The historic French Lick Resort and Casino in southern Indiana is one of the most classically beautiful and genuinely unique conference centers in the world!

Its history is fascinating:  John Dillinger had his own suite here at one time.  FDR did, too, and in fact came here regularly to enjoy the Pluto Water Spas!  (Google it; it’s amazing!)

People come here for many reasons: the golf courses, the casinos, and frankly, just to stay in the hotel and gawk.

Gawk at what?  The sights, both in and out of the building.

You’ll find, at the French Lick Resort and Casino, fantastic catering, restaurants, bars, spas, golf, swimming, formal gardens, and  ballrooms, among other things.

Did I say “golf?”  I should have said “PGA Championship!”

Don’t let the vintage look fool you:  your conference/convention/getaway/reception/trade show will have access to the most modern, up-to-date facilities imaginable.

Take a walk around historic French Lick itself.  Pretty much any person you meet will have interesting tales to share about the town’s origins, it’s past (WOW!) and the present, which is a recreation of much of that past.

The hotel is also just a stone’s throw from the historic West Baden Dome, which will be a post in and of itself.

Take the train ride.  Drive down to Patoka Lake.

Your attendees will beg to come back again for next year’s function.

P.S.  Dry-land midwestern French Lick is in Indiana, and Indiana law states that no casino can exist here unless it’s floating on water, hence all the riverboat casinos in the vicinity.  However, the French Lick Resort and Casino got around that law, quite legally.  Come on down and see for yourself.  It’s really awesome.

Check out the tiled floors.

The beautiful Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers is the perfect venue for your conference, convention, trade show, or any other collection of people!

I was there only last year at the huge BlogHer conference, and the meeting rooms were large, lovely, and equipped with comfortable chairs and tables.  Most important of all, in this day and age of technology, each room had plenty of outlets!

This venue also has WiFi throughout – both in the conference and restaurant areas AND in the hotel rooms.

This brings me to another point:  A conference venue is always best when the building is also a hotel!  It’s awkward and expensive if your attendees have to hail a cab to get from their hotel to the conference venue.

The Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers is right in the middle of downtown Chicago: handy to everything!

301 East North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611
Main 312-464-1000 Fax 312-464-9140

Click here for a virtual tour of the Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

The Conference Center at NorthPointe is located just 10 minutes from Columbus, Ohio. Nestled in a village-like setting of Georgian architecture and cobblestone streets, our full service IACC approved meeting center features 40 meeting and breakout rooms, an elegant 6,000 square foot ballroom, 120 hotel rooms, the latest in advanced audiovisual technology and professional conference services, a private conference dining room and an on-site pub. Purpose designed and constructed, The Conference Center at NorthPointe was built based on extensive input from meeting professionals and conforms to the high standards of the International Association of Conference Centers.

Our meeting and breakout rooms will suit your every need from business meetings, to corporate training sessions, to board retreats. NorthPointe Conference Center dining options are as diverse as they are outstanding in taste and presentation. Each of our hotel guest rooms and suites feature pillow-top beds and high speed Internet access. For the active set, guests may enjoy our fitness center, full size gymnasium and outdoor swimming pool, all located on meticulously landscaped grounds overlooking a picturesque two-acre pond.

9243 Columbus Pike
Lewis Center, Oh 43035

TEL: 866.233.9393
FAX: 614.880.4167
Email
Directions

Directly from the Sodexo website:

Pocatello, Idaho is one of the best-kept secrets in the nation.  It’s one of the most beautiful areas anyone could hope for: right in the mountains, but without the hustle and bustle and crowds most college towns seem to have.

It’s a beautiful place to hold a conference, convention, or trade show!

Visitors Bureau
324 S. Main – Suite B
Pocatello, Idaho  83204
1-877-922-7659
1-208-235-7659
Email Us

Click here to request a free meeting planner from the Pocatello Convention and Visitor’s Bureau!

Whether it’s a dinner in a setting away from the hotel, a ceremony requiring a different atmosphere, or a large gathering such as a trade show with space and logistical requirements not met by the hotel convention centers, Pocatello has the facilities to meet your needs.

Just look at all of your convention, conference, and trade show options in Pocatello!

And here are your convention services!

