Spokane is the Place to Be!

I just returned from several days of meetings with the 2010 convention steering committee in Spokane, the second largest city in Washington. What a great place this will be for our international convention! Spokane is the largest city between Denver and Calgary and between Seattle and Minneapolis. There are walking and biking trails and places to enjoy nature. You will have a great time here. Come early and stay late to enjoy all the area has to offer.

Our convention will be held at the Spokane Convention Center which is a LEED certified "green" building located on the banks of the Spokane River. We are utilizing 4 different hotels all within easy walking/shuttle distance to the center. Each hotel has a different ambiance.

The Davenport Hotel is an historic 1914 hotel which has been completed restored preserving its original public spaces. It is gorgeous and boasts outstanding service. The steering committee enjoyed their night on the comfy beds. Administrative Board and Executive Board meetings will be held in this facility. So it would be the place for you to make your reservations if you are part of these groups.

Across the street is the Davenport Towers which opened in 2007. One Spokanite (and, yes, that is what they are called)referred to the Towers as the "hip younger sister". It is very modern with a safari theme. There are no meeting rooms in the tower, but there is a bar, restaurant, work out facility, etc. Our steering committee sampled the appetizers and found them most delicious.

The Davenport Hotel and Towers is a six block walk past interesting shops and restaurants to the center. However, there will be bus and shuttle service available each day. I walked it and found many interesting places for breakfast (Madeleine's Cafe and Patisserie) and lunch (Mizuna). There are unique shops as well as Macy's and Nordstum's along the way.

The Red Lion Hotel at the Park is a five minute walk across the pedestrian bridge to the convention center. It is a child and pet friendly hotel with a magnificent outdoor swimming pool. So if you bring your family or your pet, this will be your choice location. There would be lots of things for your spouse or family members to do while you vote on the constitution.

Our fourth hotel is the Doubletree which is connected to the convention center. If you have difficulty walking, this might be your choice. States who choose to host events may wish to utilize some of the meeting spaces in this hotel.

All of the hotels are very reasonably priced (under $150 per night for double occupancy.) Be watching our website for links to the hotels so that you can easily make your reservations. Remember it is important to stay at one of the hotels as we need to make our "Block" in order to receive meeting space without cost. If we do not make the block in our contract, we pay for our guarantee anyway. So choose one of these lovely spots for your stay in Spokane. You won't be disappointed.

Be watching for future blogs that provide more information about the convention.