The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary on February 26- March 1 at the Hampton roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia. Presented by Mancuso Show Management, and expected to attract 10,000+ attendees, the 2009 event features special exhibitions, lectures, workshops  and 250+ vendor booths showcasing quilting supplies, sewing related craft items, clothing, and textiles. This year’s theme, entitled “Virginia is for Quilters.” Officially opened since May of 2005, the Hampton Roads Convention Center offers 344,000 square-feet of unique convention and exhibit space. The center boasts 35 meeting spaces with the capacity for up to 14,000 delegates, as well as a 108,000 square-foot exhibit hall, divisible by three. 

Wynonna was paid a visit by Rick Hontz, General Manager of the Budweiser Events Center,  the 7,200-seat arena managed by Global Spectrum in Loveland, Colorado before her December 16th performance. The artist formerly known as Wynonna Judd is a Country Music Superstar, and part of the famous Country Duo, The Judds, and has been performing solo on a first-name only basis since the early 90s. Some of Wynonna’s achievements include 20 number-one singles as well as multiple gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums. Her 2005 memoir, “Coming Home to Myself” became a New York Times Bestseller. Wynonna will celebrate her 25th year in music with the release of her seventh album, “Sing: Chapter 1” in February. The multi-purpse Budweiser Events Center at the Ranch, located in Loveland, Colorado, is a 7,200 seat multi-purpose venue, which opened in September 2003, and is home to the Colorado Eagles of the Central Hockey League and the Colorado ICE of the United Indoor Football League. The Budweiser Events Center is part of a larger 374,000 square-foot fairground complex called The Ranch—the official name of the new Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex.

The Copper Mountain Conference Resort in Copper Mountain, Colorado offers meeting planners and attendees a spectacular mountain setting, great skiing and meeting facilities that include the 16,000-square-foot Conference Center that accommodates everything from small committee meetings to large banquets, general sessions to breakouts. Its close proximity to Jack's at Copper One and the Copper Pavilion provide a flow for events that encompass all three venues, with a combined 41,000 square feet.  Opening January 15th will be the Woodward at Copper Barn, a 20,000-square-foot training facility.  Copper Mountain Conference Resort is offering Special Meeting Rates: March 16-28, 2009: Starting at $209 per person, per night – Includes: free upgrade of lift passes to Beeline Advantage; Free access to Copper Athletic Club; Free Parking;   July or August, 2009: $154 per person, per night; includes one night in a Gold One Bedroom, Single-Occupancy Suite; Scenic Chairlift ride with Lunch at Solitude Station; Complimentary Access to Copper Athletic Club; Complimentary Parking. For more information: call: (866)236-4386 ext. 11504; or visit: www.coppermeetings.com

Military Pride and history will be showcased at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina. Due to open on Veteran’s Day, November 11th, 2009 and be on view until February 10th, 2010, THE AMERICAN SOLDIER, A PHOTOGRAPHIC TRIBUTE is an exhibition of 116 photographs, from the Civil War to the War in Iraq. THE AMERICAN SOLDIER is a dramatic exhibition of photographs that captures the essence of American soldiering over more than 150 years, ever since the birth of photography when the camera became a notebook to history, starting with the Civil War. The 116 enlarged photographs in this exhibition, covers America at war from the Civil War, Spanish American War, Boxer Rebellion, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanistan, and to the streets of Baghdad. The exhibition captures the danger and the frustration, the humor and the beauty, the camaraderie, the death and the victory that THE AMERICAN SOLDIER encountered in his odyssey through history and continues to, as he battles today in the mountains of Afghanistan and the urban environs of Iraq.

The exhibit is free and is sponsored by EADS North America, Business of Entertainment, Inc.  and the John B. Stetson Company. It will be displayed on the outer concourse of the civic center during regular business hours and events.  This will be the only time the exhibit will be displayed in the state and officials project attendance for the three-month show at over 300,000 visitors. The center plans special patriotic shows during this time, as well as developing marketing opportunities for military and military reunion groups, state schools and motor coach tours.

Since its 1993 opening, the Florence Civic Center has provided entertainment to the people of Florence County and the surrounding counties. The arena is home to , The Florence Phantoms Indoor Football Team, and also has a basketball floor. The Exhibit Hall is home to The Florence Symphony Orchestra. The Center also accommodates small and large meetings, trade shows and exhibitions. Capacities—Full arena capacity is up to 10,000 and with a backdrop curtain seating can be arranged from 2,500 to 7,000. The Ballroomis home to The Florence Symphony Orchestra, and will seat 1400 theater style. The combination of The Ballroom and Meeting Rooms will accommodate 152 exhibits. The arena can accommodate 2,000 for meetings/events, 200 exhibits, 1250 for a banquet, and 800-classroom style.

The Embassy Suites Philadelphia/Valley Forge in Wayne, Pennsylvania opened its doors following an extensive $10 million renovation and transformation from Valley Forge Suites. The renovation encompassed a stunning new bar, a redesigned restaurant, newly designed suites and redecorated meeting rooms, pool and lobby. The hotel was originally built in 1984 and opened as an Embassy Suites. During the hotel’s 24-year-history, it has operated under six hotel brands—until Embassy Suites returned to the newly renovated location. “We are excited to bring the Embassy Suites concept back to Valley Forge,” said Jim Holthouser, Senior Vice President, Brand Management, Embassy Suites Hotels. “Offering business and leisure travelers a strong value proposition has always been a cornerstone of our brand, perhaps even more in current economic climate.”

The hotel, located just off Route 202 in the Chesterbrook business complex in Wayne, features 229 spacious, two-room suites. Like all Embassy Suites hotels, the suites offer a separate living area with a sofa bed and work table, a private bedroom and bath, along with two 32 inch flat screen televisions, two phones, wet bar, refrigerator, microwave oven and MP3 clock radio. The hotel also offers a complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast each morning and a complimentary two-hour Manager’s Reception* every evening, along with an open air atrium featuring plants and a water feature. Complimentary high speed Internet access is available in all guest suites and public areas. The hotel also boasts a fully equipped Precor fitness center and indoor pool as well as nine meeting rooms and more than 5,000 square feet of meeting space.

 “Coupled with its perfect location, near corporate centers and local tourist attractions, and the hotel’s beauty and functionality will make it an important part of the business landscape,” said Rick Odorisio, Chief Operating Officer at Valley Forge Hotel Management.