Convention Centers
WANTED: picturesque site, lots of activities for people o all ages, facilities for handling groups ranging from 15 to more than 10,000 people , experienced in handling conventions, large events and festivals. Should be near a large body of water.
If you group is looking for any or all of the above, then Lake George is your answer.
We make it simple
The area has been a destination for many years for groups holding conventions. The sales director for a large meeting facility in the Village of Lake George says that annual meetings, conferences, and conventions account for about half of her company's yearly business. Most groups that hold meetings at her site range in size from 15 to 250 people, although for large events the facility has handled up to 10,000 people.
Typically, the facility provides meeting space and meals, and helps to coordinate events at other local destinations, such as boat tours or sightseeing trips, "We all work together here in the county to coordinate things," she says.
State associations and professional or trade associations are the groups who most often book space for conventions.
Keep the group together
Another director of sales for a company in boat trips says she gets conventions "from all over the country. It could be anywhere for 50 to 1,000 people." Most often the groups are interested in a dinner party on a boat, or want to charter a boat for the day. The company can provide narration of the points of historical interest if the group desires.
Sometimes the group just wants to have entertainment. One music-industry business has chartered boats that featured Engelbert Humperdinck and Britney Spears in performance (although not at the same time!).
The corporate end of the tourist trade has been "really growing" in recent years, this sales director says. Whether it's for meetings, or rewarding employees, or both, companies look to Lake George as the ideal place to spend some quality time.
One group that has been holding its "convention" in Lake George for a number of years is Americade, a gathering of 50,000 motorcycle fans who assemble in the area each year. The group aims to provide "a gathering of friendly, fun-loving folks, for whom motorcycling is a social hobby, but not some form of rebellion. It's NOT the place for shows of speed, hostile attitudes, or illegally load motorcycles," according to the organizer's Web site.
The New York State Association of Fire Chiefs held its 2006 convention in lake George for the first time, after many years in Syracuse. Association and area officials, as well as attendees, report a good time was had by all.
Good times!
Of course, businesses and associations aren't the only groups that will find plenty to do in Lake George: your family will, too! A slew of festivals and specials events fills the area calendar year round. As Capital Region resident and Lake George tourist Melissa Hoopes remarked, "If you can't find something to do in Lake George twelve months a year, the you aren't looking.
|
