Conference Centers TodaY

Five Key Reasons To Take Serious Meetings To A Conference Center Climate

By Eric Terry, Benchmark Hospitality vice president of sales and marketing

1. Distraction-free facilities.
Conference centers are purpose-built properties designed to support and facilitate productive business meetings. The meeting space is available on a 24-hour basis and designed for maximum long-term comfort with ergonomic chairs, large work/desk surfaces, and built-in technology often accessible at the touch of a button. Larger conference rooms have clusters of smaller break-out rooms nearby facilitating individualized work sessions with groups reconvening in the conference rooms for plenary discussions and presentations.

Conference centers are generally located away from large urban centers where after-hours distractions can occur, and provide recreation and fitness facilities on property to encourage relaxed group interaction outside the meeting room. Hotel facilities are often Four Diamond-rated, similar to top traditional hotels designed for comfort, yet with ample work space and in-room technology for continued learning after the meeting day concludes.
 
2. Service
Unlike traditional hotels and resorts, which often outsource the service component and technology support, conference centers and conference resorts provide an on-staff single-point-of-service-contact, who is with the customer from the beginning of the planning process through the execution of the meeting. This person is available, with a back-up Conference Service Department team, to immediately address any issue that arises prior to, during, and after a meeting. 
 
3. Technology
Conference centers provide state-of-the-art meetings technology on site, whereas traditional hotels contract this out. Meeting and audiovisual technology is built into each conference room to support every type of meeting held. A full team of service experts is on staff and always available at conference centers as part of the Conference Service Department team.
 
4. Food & beverage (F&B)
F&B operations at conference centers are designed to provide excellent, healthful and protein-rich cuisine, with first-rate buffets to enable groups to break for meals when it best suits the meeting schedule, dine together at a reasonable pace, and then return to the meeting room.

Within the conference center, refreshment breaks are available to groups as needed throughout the meeting day, continuously freshened, with an emphasis on healthful food items to sustain energy levels for maximum focus and learning. Refreshment breaks are conveniently located within the conference center for groups to utilize between sessions as the meeting permits.
 
5. The Complete Meeting Package.
Designed to include everything needed for a productive meeting experience all packaged into a single price. Whereas traditional hotels unbundle the meeting package, selling the components individually generally at higher price-points with unexpected and not-budgeted-for expenses, conference centers bundle everything together at a set price with each component needed for a productive meeting includedÉso there are no surprises.
 
What's in the Complete Meeting Package
-Deluxe guestroom
-Three meals per day
-Continuous refreshment breaks
-24-hour dedicated meeting rooms and break out rooms
-Conference Service Department support
-On-site audio/visual equipment and service support
-On-site business center with staff support for light secretarial needs
-On-site parking
-All taxes and gratuities
 
Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference centers and hotels. Click here for the location of Benchmark's properties and additional information. [www.benchmarkhospitality.com]