: Melanie Ryan Griffin
WAFWA Summer Meeting
Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) represents 24 states and Canadian provinces, an area covering nearly 3.7 million square miles of some of North America's most wild and scenic country. WAFWA's reach encompasses more than 40 percent of North America, including two-thirds of the United States. WAFWA supports sound resource management and building partnerships at all levels to conserve wildlife for the use and benefit of all citizens, now and in the future.
“We had a very successful conference in Eugene. Eugene, Cascades & Coast [Travel Lane County] was extremely helpful in offering ideas for off-site venues, local attractions, rentals, etc. and played a huge role in making our conference a success.” Liz Dreith, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
“Eugene Cascades & Coast [Travel Lane County] was an invaluable asset for us. One of the best CVB's I have worked with!” Cindy Delaney, Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Market: Government Association
Event Type: Regional
Number of Room Nights: 1,163 (237 peak)
Host Hotel/Venue: The Graduate Eugene (formerly Hilton Eugene)
Overflow Hotels: Home2 Suites by Hilton, Inn at the 5th and Travelers Inn
Assistance Provided/Activities:
- Helped to secure sponsorship donation
- Coordinated hotel pricing and room blocks
- Arranged and coordinated multiple site visits at various locations with multiple planners
- Sourced and coordinated the use of photos for event promotions
- Created an event microsite to help promote the event, the region, and local attractions
- Assisted with multiple requests for vendors and services and provided partner referrals
- Posted digital signage at the airport to welcome arriving attendees
- Provided a staffed visitor information table during conference hours
- Assisted with securing venues for a reception and a dinner
- Offered the Show Your Badge program that provided discounts for attendees at local businesses and restaurants
- Negotiated reduced-rate overflow parking with county for conference attendees’ large (RV) vehicles
- Coordinated with the City of Eugene to have food truck vendors on the plaza outside of the host hotel for attendees
- Researched and provided information on family fun activities, including: Splash! indoor water park, Eugene Science Center, Camp Putt, Aragon Alpaca’s, Cascades Raptor Center, Saturday Market, bike rental, Eugene Emerald’s Baseball, river rafting and fishing
- Coordinated a day-trip tour to Florence and the coast, a river rafting trip, a pub crawl, and a winery tour