As an event coordinator with over 10 years of experience, and working for a company that does monthly events all over the world, this Conference Center is truly the gold standard. We have had several multi day events at this venue and every time we do, our desires and expectations are surpassed. I personally have never worked with a coordinator who is better at being happy and willing to do whatever it takes to make an event a resounding success. Additionally, catering and facilities staff are consistently kind, professional, and immensely helpful.
At our last event, there was a major windstorm on the final day. Governmental operations shut down, and many buildings lost power. The staff at the conference center kept things going for us, even going so far as to help coordinate safe trips home for our staff and offering various solutions to fit our needs to complete the camp. We finished the week in the best care with the best customer service!
We have been working with the wonderful team at the ASCE Bechtel Conference Center for the last three years after outgrowing the facility space we had previously used. We have found the conference management team professional and a pleasure to work with. They have accommodated our unique requests every time and have gone above and beyond to secure facility space for us for last minute meetings. Rooms are well maintained, are setup per our request, meals arrive on time and the team always follows up when we are onsite to determine if we need anything else. Their consistency in service is why we use them over and over again.
I discovered the Bechtel Conference Center through a strong referral who described it as the un-hotel option. I agree. The center is beautiful. Being located at the home of the Society of Civil Engineers, it is meticulously designed and maintained. If you find hotel event staff is slow to respond, the Bechtel staff is polite and responsive. I have used a number of facilities in the Herndon, Reston, Tyson's area. Parking is tight or complex. The parking at the Bechtel Conference Center is plentiful and easy. In a day-long conference, people have to sit for a long time. Chairs at most facilities hurt your back. The chairs at the center are more comfortable than any I have seen, and your audience is able to focus on the event, rather than their discomfort. If you want to serve a meal, the Bechtel staff will handle that for you. But they do not push catering on you. The center has a number of rooms from very small to very large, so there is always one that suits my need for any specific event.
Hotels are great, but this is a more professional setting and everything about it is a notch above any hotel or a shared office facility I have tried.