Choosing the Right Venue for Your Meeting or Event… and Why Universities Are Strong Contenders

Choosing the Right Venue for Your Meeting or Event… and Why Universities Are Strong Contenders

by | Dec 9, 2024 | Conferencing on Campus, Industry Insights

Choosing the Right Venue for Your Meeting or Event… and Why Universities Are Strong Contenders

A well-chosen venue sets the stage for a successful event. Here’s a short guide to help you choose the perfect venue – and discover why a university might be just what you’re looking for.

 

Location First, Then Venue

Finding a great venue for your meeting or event begins with selecting the right location. Conveniences like transportation, lodging, and dining enhance the appeal of an event. A venue close to home is great for one-day events and meetings, while a major change of scenery can spark new ideas. Consider the energy you want to cultivate: rural environments feel refreshing and well-suited to deep thought, whereas a bustling city injects energy and innovative spirit.

 

Universities are a one-stop-shop, with amenities like on-site lodging, dining options, and proximity to transportation hubs and local attractions.

An urban campus is great if your attendees are traveling from a significant distance. A more rural university provides outdoor space and a quieter setting to form connections. A suburban spot can serve as the best of both worlds, with fresh air, room to roam, and conveniences close by.

 

Evaluate Capacity, Layout, and Accessibility

Your venue should comfortably accommodate your attendees and planned activities, creating an inclusive environment where all guests feel welcome. Keep in mind that a venue that feels either overcrowded or excessively empty can affect the energy and overall success of your event. A flexible, customizable space provides significant benefits, as you can tailor the layout, decor, and functionality to the specific needs of your meeting or event. Accessibility is also a crucial consideration – every attendee should be able to access the space and fully participate without hassle.

 

Universities are built to hold a plethora of gatherings, from intimate workshops to company-wide presentations.

Auditoriums with tiered seating provide optimal visibility, while multipurpose rooms offer the flexibility to set up various layouts. If your event includes breakout sessions, having space to spread out with efficient traffic flow ensures a seamless experience. University spaces are also ADA compliant by law, mitigating accessibility hurdles for your group. With a wealth of experience hosting diverse events, university event teams can easily adapt campus spaces to suit your objectives.

 

 

Research Services and Amenities

Excellent Customer Service is Non-Negotiable
Your venue should have an experienced, responsive, and supportive team that’s committed to going above and beyond to make your event a success. Read reviews and testimonials from past clients to get a sense of a venue’s reputation. And don’t be afraid to look elsewhere if the partnership doesn’t feel right – a reliable, service-oriented event team can make all the difference.

 

To understand how personal event managers are key to successful events, dive in here.

 

In the lead-up to your conference, venues with adaptable policies, such as accommodating last-minute changes, offering early access for setup, or flexible cancellation and refund terms can help reduce planning stress. And during a busy event day, you’ll be glad to have an on-site coordinator or tech support on hand to address any last-minute issues. Staff may also be able to assist with guest registration and other logistical tasks to provide a seamless experience.

Cover the Essentials and More
Of course you’ll need the essentials: audio-visual equipment, Wi-Fi, and catering services. But choosing a venue with extras like libraries, fitness centers, greenspace, and performance venues can be a huge bonus without incurring extra costs. Additionally, check for registration services, hybrid capabilities, and shuttle services.

 

Universities invest heavily in their facilities, offering a variety and quality that’s hard to beat.

From sporting events to cultural attractions like museums and galleries, there are so many activities on campuses to enhance your attendees’ experience.

Get a Feel for the Ambiance and Style
The venue’s style should reflect the tone of your event. A corporate event may call for a professional space. A celebratory occasion could benefit from somewhere a bit more casual. Sometimes, an unconventional venue hits the spot.

 

Universities offer a distinctive ambiance that combines professionalism with inspiration.

Campuses tend to be:
• Architecturally diverse, offering both historic charm and modern designs
• Surrounded by green spaces, which can be used for outdoor receptions or team-building activities
• A stimulating environment ideal for fostering a collaborative and forward-thinking vibe

 

Here’s a great read about how a university campus adds prestige and flexibility to multi-day meetings.

 

Review Lodging and Dining Options

For multi-day conferences, events, or summer camps, a venue with onsite accommodations and dining makes for an efficient, seamless experience. It eliminates commuting time and fosters focus and engagement by keeping guests immersed in the event without logistical distractions.

