The Great Lakes Coatings Conference was held on campus at the University of Michigan (U-M) in Ann Arbor for the first time last June. The purpose of the conference is to educate professionals in the coatings (paints, varnishes, sealants, etc.) industry. The Michigan League building, where the event was centered, gave the 420 people who attended access to facilities for meetings, trainings, and exhibitions.
U-M’s football program and its facilities afforded the group an opportunity to rent the Jack Roth Stadium Club and Michigan Stadium for an evening event that was such a hit they extended their time. “We will continue to use colleges, because they’re untapped, especially when it’s off-season,” says Amanda Andrews, Great Lakes Coatings Conference president.
Throughout Michigan, college campuses offer facilities that are available to outside groups when they’re not in use by students and staff. When classes aren’t in full session, dorm rooms also are typically available for attendees. Likewise, residence-hall dining rooms often are an option for group meals.
In Marquette, Northern Michigan University (NMU) offers multiple facilities for groups. The largest of its four Northern Center grand ballrooms hosts up to 1,000. Other spaces include its Superior Dome sports facility and Berry Events Center, with meeting space for 75, which sits next to the dome. “We have had all sorts of different events at NMU that have always been very well received,” says Susan Estler, CEO of Travel Marquette. “They are a very good partner.”
At U-M, Conference and Event Services Director Elaine Hanke says the centrally located Michigan Union and Michigan League buildings have ballrooms that accommodate large groups, along with smaller breakout spaces. That’s in addition to large facilities like Hill Auditorium, seating 3,500; the Power Center, accommodating 1,300; and Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, which holds 600.
“We have unique spaces on campus for special events, whether it be gardens, a courtyard, or ‘The Big House’ [Michigan Stadium],” says Hanke, whose conference and events team provides registration services and vendor management. They arrange aspects like transportation, field trips, and hotel-room blocks (many hotels are within walking distance) if needed, while also managing catering sales.
Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing also offers conference- and event-planning services. Key facilities include the MSU Union, which has multiple spaces, including a ballroom that holds up to 350. Other options include rooms in MSU’s Brody Neighborhood, Spartan Stadium and Breslin Student Events Center, Abrams Planetarium, and gardens, among others.
“We seek to be both an accessible and reasonable option because we want you on campus,” says Christopher C. Stone-Sewalish, MSU associate director for business operations. MSU also is home to Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, with 160 guest rooms and 32 meeting rooms totaling 35,000 square feet.
In Grand Rapids, Grand Valley State University’s City Campus is home to the riverfront L.V. Eberhard Center. Kari Czarnecki, business development manager for the university’s Conference and Event Planning Department, says Eberhard Center is closed for two years after construction began in May on an addition that will house a new technology hub. The facility accommodates large conferences and events with 5,200 square feet of meeting space and an auditorium.
A few blocks away, the Richard M. DeVos Center has an auditorium accommodating 232 people, exhibition hall, and some classrooms. The nearby L. William Seidman Center hosts up to 192.
Multiple spaces for gatherings of all sizes are available at Kalamazoo’s Western Michigan University (WMU), says Discover Kalamazoo Senior Manager of Business Development Ashley Peruchietti. WMU’s Student Center offers many options, including a ballroom that hosts up to 288 for a banquet. “It overlooks the campus with great floor-to-ceiling windows,” Peruchietti says.
When the International Congress on Medieval Studies happens at WMU each May, it attracts about 2,000 people from 43 countries. They use most of the Student Center, along with classrooms in nearby Sangren Hall, the university library, and Kanley Chapel. “Participants also stay in dormitories and make use of downtown hotels,” says Robert Berkhofer, director of WMU’s Medieval Institute, the event host.
Also on campus, the John E. Fetzer Center is a conference facility that accommodates more than 1,000 attendees, says Michaleh Augustine, director of sales for Kalamazoo-based facility manager Millennium Restaurant Group. Its largest auditorium holds 250, with the ballroom able to fit 280.
In Holland, Haworth Hotel is on the campus of Hope College. Katie Klingenberg, director of sales for Zeeland-based hotel management company Creative Dining Services, says the property has 48 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Groups also can access additional university facilities, including the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, which holds nearly 800; Knickerbocker Theatre, seating about 500; and the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse for up to 3,000.
“When you’re spending your resources with us, those resources are going back into helping the college lower student tuition,” Klingenberg says. “It’s a great selling point for prospective clients—
knowing that what they spend with us is going toward something good.”
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gvsu.edu/facilitiesservices
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