Janice Valgoi
Vice President; Delaney Meeting & Event Management; Burlington, Vt.
- Describe your event. We held a meeting June 13-15 in Wilmington for the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO). About 200 top officials in government transportation attended from Canada down to Maryland. Our headquarters was the Hotel du Pont.
- Why did you decide to host the meeting in Wilmington? A different state hosts the meeting each year, and we chose Wilmington because it is so easy to access. The Philadelphia airport is very close for those who flew in. Others took the train, and many drove in.
- What did your attendees seem to enjoy the most? They just loved the Hotel du Pont. It has lots of history and elegance. We were able to negotiate a very good rate at the beginning of 2009 for this, so that made it even more likeable. Also, there was an Italian festival going on that some attendees enjoyed on Saturday night, and some brought their spouse and went on vacation after the meeting.
- Was anybody particularly helpful? Esther Lovlie at the Greater Wilmington CVB was wonderful. She arranged our initial site inspection and tastings for all the off-sites, which meant we didn't have to do that. Tom Santora in convention services at the Hotel du Pont was great, too. Just a couple of days before our opening reception, we decided to do an ice carving of the new bridge in Rehoboth, and he arranged for that—with plenty of shrimp below it. It was spectacular!
- What were some of the unique off-site venues that you used? We had a garden reception and dinner at Winterthur and it was incredible. They gave mansion tours and everyone enjoyed learning about the DuPont heritage there.
- How does Wilmington compare to other cities where you have hosted meetings? Wilmington is very charming and easy to access. We didn't have to drive 1.5 hours after flying into the area. The hotel was great to work with, and the whole event was a really great experience. We would certainly return.
- Do you have any advice for other planners who might bring a meeting to Wilmington? Definitely work with the CVB because they have the connections. Esther can guide you—she's a wonderful resource. Hotel du Pont is expensive but less than the Boston hotel where we were the year before. You have the business-friendly culture there without the cost of other East Coast cities.