 

Universities are especially suited for multi-day summer conferences and events.

They can transform residence halls into suites, offer a variety of dining options, and may have on-campus hotels for added convenience. Having on-site amenities also creates opportunities for informal networking and relationship-building, as attendees can easily gather for meals or relax in shared spaces.

 

 

A Final Word of Advice

Selecting the right venue is a blend of planning, research, and a bit of intuition. By finding a venue that aligns with your event’s goals and prioritizes attendee comfort, you can create a memorable, enriching experience. Universities offer a unique combination of affordability, flexibility, and inspiration, making them a standout choice for meetings and events.

Remember, the right venue doesn’t just host your event – it elevates it.

Want to learn more? Check out Clayton Conference Center or contact a member of our Conference Services team.

How Personal Event Managers Are Key to Successful Events

How Personal Event Managers Are Key to Successful Events

by | Sep 11, 2023 | Conferencing on Campus, Industry Insights

How Personal Event Managers Are Key to Successful Events

When it comes to planning an event, it can be hard to know what you need. There are so many decisions to be made: the venue, the food, the programming, and about a thousand other things. But the decision to hire an event manager – invaluable.

University of Delaware’s Conference Services Event Management team has many years of experience in the hospitality sector, and a whole lot of insight into how personal event managers are crucial to a successful event. Our event managers discussed how they help and shared their expertise.

 

Knowing the Ins and Outs

“What is the most important thing clients are looking for out of their event?” asked Director of Conference Services Polly Weir. Across the board, the answer was service. Event managers ensure that, as the client, you’re getting high-quality service specifically tailored to your event. They see different kinds of events every day and know all the little details that might get forgotten about otherwise, Andy Bradford said. They’ll think of needs and issues that the client may not realize or even know exist, Christy Boylan added. For example, does trash pickup need to be arranged? For outside events, will there be bathrooms nearby or will portable toilets be needed? This is where it pays to have someone intimately familiar with the venue to be able to take care of all the little things and take the mental burden off you. Plus, as Lea Asti pointed out, on the day of, you’ll be free to participate in and enjoy your event.

 

“Event managers can offer clients an “elevated guest experience.” The customer service they provide is critical to what guests see, but also to what they don’t see.” – Leona Bankoski

 

Another challenge in hosting conferences and events right now is hybrid capabilities. Clients and attendees expect a hybrid option to be available, but don’t necessarily know what that would look like in the context of their event. Managers can help with that too. “Whether it’s allowing virtual participants or bringing in virtual speakers or presenters,” Boylan said, “it has given them the ability to expand their reach and expand the people that they are able to bring into their events.”

Weir and Asti remembered a Toys for Tots event many years ago where a senator was supposed to speak, but ended up being unable to attend. He ended up calling in and they held a microphone up to the telephone while he gave his remarks. Technology has come a long way since then, but successfully incorporating hybrid tech into an event is a lot more complicated than just throwing a Zoom video up on a projector screen. “You can fix a food problem in a hot minute, but it’s more difficult to fix some of the AV surprises that pop up [day of],” Asti said.

 

Things to Consider

Event managers can “make magic happen,” as Weir put it, but they do need some critical information from clients in order to do so. Here are some things to think about before meeting with an event manager:

 

What is your budget? What are your expectations for the event?
A good manager will be able to help balance your expectations and your budget to ensure you have a good experience that’s within your price range.

What is your overall goal with the event?
Are you trying to showcase a new product? Get together for job training? Have a celebration? Knowing this will help the manager steer the direction of the planning, Bradford said.

Will you be using any technology during the event? Do you want the event to be hybrid, and if so, what does that look like to you?
Depending on your needs, the manager can get AV tech experts involved in the planning process to help make sure everything goes smoothly.

What aesthetic or atmosphere do you want the event to have?
For example, if you want to lighten up a potentially stuffy event, you can incorporate any number of creative activities. If the manager knows the vibe you’re looking for, they can incorporate elements that help bring that atmosphere to the event.

 

Service is Key

There are a lot of decisions to be made when planning, and event managers are there to help keep the focus on what’s most important for the overall success of the event. Leona Bankoski said that, at the end of the day, most clients are looking for “an elevated guest experience.” Event managers plan in advance, but also think quickly on their feet to handle incidents that arise the day of. The customer service they provide is critical to what guests see, but also to what they don’t see, Bankoski said. “Nine out of ten times, the service we’re able to provide the client is what shines through to them.”

