By Gail Siegel
Director, Membership Services
Where classic elegance and modern appeal meet, the Hilton Columbus at Easton, with its Georgian architecture, boasts beautiful exterior aesthetics, including a cobble stone courtyard. The interior is inviting, comfortable, contemporary and spacious. Complete with fitness center and indoor pool, the seven-story hotel, developed in 2000 has AAA, four-diamond luxury rating, and is only ten minutes from both downtown Columbus and John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
A total interior guestroom redesign in 2016 added premium traits like digital check-in and the most updated in-room features to help you enjoy your stay. In 2017 a full-scale overhaul of the hotel’s public areas brought a fully redesigned lobby and entryway. Seating in the lobby and lobby terrace provides a spot for casual and business conversation with working wireless on-the-go. Make your Hotel Reservations now at special room rates negotiated for NARTS Conference attendees only!
Relocated to the first floor, the Executive Lounge is enhanced with a private terrace, VIP service and premium amenities. Herb N’ Kitchen, a signature Hilton gourmet marketplace, offers everything from wines by the bottle to pizza and salads. The fresh culinary creations at this new grab n’ go concept are developed by the hotel’s own executive chef. The Private Dining Room, in association with the new lobby bar, Easton Social, has upscale dining fare paired with signature drinks. To appreciate the excellence of this entire venue, you would have to experience the ambiance for yourself!
Only steps from the Hilton, unveiled in 1999, the unforgettable Easton Town Center is an uncommon blend: a classic vintage town center, yet a stylish entertainment mecca complete with cobbled walkways. Discover more than a 100 treasures hidden away in dozens of exotic shops, boutiques, restaurants, clubs and entertainment sites. Walking into Easton Town Center will take you on an eclectic “free time” journey. Just outside the doors of the Hilton Columbus at Easton are the newest fashion trends, greatest restaurants and best entertainment.
You are going to love it here in Columbus, OH. Everything from picture big, to detail small is prepared for you! Whether you have been around the block more times than you can count or taking your first step on the road to resale, you will not feel alone, you will be inspired. You will grow. Join us at the annual event of open arms, open minds and big sharing hearts. The best of the best join together here. The chain of events during Conference is laid out for you in the Agenda. There you can see the day by day, hour by hour break down of this annual NARTS happening. Easy to follow, simple words to help you plan your days, but only by attending yourself can you fill in the blanks, read between the lines and begin to get the real picture and feel of this meeting of Resale Professionals.
The “come as you are” Thursday evening Getting to Know You Reception is not just about the clothes you are wearing. It is about come with what you know, or don’t know. Whoever you are—you are so welcomed. It is about the “I don’t know anything” person who is scared to death to attend their first meeting alone, and yet finds the courage to do so in their desire to learn. There are also experienced professionals who may be teetering on the verge of worn out, needing a refueling from the support of those who walk in their shoes. Whether you land on either side, or somewhere in the middle, you are at the right place.
Of course, as is with any large gathering of minds, during this “say hello” starter you might meet a few who seem like “I know everything” people. Don’t be intimidated by them. Nobody knows everything, and besides, they are great teachers and mentors and the very most sharing. This pre-conference event is a mix and match of “opposites” and “alikes” starting out as “you and me” and turning into “us” before this Conference ends. You would have to be there yourself to feel the blending begin.
The Friday Bus Tour is a learning event, a get to know you better experience, and an opportunity to share ideas of every kind from front doors to back rooms. As a bonus you get to go shopping! The bus tour is where the “opposites” and the “alikes,” the “I know nothing” and the “I know everything” attendees sit shoulder to shoulder going from shop to shop and, with open minds, most will figure out by the end of the day they have more in common, and have much more to share and learn from each other than imaginable—regardless of what their own “story” is all about.
By the Friday evening “Sweet Treats” Dessert Party the separation of characters is fading. We have finally begun to realize we can learn something from everyone on a bus, at an event, on a break, in the halls … Everywhere we are! By the time Saturday comes along and we listen to our wonderful Keynote Speaker, attend the Workshops, support NARTS future educational programs at the live Action Auction, and finally get some free time in the evening to breathe, we are that much closer to becoming one—hungry for knowledge, finding support, and sharing all we have with all who came to learn. We are tired, but we cannot stop talking despite ourselves. You would have to be there yourself to understand how so tired feels so good.
Sunday morning’s Networking Sessions continue to stimulate our minds, and the delicious Breakfast Buffet stimulates our taste buds. There is more to discover at the SourceMart trade show where our specialty supplier vendors come to meet us face to face—real people who are all about service for and to the resale industry. We are there to support their businesses, spend some money and make some solid business decisions … Still talking!
By the Sunday Night Gala we find out the whole experience we call NARTS Annual Conference is more than just a listing on an agenda. We are having a party with our colleagues. We are eating and drinking and laughing right out loud. Many of us even dance with our “new best friends.” As we go to the Monday Closing Session to share some final thoughts, we suddenly realize we have become a family. We came separately as you and me, and now we go back to our businesses as we … Resale Professionals, utilizing all we have learned. You would have to be there yourself to feel that little pang in your heart that whispers, “This can’t be over. I will miss this so.”
You would have to experience firsthand the destination that is the Hilton Columbus at Easton to appreciate the welcoming, pampered atmosphere that will surround you. Throughout the Conference you would have to learn and share and dine and dance and laugh or maybe share a tear with colleagues, who in the end you will call friends, to understand the bonds that are created at these annual meetings. You would have to participate in the NARTS 32nd Annual Conference to sense the camaraderie, and feel the exhilaration of accomplishment in the advanced, innovational educational experience. To do that … You just gotta be there yourself! That is why we saved a seat for you. Go ahead—put your name on it now and then save the seat next to you for someone you know who just has to be there too … And call them today!
“Sharing knowledge can seem like a burden to some, but on the contrary,
it is a reflection of teamwork and leadership.” ~Unknown