Convention Insider (Conventions.net)

I have been traveling around the state of Colorado for the past week and most of the time has been spent in the high country of places like Vail, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs.  These are normally known here in Colorado as Ski Country USA.  At this time of year however there is no skiing going on when the heat reaches temperatures in the summer of more than 80 degrees.  That may not sound hot but when Denver and Grand Junction on either side of the mountains is in the 100 degree area, the mountains are normally 20 degrees cooler.  This can help you beat the heat when you want to plan an outside event or an event where you can enjoy the out doors.

Vail, Colorado is a relatively new town having only been conceived in 1966 after the ski area opened in 1962.  My grandparents purchased 65 acres f land on the North side of the highway that ran through the valley in the 60′s and I had an opportunity to see the Vail Valley grow into what it has become today, an oasis in the rocky mountains where celebrities come to be seen, where skiers come to learn their craft and where events occur year round for corporate retreats, meetings over every kind and even a trade show or two.

If you are planning a conference in the summer and want to find a way to beat the heat and everyday look and feel of a conference in the big city, try thinking about having your show in the mountains of Colorado.  Vail has everything the big city has, airport access, restaurants, conference centers, and also something the city might not have in the summer, cooler temperatures!

[photo via Wikimedia Commons]

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.