This care and consideration also extends to event budgets and client goals. “We’re always very good stewards of the clients’ budget, whether it is a large community event or a private fundraising gala or a national event,” Merritt conveys. “They’re all successful in our eyes, as long as the client’s budget is met, the needs of that event are met, and every guest comes out of here feeling like they were welcomed warmly with that good Southern hospitality.” Even innovation comes in the form of practical, client-focused solutions. Swanson shared an example involving the exhibit hall’s flooring. “That is a 24,000-square-foot space with a cement floor,” she explained. “If clients planned an upscale event, they had to rent carpet, which was very expensive, labor-intensive, and didn’t always deliver the look they wanted. We invested in a heavy-duty tile with a blue-gray slate The center has also been outfitted with LED boards and digital signage to enhance the client experience. “We constantly assess what our clients need, benchmark ourselves against comparable facilities, and invest in technology to ensure we remain competitive,” Swanson said. FLEXIBLE AND EFFICIENT Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center’s ability to support an impressive range of events while delivering an excellent experience for every group is part of its identity. This versatility is supported by quick and efficient room transformations. Director of Events Meredith Merritt highlights how rapidly the spaces can shift from one function to the next. “We have an excellent housekeeping, operations team, engineering team, those support teams really get that work done.They will flip it to go into a trade show, and then they’ll flip that again to go into a corporate meeting, and then we’ll flip that one more time to go back into a gala.” 86 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 12
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