Boston - One of a kind
Boston is a great place. Equal parts cosmopolitan, frantic, trashy and wondrous. It is a city that breathes life, mystery and history.
I can speak frankly about Boston because I am Boston. Before Chicago, this was my neck of the woods. Boston is the city of my youth and a place that has never escaped my heart. I still love to come here and it still feels like I belong. Belonging is good.
After so many programs in Boston, I find that attendees love Boston as much as I do. It is a city that seems 1000 times greater than its actual size, kinda like the small kid on the playground that picks fights with the biggest bully. You remember that kid, I always had to root for him no matter what I thought of him.
Boston rivals event destinations like New York, Washington and Chicago. It does so through sheer tenacity, not through any great wonder of what it actually is. It is a city of 599,000 yet feels like Paris, New York and London all wrapped into one. Even Bostonians have that Big City air about them. All of this from a city that is no bigger than Milwaukee or Fort Worth.
Boston has a lot of stereotypes that its citizens don’t try to dispel, this actually adds to its charm as a destination. Attendees always marvel at how confusing the streets are (they are not really), how bad the drivers are (no worse than Chicago) and how great the accents are. You still expect to walk into any Irish pub and find a group of men in the back with Irish accents fundraising for the Irish Republican Army.
There is a great feel here, good “Ju Ju” if you will. A city that knows its place and appreciates it, embraces it and loves itself. Good job Boston, all cities should aspire to love itself like you do.
Of course, even great destinations have their drawbacks. Logan Airport is a mess for meet and greets. Too many rules, too many problems (I highly recommend Carey Limo for your Boston Transportation, they have never missed a pick up and know Logan like the back of their hand, they also know the best way around the mess that is Boston Traffic).
Speaking of traffic, for a midsize city, it blows. I honestly think it rivals Chicago and New York. Just when you think you are out of it, you are right back in it. It can create a few ugg moments if you are not ready for it.
Plan correctly however and the drawbacks become mere annoyances. Something every destination has.
I have just spent time in this great city, in fact, I just left and am now in Hartford, getting ready to do a series for PlannerWire, which I hope will do this great city justice. The intention is to show some great images, some fantastic interviews with the people that make your events a success and video of the spots that I think are amazing choices for any program, large or small. In short, the places that make programs here a success and the people that make it happen.
I am a firm believer that behind every great event and every successful meeting, there is a destination and people that make good meeting planners great, and great meeting planners legends. Boston is that type of destination.
Even the best meeting and event professionals need support, and the city of Boston has some very large shoulders.
Just a thought.
Keith
I can speak frankly about Boston because I am Boston. Before Chicago, this was my neck of the woods. Boston is the city of my youth and a place that has never escaped my heart. I still love to come here and it still feels like I belong. Belonging is good.
After so many programs in Boston, I find that attendees love Boston as much as I do. It is a city that seems 1000 times greater than its actual size, kinda like the small kid on the playground that picks fights with the biggest bully. You remember that kid, I always had to root for him no matter what I thought of him.
Boston rivals event destinations like New York, Washington and Chicago. It does so through sheer tenacity, not through any great wonder of what it actually is. It is a city of 599,000 yet feels like Paris, New York and London all wrapped into one. Even Bostonians have that Big City air about them. All of this from a city that is no bigger than Milwaukee or Fort Worth.
Boston has a lot of stereotypes that its citizens don’t try to dispel, this actually adds to its charm as a destination. Attendees always marvel at how confusing the streets are (they are not really), how bad the drivers are (no worse than Chicago) and how great the accents are. You still expect to walk into any Irish pub and find a group of men in the back with Irish accents fundraising for the Irish Republican Army.
There is a great feel here, good “Ju Ju” if you will. A city that knows its place and appreciates it, embraces it and loves itself. Good job Boston, all cities should aspire to love itself like you do.
Of course, even great destinations have their drawbacks. Logan Airport is a mess for meet and greets. Too many rules, too many problems (I highly recommend Carey Limo for your Boston Transportation, they have never missed a pick up and know Logan like the back of their hand, they also know the best way around the mess that is Boston Traffic).
Speaking of traffic, for a midsize city, it blows. I honestly think it rivals Chicago and New York. Just when you think you are out of it, you are right back in it. It can create a few ugg moments if you are not ready for it.
Plan correctly however and the drawbacks become mere annoyances. Something every destination has.
I have just spent time in this great city, in fact, I just left and am now in Hartford, getting ready to do a series for PlannerWire, which I hope will do this great city justice. The intention is to show some great images, some fantastic interviews with the people that make your events a success and video of the spots that I think are amazing choices for any program, large or small. In short, the places that make programs here a success and the people that make it happen.
I am a firm believer that behind every great event and every successful meeting, there is a destination and people that make good meeting planners great, and great meeting planners legends. Boston is that type of destination.
Even the best meeting and event professionals need support, and the city of Boston has some very large shoulders.
Just a thought.
Keith
The city of Boston is actually smaller than Disney World. Like you, I grew up there and moved to TX years ago. With all the colleges, Boston's a young, vibrant city with a European feel like no other American city. They smartly refrain from building towers over 45-48 stories, leaving lots of open, public area downtown. And as much as they complained during construction, the Big Dig helped them redesign a large swath of downtown, eventually putting in a greenery. Smart. They deliberately try NOT to be their neighbors 3 1/2 hours to the South. A genuinely great city that knows its identity.
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