We visited. We brainstormed. We had a blast!
Since joining the Simpleview team as the new events manager in June 2022, I have been anxiously anticipating the moment I was able to visit the site of Simpleview Summit 2023 in Houston, Texas.
As I arrived at the Marriott Marquis Houston, my excitement grew knowing our Summit attendees would be able to enjoy this beautiful property. Entering the spacious lobby was a “WOW” factor. The Houston Astros had just won a playoff game and you could tell that everyone was beaming with pride for this city. The Marquis is directly across the street from Minute Maid Park, which makes for a really electric atmosphere in downtown.
After a very smooth check-in and a delightful cheese board, compliments of the hotel’s events manager, I settled into my room overlooking the incredible Texas shaped lazy river.
The hotel was built in 2016, but it felt like it was just renovated! From the registration desk, to the light fixtures and the amazing ballrooms — every space we toured had a light, airy, new feel.
I was thrilled to see that we wouldn’t be limited in our session offerings by space … it’s true that everything really is bigger in Texas! We were fortunate enough to view the Texas Ballroom in all of its glory. It was super exciting and sparked our imagination and creativity for our own General Session at Summit. All of the staff was kind, friendly, and dedicated. They never hesitated to answer our questions, which instilled confidence in me for our own event.
The event space spans three floors which, I’ll admit, intimidated me at first. But as we walked through the space, it was so easy heading up the escalators or the elevators (look at the photos inside the elevators!) that I have no doubt that it's going to be a smooth process moving from session to session. Our team brainstormed ideas on how to create the most efficient layout for Summit. I just can't get over it — we have so much space!
Now we get to work on the nitty-gritty details of the event. I am so grateful for the opportunity to explore the space and brainstorm with the team on ways to make Summit 2023 a unique, memorable experience for all attendees.
After touring the Marriot Marquis, we met up with Visit Houston with the primary purpose of touring location options for our out-of-this-world closing party. Believe me when I tell you, Houston has a ton to offer.
We visited four venues. They were significantly different from each other, which made for some really fun brainstorming! I was thrilled that we had so many options; it can be challenging to book something when your primary goal is to top last year's event.
My favorite part was dreaming big. Some spaces were pre-planned and limited in creativity, but with others — the sky is the limit! I'm really excited to see proposals from these venues, and decide what the best choice will be for us. Visit Houston did a great job of giving us the lay of the land and providing us insight and background on their memorable destination.
We wrapped up our day poolside — is there any other way? Did I mention the lazy river?! It’s such a fun amenity! Should I start all of my mornings at Summit with a float? Maybe we should start a lap tracker that we all contribute to? Either way, catch me on that river!
We made some notes, talked about budgets, and reviewed the space again. Our last chance to enjoy the hotel was with dinner at Xochi in the lobby of the hotel. Dinner was delicious and we went overboard by ordering the churros and hot chocolate for dessert. Still dreaming of those churros!
As I packed up to head back to Tucson the next morning my mind was still racing. While it can be nerve-racking to leave Arizona, Simpleview headquarters’ home state, it's really exciting to explore what other destinations have to offer Simpleview Summit.
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