Technology industry conferences and events provide a dynamic platform for professionals to foster networking opportunities and gain insights into emerging trends. We just returned from the annual 0111 Conference held by industry organization 7CTOs. This gathering, held near San Diego’s waterfront, was billed as a “how-to” for the CTO (Chief Technology Officer), offering opportunities to meet with their peers, learn about industry trends, and shape leadership skills.
Lucy (left) and Tieara staffing the registration table at the 0111 CTO Conference 2023
The main portion of the conference was built around two days of presentations and Q&A sessions. The first day concentrated on business management and how-to, the second day on the technology topic of the moment, AI. We also planned a couple of off-site events, one held at Snapdragon Stadium, and another at Basic Bar and Pizza (New Haven-style, yum!).
We helped the client with pre-event planning and day-of operations. This included:
Finding the conference venue and helping the client through the contract phase
Setting up and supervising the registration website
Working with Catering to keep participants fed and hydrated
Setting up the extracurricular activities and making sure attendees got to the off-site events okay
Fine-tuning the Run of Show and stage script
Coordinating with the hotel and the audio-visual team to make sure everything on the day of went smoothly
Staffed the registration table and acted as the Help Desk for the event
This was the third 0111 CTO Conference in which we assisted. We love working on technology industry conferences and events, and we also love working with other associations and groups. Do you need assistance with a conference that you are planning? Please get in touch!
Hello folks! Today we revisit a region near and dear to our hearts: The Columbia River Gorge. This valley carved straight through the mighty Cascade Mountains, providing a water-level route to the interior. This gorge is filled with immense beauty and special places, making it a favorite place of ours not only to visit, but also to hold weddings and other events. We have planned several weddings in the Gorge, like Will and Erik‘s and Shannon and Ryan’s. Come with us to tour event and wedding venues in the Columbia Gorge near Cascade Locks!
Gorges Beer Co.
This brewery is new on the Gorge beer scene, opening in the summer of 2021. Their three-story space, located in downtown Cascade Locks, features two open-air patios with expansive views of the Gorge and Cascade Mountain range. They also have a one-acre lawn and separate “barn” with bar for an outdoor ceremony of up to 200 people. Plus, you’ll get to drink the tasty beers Gorges is known for.
Patio at Gorges BeerThe “barn” at Gorges Beer
Maple Leaf Events Wedding Venue
Located in the foothills above Stevenson, Washington, across the river from Cascade Locks, Maple Leaf Events feature a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces for weddings. The reception hall can accommodate 150, with a large kitchen and small bar available as well. Plus, they provide suites for the couple to get ready, and three rentable cabins for overnight stays for members of the wedding party.
Maple Leaf Events (from their website)
Black Pearl on the Columbia
This industrial-styled, multi-level facility is located in Washougal, Washington, at the west entrance of the Gorge. Its 12,600 sq ft can accommodate up to 1,000 people, making it a great spot for a large corporate event. And its floor-to-ceiling windows give a sweeping view of the Columbia River and Cascade Foothills.
Columbia Gorge Museum
Would you like having your event held amongst big pieces of machinery and historical displays? The Columbia Gorge Museum (also known as the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum) in Stevenson allows facility rentals after the museum’s public hours end. As per their website, this museum boasts thousands of square feet of available space including a meeting room, theater, large outdoor patio, as well as the Grand Gallery. (Editor’s Note: This museum should not be confused with the similarly sounding Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, which we mentioned in our East Gorge roundup last year.)
After hours event at Columbia Gorge Museum in Stevenson (from their website)
Transportation to the Columbia Gorge
Most people arrive to the Gorge via car. Nevertheless, there are other options:
Bus: While Amtrak’s Empire Builder passes through the Gorge here, it does not stop until Bingen, about 20 miles east of here. Taking the bus is a better option. There are multiple options that connect the Portland metro area to the Gorge, all of them have bike racks on the front and/or rear of the bus.
Oregon side: The Columbia Gorge Express travels from Gateway Transit Center in Portland to Hood River several times a day, making stops in Troutdale, Multnomah Falls, and Cascade Locks.
Washington side:Skamania County Transit travels from Fishers Landing Transit Center in Vancouver to Bingen several times a day (weekdays only), making stops in Washougal, Skamania (store), North Bonneville, Stevenson, and Carson.
Bike: Undeniably the Gorge is a great place to ride a bike, at least on the Oregon side. (Washington Route 14 has lots of traffic and often lacks a shoulder.) The Historic Columbia River Highway is the way to go. It’s a scenic route that winds its way from Troutdale, OR to Cascade Locks. Bike maps for the route can be found here and here. Don’t have a bike? Rent one from Bike The Gorge in Cascade Locks.