The Greater Richmond Convention Center, located at 403 N. 3rd St, Richmond, VA 23219, is only minutes away from the airport, and right in the heart of downtown.

Event planners, click here for information.

And, from the convention center’s website, here is what it has to say about what you might find at the Greater Richmond Convention Center:

The Greater Richmond Convention Center is Virginia’s largest exposition and meeting facility. The Center brings hundreds of thousands of visitors into the metropolitan area each year.

Whether it’s large or small – simple or multi-faceted, our customer service and attention to detail will ensure that your event will surpass your every expectation.

Today (Friday) through Sunday, in fact, if you go to the Greater Richmond Convention Center, you will find a wine-tasting convention with wine tasting from 65 state wineries, food and cheese sampling, free crystal wine glass, chef demonstrations, and more!

Alaska is one of the most beautiful of all our fifty states.  What better place to hold a conference, convention, or trade show?  And just look at that gorgeous venue!  (picture by Ken Graham)

This lovely convention center is located at 600 W. Seventh Ave., Anchorage, AK, 99501.  Phone: (907)264-2850

The Alaska Big Wildlife website has this to say about the  Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center

The Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center is Anchorage’s newest, state-of-the-art convention facility. When the doors opened in October 2008 Anchorage’s civic and convention capacity was increased by more than 300 percent.

With views of the spectacularly beautiful Chugach mountain range, the convention center and its meeting rooms enhance the cultural experience both indoors and out, as well as provide the functionality that is expected from a premier meeting facility.

Visitors are greeted in the grand lobby by 95-foot ceilings and a 65-foot shimmering, cascading sculpture that depicts birds, mammals and sea creatures of the local region.

The 25,332 square foot ballroom has the capacity for 140 booths, 1,800 banquet seats and 2,867 theatre style. The exhibit hall can accommodate 278 trade show booths, 3,300 banquet seating and 5,000 theatre space. The flexible space expands as needed, providing 10,372 square feet of meeting rooms.

Some fun facts about the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center:

• Idlughet (ee-DLOW-ghut) Exhibit Hall is 50,000 sq. ft. – equivalent to a football field minus the end zones
  
• 1,200 cubic yards of concrete was used to build the Dena’ina Center – the equivalent of a five-foot wide sidewalk from Anchorage to Wasilla (approximately 43 miles)
  
• 2,600 tons of structural steel is included in the Dena’ina Center – the equivalent of 1,200 pick-up trucks
  
• Construction materials used in building the Dena’ina Center include 675 tons of steel rebar, 40,000-square-feet of concrete panels, 20 acres of drywall, 135 miles of wire feeder and branch wire, 80 toilet partitions and 1.25 acres of insulated metal panels
  
• The large-scale size of “Constellation,” the main lobby artwork, required additional sprinkler heads be installed
  
• The Dena’ina Center décor includes $160,000 in plants, most of which are live
  
• $2.7 million in furnishings outfit the Dena’ina Center, including 4,500 banquet chairs
  
• One of the two service elevators is large enough to hold an African elephant; the two public elevators travel at 350-feet per minute
  
• Shimmer Screen Beads cover the upper walls in the ballroom, gently swaying as the air circulates; center executives joked they were installing a “glorified key chain”
  
• The state-of-the-art kitchen includes a flight-type dishwasher that can clean and sanitize up to 15,700 plates per hour; an additional conveyor dishwasher can accommodate up to 8,000 glasses per hour
  
• Two “on demand” kitchen coffee machines are capable of brewing up to 9,576 cups per hour and two “steam-jacket” kettles have a total capacity of 100 gallons of soup or sauce
  
• Refrigeration capacity at the Dena’ina Center will allow for up to 10,000 boxed lunches to be prepared and stored for next day delivery
  
• The kitchen is equipped with two, double-sided, conveyor belt type “dish up” stations. Heated plates move along an assembly line as hot foods are placed on them. A photo-optic activated shut-off system keeps plates from flying off the line.
  
• The outdoor terrace, on the ballroom level, can accommodate 900 guests and has a heated floor for year-round use
  
• Heated sidewalks surround three sides of the Dena’ina Center and along F Street providing comfortable connectivity between the Anchorage Convention Centers
  
• The Dena’ina name Tikahtnu (tee-KAHT-new) means “Big Water River” or “saltwater.” There are less than 50 Dena’ina speakers left. Naming this building the Dena’ina Center honors Anchorage’s first inhabitants. It is hoped that the building’s name will inspire more people to learn the language.
  
