Kalahari Resorts Unveils The "NIA Center"
SANDUSKY, OH, August 15, 2006. With the addition of a $19 million conference and events center, Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio has become the premier stand-alone hotel and meetings facility in the region. Filling a significant void in combining event space and accommodations, Kalahari's "NIA Center" is now the only facility in the region to provide an "under one roof" conference experience that includes 95,000 sq. ft. of versatile function space, 596 attached guest rooms (including 133 executive-style suites), on-site restaurants, shops, waterparks and spa. The first phase of the NIA Center will open on August 18 and the grand opening will be on September 19.
Guests of the NIA Center will discover varying influences of NIA - a Swahili word meaning purpose or goal. "As an independently-owned facility, we were able to think outside the box and create a distinctive meetings philosophy, design and aesthetic plan," says Todd Nelson, president and owner of Kalahari Resorts, which opened its popular waterpark resort in Sandusky in May 2005. "Our goal in creating the NIA Center was to help meeting and event planners provide a unique, convenient and comfortable event experience."
Kalahari estimates that the centrally located NIA Center will welcome more than 1,500 groups annually from a number of major metropolitan areas throughout Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada.
Designed to incorporate future expansion, the property features 25 total meeting rooms, including a 17,200 sq. ft. grand ballroom which is divisible by eight, two 3,500 sq. ft. junior ballrooms, four unique African hut-inspired meeting rooms and an executive conference center.
"Technology and other advancements have changed the way we communicate, but nothing replaces the power of a face-to-face meeting," adds Nelson. "From our name NIA to our comfortable ballroom chairs, we have taken great measures to ensure purposeful events."
The venue's color palette is a combination of warm beige tones and complementary earthy colors proven to enhance the ability to focus and aid in productivity. Kalahari's NIA Center also features high-end chairs - three times the cost of typical event chairs - for maximum comfort and style. Adding to the retreat appeal, NIA Center transports guests to Africa via authentic African artwork, d'ecor and furnishings that have been hand selected by Kalahari staff. The facility also features four 1,200 sq. ft. African hut style meeting rooms enhancing the aesthetics and unique flavor of the interior and exterior of the new building.
For the utmost privacy, the NIA Center features an executive conference center. Separated from the public areas by etched glass doors - this exclusive meeting area features two boardrooms, five meeting rooms and a private atrium.
The NIA Center offers lockable registration space and offices so meeting planners can confidently store their registration materials and other equipment. Each room will feature designated coat areas inside the meeting room for winter meetings, as well as space saving built-in bars eliminating the need for portable bars.
Based on research and feedback from professional meeting planners, the NIA Center offers a dynamic menu of amenities to enhance the guest experience. The venue has tapped "MeetingMatrix," an online planning tool used by other esteemed properties, to enable meeting planners to plan, diagram and model their meeting plans from a virtual location.
In addition, individual audio visual systems have been installed in each meeting room to offer a meeting experience that is customized to each group. The system enables planners to have control of their own audio visual system. Crisp, digitized internal signage will help attendees easily navigate the Center and locate their meetings.
Although Kalahari has become known for its indoor waterpark innovations and its leisure travel offerings in Ohio, the company has significant experience in the conference and event business as it owns and operates a similar waterpark/resort/conference destination in Wisconsin Dells, WI. According to Nelson, based on the company's experience in Wisconsin Dells, the company strikes the right balance to ensure that "corporate groups that come to Kalahari to conduct meetings never have to come into contact with inner tubes and swimsuits."
For event planners encouraging family getaway as part of the meeting experience, the African-themed Kalahari - home to one of the nation's largest indoor waterparks, a newly renovated outdoor waterpark, indoor play areas and even indoor mini golf - is an ideal venue.
Kalahari's NIA Center was designed by Poggemeyer Design Group of Bowling Green, OH and managed by general contractor Rudolph/Libbe of Walbridge, OH.
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