may be discussed soon.  I think I need some sunscreen and a tropical umbrella for my drink as a clue. Where are you headed?  Do you know the culture and what to expect when you get there?

Tags: Salida, Colorado, San Francisco, Travel, Destination, Event Planning

I was just thinking as I sit here working in the Reno Airport, I love the fact that they have free Wifi.  My hometown of Denver also provides this free of charge to travelers. As we begin to get more and more connected via the social web, we seem to need more and more access to the Internet. I can do lots of work while I travel if I had the ability to stay connected.  We are beginning to see this also with our mobile phones.  I can check email, stay connected with friends and family and actually get a few things done while I sit and wait for a plane.  There is a list of airports that provide free Internet services and I keep it in my laptop bag for when I travel.  I’m about to head to Phoenix, then to Denver to get a little bit of sleep and then head to San Francisco for the week.  I wonder if I can stay connected in any of those cities?  Airports, hotels, conventions centers, do you provide a way for people to stay connected?  Perhaps you are a business and provide an allowance for this as a cost of doing business for your employees?  I travel quite a bit and need to be connected,  how do you stay connected while you travel?  If you are like me, we do it any way we can.

I have been trying to put up with the fact that it is like the North Pole here in Denver today and all the world has come to a screeching halt due to the blizzard we are dealing with here. 

It is not a normal storm we are getting but the one that we call the Blizzard of [add year here].  I can remember the 32 or so inches we received in 1982, and the march storm we received in as close to now as 2006, and today we have 2009.  I yearn for a convention that I must attend in Orlando or perhaps Miami, or even Mexico.  Any takers out there?  Feel like meeting me at your venue for a quick interview?  No really you want to?

Tags: Denver, Blizzard, Conventions, Trade Shows, Miami, Orlando

Last weekend we continued to hear how the Pepsi Center here in Denver was handing over the keys to the facility to the Democratic National Committee to begin preparations on the Democratic National Convention scheduled to begin on August 25, 2008. Stories of 160 miles of new cable to be installed, lights, cameras, and other things being added.  This morning the local news is reporting that the committee has announced that the acceptance speech of Barack Obama for the nomination of the democratic ticket for President will be held at Invesco Field at Mile High .  The officials indicate that those that want to attend the acceptance speech will be given special “community credentials” to attend.  As the time gets closer to the event the details will be provided.

Invesco Field is a relatively new stadium replacing the old Mile High Stadium where the Denver Broncos played for many years.  They have many of the latest features that are available to the newest of stadiums.  You can get some information for your event if you want to book a space at the facility including the visitors locker room, and other places in the stadium.  They have weddings, proms and other events held here throughout the year when they are not hosting the sports teams that use the field.  This is turning out to be quite a big deal for the people here in Colorado and the Denver Metro area.  Apparently, Barack Obama really wants to win Colorado as a swing state and is pulling out all of the stops.  To give some equal billing, John McCain is stopping in Denver today as well, but the big news is Obama is looking for some Mile High magic.

I have been following along with the news of what is happening in the Democratic National Convention and a story that is catching a few links is a story by Leslie Wayne of the New York Times. Apparently, the Coors Brewing Company here in the Golden, Colorado has been brewing beer and changing the unsatisfactory stuff and that not fit to sell into ethanol. This ethanol is used in GM cars that operate on E85 fuel. I am not saying that Coors makes bad beer, heck I was brought up on the beer living here in the Denver area. Coors is an icon business here in rockies. Leslie explains more about what will be going on with the beer and how it will be used:

The happy cars getting an injection of beer in their tanks are to be provided by General Motors, designated as the convention’s “Official Vehicle Provider.” G.M., a major sponsor at both conventions, will be showing off its fleet of cars with biofuel capabilities and hybrid technologies to lawmakers often been dubious about Detroit. A fleet of 400 G.M. cars will chauffeur around members of Congress, Democratic officials, state party leaders and other Democratic V.I.P.’s during the four-day extravaganza.

Coors has been a big part of the Denver area and is the title sponsor of the Colorado Rockies field in lower downtown. They are sponsoring the DNC as well. Apparently they are a large contributing sponsor of over $1 Million and are also providing beer for some of the hosted events throughout the 4 day period. I’m looking forward to covering the news that happens here in Denver for the Democratic national Convention. I’ll make sure you can read about the local scene here on Convention Insider.

One of the bigger stories here in the Denver area where I am from is the fact that the Denver Host Committee came up more than $10 Million short of their goals for raising money for the Democratic National Convention which is to be held here in Denver on August 25. The organizers had until June 16 to come up with the funds for the convention and fell quite short. They are talking about some of the events that were scheduled will be cancelled and the government officials here are all scrambling to see how they can figure out how to come up with the funds required.

Many are saying that the drawn out process of determining the Democratic nominee is the cause as their backers are still waiting to see if they will put their money into the pot. Others are saying that the big Clinton money making machine that has provided them with their ability to raise funds is not in the race any longer and therefor withholding funds. One thing is certain, this does not bode well for the Dems as they begin to figure out how to make a big splash here in Denver in about 10 weeks.

My wife is a huge CSI fan.  She records every episode of it so that she can make sure to watch them.  Now that the writer’s strike is over, tonight she got to see a brand new episode.  I’m not sure who is more excited about it being back on, her to watch her show or me to not have to hear about why the writer’s strike stinks.  Naturally, since I love to check out if there is a convention or trade show on a certain topics or industry I had to see what was available for crime scene investigators and where they convene.

A small world that it is, I found it right in my own back yard.  The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is holding a conference at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver on February 16-21, 2009.  The annual meeting is described as:

The Academy’s annual scientific meeting is held in February at which time over 500 scientific papers, breakfast seminars, workshops, and other special events are presented. The AAFS consists of ten sections representing a wide range of forensic specialties, and the annual scientific meeting gathers these professionals who present the most current information, research, and updates in this expanding field.

I guess the time not to commit a crime in Denver will be that week in Denver in February.  Criminals beware.

I am very close to Boulder so I tend to pay attention to what companies in the area are doing and what they are doing as a part of in the business world.  A recent announcement on TSNN.com lead me to find a company here in Boulder that is launching a new event called Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference.  This expo is set to take place in June at the Dallas Convention Center.  The Boulder company that is partnering for the event is New Hope Natural Media.  New Hope is described in their website:

For more than 25 years, New Hope Natural Media has been the leading media resource and information provider for the natural, organic and healthy products industry. Our publications, events and e-business products and services deliver industry information and provide community-building forums that showcase the entire value chain of healthy products from start to finish. We provide integrated marketing solutions that connect you to your next customer…in print, in person, and online.

Obviously, they do a number of Natural Products Conventions as well, with the most recent scheduled March 13-16, 2008 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  With their experience in the natural product industry, the health food convention is a perfect match.  Good luck to the people at New Hope and to the Dallas Convention Center good job getting another very cool event.