• The Dena’ina people, the original inhabitants of the Cook Inlet area, settled in the upper Cook Inlet basin at the end of the last Ice Age (500 – 1000 AD). They believe in leaving minimal imprint on the land.
  The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (ACVB) mission is to attract and serve visitors to the Municipality of Anchorage as a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). ACVB’s marketing functions are funded by one-third of the bed tax collected by lodging associations. One-third goes to the Municipality’s general fund, a contribution established in 1978, and one-third goes to the construction and annual maintenance costs of the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center and the William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center. ACVB receives no state or federal funds. Explore www.Anchorage.net for more information.

Oh, and just check out these facilities!

For more information visit www.anchorageconventioncenters.com

There are many conference/trade show venues that are off the beaten track of large cities, and the Black Bear Inn Conference Center is one of them!  You can follow the Black Bear Inn Conference Center and Suits on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Black Bear Inn Conference Center & Suites ~ 4 Godfrey Drive~ Orono, Maine 04473 ~ (207) 866-7120

From its own website, here is more information and some stats, to help you make up your mind as to where to hold your trade show or convention:

Meeting Rooms and Banquet Facilities

Spacious Conference Rooms – the Black Bear Inn Conference Center & Suites features 7,560 square feet of modern meeting space along with 68 deluxe overnight rooms. Over the past several years the Black Bear Inn has handled hundreds of conferences, receptions, corporate meetings and group tour meals. Meeting planners from the University of Maine regularly use the Black Bear Inn for conferences and meetings.We are one of the state’s ADA approved hotels, and all areas of the hotel are accessible for the physically disabled. The hotel owns or has access to all of the most modern audiovisual equipment that you will need to make your presentation a success.

Whether you are planning a function for 30 or 300 the Black Bear Inn Conference Center & Suites is the perfect location for your next event.
Let us take the worry out of your next meeting.

Please download the Banquet Menu HERE

Conference Services

• Menu planning assistance Audiovisual assistance
• Off-site activity coordination
• Business services including computer access, photocopying and fax services
• Catering assistance
• Spacious Meeting Rooms

Meeting Rooms

Our Pink Room located on our main level has 3,600 square feet of meeting space when completely opened. The Pink Room can accommodate up to 275 people comfortably for a banquet. The room can also be divided into three smaller rooms if necessary. This feature offers great breakout space for corporate meetings and conventions.

Our Blue Room located on our lower level has 3,960 square feet of meeting space and has a built-in dance floor for weddings and social functions.

In addition to the above meeting space the Black Bear Inn also has several rooms that can be used for meetings of 10-12 people.

Meeting Room Layouts

Below are some of our many Amenities …

• Black Bear Café
• Complimentary Wine Reception from 5 pm to 6 pm
  Monday – Thursday
• Complimentary Continental Breakfast
• Free WI-FI throughout the property (Check out our upgraded system)
• Free local newspaper available Monday through Friday
• Meeting and banquet facilities, 7,560 sq ft
• Front desk open 24 hours
• Children under 12 free with adult   
• Elevator
• Guest laundry
• Exercise facility
• Sauna
• Fax and photocopy service
• Safe deposit box
• Ice machines
• Vending machines
• RV or truck parking
• Free parking
• Handicap Accessible

According to Tulsa’s 2 Works for You website, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and several others, are coming to the Tulsa Convention Center:

Sarah Palin is scheduled to come to Tulsa to join Glenn Beck for the “Taking Our Country Back” tour.

