Schenectady County, N.Y. —  The Schenectady County Visitors Agency (SCVA) today announced two conferences that will be held in downtown Schenectady this year as efforts ramp-up to attract more conferences and meetings to Schenectady County.

“We are competing for and winning new conference business for Schenectady County,” said Anthony Jasenski, Chairman of the Schenectady County Legislature. “We are getting a very positive reception especially from statewide associations that are looking to change-up their meeting venues.”

The Theater Manager National Conference will be held May 7 to 9 at Proctors. Theater Manager is a customer relationship management platform for sports and performing arts complexes throughout the country and the national conference is expected to draw up to 80 representatives from across North America and Europe.

The New York Community College Trustees will hold its Annual Business Meeting and Regional Trustee Education meeting April 22-23 in Schenectady, making use of meeting spaces and services at the Parker Inn, Schenectady County Community College and Key Hall, among others. The New York Community College Trustees meeting expects 40 attendees.

Conferences and meetings attract visitors to Schenectady County generating hotel and restaurant business, sales tax, bed tax and other benefits. The meeting industry estimates that each conference attendee generates approximately $300 per day, so each 200 person two and half day meeting would generate an economic impact of approximately $150,000.

SCVA is actively recruiting meeting planners to look at downtown Schenectady, which features a walkable downtown with many restaurants and hotel rooms.   With the development of Mohawk Harbor, Rivers Casino and Resort and a renovated downtown Amtrak station, Schenectady County will become even more attractive to meeting planners.

Proctors CEO Philip Morris said, “Many meeting planners like the idea of working with Proctors to build a show into their schedule or use the GE Theater or Key Hall for meetings. This focused effort to bring meeting business to Schenectady is off to a great start.”

Schenectady County is now actively working with many regional and state-wide meeting planners that are looking for new venues. Schenectady County features over 70,000 sq. ft. of new and interesting meeting spaces including Proctors, Key Hall, Center City, The Schenectady Armory Center — all located in a renovated arts, entertainment and technology district downtown.  Hotel options include the Hampton Inn, Parker Inn, the new DoubleTree by Hilton, Stockade Inn, Glen Sanders Mansion, Belvedere Hotel, two new hotels at the Mohawk Harbor site including a Marriott Courtyard, plus a new hotel planned on the riverfront in Glenville.  Schenectady County currently has thirteen meeting and conference RFP’s pending with a potential attendance of 3,000 visitors.

The Schenectady County Visitors Agency (SCVA) is a nonprofit corporation under the auspices of Proctors and serves as Schenectady County’s official tourism promotion agency (TPA), as well as a member and marketing representative of the Capital-Saratoga Tourism Region. SCVA’s mission is to promote the County as a travel and tourism destination and ideal location for meetings and conventions.

The effort to recruit more meeting and conference business is being supported by Schenectady County, the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority and Proctors.

Meeting planners can visit www.VisitSchenectady.com for more information.