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The San Francisco International Airport Serves AMA San Francisco

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The San Francisco International airport or SFO at dusk

The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is one of the busiest airports in the United States: more than fifty million passengers make their way through its gates each year. SFO is in an optimal location for visits to the West Coast and those visiting the AMA San Francisco Executive Conference Center. It’s also convenient for flights to and from Asia, and an ideal departure airport for mainland Americans traveling to the Hawaiian Islands.

The most traveled-to domestic destination from SFO is just a short flight down to the city of Los Angeles, less than two hours gate to gate. The San Francisco airport is heralded as one of the top energy-efficient airports in the United States, being the first in America to receive a LEED Gold Certification at one of its terminals. Picturesque, SFO has been featured in a number of films over the years, including Four Christmases, Bullitt, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Blue Jasmine and Steve Jobs.

History

The San Francisco International Airport began in 1927 as a tiny airfield called Mills Field. The airport offered limited commercial travel accommodations and was used mostly for storage and mail delivery aircraft, until the early 1950’s when the postwar travel boom began and the airport facilities were updated to accommodate more passengers. In 1954, a new terminal was added to house international passengers. The 1960’s and 1970’s saw enormous growth for SFO, and by the 1980’s, the interior of the airport featured a post office, medical clinic, shops and restaurants.

SFO Today

The San Francisco International Airport has become a tourist destination all on its own, and in 2017, SFO celebrated its 90th anniversary. Today, the airport includes an SFO Museum Gallery, an Aviation Museum, and a convenient BART station. One of the terminals even features a yoga room, where passengers can peacefully seek Zen in a silent room away from the hustle and bustle of airport chaos. Catering specifically to yoga-loving San Franciscans, the yoga room is the first ever in any airport in North America. The airport also features local restaurants to not only give visitors a taste of Northern California but also a break from standard airport fare. The San Francisco International Airport has come a long way from a dirt runway in the middle of cow pasture to the incredible, five-terminal titan that stands in San Francisco today.

Travel through SFO or make a day trip to the impressive airport while attending your next business meeting at AMA San Francisco Executive Conference Center, located just 15 miles from San Francisco International Airport. Our state-of-the-art conference centers include built-in audio visual equipment and spacious seating designed to meet your specific conference needs. Contact us to book your next business meeting in San Francisco.

Top Leadership TED Talks To Listen To During Your Work Commute

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TED Talks have given professionals around the world the opportunity to ascertain knowledge from a wide variety of people, all of whom have “ideas worth spreading.” These talks are short, accessible, and offer great insight into a variety of topics, particularly for busy leaders looking to expand their skill set. Here are a few of our favorite leadership TED Talks that are perfect for morning and afternoon commutes!

How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek

In this talk, Sinek discusses the concept of his “Golden Circle” and how purposeful organizations are more successful, inclusive, and inspirational. One of the most well-known TED Talks, this is a great listen for meeting and event professionals, and leaders across all industries.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth

This short and enjoyable talk discusses the psychology of success. Specifically, the speaker emphasizes the importance of determination and work ethic – a great reminder for all of us.

The Surprising Ingredient That Makes Businesses Work Better by Marco Alvera

In this TED Talk Marco reminds us of one of the most overlooked aspects of a company’s culture that all leaders must prioritize.

How to Manage for Collective Creativity by Linda Hill

Hill’s talk focuses on the significance of collaboration in innovation, using a number of familiar examples to illustrate her point. This video is a particular favorite as it addresses the importance of collaboration. Collaboration is a critical enabler for leaders in the meeting and events industry, and we strive to encourage it amongst all business professionals.

Is your company looking for answers to collaborative meeting and conference venue needs? AMA Executive Conference Centers has answers. We’re conveniently located in four of the country’s major metropolitan areas, including: Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Each of our Centers offers multiple setup configurations, packages, and amenities to meet unique meeting needs. Whether you need a location for your next board meeting, or you aspire to hold your own ‘TED’ style conference, we have the capability to assist you. Contact us now for more information – we look forward to helping you succeed at one of our facilities!

Tips to Help You Manage Your Remote Team

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The internet is such an important and useful tool that many businesses are quickly learning to use it to their full advantage. One thing that has emerged recently is hiring remote workers, or employees who collaborate online with other team members who are in other cities or countries. It allows businesses to hire talent from all around the world, save travel costs, and offer employees a more flexible work schedule. These are our top tips for managing a remote team:

Have A Communication Plan
The most important tip for helping manage your dispersed team members is to make a plan for communicating. Make sure all the team members have clear expectations and a set schedule of how they will interact, such as email, video conferences or through a cloud-based communications platform, like Slack.

Encourage Collaboration With Other Members
Running a remote team can have its benefits, but it can also be difficult to keep track of everyone. One way to help manage a team that’s not based in one central office is to make sure they are collaborating with each other, as much as possible, rather than trying to go off by themselves to complete tasks.

Provide A Solution For Online Chat
As a manager of a remote team, utilize the explosion of chat based technology that’s available to you. Create a chat-room, instant messenger application, or even Facebook private group that all the team members can access at any time. This will help you manage your team by making sure that everyone stays connected and everyone’s ideas are voiced.

Centralize All Work With A Project Management System
A project management system, like Asana, helps organize important documents, timelines and project information that needs to be dispersed across all team members. This type of system will allow you and your team the ability to keep all important information together and organized. It can also be a location for storing and sharing files in an online area that’s secure.

Make Meeting In Person A Priority
When possible, make meeting periodically in person with your team a priority. Face to face, in person meetings as a team can be a great way for them to bond and connect personally – which projects will often reap the benefits from!

