The River’s Edge Convention Center Has A New Website!

Planning your wedding, coordinating your next businesses meeting or figuring out how you’re going to spend your next night out in St. Cloud became a whole lot easier with the launch of the River’s Edge Convention Center’s new website! The new website was built with you in mind -- the people who plan and attend events in St. Cloud’s 180,000 square foot premier destination. The website is clean, easy to navigate and all the resources you need are readily available.

The main tabs across the top of the screen direct you to the pages you need when you’re planning an event at River’s Edge Convention Center. Click on the tab you need (Weddings/Socials, Conferences, Meetings, Entertainment, Consumer/Trade Shows) and you’ll be directed to all the information and resources needed to make your event a success. You’ll have access to our building layouts, catering information, internet service, room prices and more.

Not planning an event but are looking for something fun to do in the area? Scroll down our home page for our calendar of events, parking information and directions, or you can even sign up to receive notifications about River’s Edge Convention Center news and happenings. We want your experience at our facility to be the absolute best it can be, and we are very excited to provide you with all the resources you need to make that happen. You can also stay updated about events by getting social with us; click on the social media icons on the left side of the homepage.

We look forward to seeing you at the River’s Edge Convention Center! What do you like best about our new website? Your feedback is important to us! Let us know in the comments below:

Make Your Event A Success At River's Edge

Guest Blog: DAYTA Marketing

When looking for a home for DAYTA U St. Cloud 2015, all of us at DAYTA Marketing knew we needed to go BIG. After the past couple years, our one-day social media marketing seminar for local business owners and marketers has risen dramatically in popularity, and we expected attendance to double or triple. When looking for a venue, we wanted a space that could fit everyone attending and we also needed the right equipment and technology. We went to River’s Edge Convention Center and found everything we were looking for!

The staff at River's Edge worked with us on planning the event from the time we booked until the last box was packed up at the end of the day. Their assistance made everything less stressful and made the days and weeks leading up to the big day go more smoothly. Our Director of Marketing, Ellie Backes, was able to do walkthroughs and the Convention Center's team provided great insights and tips for room layouts.

“They made themselves available the day of and checked in consistently throughout the day,” said Ellie. “I've had events where our event coordinator is nowhere to be found the day of. This definitely gave us peace of mind that if anything came up we'd have support to get it handled.”

The night before DAYTA U, we were able to go to River’s Edge Convention Center and start setting up some of our supplies and to get a feel for the rooms. We realized we needed to make some last-minute adjustments to the room layouts, and the convention center staff was there to help in an instant. We were incredibly impressed with the staff’s responsiveness and customer service.

The morning of our event we had some late registrations, which wasn’t a problem. The staff was there to add some chairs to rooms to accommodate our new students. They also helped us make extra copies of print materials. Our attendees gave us feedback about how smoothly the whole day went and how impressed they were.

During the day of a big event, small things can really create a big dent, but we had peace of mind the whole day. River’s Edge Convention Center truly is the premier destination for the best events in Central Minnesota!

Make Your Dream Wedding Come True at River's Edge Convention Center

Create a truly remarkable wedding at River's Edge Convention Center in the heart of historic downtown St. Cloud, MN. With our wide variety of rooms and spaces, you can accommodate weddings as small as 50 guests or as large as over 1,000. Our space provides you limitless options for customization to fit your theme as well as giving you breathtaking views of the mighty Mississippi River.

Find inspiration from the photos of past weddings held at our venue and start your planning today!

Drapery and lighting transformed this room into a bright and beautiful reception.

Natural light coming in from the large windows facing the river brighten up this simple and gorgeous reception.

Guests can enjoy the gorgeous view of the river from this room.

Need to accommodate a lot of guests? That's okay!

Personalize your wedding to fit your theme with decorations and colored linens.

Decorating your tables and chairs with bright colors makes the whole room POP!

The gorgeous lighting in this wedding transformed the whole room.

Our Glenn Carlson Room is perfect for accommodating a large number of guests.

There is no end to customization options with our rooms.

Imagine having your reception here and your name up in lights!

We provide you with a list of preferred decorators who have experience transforming our rooms.

Decoration options are endless.

There is no detail too small when it comes to planning a wedding!

There is no shortage of elegance at River's Edge Convention Center.

Now that you have some ideas, start planning your wedding and reviewing our preferred decorators' work! Congratulations on your engagement, and we hope to see you soon at River's Edge Convention Center!

Key Benefits of Off-site Meetings

When planning a meeting, there are many factors to think about. We look into a time that is available for everyone involved, the agenda and (if we’re lucky) perhaps plan for a sweet treat, but often the location itself gets overlooked. There are many reasons why the location can sometimes be as important a factor as all other considerations. Choosing an off-site location such as St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center can maximize meeting time and efficiency in many different ways.

Distance from the Desk
Leaving the office helps individuals step away and stop thinking about outside duties. It takes away the possibilities of being distracted when client comes in or sending unrelated emails during a meeting. A new location helps co-workers compartmentalize their time and focus on current topics, which allows for more quality participation.

Spark Creativity
Getting away from day-to-day operations can help open space for new and innovative ideas- people think out of the box when thrown into a new situation. Utilizing a different space may also allow a greater amount of people to gather from various locations and meet with new individuals for an outside perspective. Mentoring relationships bloom during these kinds of meetings.

Enhance Presentation Opportunity
A new location can give presenters more opportunity for the use of equipment that may not be supported in the office, which makes for a more effective presentation. The speaker can be better equipped to engage the audience with a larger screen or more easily manipulated tools. The more engaging a presentation is, the more the team will likely remember and take new skills to the office with them.

Boost Team Morale- There is something invigorating about breaking habit. With co-workers, it can be a great way to infuse a team building opportunity. An off-site meeting allows the opportunity for face-to-face interaction, which is too often lost in the use of technology. Being present allows one to view the body language and other social cues that otherwise are missed. Even the opportunity to eat a meal together affords co-workers to have more relaxed time with one another to build a relationship and understanding beyond usual business. Also, an off-site meeting makes teams feel like there was more care taken in preparing for the meeting,  making the team members feel more valued. Boosting the team’s feeling of importance can translate into more commitment and loyalty.

A meeting’s location is a large factor in its ability maximize the time co-workers have with one another.  An off-site meeting at River’s Edge Convention Center may re-energize and bring passion back to those you work with. Plan your next event at an off-site location, and see the difference it makes in your team.

Consumer Shows Bring Guests To The St. Cloud Area!

It’s that time of year again -- consumer show season! Here at the River’s Edge Convention Center, we proudly boast many large consumer shows every season. We host the Car, Home, Boat, RV, and Farm Show among many others!

These shows are held in our large exhibit halls. Our exhibit halls range in square footage from 8,000-26,000, allowing us to host events of many sizes. Our Terry Haws Center is our main consumer show room. The center is divided into three sections -- Terry Haws A is 16,000 square feet, B is 17,325 square feet, and C is 26,000 square feet. These rooms can be divided in half or joined together with other sections for an even larger space. In addition to exhibit space, we also offer many other services to make the shows go smoothly. Some of the services we offer are audio/visual equipment, basic housekeeping, electric and utilities, seating and staging, parking, and more. In addition to these services, we can also help staff events. Our staffing services include ticket takers, door guards, security, and piano tuners, among others.  

Every year, these consumer shows bring a large crowd to the St. Cloud area. Luckily, the St. Cloud area has many local attractions for our visitors to see after they attend a consumer show. In the downtown area surrounding the convention center alone, there are 41 unique dining options. Some of these dining options include Jules Bistro, Brother’s Bar and Grille, and The White Horse. To see the full list of dining options, please visit The St. Cloud Downtown’s website. The downtown area also offers an exciting nightlife scene. Some of the more popular bars include the Red Carpet, Cowboy Jacks, and the Press Bar. To view the full list of nightlife, click here. In between sessions at the consumer

shows, guests can go shopping at some unique boutiques and shops in the downtown area, including Accents, Fitzharris Ski and Sport, Rush Boutique, and more. When the night comes to an end, guests can rest their heads at one of St. Clouds luxurious hotels, such as the Le St. Germain Suite Hotel, and the Kelly Inn, among others.

Overall, the consumer show seasons offers an event for the whole family. With all of the attractions that the St. Cloud premiere area has to offer, this will be a trip worth taking! We hope to see you soon!

Bring Your Business to River's Edge Convention Center

It’s true the River’s Edge Convention Center is where many of the area’s largest events are held -- but, did you know you can rent out meeting spaces for businesses and small socials, too? 

The River’s Edge now has space to make your event more productive and enjoyable. Along with offering comfortable accommodations for all types of businesses and organizations, we also provide equipment rentals, catering and other services. The Convention Center was built with all kinds of events and meetings in consideration and we have flexible space configurations.

After you book the space you will need for your meeting or event, we will assist with the rest. The convenience of the River’s Edge doesn’t stop at our central location and state-of-the-art facility. We also can provide you with event coordination, specialized seating arrangements, audio/visual setup and standby services.

We have a variety of rooms that are ideal for company meetings or all-day conferences. The spaces feature 10-foot ceilings with full setup and takedown of tables, chairs, stage and basic sound system. The capacity of our board rooms are 5-20 people. Need a little more space? Other rooms and our suites can accommodate between 45-500 people. Rooms within suites can be combined or divided to suit your specific needs.

No matter the event or the occasion, River’s Edge Convention Center can help make it a success with our space. Contact us today and we can help you start planning!

River's Edge Offers Versatility for Weddings in Central Minnesota

When you hear the name “River’s Edge Convention Center,” chances are, you immediately think of large conventions or concerts. While our expansive facility does play host to a huge variety of central Minnesota’s largest events, we’re also at your service for your personal events - for example, your wedding!

Our large, elegant, riverside facility defines the word “versatile.” Whether you’re arranging an elaborate celebration for hundreds of people, or simply want one room for a more intimate event, we’ve got you covered. Our central, downtown location, complete with plenty of parking and lodging options, is a natural fit for any wedding party.

Plus, with our deep-rooted business and community connections, we can help you locate the perfect team of professionals to plan every aspect of your wedding - cuisine to entertainment. We’ll also lend a hand with all the small, yet crucial details that contribute to the perfect party.

Our request? Give us plenty of advance notice, but please don’t book your celebration over one year in advance. Please have a solid estimate of how many guests you’ll have, so we can coordinate the perfectly sized space and accommodations. Again, all the finer details - including cost and payment info - are located on our website.

So, as you begin to draw up your list of wedding ideas, pencil in the River’s Edge Convention Center; we’d love to be part of making your big day the party of a lifetime!