In early 2007, I remember sitting in a bar in Austin, Texas and finding all of my friends on Twitter.  I had less than 100 people I was following then and I could remember seeing in real time what they were doing and what they were reading or watching on television or what bar they were buying drinks at in town.  It was very easy to follow along and it was a real cocktail party at that time.  Fast forward now a few years and my personal Twitter account has more than 11,000 followers and I am trying to follow along myself with more than 8,000 people.  Obviously, I cannot follow along with that many people in the real world of Twitter now but I have a good chance to talking with a few of them during the day.

We here at Conventions.net have been on Twitter for a while now and we are integrating other areas of social media here with our blog too.  I think Facebook is soon to be in the offering of places you can have conversations with us.  I will let you know when we get that up and running.  For now, you can follow along with our tweets at the Conventions.net Twitter page.  We will be updating with you what we are doing, will be sending updates about blog postings, and what new and interesting things we find on the Internet.  We are also working on making sure you know the latest news, and of course, we love chatting with you.  Feel free to follow along with us there and we will talk to you soon…or is it Tweet with you soon?

With the recent crisis occurring in the Gulf of Mexico with the BP oil spill disaster, it is tough to make it through an entire conversation without that becoming a topic of interest to most anyone that is up on the news.  This made me think of what trade shows and conventions think of the spill and what they are doing when someone asks them about their water conservation.  It made me think back to the Tools of the TRADEshow newsletter and a tips and tricks article on how to conserve water.  I tend to keep everything and the newsletter is a great source of info.

The newsletter article mentioned a tip that resonated with me being from Colorado and how we sometimes get into conditions of drought.  We often go into a plan B way of dealing with water conservation here, like lawn watering conservation and landscaping tactics to conserve water.  Businesses also get into the swing with conserving water by doing things a little different.  Is your trade show conserving water?  Here is a tip that I saw in the newsletter that I thought was a simple way to contribute to water conservation.

Serve water at meals only by request, rather than pre-filling hundreds of glasses. Meeting Strategies Worldwide estimates that if you avoid pre-filling water glasses at banquet lunches for 2,200 people for three days, you can save 520 gallons of water!

That sounds like not a lot of water but it can mean a small contribution to the water supply, and if we all did a little something to help conserve water, we would be doing our part for the environment and the event industry!  If you want to get more tips like this from the Conventions.net newsletter, I suggest you go to the Conventions.net site and enter your info in the eNewsletter signup to receive it via email.  It takes only a short time and you can get many tips and articles about how your can make your event or trade show and convention a better experience for all.

As you can see from our last couple of months we have been showcasing many of the convention centers around the country and letting you know their offerings and how they might fit into your convention plan. No matter if you are planning a large event or a smaller conference, we want to be seen as the place to come for information. You can find all of the information on any city or center just by looking at the categories we have here, or perhaps making sure to visit Conventions.net for the latest information on any of our locations we have featured there.

I wanted to get back to some of the nuts and bolts of actually going through the planning of a convention, trade show or conference. I have been busy with a few of my own shows, one in Las Vegas in 2009 at BlogWorld & New Media Expo, followed very quickly by the Social Media Business Summit in Hawaii at the [re]Think Hawaii event, and most recently I have been working on the Modern Media Man Summit in Atlanta which will take place in September, 2010.  It seems I have a few plates in the air and have been doing many jobs over the last couple of years.  I am sure this will continue as I think it is a great way to gain experience doing a number of different jobs in different locations.

This week I am going to start talking about some of the things that go on behind the doors or events.  These are the things that might not be the glamorous things that occur and it might not be the things that we like to showcase as owners of events or conference directors or exhibit booth salespersons.  I have met a number of interesting people along the way and want to talk about a few of those as well so stay tuned while I start my brain dump of all the things that go into what I see as convention planning!

[photo via Retronaut]

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!

Got a small or medium-sized conference?  The Dallas Convention Center can accommodate you, and easily.

Got a huge conference?  The Dallas Convention Center can accommodate you, too, and just as easily.

After all, this is the venue chosen for Super Bowl XLV.

Whatever the size or type of conference/convention/meeting/retreat you are planning, the Dallas Convention Center is the perfect venue.  Almost daily, this venue is host to pretty much any and every kind of gathering you could imagine: shows, plays, music, sports, art, and culture beyond description.  No matter what kind of gathering you have in mind, the Dallas Convention Center can handle it.  This is one of the largest convention centers in the nation.

The Dallas Convention Center has over a million square feet of exhibit space, after all. This includes an arena that seats over nine thousand people, a theater that accommodates almost two thousand people, and nearly a hundred meeting rooms of various types and sizes.

Did I mention that this venue also has the largest column-free exhibit hall in the United States?

