Use this list to find affordable and reliable service providers in Grand Rapids to help with your event.…
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Attendees need to be able to navigate their way around town, we have various maps that will help them get around every part of downtown, including the enclosed skywalk. Contact your Convention Services Manager today!…
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You might be interested in using the calendar of events to find out what else is happening in town during your conference or event.…
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Whether your attendees are flying or driving to Grand Rapids, this travel information will help them navigate their way.…
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Grand Rapids gives a meeting or event planner a chance to think outside of the box and hold a reception outside the meeting and conference space in places like a baseball stadium, art gallery, or even a courtyard with a 24-foot bronze horse.…
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Grand Rapids is a great town to explore. The Convention Services Team can offer assistance with tours, customized itineraries, and more.…
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If you are planning on moving your group to different activities and events throughout the city, our team can help with transportation coordination.…
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We offer personalized letters of welcome to your attendees from the area Mayor and President of Experience Grand Rapids. Contact our team.…
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A shared, active experience with positive goals can be fun and energizing for attendees and benefit the host city. View the link for a list of Community Service Organizations based in Grand Rapids.…
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Earlier this year we shared a list of 10 audio-visual terms that meeting planners should know to ensure effective, efficient communication with vendors and clients. Ten terms doesn’t even scratch the
Meeting planners don’t have to be expert caterers, hoteliers or transportation service providers. They do, however, need to understand the language of those industries in order to effectively plan a
Smartphones, with their easy access to texting, email, Google searches and social media, seem to have a magnetic pull whenever people have a free minute. That presents a challenge for meeting planners
What's the worst thing that could happen to a meeting planner? Sure, the list is endless, and a flood of bad memories is probably washing over you right now. (Some may include actual floods.) But it's
Are you an SEB? Most likely, but don't worry. Its not a bad thing. An SEB, or self-educated buyer, is someone who does their homework before reaching out to traditional sales channels. They are
When you're traveling by car to an unfamiliar place, how much do you rely on your phones mapping app and the turn-by-turn directions? Or maybe you use a GPS tool like Garmin or Magellan? Either way,
Incorporating sustainability into meetings and events has been around long enough that its a given for many organizations, but not all. According to the 2015 Meetings Focus Trends Survey, only
Some say you should never mix business with pleasure. But we're here to tell you that it just might be a great way to increase attendance at your event. How? By highlighting how your attendees can
Has puppy cuddling ever been on your meeting agenda? What about bike building? Those are some fun examples of giving back events that can be included at your next meeting or conference. Volunteer
Here are some fun facts from comScore Inc. and eMarketer: Last year, in the month of December alone, 188.2 million people in the U.S. viewed 52.4 billion online videos. More than half of people
Right, so what can you do to ensure a smooth process? We asked some industry veterans for their most important tips. In addition to Beurkens, we spoke to Peter Mahar, director of convention operations
Technology needs connected to meetings and events are changing with each new innovation. (Remember when you had to wait for a paper survey to let a speaker know what you thought?) It's safe to say
Have you ever noticed that most trade show floor plans are similar? There's a reason for that, said Carolyn Alt, senior show manager at ShowSpan, which holds shows in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Grand
Do meetings really matter? The recession that bottomed out in 2009 had many organizations considering that as they looked at their dwindling budgets. A recent survey shows the meeting industry, after
The golf outing is a mainstay of many conferences and events. But along with it comes the challenge of planning an alternate outing for non-golfers that appeals to a wide variety of interests. For
Last month, TEDx celebrated its 10,000 th event. According to the TEDBlog, since the authorized local offshoot of the original TED conference started in 2009, they have been held at an average rate of
When it comes to getting feedback from meeting attendees, surveys and evaluation forms only go so far. Wouldn't it be great to be able to sit down and really talk to some customers when you're trying
The growing trend of shared workspace is creating a new option for meeting and event planners looking for ways to shake up the breakout session. Shared workspaces, or coworking spaces, are sites
