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Fall 2002
Providing
Service and Supplies by the Mile
Brand New Overland
Park Convention Center Adds to Kansas City Appeal
FedFleet 2002: George E. Fern Company
Helps Navigate Success for FedFleet
News
for Cost-Conscious Event Planners
Helping
Grow the Industry: Erica Wells Speaks at IUPUI
Partnering
for Success
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Providing
Service and Supplies by the Mile
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When
thousands of people gathered at St. Louis' America's Center for the PartyLite
National Conference, the George E. Fern Company was hard at work behind the scenes
to help make sure the event was successful. PartyLite sells fine quality candles,
candle accessories and gifts for home decoration through home demonstrations by
independent consultants. These consultants gathered July 17-20 for peer training,
motivational sessions, awards presentations and product announcements.
| "The
conference was a major theatrical production in all of the halls of the center,"
said Doug Geist, an account executive in the George E. Fern Company's St. Louis
office. Fern provided all of the rental items for the event - just over seven
miles of carpet, almost two miles of drape and nearly 3,500 feet of stantion with
rope, chain or tensa barrier. "Our
staff worked from dawn until well after dusk each day," Geist said. Because such
a major part of the George E. Fern Company's job involved labor, Fern team member
Keith Daw kept the client up to date on labor services with daily reports. |
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Another Fern team member, Carolyn
Wiles, coordinated logistics, making sure things were in place when needed and
out of sight at other times. While the facility is quite large, this event occupied
just about every inch of space The conference also included a banquet for more
than 10,000 people. Geist complimented the staff at the America's Center, which
catered the banquet. The catering crew, the facility's event management staff,
Fern and the other vendors worked as a team to create a "dynamite" event, he said.
"Considering the massiveness of this conference, we provided just one part of
a very large team effort," Geist said. "Our goal was to make sure our client didn't
need to worry about our part."
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Brand
New Overland Park Convention Center Adds to Kansas City Appeal |
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finishing touches are being made on the Overland Park Convention Center, and the
brand-new facility, just 15 minutes south of Kansas City, is set to open November
17. The George E. Fern Company, the convention center's preferred decorator, will
help with an open house on the 17th. The
Cimarron Lumber and Supply Show, December 2-6, will be the first event in the
new center. It will also be serviced by the George E. Fern Company. |
Situated in the heart of
Overland Park, the largest suburban city in the Kansas City metro area, this full-service
convention center offers a 60,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall and a 25,000-sq.-ft. ballroom
connected by a 50-ft. wide hallway for a total of 86,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space,
15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, a 25,000-sq.-ft. courtyard and a complete in-house
food and beverage service department. Plus, it is directly connected to a new
412-room Sheraton Hotel with 20,000 sq. ft. of additional meeting space. While
the outdoor courtyard provides a natural venue for a variety of activities, the
inside of the convention center offers the ambience of a traditional setting.
It includes a collection of art from more than 50 renowned local and regional
artists, including paintings, sculptures and an incredible blown-glass chandelier.
The center will feature state-of-the-art
technology with high-speed wireless Internet access, a Cyber Cafe and outlets
for audio-visual connections and multimedia presentations in the meeting rooms
and exhibition hall. Overland
Park and Kansas City area attractions include museums like the Agriculture Hall
of Fame, 18th & Vine Historical Jazz District, professional sporting events like
Kansas City Chiefs football and Kansas City Royals baseball, world-class shopping
and more. For more information, call the Overland Park Convention Center at 913-451-7400
or the George E. Fern Company at 816-221-0525.
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FedFleet
2002: George E. Fern Company Helps Navigate Success for FedFleet 2002
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From
golf carts and cars to buses, dump trucks and Army vehicles, the exhibit hall
at the Kansas City Convention Center looked like a giant parking lot when FedFleet
2002 pulled into the city June 22-25. With 322 booths and 1300 attendees, signs
throughout the 100,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall helped direct traffic. A Cyber Café
and Lounge on the show floor gave visitors a place to stop, relax and check their
e-mail."The décor at the show was beautiful," said Laurie Feld, with the General
Services Administration (GSA), one of the show's sponsors. "The George Fern Company
did a phenomenal job, and the signs made the show floor very convenient." She
said the expertise and knowledge of the George E. Fern Company staff helped maximize
space in the convention center, which benefited both exhibitors and visitors.
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| The
event, a federal fleet manager workshop and information fair, drew attendees from
all over the world. While most were with federal fleet programs, state and local
governments, as well as the private sector, were represented. In addition to the
tradeshow, the workshop featured more than 50 breakout sessions. |
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| FedFleet
2002 was sponsored by the Federal Fleet Policy Council, GSA's Office of Govern-mentwide
Policy and the U.S. Department of Energy. "This
was the first time we had worked with the George Fern Company, and it was a very
positive experience," said Feld. "They gave us a lot of attention, and nothing
was too big or too little for them to do." |
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News
for Cost-Conscious Event Planners
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EXPO
magazine's list of 25 bargain destinations in the July/August 2002 issue included
three cities where the George E. Fern Company has offices.
St.
Louis, MO - ADR: $67.56; Meal Per Diem: $46. By 2003, downtown St. Louis
will offer 7,600 hotel rooms with 33,000 rooms area-wide.
Nashville, TN - ADR:$74.22; Meal Per Diem: $42. The Nashville Convention
Center offers 119,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, and the Gaylord Opryland hotel
offers 288,000 sq. ft. (the most exhibit space of any hotel in the United States).
Kansas City, MO-KS - ADR:$93.86;
Meal Per Diem: $42. The KCI-Expo Center opened in January with 70,000 sq. ft.
of exhibit space, and the new Overland Park Convention Center will offer a 60,000-sq.-ft.
exhibit hall. ADR = Average
Daily Room Rate Meal Per Diem is based on the 2002 federal per diem meal rates. Reprinted
with permission from the July/August 2002 issue of EXPO magazine.
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Helping
the Industry Grow: Erica Wells Speaks at IUPUI |
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Erica Wells, an account
executive in the George E. Fern Company's Indianapolis office, recently spoke
to students in the Department of Tourism, Conventions and Event Management at
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. IUPUI is one of only a handful
of universities that offer courses in conventions and event management. Wells
was one speaker in a series, which also included a show manager and a representive
from the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association. She talked about the
history of the George Fern Company and how they work with meeting planners and
exhibitors.
As
a result of her presentation, the Indianapolis office is planning to team up with
IUPUI to offer an internship program. They will have their first intern this fall.
Good for Fern and for IUPUI!
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Partnering
for Success
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The
George E. Fern Company serves as the official exposition contractor for more than
900 events annually. Here is a partial list of recent contracts. •
National College Fair- Annually in March 2003, 2004
and 2005, Charlotte, NC •
Geographic Info System Expo - Annually in September
2002 and 2003, Columbus, OH
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Henry's Dealer Show - Annually in September 2002,
2003 and 2004, Orlando, FL •
Professional Club Makers - Annually in March 2003,
2004, 2005 and 2006, Louisville, KY •
Southern Spring Show - Annually in February 2003,
2004 and 2005, Charlotte, NC •
Indianapolis Home Show - Annually in January 2003,
2004 and 2005, Indianapolis, In •
Kentucky Dental Association - Annually in April 2003,
2004, 2005 and 2006, Louisville, KY •
Turfgrass Council of North Carolina - Annually in
January 2003, 2004 and 2005. Charlotte, NC
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