I spent most of yesterday out in the beauty of the wild, and some of it was even outdoors and not in the minivan with the kids as we celebrated Father’s Day in Estes Park, Colorado.  I took the shot here as we headed home from a day in the sun and fun.  As we drove along Colorado Highway 7 and at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park and the ever omniscient Long’s Peak I noticed a few conference centers on the route. The highway we were traveling on goes right through the heart of Roosevelt National Park and has breathtaking views.

There are many great locations for corporate retreats and places to get away from the normal grind of convention centers and hotels and regular meeting venues in big cities.  Places like Estes Park, Colorado thrive on summer vacation tourism and the shops and restaurants have their busy season and down time.  They are also finding a way to bring people in to have meetings and corporate retreats.

The Estes Park Conference Center we drove by had a sign out front for a quilting convention and I was not as quick on the draw for getting that picture but you can go to their site and see all they have to offer.  If you have an opportunity to help out a small mountain town like those in and around Estes Park, tell them Jim sent you.  In any case, try to have your next meeting in a place of beauty!

The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is a multipurpose venue so diverse, it would take several pages to describe its capabilities.  With over 220,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 19,000-seat arena, a 3,000 seat concert hall, 74 meeting rooms, 1,000 seat theater, 2 ballrooms, a high tech medical forum center, and 770 guest rooms, there is little this venue CAN’T handle!

Add to all of this ample covered parking and audio-visual facilities complete with distance learning capabilities, what more could  your convention/conference/retreat/trade show/meeting possibly need?

The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is easily accessible, too; it’s only ten minutes from the airport, and its downtown Birmingham location makes it easy to drive to, as well.  The venue is convenient to most of the city’s attractions, and all hotel reservations booked with Hotels Convention Center are guaranteed to be the lowest group rates in the market.

This is an outstanding venue.  Outstanding.  The Exhibition Hall can accommodate over a thousand booths, and electricity, water, telephones, internet, and compressed air are available at 30-foot intervals.  Your trade show will be perfection.

The acoustics in the theater and concert hall are so perfect that little voice magnification is necessary.

The venue adjoins the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, which can accommodate both small and large groups and offers many convenient services including a health club, indoor pool, and video rentals.

The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is located at 2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. North in Birmingham, 35203.

Telephone:  205-458-8400

The Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta is truly unique: approximately 200 acres of facilities capable of expertly hosting your convention, conference, retreat, and trade show, as well as sporting events and pretty much any kind of special event you could imagine. 3.9 million square feet with 1.4 million square feet of prime exhibit space can accommodate anything!  Add to that 12 exhibit halls 106 meeting rooms, and 2 ballrooms, and there is nothing this venue can’t hold!

Besides, the Georgia World Congress Center is complemented by the Georgia Dome (think SPORTS!) and Centennial Olympic Park.  All together, these facilities make the finest venue for anything in the world .

The venue is right in the middle of downtown Atlanta, making it convenient to almost anything and everything you and your attendees might want to visit after hours or during breaks.  Your speakers and exhibitors will have access to the venue’s many amenities, including WiFi.

Oh, and not only is the Georgia World Congress Center the 4th largest convention center in the world; it’s also one of the most popular!

This is a green venue, as well.

The Georgia World Congress Center is also very much into social media; interested potential customers can find it on Twitter and Facebook, as well as Linkedin.

If you are seeking a venue for your conference/convention/retreat/trade show/etc, seek no further than downtown Atlanta, Georgia, and the Georgia World Congress Center!

If you are seeking a convention venue that’s out-of-the-way, yet not lacking in any of the modern resources that conferences require these days, look no further than the rolling hills of Denison, Iowa.

Boulders Conference Center, located on the Majestic Hills Golf Course, can accommodate any size group fro 12 to 500.  This venue can offer your conference state-of-the-art facilities, including wireless internet.

In fact, Boulders Conference Center can provide pretty much any service your conference might need, including a list of caterers who can provide any kind of food service you require.

The location of this venue is central, pretty much equidistant between Omaha, Sioux City, and Des Moines, so your attendees will have no trouble with travel and accessibility.

