"We have venues available to suit any budget,” notes Jackson. From intimate board meeting space to conferences for up to 500 people, the Pocono Mountains Region is home to a variety of hotels, resorts and meeting spaces that offer free parking, free WiFi, preset group and signa- ture team building activities, airport shut- tle service, and all-inclusive packages.
The Pocono Mountains CVB is happy to offer planners and their groups a vast array of services, as well, including cus- tomized lead generation and proposal coordination, customized site inspection tours of local hotels and attractions, plus professional advice and assistance in planning off-site events for convention, group, event, spouse or family gatherings.
"We provide materials, such as brochures, maps, digital images, DVD/video and links to our website, an online services directo- ry with helpful tools to ensure a success- ful event, on site visitor information as it relates to your Pocono Mountain event, on site welcome table and registrar assis- tance to qualifying groups, plus media assistance and more,” says Jackson.
Conference Services at Shippensburg University in Central Pennsylvania, a popular destination among small to mid-sized groups
photo courtesy: Visit Cumberland Valley
Director of sales for the Pocono Mountains Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), David Jackson, discusses why his destination is the right fit for smaller group functions.
"The Pocono Mountains region is ideal for smaller meetings because it is so accessi- ble. In fact, 20 percent of the U.S. popula- tion lives within a 200-mile driving radius,”
26 November December 2011
says Jackson. "We have over 25 meeting friendly resorts, hotels and country inns to choose from, plus 35 golf courses, and eight major ski and snowboard areas.”
In terms of meeting facilities, Jackson notes the many options that the Poconos are able to provide. Visiting groups to the Pocono Mountains will enjoy events that run smoothly, economically and efficient- ly, he asserts.
Though the area is known as a major tourism hot spot, it is the personal atten- tion and accessibility of the local facilities that make the Pocono Mountains so appealing to small- and medium-sized groups. "The Pocono Mountains are unique in that the region has survived over 200 years as one of the nation's top resort destinations where tourism is king,” says Jackson. "A majority of our resorts are family- or privately-owned. Where is the last place you held a meeting and actual- ly met the property owner?”
Another attractive destination in the mid- Atlantic region for smaller groups is Wilmington, Delaware. According to Sara Garnett, director of sales for the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wilmington is a perfect fit for small meetings and events.
"Our area hotels and meeting facilities proactively target small and medium size groups,” says Garnett. "Some large cities don't really want small or medium size groups; they tend to get lost in the crowd. Small and medium size groups are our
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