From a GoDaddy holiday shindig to an annual conference for dog club members, canines in tow, Eastern Iowa played host to the full gamut of events in 2013. Here’s what several planners had to say about their experiences in the region.
CEDAR RAPIDS
Event: National Association of Counties (NACo) Fall Board of Directors Meeting/NACo Resiliency Forum
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Complex, U.S. Cellular Center
When: Dec. 5-7, 2013
Planned By: Kim Struble, CMP, Director of Conferences & Meetings, NACo
Number of attendees: Approximately 140
Event Overview: NACo holds an annual Fall Board of Directors Meeting, and the location is dictated by the current president, who is elected to a yearly term. Linda Langston, a resident of Cedar Rapids, is the current NACo president and Linn County supervisor. Cedar Rapids saw the opening of the DoubleTree by Hilton and U.S. Cellular Center in May 2013, and the city also was seen as a good match for the resiliency forum portion of the event, as Cedar Rapids was hit by a devastating flood in 2008.
Why did you choose Cedar Rapids for your meeting?
First of all, the new facility here is beautiful. There’s a lot of space available, and I was impressed with the size and modern feel of the ballroom for this meeting.
Did you have any off-site activities arranged outside of the convention center?
During the first night, on Dec. 5, we took folks on a brief tour, showing them the areas flooded in 2008, followed by a reception at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. On Dec. 6 we did a buyout of Zins, a restaurant heavily affected by the flooding in 2008. We also brought in Cedar Ridge Vineyards Winery and Distillery to do some tastings at the reception.
Did you arrange any local transportation services for your attendees?
We rented buses through Cedar Valley, and they picked up folks on the night of Dec. 5 to take them on a tour and drop them off at the museum and bring them back.
Do you have any advice for planners looking to bring a meeting to Cedar Rapids?
I would recommend they utilize the Cedar Rapids CVB for assistance with marketing. The CVB also provided us with some goodie bags to hand out to folks, helped in initiating dialogue with off-site venues and provided resources for vendors that we contracted with.
CEDAR RAPIDS
Event: GoDaddy Holiday Party
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Complex at the U.S. Cellular Center
When: December 2013
Planned By: Kim Gartner, Director, Corporate Events, GoDaddy
Number of attendees: 950
Event Overview: GoDaddy, a global domain name registrar and web hosting provider, holds an annual holiday party for its Iowa employees. (The company has an office in Hiawatha, Iowa, and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz.) The event is seen as a way to reward employees after a successful year of work.
Tell us a bit about the GoDaddy Holiday Party.
All of GoDaddy’s Iowa employees were invited to attend and bring a guest to the big event. There was something for everybody, with incredible food, games, music and dancing. We even booked one of the most famous rappers, Snoop Dogg, to perform. He was a huge hit!PageBreak
How long did it take you to decide on where to hold the event?
Site selection was done in Q1 2013 and site inspection was held in June 2013. We selected Cedar Rapids because GoDaddy has an office located in Hiawatha, and we have hosted the event in Cedar Rapids the past two years as well. There’s a lot of excitement and mystery surrounding the GoDaddy Holiday Party. We keep all the details secret, and guests don’t know what to expect until the big “reveal” the night of the party.
What made the venue a good fit for the GoDaddy event?
The flow of space at DoubleTree by Hilton was perfect; everyone could be in one large room. Travis Faust, DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids’ director of events and catering, is a rockstar!
What local suppliers did you utilize?
We used de Novo Alternative Marketing and Century Cab, and DoubleTree handled the catering.
Did anything about Cedar Rapids surprise you?
I have been to Cedar Rapids for our last two holiday parties, and we will have more events in the city. I had never been downtown and was quite surprised by the variety of restaurant options available. It is a very walkable city.
WATERLOO/CEDAR FALLS
Event: 2013 Iowa Tourism Conference
Where: Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center
When: Oct. 16-18, 2013
Planned By: Colleen Murphy, Partnerships Manager, Iowa Tourism Office
Number of attendees: 300
Event Overview: The Iowa Tourism Conference is held each year to provide educational and networking opportunities for Iowa’s tourism industry professionals. Waterloo was selected in November 2011 to hold the conference at its Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center due to its ample space, connected hotel via skywalk and the creativity and energy that came from the Waterloo CVB.
The Waterloo CVB hosted a pre-conference reception for attendees at Jameson’s Public House in downtown Waterloo, with food, prize drawings and live music from a local band. The CVB also helped put together the Tourism’s Helping Hand Project, which had attendees bring in school supplies or monetary donations to benefit students in the Waterloo Community School District.
Why did you choose the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center for the Iowa Tourism Conference?
The Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center had lots of space in a compact area that made it easy for our attendees to get around.
Did you incorporate any off-site venues or interesting activities into the agenda?
We hosted a dine-around, which was our attendees’ night to get out and see Waterloo. We also took our awards dinner to an off-site location at The Elks Lodge. It was a beautiful facility!PageBreak
What local suppliers did you utilize?
We used Hawkeye Stages (a motorcoach company) for transportation, Pratt Audio-Visual for some special AV support and Scratch Cupcakery for a unique local dessert at our awards dinner.
Do you have any advice for planners who might bring a meeting to Waterloo and Cedar Falls?
