Donella Evoniuk
Senior Director of Conference Services
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
Washington, D.C.
Describe your event.
We held our June 2008 annual meeting in San Antonio for five days. We had about 18,000 attendees and used 29 hotels. The Grand Hyatt San Antonio and the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter were our headquarters hotels.
Why did you decide to host the meeting in San Antonio?
We had been there in 2002. Our members found it very friendly, colorful and easy to navigate. Also, our mostly female participants felt safe. The convention center is beautiful, and hotels are reasonably priced when compared to other cities we’ve used.
What did your attendees seem to enjoy the most?
They love the ease of getting around. They enjoy so many great places to eat, the nightlife and the River Walk. And they love those riverboats. A city can either take away from or contribute to the success of the conference, and our people love having our conference in San Antonio. They are paying their own way, and the city is affordable and culturally wonderful.
Was anybody particularly helpful at a venue or property?
There were many, but Scott White, Kari Eustace and Maria Arredondo of the San Antonio CVB were all phenomenally helpful. Also, Mike Sawaya, who is with the city and director of conventions, sports and entertainment facilities, oversees the convention center, and he was wonderful. So was Richard Karamatic, who works with Sawaya. They all work together on big citywides like ours to make sure everything works well.
How does San Antonio compare to other cities where you have hosted meetings?
Though it is expensive to fly in there, the whole city package is reasonably priced, and that is very important for our attendees. And as I said before, its colorful culture and friendly people are wonderful. We are returning there in 2013, 2017 and 2021. We’ve built relationships with the hospitality people there, and we know we can circle back to them. Our needs are always changing, and they serve us well.
