Don’t roll up the red carpet; awards season isn’t over yet.
In its Spring 2012 issue, Illinois Meetings + Events magazine has named NIU-Hoffman Estates the best conference venue in Illinois. The Best of 2011 winners were chosen by the magazine’s readers in a Reader’s Choice Awards poll.
In 2011, NIU-Hoffman Estates hosted 334 meetings and conferences for more than 5,300 attendees.
Magazine readers who attended events at the conference center cited the building’s sunlit rooms, cutting-edge technology, ergonomic furniture and spacious atrium in making NIU Hoffman Estates the premier conference venue in Illinois.
Anne Kaplan, NIU vice president vice president for Outreach, Engagement and Information Technologies, noted with pride that the Hoffman Estates center, built in 1992 as the university’s first regional center, continues to win awards with its extraordinary facilities and services.
“This center, with its beautiful prairie setting, draws thousands of students and corporate clients with substantial repeat business year after year,” Kaplan said.
Kaplan’s division oversees the operations of the three regional centers.
NIU-Hoffman Estates offers 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including an auditorium, networked computer labs and a video conference room.
The centers, which also include NIU-Naperville and NIU-Rockford, provide full conference services including event planning, registration services, catering services and technology support services, as well as meeting space and events rooms.
All are designated as certified conference centers by the International Association of Conference Centers.
The centers also provide classrooms for the numerous off-campus courses and professional development sessions NIU offers throughout the region.
Martha Keyes, conference services manager for NIU-Hoffman Estates, was excited to hear about the award from Illinois Meetings + Events magazine.
Keys said the friendly people who work at the center help set it apart from other conference venues.
“I have been with NIU for 13 years, and I love the family atmosphere that the university offers,” Keyes said. “People here really develop a bond with our co-workers and clients. We are here to help clients reach their meeting goals, and we have the top quality staff to do just that.”
by Gillian King-Cargile