Ready for an elevated guest experience? Contact one of our Event Managers today.

Rebuilding Client Relationships Stronger Than Ever

Rebuilding Client Relationships Stronger Than Ever

by | Nov 2, 2022 | Industry Insights

Rebuilding Client Relationships Stronger Than Ever

It’s no secret that the pandemic reshaped the way we work. Now, in a world that’s both “post-pandemic” and increasingly remote, how can meeting planners foster strong, lasting relationships with clients?

As businesses navigate the post-pandemic landscape, rebuilding strong client relationships has never been more important. While remote work remains a preference for many, there is a growing eagerness to reconnect through in-person events and conferences. This makes trust and collaboration between meeting planners and their clients essential for creating successful, seamless events in this evolving environment.

 

What is Relationship Selling?

Indeed defines relationship selling as “a technique that prioritizes building a connection with customers and buyers to close sales.” Every sales professional has likely heard the term before. But what exactly does this mean at a moment when businesses are only beginning to return to face-to-face interaction? For sales professionals, it means working even harder to form substantial relationships with our current and future clients. In February of 2021, Yellowfin predicted that “every organization will be investing a lot more in selling and your cost of sales will dramatically increase over the next 18 months.” At University of Delaware Conference Services, we believe now is the time to rebuild client relationships that were interrupted during the pandemic and nurture repeat business.

 

Re-Imagining Classic Marketing Techniques

Handwritten thank you notes, business lunches, cold call outings – these marketing tactics may sound old-fashioned, but they are invaluable for creating relationships with clients. “Retro-selling,” as our Director of Conference Services Polly Weir likes to call it, is all about adapting classic sales techniques to the modern world.

Cold calls

With the security and restrictions in modern office buildings, Weir says a traditional cold call outing – going into an office building, taking the elevator to the top floor, and working your way down – isn’t realistic. But setting up in the lobby or outside (during warm weather) can be just as much of a hit. Get in touch with office building managers in the area for permission to put a table in the lobby or out front, bring coffee or ice cream or branded tchotchkes, and of course information to give out about your business. After a few hours of chatting and gathering business cards, head back to the office with a host of potential new clients.

 

Thank you notes

Nothing shows appreciation quite like a handwritten thank you note. Whether a physical card or a personalized email, thank you notes open the door to further communication with clients. Cathy Matthews, our Sales and Summer Housing Manager, suggests reaching out and giving one piece of information about your services at a time to keep the communication chain going.

 

“Our prospective clients, our [current] clients, everybody likes to feel as though they’re valued.” – Cathy Matthews

 

Lunch and Learns

We invite current and prospective clients onto campus for Lunch and Learns, where we host a luncheon to put faces to names and show people how they can host events with us. We talk about what we do here at Conference Services and give our clients a chance to meet the whole team. Matthews says knowing who will be taking care of them and their event creates an important connection. Inviting people in for an informational lunch is a great way to bring client relationships from surface level to personal.

 

Comfort, Trust, and Reconnection

After multiple years of remote interaction, comfort and trust are key to strong client relationships in the event and conference space. When it comes to communication “it is important to be proactive, because it demonstrates dedication in the relationship and in the client’s interests,” EY advises. “This proactivity is closely related to transparency: being transparent on any change that could impact your client or your quality is also a must-have to build trust between each other.” Client anxieties, particularly about the threat COVID-19 could pose to their event, call for heightened trust.

Sometimes, UD may not be the best place for our client’s event, whether it be due to size restrictions or something else. Recognizing that and suggesting other possible venues may sound like giving away business, but actually it demonstrates transparency and a dedication to the client’s needs. While it may not be a fit this time around, a client will remember your helpful honesty and might reconnect with you when they have a better-matched event.

 

“Listening is a superpower.” – Polly Weir

 

“We also want to emphasize meeting clients where they’re comfortable,” says Matthews. For example, while we would love to bring potential clients in for a tour of our event spaces, not everyone is comfortable with that, or may be working remotely and unable to come in. But using Zoom and a tablet or smartphone, we can give them a live virtual tour of the space. Instead of shying away from technology because it’s not as good as in-person interaction, get creative with tech to enhance relationships in a way that works for everyone.

