EXPECT MORE THAN MOUNTAINS IN THE POCONOS

Make your vision a reality in the Poconos, where you’ll find everything you need to inspire and motivate your team. Up-to-date amenities and all of the latest tech enhance your experience for optimal growth, learning and connection. After your meeting or conference, gather with your coworkers for happy hour with a view, or take a swing on one of our 13 golf courses. Email sales@poconos.org to learn more.

sporting events,” Mendelson explains.

Print ads in various sports trade magazines, email marketing to event organizers and producers, digital display ads, and social media marketing, along with direct outreach by the convention center’s sales team are ways that the Wildwoods Convention Center keeps itself at the forefront of the youth sports industry as a destination for these activities, events, and tournaments.

Each of these destinations have proven to be successful hosts for sports and sports-related activities in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The economic impact of these events is felt in many areas of the hospitality industry, and planners are attracted to these destinations for their vast and varied offerings in addition to the ample accommodations available.

Sports and sportsrelated activities continue to be a strong, driving force for many cities and counties throughout the region, both large and small. This market presents ample opportunities and destinations such as these provide them with plenty of options for their events.

Lessons Learned in 2022 for 2026

By Jhona Ireland, Center City District

We might be three years away from 2026, but it will be here before we know it. And the time to start planning for what will be one of the largest global events isn’t 2025; it’s now.

What better way to prepare than through learning from the past? Center City District was excited to host the Premier League Mornings LIVE Fan Fest, right in the heart of the city and outside of the iconic City Hall at Dilworth Park in October 2022, and it provided us with insights as to what may come when Philadelphia returns to the national stage once again.

The magnitude of these events will encourage venues to host more guests and visitors to the region. Here is what we learned from our experiences, and some key considerations for any organization planning to host events of this scale.

Hosting The Premier League Mornings LIVE Fan Fest

The Premier League Mornings LIVE was a two-day family-friendly Fan Fest showcasing all the English Premier League’s tournament matches of the weekend on giant LED screens, with NBC Sports Commentators and celebrity guests broadcasting live. In addition, several other pop-up engagements occurred, including talent meet & greets, legendary player visits, merchandise sales, club mascots, an appearance by the Premier

League Trophy, brand activations and more.

For the Premier League team, the aim was to establish a communal space for enthusiastic club supporters and to showcase the Premier League experience for in-person attendees and broadcast viewers. To do so, this meant ensuring public safety and preparing a full risk management plan.

In our role, the Center City District team focused on ensuring collaboration between key stakeholders, including NBC Sports, the Premier League, event manager HudsonGray, Inc., and the City of Philadelphia. This included everything from propertywide access management to vendor and logistics coordination for power, janitorial services, waste management, security, branding, craft services, concessions, and tenting. This also meant planning in a way that minimized public disruption and interruption to civic operations like jury duty and court proceedings.

Thanks to our investment in planning, Premier League Mornings LIVE Fan Fest at Dilworth Park surpassed attendance records with 16,000 total attendees, a 175 percent increase in attendance on the first day and a 225 percent increase in attendance on the second day when compared to attendance in the prior six markets. Additionally, preparation and alignment with key City departments to manage essential services, including police and fire, a security firm, and the production team allowed us to mitigate risks and produce an event with minimal incidents and to develop plans and playbooks adaptable for future use.

The Need to Look Ahead – And How You Can Start Preparing Today

2026 is going to be a huge year for Philadelphia. Between confirmed events occurring around the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, and the Semiquincentennial celebration, along with other possibilities, such as sports team championships and annual events like the Philadelphia Flower Show, it is imperative for event planners to have a clear understanding of the events that are taking place, how they could influence each other, and what venues can do now to prepare. When working with the English Premier League at Dilworth Park, here are a few things we focused on that you should start considering now.

Line Management: Expect long lines! Enthusiastic fans arrive early and eagerly wait in line for hours. Build a plan for queuing people that includes where overflow lines can stand. At its height, the line for opening day of Fan Fest circled the perimeter of City Hall and stretched past the start of it, meaning that we needed to utilize space that crossed traffic lanes of the street and create additional barriers between fans and traffic.

Bathrooms: After waiting in line overnight to be the first in and get the best viewing spots for the games, as well as to scope out their favorite on-air personalities, fans will be looking for restrooms. Beyond knowing the anticipated guest attendance and number of hours of use, be sure to situate restrooms in locations that are easily accessible, not only for fan use, but for servicing them, as well. They will undoubtedly need to be restocked and cleaned throughout the day.

Food: Fans will be coming in early and hungry. Plan ahead and make sure there are enough points of sale stations with staff, along with the necessary infrastructure like Internet and power connections to keep lines expedited. Additionally, produce clear signage that indicates menus and wayfinding to ensure people know where their favorite foods and drinks can be found.

