Dubuque Grand River Center: Events Made Easy

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa, the 86,000 sq ft Dubuque Grand River Center is a light-filled, contemporary space for events of all kinds. Mitzi Yordy, General Manager for the Center, tells us how they came to use Visix’s MeetingMinder™ room signs. “Our previous system was giving us lots of problems, so we decided to replace the whole thing rather than just nickel-and-dime it.” They contacted Pratt AV in Iowa who “really made an impression. We didn’t need bells and whistles, just something that works well.” The Center decided to ignore large displays and opt for a comprehensive Visix room sign installation instead. “It was what we needed.”

JoAnn Lavenz, Wedding Director for the center, tells us that the interior space can be reconfigured for any event or multiple events, using partitions. “We have six meeting rooms, one large ballroom that can be broken up into four smaller areas, and a large exhibit hall that can split into two,” she says.

Because MeetingMinder™ room signs can be mounted on different surfaces, they are the perfect tools for a constantly shifting, reconfiguring space. Lavenz continues, “We have 10 of the room signs mounted into large, wide kiosks that can be moved around as the various spaces are reconfigured for different events. We also have 25 of the smaller room signs that are stationary – one on each side of every meeting room door – allowing us to display two different messages for the client.”

Dubuque uses the MeetingMinder™ room signs to display messages, PowerPoint slideshows, weather, and wayfinding. “Each manager has access to the system – they talk to the client, figure out what they need, and then take care of all of it,” Yordy tells us.

Yordy also appreciates the support she gets from Visix. “They don’t make us feel stupid; they take the time to walk us through the steps.”

Lavenz says that the system is easy to use. “We just log on to the application via the web, use the AxisTV digital signage software tools to create content, and send it right out to the room signs.” Clients have found it useful for both scheduling and wayfinding information. “They all get where they need to go,” says Lavenz.

“It’s meeting all our needs.” Yordy adds, “We really are very happy with what we have and, since we are the property of the City of Dubuque, they are also happy.” When asked to sum up her experience with Visix MeetingMinder™ room signs, JoAnn Lavenz says, “Simple: it helps us with our jobs – it’s events made easy.”