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Potato Conference to move to Tri-Cities for 2009 event
At a special meeting on April 10, the Washington State Potato Conference board voted unanimously to relocate the 2009 conference and trade show to the Tri-Cities Convention Center in Kennewick, Washington.
“This is a very deliberative board,” said chair Mike Dodds. “We did research, ran numbers and engaged in a lot of discussion to reach this decision.” The board also set the event dates for January 26-28, 2009.
Last week the board had narrowed the search to Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake and the Tri-Cities Convention Center. Moses Lake has been the host site for the event since its inception 47 years ago.
“Our leading criteria were the benefits to the Washington potato grower,” said Dodds. “We need to make it the best show and conference for the industry.” Dodds said each year the board has heard from attendees and exhibitors that they wanted the trade show to be in the same location as the Conference program and have better facilities. The board felt that currently the best option to meet the needs of the attendees and growers would be to relocate the Conference and trade show to the Tri-Cities Convention Center.
Since 2006 the Conference program has been conducted at Big Bend’s ATEC building and the trade show held in the Ardell Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds. The board had not sought to move the Conference out of Moses Lake, but needed to improve the event, Dodds said. The board will address location of the 2010 event at a later date.
The board assigned members to committees and tasks to begin work with the facility and Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau. Dodds said the board acknowledged that the event will cost more in Tri-Cities, but expected it would generate more income as well.
“The Washington potato industry is number one in innovation and leadership, and our conference and trade show have to reflect that,” said board member Stacy Kniveton from Othello.
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