• U.S. News & World Report Names The Merrill Hotel & Conference Center "#1 Best Hotel in Iowa"

     
    POSTED April 2, 2019
     

  • U.S. News & World Report Names The Merrill Hotel & Conference Center "#1 Best Hotel in Iowa"

     
    POSTED April 2, 2019
     

The Merrill Hotel & Conference Center has been named the "#1 Best Hotel in Iowa" by U.S. News & World Report in the "2019 Best Hotels" rankings. Located in downtown Muscatine, The Merrill is Iowa's only hotel to hold a AAA Four Diamond rating and International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) accreditation.

Adjacent from the city's River Walk Park, the 122-room hotel boasts numerous suites, 12,723 square feet of meeting space spread throughout 16 meeting rooms, a 4,719-square-foot Grand Ballroom, and a large outdoor balcony overlooking the Mississippi River. The Merrill also offers an indoor, heated saltwater pool, a fitness center, full-service restaurant and a 24-hour business center.

“Having opened just one year ago, this esteemed recognition spotlights the hotel’s exceptional setting, sophisticated amenities and the outstanding customer service our hospitality professionals deliver to our guests each day,” says Rebecca Howe, president of Riverview Hotel Development, LLC, the hotel’s owner. “This attention-to-detail truly sets our hotel and conference center apart.”

Los Angeles Convention Center Gives Back

A prime site for conventions, trade shows and exhibitions, the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) recognizes that it has a unique opportunity to impact the lives of millions of guests and community members that step through its doors every year. That’s why the center has recently collected and donated 14.1 tons of remaining event items and 12 tons of carpet to various Los Angeles-based nonprofit organizations, in alignment with their commitment to zero-waste initiatives.

 
Budget Trends: Experts Talk Spending

As with most facets of the meetings and events industry, the art of managing an event budget is a true balancing act. And while it’s easy to get wrapped up in the nitty-gritty, Eventbrite revealed a pleasant surprise in its 2018 Pulse Report (which surveyed 1,200 planners), finding that event budgets overall appear to be on the rise. But where exactly are those budget dollars going these days and how can planners best spend to craft memorable moments?

 
Agriculture-focused events in The Prairie State

According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, about 1.5 million Illinois workers are employed in the food and fiber system, ranking it as one of the top states in dependency on agriculture. The state’s 72,500 farms utilize 75 percent of Illinois land, including some of the most fertile soil in the world. While nicknamed “The Prairie State,” Illinois is truly a land of plenty and a hub for agritourism—with some of the largest agriculture-focused events (holding the potential for major economic impact) taking place inside its borders.