 

Word of Mouth

The importance of word of mouth cannot be overstated. “We can spend all the money in the world on marketing,” says Weir, “yet word of mouth always comes out being number one in terms of the most successful technique to use.” On the contact form on our website, we ask: “How did you hear about us?” Respondents choose word of mouth a large percentage of the time, and frequently provide the name of the person who recommended us to them. Simply adding in this quick question helps focus marketing methods, and also assists in building a relationship with the new customer; we now have a connection in common.

Relationship building and word of mouth go hand in hand. “The more relationship building we do, the more word of mouth we gather – it’s like putting it in the bank,” says Weir.

 

Our Best Advice

We’ll leave you with two pieces of conference services wisdom from Weir: “be earnest in your communications” and “listening is a superpower.” Listening earnestly to the client’s needs is the top priority for cultivating strong relationships. Repeat clients and loyal customers are the backbone of a successful business. 90% of UD Conference Services clients return after their first event with us. A return rate like that would not be possible without an emphasis on building robust client relationships.

Planning a meeting or event? We’re ready to listen. Contact a member of our Conference Services team today.

Incorporating Wellness Into Your Meetings Helps Attendees Thrive

Incorporating Wellness Into Your Meetings Helps Attendees Thrive

by | Mar 2, 2022 | Beach Retreats, Meeting Trends

Incorporating Wellness Into Your Meetings Helps Attendees Thrive

Wellness has been growing in the meeting and event space. Why? Events for planners and attendees can be stressful.

Wellness isn’t just about fitness: it’s much more. Wellness is the “act of practicing healthy habits to attain better physical and mental health outcomes.” So, instead of your attendees just surviving day-long meetings and events, you can help them thrive.

 

Promoting wellness tells your attendees that you care about their well-being.

 

To help you understand just how to integrate wellness into your next meeting or event, we’ve curated a list of wellness activities and strategies that will meet the needs of your attendees all day long.

 

Include Meditation or Yoga

Engagement can begin to suffer during a straight day full of programming. Incorporating wellness breaks can help keep your attendees from becoming overwhelmed with information. Meditation and yoga are familiar holistic approaches that can help your attendees reduce stress and anxiety, re-center themselves, refocus their attention, and recharge their brains.

 

Meditate between meetings

According to mindfulness coach Brad Reed, “Actively relaxing between meetings using practices such as meditation, reduces the build-up of stress by lowering beta-brainwave activity. This has been previously shown to improve creativity, happiness, performance, communications, empathy, and productivity!”

A great place to begin a habit of meditating is at the start or end of a meeting (or both!) by having employees breathe or relax for 5 minutes (try this). In addition, it’s easy to have quiet rooms supplied with cushions – giving guests an opportunity to meditate during longer breaks.

 

Did you know, research shows that increased practice of mindfulness meditation or exercise may protect against the common cold and flu?

 

Yoga and stretching sessions

Yoga focuses on strength, flexibility, breathing, and relaxation. After a single session participants experience benefits like lower blood pressure and improved mood – a nice benefit to offer to your event participants.

Yoga can come in many forms – from chair yoga to office yoga to sessions on the mat.

  • Chair yoga is a great option when attendees are stuck in a tight room for a long time and without much space to move around. Here are five poses to get you started.
  • Office yoga is a blend of both chair and standing poses you can do in a single spot using the chair for support if needed. This set of 8 poses can easily be incorporated into a meeting to help relax and refresh guests.
  • 30-minute yoga sessions available throughout a multi-day conference or event can be transformative. This may seem like a big undertaking, but in actuality, it’s a gesture that offers a lot while requiring little effort and equipment. Teaming up with a yoga instructor or studio will make the process run smoothly.

 

Try Tapping

Tapping (aka Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT) has been used effectively with individuals experiencing burnout, stress, and anxiety, by helping to restore the body’s energy and bring it into balance. Tapping is a five-step technique that uses a specific pattern of gently tapping on the nine meridian points while focusing on the stress you want to address. It’s easy to learn and can be done anywhere, anytime. A certified therapist can guide attendees through tapping sessions that can last from 2-10 minutes.

 

Designate Quiet Spaces

To address mindfulness in a creative way, consider designating a few meeting rooms as ‘quiet spaces,’ allowing attendees to utilize them for a break from events. Activities such as reading, coloring books, modeling clay or knitting, can be supplied or guests can bring their own.

 

Take a Walk

Walking has been hailed as the ultimate exercise as it naturally uses the entire body. Plus it releases endorphins which produce a general feeling of well-being! You can help re-energize your attendees, improve their cognitive performance, mood, and increase their blood flow, by simply integrating walking into your event.