Your golf-playing attendees will love the fact that this venue is located on a fantastic 18-hold public golf course; their after-hours time will be well-spent, and with no “travel” hassle.  For those who would rather shop, hike, swim, or see historic sites, there is plenty to do in nearby Yellow Smoke Park or any of the walking trails, aquatic centers, restaurants, shops, or historic sites.

Boulders Conference Center can accommodate almost any kind of large or small gather with its multiple meeting rooms of all sizes.  There are many overnight rooms to be found near this venue, as well.

Book your event at Boulders Conference Center now!

The fabulous Gaylord Opryland Resort & C0nvention Center, in Nashville, Tennessee, might be down but it’s far from out!

This spring’s catastrophic floods might put conferences and conventions on a delayed schedule, but officials at the venue are confident that before long, the building will be ready for conferences again.  Waters ten feet above room level are no laughing matter, and several newspapers have predicted that it might be several months before this resort, and others, can reopen.

Most conferences that had reserved space at the venue are taking a “wait-and-see” attitude.  For example, the Romance Writers of America, with a conference scheduled in three months, has officially stated that “RWA is contractually obligated to hold its conference at the Gaylord Opryland over the dates stipulated in the contract.  It is up to Gaylord to notify RWA if it cannot uphold its end of the contract. . . .” Most organizations have been most understanding, and it’s also interesting to note that the Gaylord is such a fine venue, the majority of reserved conferences are taking this same “wait and see” attitude.  Good vibes.  When there is open and honest communication, things will almost always work out fine.

In a grand example of social media at its best, Gaylord officials sent an email to individuals with reservations at the venue that said, in part, that “. . . we are disappointed that we will be unable to welcome you at this time.  We will be refunding deposits and payments for all reservations scheduled for arrival over the next 90 days.  We greatly appreciate your patience and request that you allow several weeks for processing.  We are also working with the organizers of all meetings scheduled to be held at Gaylord Opryland to possibly reschedule the meeting at another of our Gaylord Hotel properties.  Please check with your meeting organizer regarding the status of your meeting. . . .”

Another message sent by Gaylord Opryland to its customers stated that “. . . We are continuing to monitor the flood situation in Nashville, and will assess any hotel damage with the appropriate teams.  When there is new information regarding the hotel’s condition, we will poast the news on our website at http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland/. . . .”

The Gaylord Opryland Resort and Conference Center is not taking any incoming reservations at this time.  The hotel evacuated all of its guests to a shelter and provided them with food, drinks, and bedding.  These guests will have their luggage shipped to them by Gaylord as soon as possible.

In my opinion, this venue is handling this unfortunate situation with great skill, tact, and understanding of the frantic guests and drastically changed plans of conference planners, caterers, vendors, suppliers, and corporations.

There are two conference centers at Louisiana’s Wildwood Resort, so no matter what the size of your convention/trade show/retreat/conference, this venue can accommodate you easily and well.

There are superb facilities here – anything and everything your speakers, organizers, and attendees could possibly need, from food and furniture to wifi and electronics.

This venue is also a hotel, so your attendees can stay on-site.  I think this is always the best way.

At the resort’s W.J. Brown Conference Center, your large conference will be housed in surroundings that look like a grand old country lodge.  Don’t be fooled, however; the amenities are as modern as can be found anywhere in the world.

If you are planning a smaller conference, the Junior Conference Center can accommodate smaller groups of up to 50 attendees: perfect for corporate events or retreats, special occasions, or just simply a smaller convention.

After the day’s meetings and seminars are over, your attendees can take advantage of the fantastic fishing, swimming, golf, or just simply relaxing and taking in the beautiful scenery.

Oh, and if you want your conference to be catered, this venue can offer your attendees a little bit of everything, from a fish fry to an elegant prime rib dinner.

WILDWOOD RESORT
129 WILDWOOD DRIVE
ZWOLLE, LOUISIANA 71486
(800) 341-3668
(800) 450-5103
www.wildwood-resort.com

And, at the end of the day, your attendees will find that their beds are fantastic in every possible way.

Washington D.C.’s Renaissance Hotel, in the heart of downtown and convenient to almost everything in the district, is a very popular venue for conventions, conferences, trade shows, meetings, and retreats. With over 64,000 square feet of meeting space, including 36 meeting rooms and a Grand Ballroom with more than 19,000999 square feet and a seating capacity of 2,500, and all the exhibition space you could possibly need, what else is necessary?