The announcement was made Tuesday afternoon at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Palin is scheduled to join Glenn Beck, John Rich and Gretchen Wilson on Saturday, March 13th at Noon at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Tickets start at $45. For more information and updates go to www.takingourcountrybacktour.com

The Tulsa Convention Center is located at

Tulsa Convention Center
100 Civic Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103-3822                                                               

Phone 918 – 894 – 4350
Toll-Free 800 – 678 – 7177
Fax 918 – 894 – 4229

Here is the full Taking Our Country Back announcement, directly from the Tulsa Convention Center website:

John Rich (Big & Rich) and Holden Productions announced the first date of the Taking Our Country Back Tour, Saturday, March 13 at the Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The rally and concert will feature conservative talk radio and television host Glenn Beck, country artists John Rich and Gretchen Wilson performing in concert, best-selling author Dick Morris, a tribute to the armed forces and more. Combining full-scale arena concert performances with patriotic speakers and inspirational messages, the Taking Our Country Back Tour is the rallying event Americans have been waiting for.
“So many Americans are feeling disenfranchised by our government,” said John Rich.  “As voters, we entrusted them with our hopes and dreams and the chance to be good stewards of our money; but we’ve been betrayed.  This is a rally for like-minded Americans who feel we need to take our country back.”
Top rated radio and television host Glenn Beck will speak at the rally, presenting his opinions on bloated government, political disregard for the sacredness of the Constitution, and how ordinary citizens – when united for a cause – can force the government to change.
John Rich will appear with his band playing hits from his work with Big & Rich and his solo career. Gretchen Wilson will also appear in concert with her band performing hits such as Redneck Woman and Here For The Party.
All involved believe the Taking Our Country Back Tour is a non-partisan rally for all Americans:  “The Taking Our Country Back Tour is a unifying event for anyone who feels the government is taking this country in directions the Constitution and the Founding Fathers never intended,” said promoter Tony Holden.  “Doesn’t matter if you voted Republican or a Democrat; we gave these elected officials their jobs and they need to know we can take them away,” added Rich.
Also appearing at the rally, Dick Morris, author of the New York Times best sellers Catastrophe and Outrage.  Morris, a former advisor to President Bill Clinton, predicted the demise of Fannie Mae, the subprime mortgage crisis and Wall Street’s near implosion.  During the Taking Our Country Back Tour he will outline how the President and Congress are conspiring to eliminate individual freedom and prosperity of American citizens.
Tickets for the March 13, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Taking Our Country Back Tour event range from $45 to $125 and are on sale now at Tickets.com or by telephone at 1-866-7BOKCTR.   For more information about the Taking Back Our Country Tour, contact Tony Holden at (918) 299-4120, Brad White at (405) 310-3900, or go to www.takingourcountrybacktour.com.

Guest Post by Peter LoCascio

The old saying “Lead, follow, or get out of the way” resounds dramatically at trade show exhibits more than almost any other business environment when it comes to top management getting positively involved in the daily action of booth duty. There is no better way for management to invigorate, motivate and demonstrate their individual commitment and dedication to fellow employees, prospects and customers then by taking an active role in pulling booth duty at a trade show. Whatever the task, top management should meet the challenges of exhibiting by setting the example in the booth and being available to support every business issue that might develop during the course of the entire trade show.

The appointed “A” team on booth duty should include top management who will dramatically and effectively add to the overall horse power of the exhibit presentation to out distance the competition and provide new prospects and existing customers with a greater sense of security and confidence in doing business with your company. A simple hand shake and agreement between your company President and a new prospect might be all that’s needed to close a new piece of business emanating right there from your trade show exhibit.

The trade show exhibit floor should be viewed by top management as a live proving ground where their leadership, knowledge and corporate culture is on display for all to experience, emulate and support especially , prospects, customers and fellow company team members.

There is also no better business environment than a trade show exhibit for top management to be on the ground with fellow employees learning the finer points of presenting, demonstrating and selling products.

www.tradeshowconsultants.com

I was recently at an event in Hawaii where we were talking to some of the local businesses about social media and about how they can get into blogging, video, podcasting and other areas.  I was curious about the attendees and asked where they were from originally.  The funny thing I found was that most of them traveled to get there from out of state or from a long distance.

The target for that particular conference was the local businesses yet most of them never showed up.  Of the locals that were a part of the conference, I asked why they were not being joined by their other peers or other business owners in the area.  Their response was surprising.  It was not promoted locally.

Many attendees to events are from the local area or at least they should be and should be a target market for any event planner. The local attendees need not spend money on travel, can get to and from the event without a taxi, and has a free place to stay.  These are great benefits for events that are local to your town. I am always amazed when people tell me that they did not hear about the event locally.  That should be your first target market whenever planning an event or a conference.  Go after the close in and low hanging fruit first.

Tags: conventions, conferences, events, planners, meeting planners