Conference Centers Offer Free Admission to On-Site Art Galleries to Get the Creative Juices Flowing

Conference Centers are always looking for new and different ways to engage their corporate guests. Food has always been an exciting way to perk up a meeting starting with breakfast, lunch, and of course coffee breaks. Teambuilding is another avenue that is getting a lot of attention as it is very experiential in nature. One other option is to line the “white space” of the conference center walls with contemporary art for your guests to passively develop their emotional intelligence and become more tolerant, creative, and worldly. We use the term passive because unlike teambuilding, art appreciation is personal, private, and just plain fun!

The “buy local” movement is relevant to other purchases besides food. Take art for instance; this bodes well for supporting small businesses, as many local artists may be pursuing their passion as a second, third, or fourth career. I recently read a story about a local artist in suburban Philadelphia who taught art on a high school and college level for thirty-four years, retired from teaching, then took the leap of faith to open up her own art studio. After three decades of teaching, the artist is most comfortable painting traditional realism, usually a portrait of one of her favorite spots in rural Montgomery County, Pa.

Art is empowering. Think about how you feel after sitting through an all day meeting, especially if it has been one long, consecutive PowerPoint presentation. If sitting still and listening is not your thing, maybe walking around and appreciating art has a place in your heart! The best thing about art appreciation is that you have the power to pick and choose what you like, and many of these new on-site galleries give you the option to buy your favorite piece and have it shipped to your home or office!

At the risk of sounding too “zen-like”, I invite you to find a painting that you find intriguing. Stop for a moment, and try to get in the mind of the artist when they created their masterpiece. Back up to get the big picture, move closer to see the fine detail, then of course see how the light changes your view altogether. My desk is just down the hall from the conference center gallery and I have witnessed high strung, work-pressured, exhausted conferees stroll down the “corridor of creativity” and appreciate the importance of taking a few moments to be in the moment and relax.

You can find many pieces from local artists hanging at Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center Art Gallery. Call us at (215) 616-8500 to book your next event or tour to see for yourself.

Located just 25 minutes from Center City Philadelphia and situated in the heart of Blue Bell, Pa.,Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center is more than a meticulously restored American landmark—it's a fully wired, high-tech hospitality venue. Relax on our grand terrace, sip a cocktail in America's oldest silo, play a challenging game of golf on our championship course, plan an event with us or dine on our delectable farm-to-table cuisine. It all adds up to One Historic Experience.