Venue

GLSEC will be held at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College.

Located on East Beltline Avenue, the conference center is a short distance from the famous Meijer Gardens and only minutes from shopping, the zoo, and other attractions.

Flying into Grand Rapids

• The Gerald R. Ford International Airport schedules regular flights from American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Midwest, and United Airlines.
• While you wait for your return flight, The GRR has free wireless internet service.
• If you stay at the conference center, there’s no need to rent a car – the center has a free complimentary shuttle.
• If you desire to rent a car, the GRR has local offices for Alamo, Avis, Enterprise, and Hertz rent-a-car.

If you choose to drive

• Grand Rapids is centrally located in the Great Lakes Region, just 186 miles from Chicago, 160 miles from Detroit, and 296 miles from Indianapolis, according to the Grand Rapids Visitors Bureau.
• You can get directions to the conference center directly from Mapquest.

Hotels – where to stay

• Wake up and walk to the conference by staying in a Prince Center guest room. The guest rooms include a fitness room on-site, free continental breakfast, available internet. Rates start at under $100. You can even book your room online.
• The Amway Grand Plaza is a four-star resort and hotel in downtown Grand Rapids.
• Grand Rapids includes all the popular chains you prefer, such as Hilton and Mariott. You can get a complete list here.

Eat and drink

• The BOB includes five resturants, a pool hall, a comedy club, a brewery, a cigar lounge, a dance club, and more, all under one roof in downtown Grand Rapids.
• If you’d like to dine downtown, you can download a list of three-dozen resturants in the downtown area here
• The 1913 Room is a five-star restaurant inside of the Amway Grand Plaza. It is the only five-diamond resturant in the state of Michigan.
• For a complete list of local dining and nightlife, see the Grand Rapid’s Visitor’s Bureau website.

Things to do

• The famous Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is a short drive north on the East Beltline.
• November is a great time to take the family to Robinettes Apple Haus, a Grand Rapids landmark. Robinette’s is ten minutes north of the conference center on the corner of the East Beltline and 4 Mile Road.
• Then again, there is a John Ball Zoo in downtown Grand Rapids on W. Fulton St.
• For more ideas, see the Grand Rapid’s Visitors Bureau’s list of “things to see & do”.