Location Reports Lancaster County, Greater Reading and the Lehigh Valley
Lancaster tourism icon Kitchen Kettle Village now offers corporate and organi- zational training courses throughout the year for up to 15 people per session, focusing on the motivational and strategic principles that have worked for the Village for over 50 years.
Slated to open in early June in the historic river town of Columbia, the new Turkey Hill Experience will feature over 26,000 square feet of interactive exhibits high- lighting Turkey Hill’s role in the agricultur- al and dairy heritage of Lancaster County, including a chance to simulate the process of “creating your own ice cream flavor” and designing its packaging. The venue also will include a café, creamery and retail space.
The Amish Experience’s new “Witness Movie Tour” will take up to 14 visitors per tour to the farm where the movie was filmed. Tours run Wednesdays and Saturdays, early May through October with two departure times each day.
Hershey Farm’s fun and innovative Amish Camp offers a chance to leave modern life behind for 24 hours and live as the Amish do, complete with school lessons, cooking sessions, chores - and no elec- tricity - for groups of 15 or more.
In addition, the Lancaster County Convention and Visitors Bureau is offer- ing a new meetings incentive program. The program includes rewards, discounts and upgrades for planners, host organi- zations and board members at four differ- ent event size levels. This incentive applies only to new, definite bookings issued and signed between January 1, 2011 and December 30, 2011, for travel prior to December 31, 2013. Tentative bookings issued prior to 1/1/11 do not qualify.
Places to Meet
Incorporating the façade of Lancaster city’s landmark Watt & Shand department store, the Lancaster County Convention Center and adjoining Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square offer a combined 90,000 square feet of meeting space and the lat- est technology.
58 May June 2011
Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum is the largest authentic historic village dedi- cated to delivering an interactive demon- stration of early Pennsylvania German life (1740-1940).
In the newest show at Sight & Sound Theatre, Joseph takes flight on an inspi-
Opened in March 2010, the 75-room Cork Factory Hotel at Urban Place in downtown Lancaster boasts 4,000 square feet of meeting and event space featuring a catering kitchen and covered outdoor veranda.
The site of the former Willow Valley Resort and Conference Center under- went a $9 million renovation to become two separate properties in May 2010, becoming the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton - Lancaster (185 rooms) and the Willow Valley Family Inn and Suites (160 rooms). This dual-setting allows guests to enjoy access to the full amenities of both venues, including nearly 16,000 total square feet of flexible conference space that’s been modernized and retrofitted with the latest audio-visual equipment.
The Inn at Leola Village - a AAA Four Diamond-rated property - has meeting and event space with seating for up to 250, while the stylish Lancaster Arts Hotel is perfect for a board retreat.
Things to Do
Explore hip, yet historic downtown Lancaster, whose funky shopping venues and art galleries collectively ranked 25th in the nation (out of 363) in the Indie City Index 2011, which ranks metro areas in terms of business captured by independ- ent retailers.
The Zip Line Canopy Tour at Refreshing Mountain Camp features a series of cables and platforms between 10- and 60-feet off the ground that incorporates five zip lines, a “cat walk,” and eleven additional high rope elements.
The Fulton Theatre is the oldest continu- ously operating theater in the nation, and offers a variety of first-class productions in a sumptuously restored venue.
rational family story about the power of forgiveness, told with upbeat original music, live animals, fantastic sets and dazzling effects like Joseph “flying” over the audience. It runs now through October 2011.
Strasburg Rail Road offers a 45-minute ride through Paradise on America’s old- est short-line railroad (circa 1832), and so much more. Right across the road is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, featur- ing an incredible collection of historic locomotives and vintage railroad cars. It is rated among the top five railroad muse- ums in the world.
Greater Reading
www.takearide.com
Greater Reading offers a host of facilities that provide excellent value for corporate meetings, conferences and conventions with pricing that is well below the nation- al average. In many cases, the cost is a whopping 30 percent less compared to major markets. All of which positions Greater Reading as an exceptional value and an economically advantageous choice for meeting planners who are con- sidering a mid-Atlantic venue for their events.
Diverse meeting sites range from cultural attractions and academic institutions to resort locations and traditional hotels.
Greater Reading’s close proximity to Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City and Washington, DC makes it a very con- venient destination for business travelers. The area boasts more than 2,400 hotel rooms, 90 bed and breakfast rooms, and it is home to many great conference sites with flexible spaces for as many as 9,000.
What’s New
The upscale Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel in Wyomissing recently completed a $9 million renovation of its rooms, swimming pool, courtyard area and nightclub. In addition to meeting space totaling more than 16,500 square feet, the Crowne Plaza opened a new restaurant - Prime Steak & Wine - and features many other on-site amenities.
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