Meetings Today - March 2017

As such, it only makes sense that the metro area is also a welcoming environment for meetings requiring state-of-the-art tech amenities and learning opportunities for attendees. There is no shortage of meeting facilities and off-site venues that deliver in this regard, according to Robert Hampton, vice president of convention sales and services for Visit Seattle.

“When meeting planners are looking at Seattle, science and technology are top of
mind,” he said. “We’re a hotbed of great tech companies that are either based here or
have a big presence here. Seattle has the credibility.”
Because Greater Seattle is a major tech hub, hotels and venues are challenged to
deliver the kind of amenities that its local corporate clients expect, he added.

“Good technology is an expectation of every customer, but when you have a customer like Microsoft you really have to demonstrate that you value them,” Hampton said.

“In many cases, our local tech customers have been able to advise those of us in the
hospitality industry on what we need to do.”
Seattle’s wealth of science and technology innovators
also makes the city a good source for speakers and pre-
senters at meetings, he said.

“We can provide access to some of the top minds in the country,” Hampton said. “Plus, a lot of tech associates who meet here know their attendance will be high.”

Seattle

In addition to a major expansion of the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC), expected to break ground this fall and open in 2020, the existing facility recently

138 Meetings Today // 03.17

It was indeed prophetic that the 1962 World’s Fair, which celebrated the Space Age by unveiling such wonders as a monorail transit system and the iconic Space Needle, happened in Seattle. As home to Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and many other innovators, Greater Seattle has proven itself time and again as a welcoming environment for technology, science and engagement.