Waterloo and Cedar Falls both have some really great museums and restaurants. If it’s possible, get your attendees out of the conference center to experience some of the attractions.
CORALVILLE/IOWA CITY
Event: National Bicycle Tourism Conference
Where: Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
When: Nov. 6-9, 2013
Planned By: T.J. Juskiewicz, Director, Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Race Across Iowa (RAGBRAI)
Number of attendees: Approximately 175
Event Overview: The National Bicycle Tourism Conference is attended by hundreds of bicycle professionals, advocates, bike tourism leaders and cycling enthusiasts who hold major biking events. The conference has been held annually since 1994 by Bicycle Tour Network (BTN).
Why did you choose the Coralville/Iowa City area for the event?
We knew the Coralville Marriott was an excellent facility, and we’ve done a lot of work before with the Coralville/Iowa City folks for different events. So when we started looking at places to have this national conference, we knew the ability of the leadership there was top-notch and would be the ideal place to have it. And the conference was due to come back to the Midwest.
What is the furthest attendees traveled to get to the event?
We had some people from Puerto Rico and Quebec, in addition to a lot of West Coast and Seattle attendees. We had people from Florida attend as well.
Did you incorporate any unique off-site events or interesting activities?
We had a function next door at a microbrewery called Backpocket Brewing. We coordinated an event with them where we had a band come in for our welcome reception. It was a nice social setting, and our attendees enjoyed getting away from the hotel ballroom for a while. We did a dine-around in the nearby downtown Iowa City area and explored the Iowa River Landing. There was also a SMASH Scavenger Hunt, which combined a bike ride with a social media scavenger hunt.
Was there anything that surprised out-of-state attendees?
We kind of fight the battle in Iowa where people just think we’re a bunch of farmers. Our attendees were just stunned at how beautiful the facility was and the city itself along the Iowa River. We’re going to San Diego for the 2014 conference. It’s likely we had more people attend the Iowa conference than will attend San Diego. A lot of people will be shocked by that, but we’re not.PageBreak
DUBUQUE
Event: Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores of Iowa (PMCI) Annual Convention
Where: Grand River Center
When: July 30 to Aug. 1, 2013
Planned By: Sandy Bland, Marketing and Events Director, PMCI
Number of attendees: Around 250
Event Overview: The PMCI Annual Convention provides formal education and networking opportunities among the members of PMCI. The event is also used as an opportunity to raise money for the group’s Political Action Community (PAC) and to recognize sponsors and present awards.
Why did you choose Dubuque for your meeting?
We felt that the Dubuque CVB went above and beyond to encourage us to come here, and they even sent somebody down to Kansas City with us when we did our annual trade show event earlier in the year to try and boost participation.
Was there anyone at the convention center that was particularly helpful?
Definitely Julie Kronlage at the CVB to get things started, and Sue Moran was our sales representative at the Grand River Center and helped us with the rooms and so forth.
What was your favorite feature of the Grand River Center?
There was one room in particular, the River Room, that is all glass and facing the river kind of up higher in the building and it’s just a beautiful view, so I definitely wanted to use that room instead of always being inside a ballroom where there are no windows at all.
Did you incorporate any interesting off-site venues or activities into the agenda?
Our sponsor appreciation event was at the Stone Cliff Winery. We did an Afterglow Party at Diamond Joe Casino after a riverboat ride on the final night. We arranged golfing at The Meadows and an event with the Dubuque Shooting Society. At Stone Cliff Winery we also worked with Chef Stephanie Herrig over at The Chocolate Hog BBQ and Catering Company.PageBreak
Do you have any advice for planners looking to bring a meeting to Dubuque?
It was the first time I really felt like I utilized a CVB as well as I could or should when planning an event. There are a lot of little things they can help with, and that was nice to have that relationship.
QUAD CITIES (DAVENPORT AND BETTENDORF)
Event: Verein Deutsch Drahthaar Group North America (VDD/GNA) Annual Membership Meeting
Where: Isle Casino Hotel (in Bettendorf)
When: June 6-8, 2013
Planned By: Tom Whitmarsh, Director of Testing, VDD/GNA
Number of attendees: Around 100
Event Overview: The VDD/GNA is a dog club–Verein Deutsch Drahthaar is a German breed dog–and all dogs have to be tested in accordance with German rules and regulations. The purpose of this Group North America Annual Meeting is to give all members from the U.S. and German guests a chance to gather and hold seminars and executive board meetings. This event is held in various locations across the U.S.
Why did you decide to hold the meeting in Bettendorf?
We completed a study of all locations considering the following criteria: closeness to an international airport, activities available for family members, availability to hold all functions at one location and willingness to support our meeting, especially allowing us to have our dogs on-site and in the hotel. And of course, pricing was important, too!
Did you incorporate any off-site venues or activities into your agenda?
We offered numerous off-site activities for family members wishing to visit other areas of the Quad Cities, including the zoo, museums, water parks, shopping, walking trails and the casino.
Do you have any advice for other planners who might bring a meeting to the Quad Cities?
First and foremost, I would contact Joan Kranovich at the Quad Cities CVB. She will help set up appointments to see different locations in the area.
What did your attendees enjoy the most?
All our guests raved about the Isle Casino Hotel, stating this was the best meeting they have ever attended (and some have attended meetings for over 20 years).
Would you return?
Absolutely.
