Renee Weston
Executive Assistant
Farm Progress Companies
St. Charles, Ill.
Describe your event.
Although we've hosted meetings at both the Hilton Garden Inn and Pheasant Run Resort & Spa in St. Charles, our latest meeting was at Pheasant Run in July 2008. We conducted our yearly editorial/sales meeting and had a total of 95 employees from across the U.S.
Why did you decide to host the meeting in St. Charles?
We decided on St. Charles because it’s close to our corporate office, which at the time was in Carol Stream, Ill.
What surprised you the most about St. Charles?
What surprises me is the staff at Pheasant Run and how they are always pleasant to work with. I have the same comments for the staff at the St. Charles CVB—they're always pleasant and easy to work with.
What did your attendees seem to enjoy the most?
Comments are always made that there's so much to do in St. Charles—you have shopping and restaurants galore to choose from. As far as the event, we always have a great time in the evenings, as the folks at the CVB and Pheasant Run have wonderful ideas regarding creative things to do in the area or at the resort.
Was anybody particularly helpful?
Jerin Ferrera, sales manager at Pheasant Run, and Amanda Hunt, catering manager. Also, the resort’s Rachel Bui and Maggie Cross were amazing in coming up with entertainment ideas for our group. And, of course, Carol Mitchell at the St. Charles CVB not only had ideas, but helped coordinate our pub crawl through St. Charles.
What local suppliers did you utilize?
Windy City Fieldhouse ran our afternoon of team building—they did a great job. Two teams worked through six activities, including "Tell Me a Story," which focuses on effective listening and time management, and "Geometric Puzzler," which focuses on problem solving.
How does St. Charles compare to other cities where you have hosted meetings?
I believe St. Charles has a leg up on being the easiest to get to from both O'Hare and Midway airports. It also has a vast array of dining and shopping options, which are pluses when we host a meeting.
Would you return?
I would most definitely host our next event in St. Charles.