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146 147 outstanding.Notonegrievance intheeightyears they’ve been inthebuilding.Andthere isnoburdentoourguests, since there isonlyoneunionandtheysharewhat theydo. If somebodyneedsa tablemoved,wemove it.It’snot a matterofwell,thisguyhas todothisandthatpersonhas todothat.” Regardinggreen initiatives,theCenter isworkingwith theStateofConnecticutonauniquenewfoodrecycling program,implementingdesignatedbins inthe facility.Wet trashanddrytrash is sent toseparate facilitiesandrecy- cleddifferently.That initiative is inadditiontotheCenter convertingtoLEDlighting,andotherbasicupgrades that most conventioncentersarenowmaking intheir facilities. Anotherbonus infavorof theConnecticutConvention Center is that it isadowntownpropertywithadockand 20 loadingbayswithtwo‘aircraftdoors’–enormousdoors that slideopentoallowfreight tobemovedabout easily. It’sveryimportant tomeetingplannersandtradeshows, as several groupscanget inandoutquicklyat thesame time. Costelli adds,“Wealsohaveconvenienthighwayaccess. There’s us,then the highway,then the river.You get great views–and the highwaymakes it easy to get to us,and away fromus.And,of course,it helps being centrally locatedwith immense populations between Boston,NewYork,andmajor Connecticut cities such as Greenwich and Stanford that house a lot of executives from the BigApple.” Innovation,location,size,plus,plus,plus…a combina- tion for success that continues to earn the Connecticut Convention Center kudos as the northeast’s premier meeting destination. “We have a group coming this Fall with pretty strong internet requirements,so it will cost another $50,000 to upgrade our system to providewhat this particular Association is looking for.Having said that,all groups areheaded inthisdirection,so it’smoneywell spent.” Digital signagehasbecomeamust-havevenuecom- ponent.TheCenterutilizes flashscreenTVsandanew softwareprogramtoprovidebetterdigital signageand advertisingthroughout the facility.Inthe lower lobby,a videowall of screensallowsgroups tosharemessages withguestsas theyenter the facility.Internet isprovided freeof charge,abig issuecompetition-wise. Ayear ago,theCenterdida refresh.Costelli elabo- rates:“TheCenterhasa lotof carpet–we re-carpeted thewhole facility,all thepublicfurniture isnew,andwe addedanewboxoffice.The lower lobbywent throughan extensive refurbishmentwhere it connects totheMarriot Hotel,sothe twobuildingsnowhaveasimilardesign style.Across fromourBusinessCenter,weaddeda15-seat chargingstationwherepeoplecanworkontheir laptops. So,inthe lastyear,we’vegone throughmanycapital improvements tokeepourselvesmodernandfreshand better able toserveourguests.” DemersAudioVisual isa local companythatworks nationally,but theConventionCentre is theonlysuch propertyitmanagesonaday-to-daybasis.Havingthem in-houseasa third-partyaudio-visual purveyor for the last fouryearshasbeenagreatbenefit,andservicescores haveseena remarkable increaseduringthat time. Anotherbeneficial partnership iswithLocal 1224 LaborersUnion.Costelli says,“Ouroperatingdepartments –everything fromtheculinaryteam,toengineering,to environmental services (housekeeping)–areunionized members.Our relationshipwiththeunionhasbeen THE CONNECTICUT CONVENTION CENTER PREFERRED VENDORS n LAZ Parking Ltd. LLC www.lazparking.com LAZ Parking was founded in 1981 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company owns, manages, and leases parking facilities in the United States, providing facility management services that include event and game day management, and shuttle services for remote locations, as well as surface lots, garages, and valet parking. n C & C Janitorial Supplies www.ccsupplies.com 800-818-0531 ▪ ccsupplies.com CONTACT: Joe Schaefer - joe.schaefer@ccsupplies.com • Green Solutions and Sustainable Choices • Janitorial and Sanitary Maintenance • Safety Supplies • MRO • Packaging • Food Service • Industrial Supplies Customized value-added solutions with local service and expertise. A one-source distributor for all of your facility needs C&C Janitorial Supplies is a minority and woman-owned business enterprise. C&C Janitorial 2017 Business View QP.indd 1 8/18/2017 1:44:07 PM