Black Meetings & Tourism - Five Great Reasons To Bring Your Meeting Or Convention To Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley

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Five Great Reasons To Bring Your Meeting Or Convention To Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley
When reviewing all the elements involved in selecting meeting and convention sites, meeting planners have specific concerns in mind like cost, easy accessibility to the meeting site and the quality of both venues and hotels. Planners who bring groups to the Pioneer Valley (located just east of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts) will find a region filled with terrific options for these – and all other – concerns they face. The Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) works diligently with sales teams from numerous meeting sites and city facilities to ensure that groups enjoy a fun and productive visit. Here are five great reasons to bring your meeting or convention to the Pioneer Valley: Top notch facilities – Whether your group demands the amenities of the area’s largest and most traditional meeting sites like the MassMutual Center, Eastern States Exposition or the Mullins Center, or wants to host a gathering at an unusual and engaging location like the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Six Flags New England or any of the area’s many museums, there’s virtually a venue for every need. Creative teams work with planners to execute every detail, and facility staff members put your needs first. There are also several top hotels in the region, including 975 rooms found in downtown Springfield close to the MassMutual Center. Easy accessibility – Located at “The Crossroads of New England,” the heart of the Pioneer Valley is intersected by Interstate 90 (“The Mass Pike”) and Interstate 91. Other well-traveled routes threading through the Valley include Route 20, Routes 10 & 202, Route 9 and Route 5. Free from big city hassles like gridlock and expensive parking, the region is easy to navigate. Downtown Springfield has both Amtrak and Peter Pan Bus Lines stations, and nearby Bradley International Airport is less than a half hour away. Hospitality extras – The GSCVB has a dedicated hospitality program that provides visiting groups with hospitality bags, VIP gifts, customized welcome signage that is displayed in downtown windows and doorways, e-communications that link to available discounts and area activities, electronic greetings that are visible on downtown electronic billboards, pre-convention meetings and much more. The Bureau can also provide two of its most popular brochures, “Getting Around” and “Dining Around,” which contain information about seasonal events and activities, as well as available dining discounts. Other perks include access to the Bureau’s image library and a Pioneer Valley-based media list for any of your group’s promotional efforts, the scheduling of pre- and post-meeting tours to the area’s attractions, the staffing of information tables at hotels and/or meeting sites and the issuing of hospitality alerts to nearby restaurants and other businesses to keep them apprised of your group’s arrival and schedule. Plenty of attractions – When meeting attendees have some down time and want to explore what the area has to offer for fun and recreation, they can enjoy countless options. In addition to the four largest tourist draws in the Valley (Six Flags New England, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, Yankee Candle Village and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame), the region is renowned for its unspoiled natural beauty and offers a wealth of outdoor pursuits, including zip lining, kayaking, rafting, canoeing, hiking, biking, golfing and skiing. The arts are represented at any number of places here, including Museums10 which offers great art from every period, fascinating historical sites, world class collections of artifacts and more, the Springfield Museums, which contains two world class art museums, a history museum and a science museum and planetarium, CityStage, which presents live theater and Symphony Hall, home of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Living museums, state parks, wineries, two zoos, cruise boats along the Connecticut River and the nation’s first armory are just a few of the other attractions that await meeting attendees looking to explore our region and delight their imaginations. Value – While top tier cities like Boston command high fees from visiting groups, other eastern Massachusetts regions, especially those close to the ocean, can also strain convention budgets. Meeting planners can take advantage of great values in the Pioneer Valley for both meeting sites and accommodations. In addition, the Valley is located 90 miles west of Boston and approximately 130 miles northeast of New York City, allowing for the perfect “hub-and-spoke” trips that stay based in more affordable regions. No matter what your meeting needs may be, the Pioneer Valley has an endless array of choices, and the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau stands ready to handle your requirements and details with the utmost of professionalism. To inquire about bringing your group to our region, contact Director of Sales Alicia Szenda at (413) 755-1346 or alicia@valleyvisitor.com. For additional information about leisure tours to enjoy the region while your group is in town, contact Convention Services Coordinator Taryn Siciliano at (413) 755-1370 or taryn@valleyvisitor.com. For regional information, visit the Bureau’s web site at www.valleyvisitor.com. The GSCVB, an affiliate of the Economic Development Council of Western MA, is a private non-profit destination marketing organization dedicated to promoting Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley for meetings and conventions, group tours and leisure travel.