The next time you and your remote team come together in person consider meeting at one of AMA’s Executive Conference Centers in Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco or Washington D.C. Perfect locations for team retreats, project meetings, and more – for details on our convenient meeting spaces click to connect with us.

Meet Barbara Davis From Our AMA Atlanta Executive Conference Center

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We’re excited to shine the spotlight on a team member from the AMA Executive Conference Center in Atlanta. BARBARA DAVIS is the Assistant Manager for our AMA Center that anchors conference and meeting activities in the South. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Barbara and learn more about all that she does. Enjoy getting to know more about this “Papple!” (You’ll have to read the interview to find out what that means…!)

AMA:  Thanks for taking some time to chat with us today! Tell us a little bit about your beginnings.

BARBARA:  I was born in the Bedford Stuyvesant Community in the Borough of Brooklyn, New York. Today, I call home the Southwest community of Atlanta, Georgia.

AMA:  As the Assistant Manager for the AMA Executive Conference Center in Atlanta, what is your day-to-day like?

BARBARA:  My primary focus has been supporting the client experience. I function in many capacities and do whatever it takes to get the job done well. June will be eighteen years in this role and I still enjoy and love the work I do. There are few routine days, and I enjoy the difference each day makes. I have an opportunity to meet and talk with people from all over the world. For a curious person like me, I find what I do and the people I get a chance to meet, talk with and ultimately support to be very interesting. The great news is that I have the support of a team who also embraces extending “enlightened hospitality.” We all believe in an excellent customer experience at the AMA Atlanta Executive Conference Center.

AMA:  Eighteen years, congratulations! Before AMA, did you have a different type of career?

BARBARA:  I’ve had many career paths; however, I believe they all led me to where I am today. I have worked in radio, entertainment, advertising, travel, human resources, and food/hospitality. My last career adventure prior to joining the American Management Association, was sole proprietor of a boutique catering company that I started in 1993. My clients were primarily corporate accounts. One year, I was honored to be selected as the Executive Chef for The Alliance Theatre, one of Atlanta’s premiere theatre companies.

AMA:  Sounds like you’ve always had a calling for hospitality. When did you know that working in the meetings and conference industry was what you wanted to do?

BARBARA:  After deciding to relinquish my catering company, I believed my talents could be used best in an environment where my communications, logistics and event management skills would be embraced. I was not sure what industry outside of hospitality would be the fit for me, but when I learned about the American Management Association my curiosity radar was sparked. I believe learning and expanding one’s mind continues the growth of all living beings. AMA provides this through our continuing education seminars to business professionals. I believe that I launched into the best of two worlds that I love…education and events management.

AMA:  What do you like best about what you do at AMA?

BARBARA: I look at what I do as “pre, during and post” planning activities; similar to the catering business I operated for several years. The “pre” is securing and staging the business. The “during” is executing the business. And the “post” is finalizing the exchange of the business. I enjoy the “pre and during” most, as this in my opinion is what determines if a customer has an AMAzing experience and will return with more business.

AMA:  What’s new and exciting in the near future for you?

BARBARA: I believe children are the gift that keeps on giving. I am a better human being, worker among workers, woman and mother because of my son. My son, the love of my life, turned one when I started at the American Management Association 18 years ago. He leaves Atlanta in two weeks to start his career path in the visual arts in New York City. I find it pretty awesome that my son Prince will be starting his journey where I started mine several decades ago. A small little acorn tree that grew in Brooklyn and blossomed in Atlanta. I like to say that I am a ‘Papple’…a peach and an apple!

AMA:  What do you like best about being an Atlanta resident?

BARBARA:  One of Atlanta’s themes is the “City in the Forest.” I absolutely love natural environments and especially trees. The Atlanta area has maintained the beauty of the forest as it continues to design a first-class cityscape.  And for me this is the best of both worlds… a little bit of city and little bit of country!

Choose New York City For Your Next Corporate Meeting

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With all the arrangements you have to make, details can make up the majority of your worries. However, at AMA Executive Conference Centers you’ll find that having a meeting, seminar, or conference can be functional, catered to, and productive. In a word, exceptional (without all the worry).

With the largest conference center in New York City’s Times Square, clients receive the best value and unparalleled service. Our staff is trained and prepared to accommodate the needs of meeting planners and visiting attendees. In addition to offering exceptional meeting space, our team offers light administrative including copying, email and general concierge.

While at the center our clients and their guests are assisted to completely. Located in the hub of the city, it’s easy for attendees to take outdoor breaks and have easy access to casual and fine dining restaurants, as well as Broadway theaters that are located just moments of exiting the building.

Our AMA New York Center has over 90,000 square feet of meeting space that is divided into 43 meeting rooms. This gives meeting planners the flexibility to host activities in spaces that are 168 sq. ft. up to 3000 sq. ft. – accommodating over 200 participants. The New York Center has available spaces with both indirect and natural lighting. High-speed internet and WIFI access is available, and as with all AMA Executive Conference Center locations the rental includes complimentary use of projectors and PCs for meeting use. All this and more without service charges or hidden fees.

Most meetings and events have a food and beverage component. The New York Center provides complimentary beverages, continuously, including coffees, gourmet teas, sodas, juices, and water. Additionally, there are a wide variety of catering options offered, and customization can almost always be accommodated. Find our menus and catering packages available for review online here.

Whether you’re driving, hailing a taxi or taking an Uber, finding AMA’s New York Executive Conference Center at 1601 Broadway is a breeze. For more information or questions you might have about rental or your visit simply contact us today!