But we don't do the major heavy shows. The third-floor exhibit hall is reached by a large freight elevator. The four loading docks are on a back street, making it easy for tractor trailers to assemble. Because the exhibit hall was originally intended to be the top level of a parking garage, the ceilings are only eight feet high. Consequently, the space sometimes seems dark.
Renovations are underway to lighten and brighten the look.
But the space is fine for Stella Bardsley, Trade Show Manager for the New England Alliance, a trade association for independent insurance agents. The Hopkinton, MA-based group has held its annual convention at the Marriott for the last several years. Any exhibitors who have just suitcases can come through the front door, and the bellman holds their things while they park. Four column-free ballrooms, totaling 43,666 square feet, plus 19 meeting rooms. Picture the carpeted elegance of the Fairmont Hotel ballroom as the setting for the pipe-tapping competition at the American Water Works Association's southwest regional meeting.