St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center

Because of conferences and trade shows, I frequently am at the St Cloud Civic Center. It used to be okay, but two new additions within the past year have really bumped it up on my 'Like' list: the additional meeting space, and believe-it-or-not, the outside parking lot.Expanding conference space that is modern, clean, and functional is a no-brainer, and I'm so glad that St Cloud is keeping up with the times and keeping up with the growth. Even though I'd prefer to have meetings in the Cities, the clients my business serves are statewide, so outer Metro hubs like St Cloud, Duluth and Rochester are often utilized by the associations who put on the conferences. Putting up with the freezing cold in the exhibit hall a few years back while they were building the expansion.So now about that parking lot. In the past, there were probably 20 parking spots (Okay, that may be a bit extreme. There were probably 30.) that were shared with the Civic Center and surrounding businesses. You'd have to park underneath the Civic Center in a cold, old, scary parking structure. The nightmare actually came when all the trade show vendors packed up their booths and we had to wait in line to cram ourselves, booth and SWAG into one elevator to get to our cars. Not any more! I'd much rather park outside all day for $6.00 and just stroll out of the Civic Center and walk a short distance to my car. It's a piece of cake now!There's a 'skyway' that connects the Civic Center to Le St-Germain Suite Hotel (Really? St Cloud is a university town. Who are they kidding?), and many local businesses are within walking distance. (See also: Adventure Advertising, Meta 13 and Jules' Bistro)I have reserved parking spot #4 for me. Please don't park there when I'm in town.

Whether you're looking for a venue for a small or big event, River's Edge Convention Center has space that will meet your needs. I've attended several conferences, trade shows, workshops, fundraising events, and dinners here, and it's always worked well for the organizations hosting the events. The cost is a bit higher than some spaces, but it's a centrally located space, adjacent to two hotels and restaurants and bars, and the building is large enough to accommodate either small or large groups depending upon what it is you're looking for.