When it comes to choosing a destination for a meeting or event, there will always be certain factors that push the decision one way or the other: Type of facility or meeting space Rates, concessions
Why argue with free? CVBs and DMOs offer a wide variety of free services to help meeting planners make their events successful. Why? It's in their best interest - a happy customer is a repeat
We've all had a cancelled or delayed flight due to conditions, or a route planned on roads that just aren't drivable. The polar vortex affected thousands of travelers this year, many of whom were
Amy Young has been a meeting planner for more than 20 years, but she never runs out of ideas.That's because she sees the world differently. "Pay attention to the world around you," said Young,
The new year is a great time to try something different. Instead of planning your next event at the tried and true convention centers or hotel meeting rooms, take a look at the colleges or
You know the drill. There's a meeting, there's a budget, and you need to find the most effective venue to deliver the message. One of your first decisions is whether to hold the meeting offsite. There
For as long as Liz Heinzman can remember, she has never celebrated Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. Her feast was always moved to another day because Thanksgiving was spent traveling to the annual
More and more CVBs are expanding their roles when it comes to working with event planners by offering services above and beyond securing venues and hotel space. They are partnering with planners to
If you're wondering about attracting young professionals, often referred to as Millennials or GenY, and want them to engage at your event or conference its important to recognize that this is the
As president of both the National Speakers Bureau and the International Association of Speakers Bureaus, Brian D. Palmer is a magnet for stories. "People who plan events love telling about things
Networking is a valuable business activity when done correctly, but it takes work. Too often networking events can be dominated by forced, awkward interactions and banal banter while exchanging
Every event planner has that moment - possibly daily = when they wish they could clone themselves to get more things done. One possible solution arrives every summer in the form of a fresh crop of
Veteran meeting planners know that an event isn't over when the last speaker leaves the stage, the last exhibit is packed up or the last attendee checks out. An event isn't truly put to bed until the
All guests want their hotel staff, and others they encounter in a destination town, to be friendly and knowledgeable. But what if they could prove they were friendly and knowledgeable with an official
When was the last time you booked group air travel for your event? Some experts say those occasions are becoming more and more rare. The reason? Online sites like Priceline and Expedia have
A few days before the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids last January, Betsy Purcell, MMCAssociation Manager, realized that in addition to all the other tasks on her plate, she had about two
How real is your site visit? Nancy Beecher, director of programming for the Michigan Women of the Church of God, learned that one of hers was not as real as it should have been. "The ladies were
You just wrapped up a stellar meeting. Comment cards filled with praise are coming in. The social media buzz was frequent and loaded with take-away nuggets of wisdom. You feel like a rock star. So,
Danke. Merci. Grazie. Gracias. Obrigado. Thank you. No matter how you say it, its a key part of maintaining client relationships. Plus, its just plain nice. "On a typical sales call, we're always
When Steve Cauble planned the 2013 annual meeting of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, it included childcare and ministry programming for 500 children. "We not only had 22 rooms of
Floods, evacuations and chaos rarely leave people smiling, but a few weeks after Tammy Brown faced all three at her SkillsUSA Michigan state conference in Grand Rapids, she can't help but smile.
In our post last week on what makes some businesses - and meeting planners! - successful while others flounder and fail, one thing became evident: discipline and organization are essential to both
Tennis courts. That was the venue Jennifer Ederer, owner of Modern Day Floral in Grand Rapids, MI, worked with as she planned a large corporate event last summer. Her client wanted the event to
For Kathy Woronko, manager of brand event experiences at Steelcase Corp., holding the office furniture manufacturers dealer conference in their hometown of Grand Rapids made perfect sense. "We have
Considering a theme party for your next meeting? Maybe a luau or an under-the-sea adventure? Veteran event planner Amy Young, CMP, has one thing to say: Go big, or go home. "If you're going to do it,
Event planners, this questions for you: Did your last FAM trip include playing Jeopardy or the Amazing Race with other attendees? Or earning CEU credits? If not, you weren't in Grand Rapids, MI.
In the "old days" - say, 6 or 7 years ago - meeting planners focused primarily on logistics: The questions of when and where they would hold their conference and what types of facilities were
