Connect Your Meetings » Site Visits

MEET I Palm Springs Convention Center

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:54:43 +0000

Few meeting spots embrace their environments as wholeheartedly as does the Palm Springs Convention Center. From its sweeping roofline and stone pillars to the swaying palms and flowering cacti gracing the main entrance, the convention center leaves no doubt about the beauty of meeting in Southern California’s desert. The center’s practical and productive side delivers its own impact statement: 112,000 square feet of contiguous, carpeted exhibit space; 19 meeting rooms; a 20,000-sq.-ft. ballroom; and an airy lobby and several outdoor function areas (think evening receptions here, thanks to the desert’s typically balmy year-round weather). It’s all a short walk from downtown hotels and framed by a picture-perfect backdrop of Palm Springs’ often snow-capped mountains.

EXPERIENCE I The Scripps Institute of Oceanography

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:50:34 +0000

This cliff-side La Jolla, Calif., landmark, 30 minutes north of downtown San Diego, gives new meaning to the concept of an all-purpose venue. The Birch Aquarium, with its 60-plus tanks of marine life exhibits and indoor/outdoor function space, provides an ideal setting for group tours and luncheons, not to mention pre/post-meeting educational fun for attendees and their families. The entire aquarium facility accommodates up to 1,000 for major events. Scripps Seaside Forum, with its quartet of ocean-facing conference rooms and Samuel H. Scripps Auditorium, works well for tech-based seminars, product launches and elegant receptions, especially at sunset when the waterfront views are spectacular.

STAY I Fairmont San Jose Hotel

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:47:46 +0000

If location alone sated a planner’s hotel needs, then the Fairmont San Jose would prove an ideal fit. Set in the heart of downtown across from Cesar Chavez Plaza, this 805-room meeting property lies within a few blocks of conference facilities at the San Jose Convention Center and San Jose State University; the city’s popular art, technology and childrens museums; and favorite group venues such as the San Jose Repertory; Gordon Biersch Brewery and the Center for the Performing Arts. But this downtown San Jose landmark also comes with much more in mind for groups, including three restaurants, fitness and business centers, 65,000 square feet of meeting space and the chance to get pampered (or arrange someone else’s pampering) at the plush Tova Day Spa.

VISIT I U.S. Air Force Armament Museum

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:28:53 +0000

History buffs and adventurers alike will love perusing Emerald Coast’s U.S. Air Force Armament Museum, one of only three Air Force armament museums in the country. A collection of 25 reconnaissance, fighter and bomber planes, a fighter cockpit simulator, thousands of weapons and war films are part of the museum’s exhibits that span WWII, as well as the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. Located on Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, the museum has free admission for visitors, and the venue is especially popular for special military events.

CONVENE I Tampa, Florida

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:18:02 +0000

Tampa’s convention calendar for 2012 is very full. Chosen to host this year’s Republican National Convention and NCAA Frozen Four, the West Florida city will also host multiple conventions attracting more than 3,000 attendees each throughout the year: Moose International’s Annual Convention, The American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Expo, National Association of Secondary School Principals, and American Physical Therapy Association’s Annual Conference and Exposition. Many of the groups are choosing to utilize the light-filled Tampa Convention Center, with its 200,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall, 36,0000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 36 additional meeting rooms.

COMPETE I Pensacola Sports Facilities

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:10:57 +0000

Ashton Brosnaham Park

Pensacola is a popular place to get active. Moderate temperatures, miles of white-sand beaches and inland parks encourage getting outdoors. A variety of recreational facilities also attract the athletic set whether it’s for tournaments or for teambuilding activities. Planners can take advantage of Ashton Brosnaham Park’s 10 soccer fields and four softball fields, as well as a covered pavilion and picnic area. Escambia County Equestrian Center hosts equestrian events, livestock shows, dog shows and more in its 4,000-capacity arena on a 178-acre site. There are 18 lighted tennis courts available for use at the Roger Scott Tennis Complex, and more than 180 holes of golf on nearly a dozen PGA-rated courses.