Public Safety & Crisis Planning: Often, the infrastructure for communicating emergencies already exists when you are dealing with city and state services such as EMTs, police, fire, and others; so, let the pros take the lead. Utilize their knowledge and expertise of established protocols and integrate them with your specific event and venue, and establish a chain of command and communicate it with all designated points of contact to ensure those with boots on the ground know exactly what to do in the event of emergency. Wayfinding materials like maps and signage should clearly display emergency exits, lost and found for objects and people, and first aid. Finally, any crisis plan should be distributed and reviewed with team members to ensure understanding. The best plans will be obsolete if no one knows what they are.

Staffing: Undoubtedly, most entities will need to staff up for marquee events like those coming in 2026. That means planning and forming relationships now, including with potential outsourced vendors to supplement resources. Common areas to outsource include: brand ambassadors; culinary and catering staff; and security staff, as you can expect to need more staffing in each of these areas.

Get Ready, Philadelphia!

Philadelphia is no stranger to being on the global stage, and 2026 is an opportunity for job growth for the City. Lean into it, and start your planning today!

www.centercityphila.org

Planning Boutique

Meetings in Valley Forge &

Meetings and events are back in Valley Forge and Montg look and feel. Many meetings in the area are focused on experiences for attendees.

“At the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB), we’ve seen an increase in requests for smaller, more high-end meetings,” said Scott Higgins, Director of Sales for the VFTCB. “Our clients have been looking for a more personalized event for their attendees.”

Luckily, thanks to major renovations and the addition of high-end options, Montco has plenty to offer to help planners exceed expectations in creating boutique meetings, Higgins said.

For example, the Alloy, a Doubletree Hotel, recently completed a $20-million renovation and conversion, which moved the bar into the lobby, creating an exciting and welcoming atmosphere. The property features 25,500-square feet of meeting space, but ample smaller rooms offer options for different programs, according to Neal Yakupcin, Director of Sales and Marketing for the hotel.

“Client requests for executive boardrooms with advanced audio-visual capabilities and high-end seating are increasing,” Yakupcin said. “Hybrid meetings are here to stay, so we’ve equipped our boardrooms at the Alloy with Meeting Owl Pros. They work seamlessly with videoconferencing solutions, such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, allowing those off-site to feel truly connected while attending meetings remotely.”

The hotel also added X-Chairs, providing allday comfort with massaging, heating, and cooling capabilities at each individual seat, Yakupcin noted.

Montgomery County’s newest hotel, West and Main, a Tapestry by Hilton hotel, features a distinctive mixture of antique and modern attributes. Located in the heart of Conshohocken, the hotel’s incorporation of a historic firehouse as their hotel lobby and two restaurants – including a rooftop bar overlooking outdoor space – provides an elevated dining experience for meeting attendees.

Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center is one of Valley Forge and Montco’s most historic properties. A four-star independent property that has 30,000-square feet of indoor meeting space, the 290-year-old property offers even more outdoor space. The on-site restaurant, the farmer’s daughter, provides an advanced culinary experience for attendees. In addition, they offer Farm- house accommodations for groups of up to 25. The venue also offers the option to rent out entire buildings onsite for an even more close knit experience.

“Our customers continue to see the value and importance of meeting in person,” said Christine Jusino, Director of Sales for Normandy Farm. “They are looking for a way to create a new environment to promote productivity, boost creativity, and collaboration, and even bond over their culinary experience. The common theme in what our meeting planners are looking for is the ability to host the meeting, meals, and experiences all in one location. This not only saves them time, but simplifies the process. We have a one-stop shop approach offering a beautiful location that is rich in history, hotel accommodations, conference center, indoor-outdoor spaces, amazing food, and a variety of team building activities. Our team coordinates all these details for planners, making for a seamless, enriching, and unique experience.”

Normandy Farm also recently revealed the grand opening of a $5-million rebuild of the Historic Carriage House, a Montgomery County landmark that had been destroyed by fire two and a half years ago. The Contemporary Carriage House was recon-

Ribbon cutting for the opening of the rebuilt Carriage House at Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center in Blue Bell, PA; photo courtesy: ValleyForge.org structed from the ground up, and features 21 new hotel suites spanning more than 18,268-square feet and three stories. The expansion provides 12 additional guest rooms, bringing the overall property capacity up to 153 rooms.

Plus, Montgomery County also offers several high-end steakhouses and other exceptional dining experiences, such as Capital Grille for dry-aged steaks, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Fogo de Chao for authentic Brazilian cuisine, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse for handmade pasta, and Topchef Winner Nicholas Elmi’s Lark with rooftop views.

Valley Forge and Montco have a plethora of activities geared toward smaller groups, too, including: Elmwood Park Zoo; Cork and Candles’ BYOB custom candle pouring; Karamoor Estate Vineyard & Winery; a new Topgolf with climate-controlled hitting bays; and even private tours at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

In addition, the VFTCB’s Show Your Badge Savings Pass offers free, exclusive discounts for meeting attendees to some of the area’s most popular attractions, restaurants, and shops. The Savings Pass offers are sent directly to attendees’ phones and can be redeemed via text or email.