There is plenty of easily-accessible parking here, too.  Free parking for the show management team.

The Dallas Convention Center was the first convention center in the world to offer wireless internet services.  It has also been recognized as “The Best-Run Convention Center in America.”

This April, the Dallas Convention Center was awarded the LEEDS EB Silver Certification for its efforts to “be green.”   Interim Director Al Rojas said that The LEED Certification exemplifies our commitment to providing the highest quality space for our customers and employees.  We understand the importance of these efforts which not only lower costs but improve the environment for generations to come.

Contact information for the Dallas Convention Center can be found by clicking HERE.

Dallas Convention Center

650 South Griffin Street

Dallas, TX 75202

(214)939-2700

Take the Dallas Convention Center 3-D Tour!

Not all conferences, conventions, trade shows, corporate retreats, etc, are huge. Some are small-to-medium, and the Spring Mill Inn is the perfect spot for your not-so-huge gathering.

Located right in the middle of southern Indiana’s Spring Mill State Park, the Spring Mill Inn is quite well known for beauty: both its own and its surroundings!  Rustic on the outside and thoroughly modern on the inside, people are sometimes surprised to find every convenience, including high speed internet, at their disposal, for both personal and large group needs.

Contact information for the inn and the park are:
Spring Mill State Park
P.O. Box 68
Mitchell, IN, 47446
812-849-4081
Fax: 812-849-4647
Reservations:
877-LODGES-1
877-563-4371

For your group reservation, call 877 – 977 -7464 and ask for Group Sales.

The Spring Mill Inn is known for many things, all positive, and one of them is the view.  Every one of the group rooms has a spectacular view from windows that cover almost an entire wall.  The Inn is also known for its food; you’ll find none better anywhere you look.

Conferences are always better when the venue is also the hotel, and the Spring Mill Inn is both.  Conferences are also better when there is plenty to do in the evening or during free time.  Nobody is ever bored at Spring Mill State Park.  This is southern Indiana, remember, and the caves are everywhere.  Some caves here can be traveled on foot, but for others, you’ll have to use the boats.

The Pioneer Village isn’t merely a modern-fabricated imitation; each of the cabins, stores, workshops, barns, etc, is an authentic building.  You can walk around the Village for hours, going in and out of the homes, shops, etc, and learning while you gawk.

Need a swim?  The park pool is huge and inviting.  In fact, the entire venue and its surroundings are huge and inviting.  What your attendees will probably remember above everything, though is the Spring Mill itself.

It’s actually still run by spring water – see the big wheel? And I’d bet money, if I had any, that every single one of your conference attendees will go home with a sack of stone-ground cornmeal.  Yes.  They’ll watch it being ground and they’ll watch it being sacked and they’ll watch the man tie off the sacks and they’ll jostle to the front of the line and buy one.  Or two.  It makes the best corn bread they’ll ever taste.

People come to the Spring Mill Inn for all kinds of gathers, small to medium, every day, year-round, but if your conference, convention, trade show, retreat, etc, is in summer, be sure to make your arrangements as early as you can, in order to get exactly what you want.  You might not have heard of this venue today, but I guarantee that you’ll remember its name all the days of your lives.

It’s got everything.  Even blind prehistoric fish in the caves!

I love it when a conference is held in a venue that is both hotel and convention center!  It’s so much handier to have everything in the same area.  When the venue and the hotel are far apart, attendees have to carry their swag and even their luggage around with them, which discourages people from even wanting more swag.  This is not a popular attitude with trade show booth proprieters; they’re counting on people taking their samples and remembering their company’s name by looking at those same samples all year long.  Separate venues for the hotel and conference are just plain inconvenient and annoying.

But, when the venue can accommodate both the conference AND the attendees’ rooms, it’s much more popular!  The swag bag gets full?  We just carry it upstairs and come right back down again.  Spill something on your shirt?  Just excuse yourself and run up to your room and change; you’ll be back at the conference in minutes.

New Hampshire’s New England Center is both hotel and venue, and both facets are nestled right on the campus of the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and a lovely campus it is, too.  When you hold your convention, conference, trade show, retreat, meeting, flea market, etc, at this venue, you’ll bask in the collegiate atmosphere while remaining apart from it; in other words, it’s the best of both worlds!

The New England Center is located at 15 Strafford Avenue, Durham, NH 03824. Phone number is: 1-603-862-2801. The convention center number is: 1-800-909-6931.

Whether your conference is large or small, The New England Center’s 12,00 square feet of adaptable meeting space  can accommodate your program.  The center also has several meeting “specials” at incredible prices.

Hungry?  The New England Convention Center’s Acorns Restaurant can take care of you there.  Located right in the center, you’ll be able to satisfy your hunger with fantastic food and never have to leave the venue!