Meeting Planner Packages

Five Great Reasons To Bring Your Meeting Or Convention To Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley

When reviewing all the elements involved in selecting meeting and convention sites, meeting planners have specific concerns in mind like cost, easy accessibility to the meeting site and the quality of both venues and hotels. Planners who bring groups to the Pioneer Valley (located just east of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts) will find a region filled with terrific options for these – and all other – concerns they face. The Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) works diligently with sales teams from numerous meeting sites and city facilities to ensure that groups enjoy a fun and productive visit. Here are five great reasons to bring your meeting or convention to the Pioneer Valley:

Top notch facilities – Whether your group demands the amenities of the area’s largest and most traditional meeting sites like the MassMutual Center, Eastern States Exposition or the Mullins Center, or wants to host a gathering at an unusual and engaging location like the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Six Flags New England or any of the area’s many museums, there’s virtually a venue for every need. Creative teams work with planners to execute every detail, and facility staff members put your needs first. There are also several top hotels in the region, including 975 rooms found in downtown Springfield close to the MassMutual Center.
Easy accessibility – Located at “The Crossroads of New England,” the heart of the Pioneer Valley is intersected by Interstate 90 (“The Mass Pike”) and Interstate 91. Other well-traveled routes threading through the Valley include Route 20, Routes 10 & 202, Route 9 and Route 5. Free from big city hassles like gridlock and expensive parking, the region is easy to navigate. Downtown Springfield has both Amtrak and Peter Pan Bus Lines stations, and nearby Bradley International Airport is less than a half hour away.
Hospitality extras – The GSCVB has a dedicated hospitality program that provides visiting groups with hospitality bags, VIP gifts, customized welcome signage that is displayed in downtown windows and doorways, e-communications that link to available discounts and area activities, electronic greetings that are visible on downtown electronic billboards, pre-convention meetings and much more. The Bureau can also provide two of its most popular brochures, “Getting Around” and “Dining Around,” which contain information about seasonal events and activities, as well as available dining discounts. Other perks include access to the Bureau’s image library and a Pioneer Valley-based media list for any of your group’s promotional efforts, the scheduling of pre- and post-meeting tours to the area’s attractions, the staffing of information tables at hotels and/or meeting sites and the issuing of hospitality alerts to nearby restaurants and other businesses to keep them apprised of your group’s arrival and schedule.
Plenty of attractions – When meeting attendees have some down time and want to explore what the area has to offer for fun and recreation, they can enjoy countless options. In addition to the four largest tourist draws in the Valley (Six Flags New England, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, Yankee Candle Village and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame), the region is renowned for its unspoiled natural beauty and offers a wealth of outdoor pursuits, including zip lining, kayaking, rafting, canoeing, hiking, biking, golfing and skiing. The arts are represented at any number of places here, including Museums10 which offers great art from every period, fascinating historical sites, world class collections of artifacts and more, the Springfield Museums, which contains two world class art museums, a history museum and a science museum and planetarium, CityStage, which presents live theater and Symphony Hall, home of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Living museums, state parks, wineries, two zoos, cruise boats along the Connecticut River and the nation’s first armory are just a few of the other attractions that await meeting attendees looking to explore our region and delight their imaginations.
Value – While top tier cities like Boston command high fees from visiting groups, other eastern Massachusetts regions, especially those close to the ocean, can also strain convention budgets. Meeting planners can take advantage of great values in the Pioneer Valley for both meeting sites and accommodations. In addition, the Valley is located 90 miles west of Boston and approximately 130 miles northeast of New York City, allowing for the perfect “hub-and-spoke” trips that stay based in more affordable regions.

No matter what your meeting needs may be, the Pioneer Valley has an endless array of choices, and the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau stands ready to handle your requirements and details with the utmost of professionalism. To inquire about bringing your group to our region, contact Director of Sales Alicia Szenda at (413) 755-1346 or alicia@valleyvisitor.com. For additional information about leisure tours to enjoy the region while your group is in town, contact Convention Services Coordinator Taryn Siciliano at (413) 755-1370 or taryn@valleyvisitor.com. For regional information, visit the Bureau’s web site at www.valleyvisitor.com.

The GSCVB, an affiliate of the Economic Development Council of Western MA, is a private non-profit destination marketing organization dedicated to promoting Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley for meetings and conventions, group tours and leisure travel.