If attendees have to move between locations, encourage walking instead of shuttling. On a scenic university campus, a quick self-guided walking tour past historic buildings or through greenways might take a few extra minutes, but the benefits last for hours.

 

Take the Break Outside

Plan an outdoor breakout session – it might be just the ticket to relax, inspire, and awaken attendees. Choosing venues with quick access to green spaces is a great way to change up the scenery while enjoying the fresh air and sun, which tends to improve mood and encourage more attendee participation.

 

According to the Global Wellness Trends Report, “People are seeking ways to embrace wellness, and new models of thoughtfully choreographed events with wellness could be just the ‘nudge’ they need,” states the report. It describes this trend of putting “wellness at the core” of events as a way to reinforce “the importance of what is now top of mind everywhere — health, safety, strengthening immunity and employing protocols and technologies that can mitigate risk.
– Northstar Meetings Group

 

Rethink Seating

The effects of long periods of sitting have become a hot topic, and more often than not it’s just hard to avoid. From floor cushions to ball chairs, people are finding ways to sit dynamically while also improving their posture. If you know attendees are in for a long event, how can you provide dynamic sitting options? Consider what one summit did: They were asked to think creatively about social distancing for a large gathering. “We didn’t want a ballroom that had a lot of empty space and felt weird,” says Nancy Davis, chief creative officer and executive director of the Global Wellness Institute. “But when it’s set up to look like a high-end fitness facility [with recumbent bikes or stability balls instead of chairs], that space looks like a natural distance.”

 

Add Screen-Free Zones

There’s no denying it, screens can be a distraction. According to researcher Andrew Ward and a study done at the University of Texas at Austin, “The mere presence of [a] smartphone was enough to reduce cognitive capacity.” To help attendees live more in the moment and increase retention rates, promote screen-free zones, screen-free breakout sessions and networking events.

 

Offer Chair Massage

Massage can increase productivity and morale and decrease stress. Just 15-minutes of chair massage to the neck, back, arms and hands has been scientifically proven to improve circulation, fight stress and anxiety, restore energy levels, and help keep the body injury-free.

 

Just Breathe!

Did you know that just the way we breathe can have profound effects on our mental and physical health? It may even help strengthen our immune systems.

Bonus! Bringing breathwork to large audiences costs very little. A good practitioner can guide attendees in proper techniques beginning with breath awareness, breathing skills, and applying breathwork to everyday life.

 

Making Wellness a Priority

Science shows us that most of these wellness strategies can combat the stress and fatigue that can result in a long day of back-to-back meetings, workshops, seminars, and multi-day conferences. Our Conference Services Team can help you incorporate any of these wellness activities into your next meeting or event so you can help invigorate your attendees and perhaps introduce them to beneficial habits that they can use well into the future.

Ready to take the next step? Check out The Virden Retreat Center, our secluded coastal venue that’s a perfect match for meetings and wellness.

A University Campus Adds Prestige and Flexibility to Multi-Day Meetings

A University Campus Adds Prestige and Flexibility to Multi-Day Meetings

by | Sep 29, 2021 | Conferencing on Campus, Meeting Trends

A University Campus Adds Prestige and Flexibility to Multi-Day Meetings

Universities are an untapped resource that many planners tend to overlook when searching for a venue.

Something that differentiates a University environment from traditional conference and event locations is that it offers a variety of venues together in a central location. Universities invest heavily in their amenities – a must to attract and retain students. For corporate clients, this means you can feel confident your guests will have everything they need for a seamless multi-day event while experiencing top-notch facilities amidst inspiring campus surroundings.

With endless options at planners’ fingertips, here’s why conferencing on campus is advantageous – and why the University of Delaware is a good fit.

Prestige

Universities are seats of world-class learning, research, and innovation. Great minds pass through their halls. Simply put, there’s an air of knowledge that often appeals to planners looking to increase interaction and audience engagement, boost creativity, and deepen dialogue between attendees.

Diverse Meeting Spaces

Academic venues are used to pivoting comfortably to handle different-sized gatherings. They can flex accordingly – whether a conference or event is for 50 or 1,500 people. A recent study from IACC states that one of the top meeting venue elements that will be MORE important in the future is the flexibility of meeting spaces. And, the top two desirable components of the “Dream Meeting Room” are ‘open’ and ‘flexible.’

