of Site Selection Solutions Inc. “Plus great restaurants, fun attractions, and even beautiful churches are all within a three- to four-block radius, and it feels very safe to walk up to Central Park when on a break.”
@THE SPACE, OTTAWA atthespace.ca @The Space is Ottawa’s only venue designed for and dedicated exclu- sively to small events. Capacity is limited to 70 people, with flexible food-and-beverage options and no purchase requirements, which makes the facility ideal for networking and team-building events, holiday parties, or small board retreats. “@The Space is very informal, but its setting is per- fect,” said Chantal Montpetit, CMP, director of meetings and conference for the Canadian Construction Asso- ciation. “The lounge furniture, com- plete with an iPod docking station for music, is welcome and relaxing. We had a lovely dinner there and felt almost at home.”
With great pricing, big-city ameni- ties, and a rich history, Philadelphia is a particularly good destination for East Coast meetings. Only about an hour-and-a-half from both New York City and Washington, D.C., downtown Philadelphia is also just a short trip
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from Philadelphia International Air- port. “Many of the attendees from my last meeting in Philadelphia, which was a group of about 100, had nothing but great things to say about the area,” said Paige Woodburn, event manager for MD Events. “They loved the fact that they could walk or take a quick cab ride to Independence Mall, … and the proximity of fine dining, cultural exhibits, and historical attractions make Philadelphia an easy, yet elegant, option for meetings.”
MEYDENBAUER CENTER, BELLEVUE, WASH. meydenbauer.com Meydenbauer Center is designed for larger events, but also features an Executive Conference Suite, with room for smaller meetings of eight to 60 guests. Its human scale mirrors its destination. Located just east of Seattle across Lake Washington, Bel- levue is a walkable city with many unique stores and boutiques and some of the Pacific Northwest’s best dining. “The Meydenbauer Center is a great venue with a great team,” said Niki Kinkelaar, CMP, project lead of meetings and incentives for The Pam- pered Chefs Ltd. “The meeting space is functional and the prefunction area is spacious. I had such a great experi- ence in 2010 that I am thrilled to be back in August 2012.”
What happens to all those used bars of soap your attendees leave in their hotel rooms? The majority are thrown out, according to Clean the World Founda- tion, an Orlando-based nonprofit that recycles and redistributes hotel soap and shampoo to impoverished people throughout the world. Currently, Clean the World partners with Starwood Hotels and more than 1,000 individual hotels across the country, includ- ing Caesars Windsor, where Jeremy Tyrrell, senior manager of resort and hotel sales, helped to implement the program. “It seems so small a thing,” Tyrrell said. “But anyone who’s had to compromise their hygiene because of a circumstance beyond their control knows just how much it means to have a fresh bar of soap.”
WESTIN DENVER DOWNTOWN’S HOLIDAY GIVE-BACK PROGRAM convn.org/westin-denver Holidays are often a time for celebration and giving thanks — at home and in the workplace. They can also be a time for giving back, as is the case with the Westin Denver Downtown, which two years ago implemented a Holiday Give-Back program. When an organization books a holiday party, the hotel donates 4 percent of the food-and-beverage total to one of four local charities in Colorado — and plants one indigenous tree for each attendee. “This Give-Back program, and commitment to the community, dif- ferentiated the Westin from all the other venues,” said Trish Lowe, sales and con- ference associate at Denver-based BEN- TEK Energy. “We immediately made our decision to host our holiday party there.”