We hope that you found this post informative, and that it helps you when sourcing event and wedding venues in the Columbia Gorge near Cascade Locks If you need any help planning your next Corporate Meeting, Event or Conference in the Gorge, EJP Events is here to assist!
Check out our previous Columbia Gorge venue guides here: West Gorge and East Gorge
In June we helped with the commencement ceremony of the OHSU-PSU1 School of Public Health. Planning a convocation event for a prestigious professional school, especially one with a joint program shared across two state universities, poses several workloads, to name a few:
Gathering the data from eligible graduates about whether or not they would participate in the event, as well as registering their guests
Ensuring graduates’ names and pronunciations were collected in advance so University leadership could correctly recognize them from the stage
Ordering regalia (caps, gowns, and hoods) for the academic staff, as well as graduates in proper colors and sizes
Add these tasks to the normal work of event planning — catering, room and stage layouts, seating charts, rehearsals, scheduling, and collecting materials from speakers — and you have a daunting pile of to-dos that would make even the most skilled Dean or Student Services Director look for outside assistance. That’s where we came in.
We were happy to help the School of Public Health on this special day so staff and students could just relax. And we would be happy to help you with your academic ceremony or educational conference, just ask!
Oregon Health Sciences University-Portland State University ↩︎
It’s no secret that one of our favorite places to visit is the storied City of Lakes. Lying on the upper Mississippi River where its only major natural waterfall is located, Minneapolis is the Upper Midwest’s thriving, vital hub. The city is a natural jewel, with the river, numerous lakes, and parkland. But it also has many cultural attractions, making it an attractive spot to meet. We love helping you folks find appropriate settings for your corporate retreats, conferences, and more. So here is a smattering of Minneapolis meeting venues to help your next event be memorable.
Minneapolis Convention Center
Let’s start with the biggest space in town: Minneapolis’s Convention Center is conveniently located on the south edge of downtown, linked to other hotels and businesses via the Skyway, a network of climate-controlled bridges over city streets. No need to “dress for the weather” to get here! The Convention Center contains “1.6 million square feet of space including a 3,400 fixed-seat auditorium, 475,000 square feet of exhibit space, 87 meeting rooms, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom and a 55,000-square-foot ballroom.” We got acquainted with this awesome space when we attended Connect Marketplace in August 2023.
Minnesota Orchestra Hall
Located adjacent to photogenic Peavey Plaza a few blocks from the convention center, the Minnesota Orchestra Hall became the first performing arts center in the country to achieve a LEED v4 O+M Silver certification. The hall features six customizable event spaces, including its Grand Foyer, a high-ceiling, multi-tiered space with abundant natural light. Corporate Meetings, Events & Conferences are a great fit for the Hall, as they can accommodate anywhere from 10 to 2,000 attendees and feature on-site beverage service, with access to local caterers.
Minnesota Orchestra Hall
Walker Art Center
Located in Loring Park, a rise just southwest of downtown, this contemporary art museum is renowned for its extensive and varied collection. The Walker also provides numerous opportunities to host a meeting large or small. They provide flexible spaces including “a theater, street-level and roof-top terraces, plazas, gardens, and lounges.” An added perk is that event space rental includes free gallery admission and a private exhibition tour. Oh yeah, during the warmer months they have mini-golf! And you’ll be right next to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, home of the famed Spoonbridge and Cherry. (You can rent out the gardens as well, but it needs to be done via the Minneapolis Park Board.)
Spoonbridge and Cherry at Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at Walker Art Center
Other Interesting Venues
Located on the far east side of town in a former industrial zone, Surly Brewing is one of Minnesota’s largest breweries. Not only is Surly a purveyor of tasty beers (and tasty New Haven style pizza, a style we heartily approve of), but their taproom provides a great meeting space. Scheid Hall is located above the main tap room and hold 175 people. Surly also provides a tented space in the beer garden during the nicer months with a capacity of 120 people. And Surly will provide all food and drink for your event, whether it be a meeting, corporate retreat, or wedding. Also, Surly is a stop on Minneapolis Trolley’s Hop-On, Hop-Off brews cruise. After a meeting at Scheid Hall, you can tour the city’s other great breweries!
We’ll close out this blog post with a world-renowned nightclub, First Avenue and Seventh Street Entry. How renowned? Well, Prince filmed most of Purple Rain’s performance scenes here! Located on the edge of downtown, First Avenue has been hosting many legendary performers over the past 40 years. The 22,000 square-foot facility includes two levels, two rooms, a 1,000 square-foot dance floor, and a stage. Perhaps First Avenue can host your next special event?