MEET I The Resort at MarinaVillage

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:07:38 +0000

In Cape Coral, Fla., planners find more than 25,000 square feet of event space at the Resort at MarinaVillage. The 263-room, all-suite waterfront hotel has two ballrooms and a rooftop terrace for events. The meetings staff creates custom menus and teambuilding events for groups, and can point you to local vendors to arrange transportation and design needs for your meetings. The resort sits on the water at Tarpon Point Marina; a 45-foot catamaran is available to book for private parties.

EXPERIENCE I Lehigh Valley Factory Tours

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:31:30 +0000

In the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, there are a number of factories and sites worth visiting. Headquartered in Nazareth, Pa., five miles from Lehigh Valley, is the world-famous Martin guitars factory, with tours offered Monday through Friday. Attendees can swirl, sniff and sip along the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, home to nine family-owned wineries, any of which can host a special VIP event. If attendees are bringing children, plan a trip to the Crayola Experience in Easton, where they’ll enter a world of discovery as they encounter more than a dozen hands-on activities and learn how Crayola crayons and markers are made. Two other options for off-site trips are the Just Born Candy Company (the brains behind Peeps, Mike and Ike, and Hot Tamales), headquartered in Bethlehem, and the Mack Trucks assembly plant in Allentown.

Q&A: Brian Hodge, Providence Warwick CVB

Jennifer Garrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:21:37 +0000

What do you most recommend meeting attendees do during their time off in Providence?
I would have to highlight our fantastic restaurants. Providence is a great city where it is very easy to entertain over a meal.

What’s your favorite attraction?
The RISD [Rhode Island School of Design] Museum. [It’s] within walking distance to most hotels and is really an unexpected treat. Their collection is extensive and truly world class without being overwhelming.

What do you love most about Providence?
As much as I love spending time in the city, I enjoy that Rhode Island is the Ocean State, [home to] some of the best beaches in New England. It’s just a short drive to the beach from just about everywhere in the state—a trait I especially value on that first warm day of spring.

Brian Hodge is communications and social media manager for the Providence Warwick CVB. Follow PWCVB @ProvidenceRI.

Grapevine celebrates 25 years of honored wines

Laura Smith — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:12:05 +0000

Grape stomping, wine sipping, corndog-eating and Ferris wheel riding are just a few of the activities guests participated in last weekend in Grapevine, Texas, at the 25th annual GrapeFest–A Wine Experience.

GrapeFest, the largest wine festival in the Southwest, began in 1986, and its People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic is the largest, consumer-judged wine competition in the nation. This year’s competition featured 119 wines from 33 Texas wineries. In addition to wine tasting and judging, GrapeFest featured a grape stomping competition, in which the winning team of two pounded out 39.76 ounces of juice to claim the coveted Purple Foot Award.

Attending GrapeFest not only opens visitors’ eyes to new wines, but it introduces Grapevine’s surrounding attractions, shopping and authentic Texas-style restaurants to savor. Grapevine’s newest additions, Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life Aquarium, attract visitors of every age. Legoland combines fun with education about how Legos are built and used. Sea Life features more than 30 displays of marine life, including 11 sharks in the main Ocean Tank. The two attractions are located at Grapevine Mills Mall, which has more than 180 stores and the newly restored Palace Arts Center, which is home to the Grapevine Opry and hosts a number of performing arts groups throughout the year. The city’s a boon to meeting planners even when the festival isn’t in town: There’s more than 800,000 square feet of meeting space at venues including the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, Great Wolf Lodge and other area hotels.

Proceeds from GrapeFest benefit the Grapevine Heritage Foundation’s restoration and program development at Nash Farm, where groups learn about the history of the North Texas settlement, farming technology and more. Multiple venues on the farm can be rented for special events.