All of the meeting rooms and public areas are wired, as are the guest rooms.

The venue offers complete AV and teleconferencing capabilities, and the hotel furnishes an event services manager, on duty 24 hours.

Computers and printers, copy and fax services are also available at the Renaissance.

Got packages?  This venue can take care of those, too, whether they’re coming in or going out.

The hotel can also furnish your conference people with walkie talkies.

As for location, downtown D.C. is as handy as it gets.  The Renaissance is next door to the Washington Convention Center and only a few blocks from the Metro. The Renaissance also offers complementary use of the vida Fitness Center and aura Spa.

The Renaissance is a Marriott, and you can use your rewards here.

The hotel is smoke-free, and no animals are allowed except for service animals.

Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel
• 999 Ninth Street NW
• Washington, DC 20001 US
• Phone: 1 202 898 9000
• Fax: 1 202 289 0947
• Sales: 1 202 898 9000

If you are seeking a venue that is classic yet technologically up-to-date, and that has plenty of after-hours recreation to offer your attendees, look no further than the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in West Virginia.

Set on over 1,700 acres, Oglebay has kept its vintage natural beauty while not skimping on modern commodities and conveniences its guests and conference attendees need most.  The feature that usually comes first to an attendee’s mind is high speed wireless internet service.

After the convention is over for the day, Oglebay has some of the best golf courses in the nation; the newest course was designed by Arnold Palmer himself.  All courses have fully stocked pro shops, full time pros, and a restaurant.

If you bring your family to the conference, they’ll enjoy the zoo, planetarium, the train rides, the swimming, the tennis, the horses, the fishing, the skiing, the snowboarding (in season), the many hiking trails, the miniature golf, and the various museums.  And so will YOU.

With 15 meeting rooms and over 20,000 square feet of meeting space, Oglebay can offer your conference/convention/meeting/retreat/trade show any kind of facilities it requires.

The conference rooms can be arranged in a variety of ways, including theater or classrooms, to best suit your conference needs.

For assistance in planning your conference, call us at 800-972-1991, 304-243-4060, or contact Scott Schenerlein, Director of Sales & Conference Services, at sschenerlein@oglebay-resort.com

Want a closer look at what Oglebay is like?  Watch the video!

Oglebay is on Facebook. And Twitter.

Frank Lloyd Wright had a vision of a graceful, curving convention center that would link beautiful Lake Monona with the State Capitol Building.  The Monona Terrace Convention Center is that dream come true.

Just look at the 360-degree tour of the venue!

Whether your convention/conference/meeting/retreat is large or small, the Monona Terrace is the ideal venue.  with 250,000 square feet of space, multi-level, curving, and geometric, with spectacular glass vistas accenting everything, your gathering will be in the perfect place here at the Monona Terrace.  It’s not only a fantastic venue; it’s a visual paradise.

The Monona Terrace has anything you could possibly need for your conference, too: easy-access parking, AV services, security, furniture and staging, shipping, wireless internet access, and even a gift shop!

Planning a trade show?  The Monona Terrace has over 37,000 square feet of exhibition space.

This venue is easy to get to, too.  Madison is accessible by air from every major metro area in the country.  Greyhound provides services to downtown Madison, as well.

Monona Terrace Community and Convention
1 John Nolen Drive
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 261-4000?

If you are looking for a convention/conference/retreat venue that is located near a myriad of local wonders for evenings and free time, look no further than the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, Wyoming.  Whether your attendees are golfers, fishermen or outdoor adventurers, historians, sports fans, or just interested in local color, this venue is only a short distance from all of those, and more.

The Parkway can offer your convention a large conference center along with many meeting rooms.  The hotel’s catering service can take good care of a group of any size with cuisine so good, your attendees -and you – will remember it for a long time thereafter.

This venue has, in fact, 20 meeting rooms and over 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting and conference space that can accommodate up to 1,500 people.  You’ll have access to any audio-visual equipment you might need, as well as high speed internet and teleconferencing capabilities.

The Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Center also offers your attendees transportation to and from the airport or group outings.

It’s always best, in my opinion, when the conference venue also houses the hotel and dining room, and the Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Center does all of that, and much, much more.

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