Concerned about sustainability?  New Hampshire’s New England Convention Center is, too.  In fact, it was one of eleven universities nationwide to receive a top score in the sustainability rating system.

Oh, and after your meetings are over for the day, just look at what the convention center’s locale can offer you!

The Pacific Northwest is a breathtakingly beautiful part of the United States.  In other words, it’s ideal conference locale!

Whether your convention, conference, retreat, trade show, etc. is large or small, the Oregon Convention Center can handle it, and handle it perfectly.  It is, after all, the largest convention center in this area of the country.

The Oregon Convention Center has two ballrooms, both large, and both ideal if you need a large single room for your conference, an actual ballroom for after-conference entertainment, or several small rooms right in the same area, for both ballrooms can be divided into several smaller rooms.

Do you need high speed internet service for your conference?  The Oregon Convention Center is the largest wireless hotspot in Oregon.

You can find a complete list of exhibitor guides HERE.

If sustainability is important to your attendees – as well it should be! – rest assured that the Oregon Convention Center is GREEN.  Silver rating, in fact!

Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97232

ph. 1.800.791.2250 | In Portland: 503.235.7575

Need a hotel room, ATM, grocery store, bank, etc?  You can find all of those right here, all handy to the convention center. The Oregon Convention Center is handy to the airport, too, and has a shuttle for your convenience, as well.

Need some way to maneuver around town from the convention center?  Portland has a magnificent public transit system: the Light Rail.  There are also buses running regularly for your convenience.

All in all, you’ll never find a more beautiful spot to hold your conference, and the Oregon Convention Center is all you could ever ask or hope for in a venue.

This picture does not begin to do justice to the classic “cool” of Bloomington, Indiana’s Monroe County Convention Center.

Located in the heart of downtown Bloomington, Indiana, the conference center is a perfect example of a combination of rennovation, history, and new structure.

What do I mean by history?  The original building was built by none other than Henry Ford!  Model T’s were manufactured here!

The newest part of the convention center is built on the site of the old Bloomington Blarney Stone, long-time symbol of Bloomington “silliness” but still mourned by those who remember it.

Physical address and contact information: 302 S. COLLEGE AVENUE – BLOOMINGTON, IN 47403 – 812.336.3681 – FAX 812.349.2981

Services such as internet, audio-visual equipment, etc, which cost extra at many convention centers are provided free of charge here.  Call this number for more information: 800 -800-0037.  Food services are available, and, get this, FREE PARKING.  How many convention centers have you been to that offer free parking?  Not very many, I betcha.

Bloomington, Indiana is the home of the Indiana Hoosiers, and many alumni groups meet regularly in the convention center.  There are numerous cultural events in Bloomington – many of them free – and, of course, there are the sports.  Indiana University also boasts the world’s most beautiful campus, and it’s true.  The IU campus is cross-crossed with streams, wooden bridges, huge old trees, flower beds, statues, and an atmosphere of olden days that is wonderful to behold and to see.  You can see a genuine dinosaur footprint, and gaze at the latitude/longitude marker near the old Rose Wellhouse.

The Monroe County Convention Center in Bloomington, Indiana, has over 24,000 squre feet of meeting facilities, and can accommodate up to a thousand people.  Free parking, on-site catering and audio-visual services, banquet facilities , large convention rooms and private rooms are all available.

You’ll never hold a convention in a more interesting locality, that’s for sure!

Seeking the perfect location for your function? The Southern Utah Convention Center has everything you could ever want or need for your convention, conference, trade show, corporate retreat, reception, or meeting of any kind.

Located in scenic southern Utah, this conference center offers 47,500 square feet of column-free convention hall, 32,000 square feet in 21 fully functional meeting rooms, 4 small meeting rooms or 9 luxury suites overlooking the exhibition hall, 3 separate pre-function areas, indoor/outdoor areas, full production and staging capability for a wide spectrum of events and entertainment, seating for up to 6,200 at special events or concerts, full-service in-house catering, and an Exhibition Hall concession area.

There is also a myriad of surrounding sights and activities for between and after your attendees’ convention requirements. Among them are majestic golf resorts, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and many others.

The Dixie Center Blog highlights various exhibitions, shows, conferences, conventions, meetings, retreats, trade shows, etc, that have chosen southern Utah for their venue.

The auditorium - 1,710 square feet of potential presentation space – is roomy, comfortable, and completely fitted out with all of the audio-visual or high speed internet needs of your presenters and attendees.

1835 Convention Center Dr
St. George, UT 84790
(435) 628-7003
Toll Free: 800-748-5011

Additional information can be obtained by going to the information request page on the convention center website and following the directions given there.