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Lake Placid, N.Y. — The Conference Center at Lake Placid is set to welcome more than 4,200 meeting attendees, plus their spouses and families, at a string of conferences starting this month and running through October.  

“Business at the center is ramping up, and these conference dates target the area’s shoulder season, filling up hotels and motels in seasons when they normally would struggle to reach capacity with traditional leisure travelers,” said Maryjane Lawrence, director of marketing for the Conference Center. “Plus, many attendees and their guests will take advantage of the come-early-stay-late option to extend their stay in the region.”

The sales strategy for the Conference Center at Lake Placid is conducted cooperatively by the Lake Placid CVB/Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) and the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). The strategy includes attracting a combination of regional day business, and multi-day, town-wide conferences, which are typically booked up to four years in advance. 

Just as leisure travelers can provide a link to future conference business, the meetings represent a built-in marketing opportunity for the destination, as a conference attendee’s positive experience in Lake Placid can drive future visits to the area with friends and family.

“In addition to the Conference Center itself, groups often take advantage of the many other unique experiences that only a Lake Placid meeting can offer," said ORDA's Denny Allen, Manager of the Olympic Center building that includes the Conference Center. “After all, our meetings can include a corporate hockey competition in the Olympic Center or a reception at the top of the ski jumps.”  

Upcoming meetings begin with the Lions Annual Convention from April 25-27, with over 1,000 attendees expected. Currently scheduled conferences are as follows:

• April 25-27: MD-20 Lions Annual Convention, welcoming Lions Club members from throughout New York state and Bermuda. About 1,000 attendees anticipated.
• May 2-4: CSEA Statewide Conference on Occupational Safety and Health. About 1,000 attendees anticipated.
• June 4-6: North Country Clean Energy Conference, hosted by the Adirondack North Country Association, provides a forum to share, learn about and discuss clean energy opportunities for Northern New York. About 300 attendees anticipated. 
• June 16-19: SUNY Technology Conference, the foremost forum for SUNY’s technology communities to join together to grow as professionals, learn about advances in the marketplace and to discuss approaches for addressing common issues. About 600 attendees anticipated. 
• June 25-28: The annual meeting of the New York Medical Group Management Association, the state affiliate of a national professional association of medical group administrators. About 150 attendees anticipated.
• July 9-13: The New York State Bar Association’s Family Law Section Summer Meeting. About 225 attendees anticipated. 
• Sept. 7-9: Independent Bankers Association of New York State’s annual convention, trade show and board of directors meeting. About 150 attendees anticipated. 
• Sept. 18-21: Albany Medical College-Primary Care and Neurology. About 150 attendees anticipated. 
• Oct. 8-9: SUNY’s Student Information and Campus Administrative Systems 2014 Summit. About 350 attendees anticipated. 
• Oct. 20-23: New York State Financial Aid Administrators Annual Conference. About 325 attendees anticipated. 

The Conference Center at Lake Placid opened in the spring of 2011, and was designed with its location in the Adirondacks and contemporary meeting market needs in mind. Technologically savvy and environmentally sound, the Center incorporates optimized energy performance, renewable, recycled materials and natural daylight, and offers over 90,000 square feet of flexible meeting and exhibition space, with a total of 12 breakout rooms available for concurrent sessions, state of the art audio visual technology, a ballroom and a full service production kitchen. 

For more information about the Conference Center at Lake Placid, visit meetingslakeplacid.com.

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