Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort

Amelia Island, FL

Overview: For an Amelia Island property, there is quite a bit of ballroom and meeting space available at this hotel.

Ballrooms: There are three ballrooms ranging from the largest, the Magnolia, to the Cumberland, which is the smallest, and a mid-size ballroom called the Amelia Ballroom. 

A second ballroom is located in an adjacent building and is more of a standard ballroom.

There also are quite a few breakout rooms but the ballrooms can be split into larger breakout rooms if needed.

Rigging was easy and the ballroom load-in was very easy as well. 

Location: Like everything else in Amelia Island, you are a little far from off-property activities.  The plus is that you are right on the ocean and the pool area is amazing.

Rooms: I don’t usually comment on hotel rooms, but I thought these were just all right. They reminded me more of a motel room than a luxury hotel, but we (as crew) often don’t get the best rooms, so there may be much better rooms available that we didn’t see. 

Signage: The signage at the hotel could use improvement. Many people seemed to be getting lost as they walked around, so good event signage (and a lot of it!) is a must for this property.

Producer’s Notes: From a production standpoint, I thought this was a great property. This is not a resort we see mentioned a lot on short lists for property searches and is one to consider. 

Hilton Anatole

Dallas, TX

Overview: I have heard that this is one of the busiest conference hotels in the Hilton chain, and after working here I believe it. This is a very large property so it has some quirks that can definitely influence the success of an event, but that size also makes it a great hotel for events.

Ballrooms: There are a lot of ballrooms on this property.

The Chantily Ballroom is my favorite at the property. It is large with great rigging, and the loading area is directly outside the ballroom

The Grand Ballroom is also nice and has the same good rigging.

The Imperial Ballroom is on an upper floor (the third I believe) and is my least favorite ballroom on property. The room, registration area and hallway leading into the room are great but there are a few challenges:

• The floor vibrates a little bit so you have to be careful with placement of the projection and screens.

• There is an elevator that leads directly to the room, but it is right next to the loading dock, which you usually can’t use. The push from the loading area travels through the busy dock area which can slow down the load-in and out.

• The elevator needs to be locked off or controlled carefully during the show because it is loud and would be a disturbance.

• Note: We have always asked for and gotten control of the elevator, but I have heard this is sometimes an issue on other shows.

There also is a Trinity Ballroom next to the exhibit hall, but this is more of a tradeshow area than a ballroom. If you are using this room for a general session, pay attention to the house lighting in the room.

Breakout Rooms:

• The best breakout rooms: above the Chantily Ballroom.

• The West Wing of the hotel has good breakout rooms as well but it is a little off the beaten path, so signage is a must.

• The breakout rooms in the Atrium are small and definitely require signage for attendees to find as well.

Note: The dock at this property is very busy with food delivery and use of it is very restricted.  The main loading area does not have a dock, so trucks need a lift gate or forklift to load and unload. We have used the dock in the past, but it was negotiated in advance and was not easy.

Producer’s Notes: Great property in a great location with tons of general session and breakout rooms. Especially with a little experience, this is a property we like to work at.