Convention Insider (Conventions.net)

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!

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!

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 Indiana Memorial Union Biddle Hotel and Conference Center, located in the heart of Bloomington, Indiana, is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the States, both inside and out.

Situated on the edge of the magnificent Indiana University campus, at 900 E. 7th Street, The Indiana Memorial Union Biddle Hotel and Conference Center is a landmark of vintage elegance and modern sophistication.

Outside, it has the look of a Gothic castle.  Inside, it contains any and every possible room, service, and amenity a visitor could possibly want or need.  Businesses from all over the world choose the Indiana Memorial Union Biddle Hotel and Conference Center as their convention location of choice!

From the building’s website, see for yourself:

When it comes to special events, meetings, or conferences, the numbers say it all. The Union’s Biddle Hotel and Conference Center has nearly 100 years of special event experience, about 50,000 square feet of meeting space, and hosts more than 15,000 functions every year.

Conferences and Meetings

We offer a variety of meeting spaces to suit every need, not to mention an experienced meetings and group services staff to help you along the way.

From Alumni Hall, with its 5,000 square feet, paneled walls, hardwood floors, and raised stage, to the intimate KP Williams room with its seating for 10 at an antique dining room table, you will have more than 20 options from which to choose. We even offer a Commemorative Garden, a piazza-style space featuring limestone walls bordering a beautiful garden filled with annuals, perennials, and mature trees.

All of our settings feature state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment services as well. For more information, contact Meeting and Group Services, (812) 855-8388.

Weddings

The Union is the perfect place to hold a wedding reception. We offer a variety of special services, including beautiful venues, world-class chefs, in-house bakery, pre-event tastings, full bar service, and specialty linens, designed to make your day perfect. Our certified wedding consultant has the expertise to plan many different types of receptions and is well versed in wedding etiquette.

In addition to wedding receptions, we also specialize in bridal luncheons and showers, engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, and farewell brunches.

For more information, contact Weddings and Special Events, (812) 855-8855.

Other Events

Consider the union for your next special event: reunions, banquets, informal gatherings, and more. Our staff will be happy to work with you. For more information, contact Indiana Memorial Meeting and Group Services, (812) 855-8388

From another part of the website comes this extremely useful information: 

Biddle Hotel and Conference Center

In addition to being the meeting place for our students, staff, and faculty, the Union is also an ideal spot for out-of-town guests. Nestled inside the building is the stately and elegant Biddle Hotel and Conference Center. With 189 overnight guest accommodations, we offer comfortably furnished and affordably priced single, double, and king rooms as well as premium rooms, luxury suites, and antique suites with upgraded amenities.

Whether you’re in town to drop off your freshman student, support Hoosier football, or for business, the Biddle Hotel offers amenities to satisfy guests traveling for business or pleasure, including:

• Complimentary on-campus parking
• Wireless Internet access in most rooms
• Fitness facilities
• 100% nonsmoking
• Bloomington Shuttle to Indianapolis International Airport
• Free local phone calls
• In-room movies
• Six on-site eateries and room service
• Bowling, billiards, and game center
• Easy walk to IU Art Museum, IU Auditorium, downtown
Bloomington, and the many amenities of university campus
• No matter where you’re coming from, the staff of the Biddle Hotel
strives to give you a great experience. Make your reservation
today!

For more hotel information:

Toll-free reservations: (800) 209-8145
Main IMU Switchboard: (812) 856-6381

Biddle Hotel and Conference Center
900 E. Seventh St.
Bloomington, IN 47405