When Bob Wells, casualty claims general manager for the Norfolk Southern Corporation, took his group to Williamsburg, Va., he didn’t realize the reaction would be so overwhelmingly positive.
“I can’t tell you how many times I heard, ‘This is the best conference ever,’” he says. “Everything was positive. It was nice to hear nothing but praise.”
Held at Williamsburg’s Kingsmill Resort & Spa in late September, the Association of American Railroads General Claims Conference brought in 400 people, about 180 of them spouses and families of the meeting attendees.
During the meeting’s initial planning stages, Wells says Williamsburg stood out because of its affordability and activity options.
“Williamsburg was one of three areas we were considering,” he says. “It definitely proved to be the better value, and the Williamsburg area had much more to offer than the other destinations. There are so many things to do; it made planning a conference easy.”
Some of the outings his group enjoyed included a visit to Colonial Williamsburg as well as a tour of nearby Jamestown.
“We had an excursion to the Jamestown settlement and a luncheon in Williamsburg,” he says. “We also offered shopping excursions, which was easy with all of the different shopping that Williamsburg offers, from Merchant’s Square and The Williamsburg Outlet Mall to The Williamsburg Pottery complex.”
In addition, Wells says the destination is “without a doubt” the perfect place to bring spouses and other family members in tow.
“Some folks did bring their kids along and actually took them out of school with the idea that bringing them to Williamsburg was a living history outing,” he says, adding that a lot of children also enjoyed the other attractions the area had to offer, including Busch Gardens and Water Country USA.
The destination’s attractiveness was further enhanced by the group’s decision to stay and meet at Kingsmill Resort & Spa, something Wells says was a definite highlight.
“The resort is gorgeous,” he says. “It sits on the James River and the grounds are immaculate. It has three beautiful golf courses, the food was excellent and the service was outstanding. Between the facility, all the amenities and the speakers we had, it was just a great success.”
For planners and groups coming to Williamsburg, Wells advises to leave time to explore the area.
“I strongly recommend that planners leave adequate time to take it all in,” he says.
When asked how Williamsburg measures up to other meeting locations, Wells couldn’t say enough.
“We’ve been all over the country and in Canada,” he says. “I don’t think any one location that we’ve been to has had as much to offer as Williamsburg did.”