Adaptable meeting spaces at UD include:

  • State-of-the-art conference rooms, auditoriums, lecture halls, and atriums.
  • Large open meeting spaces with repositionable, lounge-style furnishings.
  • Breakout/Gathering areas abundant with natural light.
  • Banquet rooms that can be transformed into almost anything.
  • Indoor/Outdoor event options.

State-of-the-Art Technology

For planners and guests, state-of-the-art technology is expected. Used to catering to tech-savvy students, universities can provide the latest tech solutions including outstanding AV equipment, video conferencing and streaming capabilities, and IT support available to avoid any glitches.

Flexibility

Keeping lines of communication open during the entire planning process is critical to meeting realistic expectations. Our event planners always have our clients’ best interests in mind and our historic reputation for being flexible positions us as a service that understands the nuances of the current meeting and event climate. We’re able to pivot quickly if guidelines change and strive hard to reach a mutually respectful contract.

For another take on non-traditional meeting venues, you may enjoy this short read.

 

Expertise

With the plethora of amenities available on an academic campus, we understand how quickly your options can become overwhelming. Rest assured you’re in good hands. Our conference services team has more than 30 years in the hospitality industry. We will plan your meeting or event with you every step of the way – strategically taking advantage of what works best for your needs.

Superb Catering

Universities typically have to cater to a variety of dietary needs. Therefore, menus feature multiple options including vegetarian and vegan as well as the ability to accommodate a custom menu request. At UD, we offer intriguing limited-time seasonal menus like Global Street-Eats, Winter Garden, and Wood and Stone. Planners can also choose from an array of dining styles for their guests – plated meals, themed buffets, receptions, food stations, and contact-free boxed breakfasts, lunches, salads, and snacks.

Accommodations

Universities can provide accommodations to suit all budgets and needs. UD’s Conference Services offers quite the array:

  • Residence Hall Suites are ideal when hosting large summer groups.
  • Hotel rooms are available year-round at our very own full-service Courtyard Marriott.
  • Private entrance guest rooms with screened porches and private baths in a casual lodge-style environment are coveted at our coastal campus.

Access to Recreational Activities

Conference guests often have access to exceptional university resources ranging from libraries to theaters, galleries with impressive collections, and museums with rotating exhibits. In addition, they frequently enjoy our culturally rich campus grounds, natural settings for moments of solitude, outdoor recreational areas, fitness facilities, and sports complexes.

 

CONFERENCING ON OUR CAMPUSES

 

Clayton Conference Center: Space…and Plenty Of It

Besides adhering to the fluctuating social distancing guidelines, people now feel more comfortable when there’s ample space. The flagship Clayton Conference Center is Delaware’s largest conference center and is gaining a new appreciation for its massive open lobby surrounded by classrooms, a ballroom, and a theater-style auditorium. Accommodating for adequate social distancing is easy when you have 40,000 square feet to work with. Include the University’s very own Courtyard Marriott right next door and guests can have a similar experience as an urban conference center with hotel combo, but with more flexible terms.

Audion and Atrium at The Tower at STAR: Latest and Greatest

UD’s Audion and Atrium in Newark is Delaware’s most prestigious new meeting space. Located in The Tower at STAR campus, no innovative thinking was spared–from the ability to stream events, to a living wall that cleans the indoor air. The feeling that you’re in a place where ideas are on the cusp of discovery is pervasive and energizes meetings. Momentum never stops here.

The Virden Center: A Campus All to Yourself

The Virden Retreat Center, located in the coastal town of Lewes, is a self-contained, self-sustaining campus known for its human-nature connection. The campus is off the beaten path and surrounded by wetlands so it’s an exceptional option for smaller meetings and events looking to add a social component in a comfortable, safe space. Flexible meeting spaces, open and airy lounges, a tented patio for an outdoor dining option, vast acreage to easily move gatherings and activities outside, and two overnight lodges with 23 guest rooms–each with a private entrance, bath, and screened-in porch–make this venue a true retreat.

And Finally…

From supporting the local economy to reinvesting revenue back into education, hosting your multi-day meeting at a university conference venue is a great way for companies and organizations to give back. Now, meeting planners need not look any further than their own backyard for an esteemed setting to curate exceptional meeting and event experiences.

Ready to plan your next meeting or event? Contact a member of our Conference Services team today.