Getting There/Getting Around
Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport is located about 10 miles south of downtown, featuring non-stop flights from most major American cities. The airport is connected to downtown via Metro Blue Line light rail. Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which connects the Twin Cities to Chicago, Seattle, and Portland, stops at Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, 10 miles east of downtown Minneapolis. Metro Green Line links Union Depot to downtown Minneapolis. The two light rail lines and Metro Transit’s extensive bus network will get you to most Twin Cities destinations. We find that getting around by bike is the best option, as Minneapolis has a great network of on-and-off street bike facilities. Hop on a bike share bike provided by Lime and explore the town.
We hope that you found this post informative, and that it helps you when sourcing Minneapolis meeting venues. If you need any help planning your Minneapolis Corporate Meeting, Event or Conference, EJP Events is here to assist!
Emee visits Toyokuni-jinja Shrine in Kyoto, April 2023
After several years of being closed to tourism during the pandemic, the country of Japan is open again. We returned for the first time since 2019, in March and April of 2023. And we found Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto to be just as vibrant as ever. Let’s help you with meetings and events in Japan!
Tokyo Recommended Activities and Itinerary
The capital of Japan and largest city in the world depending on your metric, Tokyo is many things, but never boring. Just riding around on the subways and commuter rail and wandering the many districts can provide a lifetime of fun for most. There are some attractions that require buying tickets far in advance to guarantee admission, but we’ve found them worth it: Ghibli Museum is dedicated to the famed animation studio. Owl Cafe Akiba Fukurou Tokyo, offers the opportunity to hang out with owls for a bit! And teamLab Planets is an immersive interactive digital museum. Tokyo Whiskey Library offers an extensive list of whiskeys from Japan and around the word in a lovely setting. Before you leave, take a journey to the observation deck of Tokyo Skytree, world’s tallest tower, to see from above what you’ve been exploring.
Tokyo Skytree
Osaka Recommended Activities and Itinerary
Japan’s third largest city, Osaka is just a three hour journey via Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo. While Osaka is dominated by tall glass towers just like Tokyo, Osaka Castle, a fortification in the heart of the city, is worth a visit. The castle was built in the 16th century and heavily reconstructed in the 20th. Dotonbori is the brightly-lit “drinking district” along its namesake canal, a great place to sample nightlife. Then treat yourself to a “spa day” at the Conrad Osaka Hotel, where you can get a truly luxurious massage. The many restaurants at the Conrad are also worth visiting, and the numerous meeting rooms would make this hotel a memorable conference spot. Additional meeting options can be found at Grand Prince Osaka (formerly Hyatt Osaka) which is near the INTEX convention center.
Osaka Castle
Kyoto Recommended Activities and Itinerary
Japan’s pre-modern era capital, Kyoto, is now the country’s ninth-largest city, still large (1 1/2 million people) but with a mellower feeling than Tokyo and Osaka. Kyoto’s biggest attraction is all its temples–go a mile in any direction and you’ll hit something. Kyoto’s many streets are filled with wood framed houses, a stark change from the other glass-and-concrete Japanese cities, a legacy from avoiding extensive bombing during World War II. Rent a mamachari bicycle from one of the numerous rental companies (remember to ride on the left!) and explore the temples, rivers, and bars. We love visiting Kyoto Beer Lab on the bank of the Takasegawa River.
Though I love all three cities, as a Portland-based meeting and event planner, Kyoto is my whole vibe! We stayed in the central city and found it easy to walk to a bike rental shop and just go toodling around the city by bike, visiting shops, restaurants, brewpubs, and temples along the way.
If we can help you with meetings and events in Japan, let us know! We have great partners in-country that support additional offsites, airport transfers, and transportation. We can craft a great itinerary for you.
Large convention space at Hyatt Osaka (now called Grand Prince Hotel, Osaka).
Emee (r) with Anca Trifan of Tree-Fan Events the symposium
Last fall we had the opportunity to assist with a AIDS educational conference held here in Portland. This conference provided opportunities to exchange the latest scientific perspectives, research findings, and emerging technologies for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. As we mentioned before, we love working with educational organizations.
The bulk of the conference consisted of researchers presenting their research papers. There was also an area where people could see posters about other research projects that would not be presented live.
Attendees were treated to a diverse range of presentations at this week long event. The time spent together fostered collaboration and inspired a collective commitment to eradicate AIDS.
We provided pre-event planning and consultation, administrative support, marketing of the conference to attendees, and trade show planning. We also provided final coordination, onsite registration and help desk, and onsite event coordination. Our partner Tree-Fan Events provided the livestream to participants who could not be here in person.
And we’d be happy to work with you on your next conference, whether it be an AIDS educational conference or something else. Please get in touch!
