There is a certain energy to a city’s downtown with its hustle and bustle. But sometimes, as a meeting planner, you want a different vibe. The area surrounding Grand Rapids has several options to take…
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With world-class medical facilities (many of which lie within the city’s “Medical Mile”), rigorous medical universities, and prestigious medical professionals, Grand Rapids is a leader in medical…
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Meeting planners know that accessibility is a key component to successful conferences, meetings and events. In addition to being within a day's drive of the half of the U.S. population, Grand Rapids'…
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As a meeting planner, it’s a wonderful thing when your convention center has everything you need for your event – true one-stop shopping. But sometimes it’s nice to take a meeting off-campus and enjoy the host city. The new environment might spark new ideas. "Every time I host an event or meeting…
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Allmon Forrester is director of operations for the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and president of the board of the Aquarium & Zoo Facilities Association (AZFA). But as far as his local convention and visitors bureau is concerned, he is a champ – a Hometown Champ to be exact. For more than…
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Food and beverage teams at hotels and meeting venues have to be flexible to cater to the needs of their various clients. Meal planning for hundreds of high school students might look very different…
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When Experience Grand Rapids began working with an organization that would bring 3,000 mostly Hindu attendees to the city, they reached out to Fred Stella, Prachark (which is Sanskrit for Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple. Tapping Local Expertise “The attitude [Experience Grand…
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When it comes to easy and efficient air travel, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is in a bit of a sweet spot. It’s big enough to be serviced by five airlines and feature 24 nonstop flights to major cities, but small enough to be easy to navigate and get in and out…
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Many destinations have “signature events.” If you go to Hawaii, chances are you’ll attend a luau. Headed to Orlando? An event at Disney is likely in your future. But what about Grand Rapids, Michigan…
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Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan, are known for their strong agriculture business, including farm markets and farm experiences. In fact, even those in the agriculture industry gather here to learn best practices and share ideas. In February of 2016, the International Fruit Tree Association met…
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