Saratoga Convention and Tourism Blog

Although the track may be settled and the Carousel closed, your little horse won’t think it queer to stop by any of these snowy Saratoga events!

Within just a few hours jaunt, travelers can find themselves on the doorstep of Boston, New York City, Montreal, Niagara Falls, the Jersey Shore (the place, not the show!) and the great Adirondack Mountains.

The weary traveler who arrives at Saratoga Springs by train is soon rejuvenated by a serendipitous discovery. There, in the foyer of the train station, stands a baby grand piano.

With it's accessibility to major metropolitan areas, period architecture, army of local talent and untouched natural landscapes and beauty, Saratoga Springs has been the choice for location scouts and production studios for years.

Saratoga Springs has long been a tourist attraction....

May was a special month for Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County and our entire region as we welcomed back-to-back international semiconductor conferences and visitors from around the world.

The Famous Doughboy at Esperanto in Saratoga Springs, NY

With track season fast approaching, I’ve been feeling super nostalgic lately. I routinely have flashbacks to an easier time and strategize how to best impart this same nostalgia onto my son.

I recently moved back to Saratoga Springs after spending my twenties traipsing around the country like a gypsy (minus the mysticism, music and elaborate clothing, unfortunately).

Saratoga Conventions and Meetings!

Plans of expansion are in progress at Saratoga Casino and Raceway, pending the legalization of Governor Cuomo’s proposal to enhance gaming in New York State.

What a terrific year 2011 was for Saratoga’s hospitality community. All of the lodging segment indicators (occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room) were up for the second straight year.

A very important piece of legislation passed in New York in late June that could have a significant impact on business coming to Saratoga. Saratoga Springs has long been a destination for wedding business over the years.

The ASMC 2011 Conference was held in Saratoga Springs, NY to generally rave reviews by over 200 conference participants. In addition to a record number of corporate semiconductor sponsors and great conference facilities, special mention must be made for the exceptional welcome that ASMC received from the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation and the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau which enthusiastically greeted the conference and hosted a bus tour of the new Global Foundries site and a spectacular reception at the Saratoga Casino.

The SEMI/IEEE Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference wrapped up today (May 18) leaving lots of good information and food for thought in the minds of attendees.

The first day of the SEMI/IEEE Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (May 16-18) offered productive and informative sessions on keeping chipmaking profitable in coming generations. Even the weather was pro-business; drenching rainstorms ensured that no one was tempted to wander out into the beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY, countryside.

As the economy continues to improve slowly, we are cautiously optimistic that 2011 will bring us continued success. Conference & convention business continues to be very competitive with every destination seemingly going after every piece of business that will fit. We feel strongly that we are well positioned to compete for this business, with the new addition at the City Center coming online in January and all of the other attributes Saratoga has to offer world-class attractions, great restaurants, close proximity to NYC, Boston, Montreal, etc… we offer a cost-effective and quality destination that rivals anywhere in the Northeast and beyond.

The Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau is launching an annual program that will recognize outstanding service, professionalism and stewardship within the hospitality industry in Saratoga called “Hospitality Stars of Saratoga”. This program provides an opportunity for Bureau members to be recognized, by their peers & customers alike, for going above and beyond the normal call of duty and build upon Saratoga’s reputation as providing world-class hospitality.

Everyone’s taste varies. So choosing a motivating speaker for your next conference can be difficult.

Exciting growth is in every direction from the center of downtown Saratoga. The Saratoga Springs City Center project, scheduled to begin in early September 09, will expand convention center space adjacent to the Saratoga Hilton by more than 12,000 square feet.

Now is a great time to partner with the Bureau to continue the momentum. Get in touch with Conie Crudo at connie@discoversaratoga.org to learn more about the benefits of Bureau membership- you'll be amazed at the wide range of opportunities.

Groups are discovering that now is an incredible time to choose Saratoga as a meeting destination.

After 23 years (yes, you read that right – 23 years!!) of courting the business, your Convention Bureau is very excited to announce that the New York Association for Pupil Transportation – NYAPT - will be coming to Saratoga Springs! NYAPT had made Albany a permanent home, and the 2009 conference marked their 26th year on Wolf Road.

Finding a convention destination that is a short driving distance or has easy to use and affordable mass transit services can be key to making your meeting a success in the coming years.

Online chat or instant messaging can help you have quick conversations with members of your meeting planning team.

Meeting planners save time using free online documentation services like Google Docs.

Since we launched our new and improved website back in August, our popularity has increased amongst the search engines on the Internet! Yahoo, Google, Ask.com are just some examples of popular search engines. What search engines do you trust or use the most?

Does it drive you crazy when you call big businesses and everything is automated? It takes forever to get an actual “real person” to take your call after going through several prompts. The first one always being – to continue in English – press 1. Sometimes I wonder if they really want you to find them!

Times are tough. We are all aware of the nasty downslide the economy is in. It is more important than ever to be sure to get your name out there. A membership with the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau is a great place to start.

When I jumped into my new career opportunity as the Senior Sales Manager with the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau in May of ’08 I had to learn a new language. That’s correct, the language of ACRONYMS.

So, I recently started using my Facebook page. I say using because I have had an account for a while, but never did anything with it until recently. Now I am obsessed… But I am also amazed.

Webster’s definition of hospitality goes like this:"Hospitable reception, treatment, or inclination." Ok – so let’s go now to hospitable: