Management Association Center Offers High-Tech Meeting Space

After 20 years on Capitol Hill, the American Management Association relocated its Executive Conference Center to Crystal City in March. The 18,000-square-foot space features 10 meeting rooms and three breakout rooms, which are all wired with extensive multimedia features.

“We tried to think of everything that most modern meeting sessions would need,” said AMA conference center manager Richard Nusbaum. “Pretty much all you need to do is bring a presentation on a memory stick and you’re good to go.”

The center’s high-tech meeting rooms, for example, offer interactive Smart Boards that connect to Microsoft Tablet PCs (think whiteboards without the need for markers), as well as a large flat-screen for presentations. Wireless Internet access and audio and visual equipment—including wireless microphones and touch-screen panel controls—are in each meeting room as well.Most rooms are designed to accommodate both classroom-format and theater-style meetings, with the smallest room holding five people and the largest with space for up to 90. The AMA uses the venue for management training, but rooms are available to outside organizations when not in use. Two small lounges, a bookstore, Internet kiosks, and complimentary beverage stations are available during meeting downtime.