2017 Virginia Meeting & Conference Planner

Welcome to the 2017 edition of the Virginia Business Meeting & Conference Planner. This publication highlights prime meeting locations in the commonwealth designed to make your next meeting a success.

Scroll below to read features on Virginia’s unique meeting destinations, ranging from breathtaking mountains to sandy beaches. The list here breaks down conference venues in the state by available meeting space in square feet, banquet capacity and other useful information.

Logistics are important when planning meetings, and so are the meeting planners who make sense of data to create perfect events. This year we’re continuing to celebrate the commonwealth’s top meeting planners by featuring the 2017 Virginia Business Meeting Planner of the Year, a partnership started last year by Virginia Business and the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE). This year’s winner is Tracie Grady, vice president of operations and meetings for Eisenman & Associates Inc., a Richmond-based association management and meetings consulting company.

Grady will be honored at the VSAE’s 2017 Educational Symposium & Expo Oct. 5 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond. She is among a dozen meeting planners nominated for this year’s award. Turn to page 34 to read about what makes Grady a standout at her job. 

Overall, we hope this guide will make it easier to pick an ideal meeting spot. Virginia has several venues that will provide an immaculate setting for your next event.

Bernie Niemeier
President & Publisher
[email protected]

2017 Virginia Business Meeting Planner of the Year: Tracie Grady, Vice president of operations and meetings, Eisenman & Associates Inc., Richmond

2017 Virginia Business Meeting Planner of the Year List of Nominees

Conference Guide

BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS

• Wytheville Meeting Center, Wytheville

HAMPTON ROADS – PENINSULA

• Great Wolf Lodge, Williamsburg

HAMPTON ROADS – SOUTHSIDE

• Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Virginia Beach
• The Hilton Garden Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Virginia Beach
• Suffolk Tourism
• Visit Norfolk

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

• Visit Fairfax
• National Conference Center, Leesburg

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

• The Omni Homestead, Hot Springs

VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS

• Berglund Center, Roanoke
• Charter Hall at the City Market Building, Roanoke
• Hilton Garden Inn Roanoke, Roanoke
• Holiday Inn Tanglewood, Roanoke
• Salem Civic Center, Salem
• Sheraton Roanoke Hotel & Conference Center, Roanoke
• The Berglund Center, Roanoke
• The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio – A Collection by Hilton, Roanoke
• The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, Blacksburg
• Vinton War Memorial, Vinton