From the Corning Leader:
"Businesses are stocking their shelves and decorating their windows as about 1,400 visitors begin their descent on the Corning area for the 2009 Annual Glass Art Society Conference, taking place Thursday through Saturday.
Although some will come into town for a single day of conference events, most will be staying for at least three days, said Peggy Coleman, executive director of the Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau.
The anticipated revenue for the area is about $1.34 million.
“The impact stretches beyond the obvious, from the airlines and the hotels and the restaurants,” Coleman said. “Visitors will be buying gas, shopping in stores, buying gifts and souvenirs. We’ve even booked some pre-conference tours where people will be visiting studios and wineries (in the region).”
The Glass Art Society (GAS) is an international nonprofit organization whose purpose is to advance education and promote the appreciation and development of glass art. Members include artists, students, collectors, educators, writers, critics and museum and gallery personnel.
“It’s a diverse group of people coming to experience the diversity of our area,” said Coleen Fabrizi, executive director of Corning’s Gaffer District.
The conference includes artist demonstrations, technical displays, workshops, tours, receptions and lectures. Events and activities will take place at Centerway Square, Corning Community College, Corning Inc. Headquarters and B Building, the Corning Museum of Glass, Hands-on Glass, 171 Cedar Arts, Palace Theatre, Radisson Hotel and Rockwell Museum of Western Art. Local storefronts will also host small exhibits of glass by international and local artists.
Numerous area businesses have special events and/or discounts for those attending the conference. Many restaurants are offering free drinks or special prices and many retailers are offering sales or discounts to people who present their GAS conference identification.
Some of the conference events will be open to the public, such as Friday’s festivities which include wine and beer tastings at various businesses (from 6 to 9 p.m.), a party in Centennial Park and a lighting of neon sculpture on the pedestrian bridge (from 9 to 11 p.m.).
The theme of the 2009 conference is “Local Inspiration, Global Innovation.” Representatives from local tourism agencies, arts organizations and businesses have helped plan the conference.
“It’s been a huge group effort to bring people here for the conference and to show them what a unique and fantastic city we are,” Fabrizi said. “And the impact extends regionally. ... People have booked accommodations in Chemung and Schuyler counties too.”
Many hotels in the Corning area are sold out, including The Radisson and Villa Bernese B&B. The Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau has set up a special Web site (www.gas2009corning.com) that holds an updated list of accommodations for people attending the conference. The bureau also negotiated special transportation rates for those flying into the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport and special shuttle routes for those in need of transportation during the conference days.
“It was a little different when the conference took place in Pittsburgh. There was one main hotel and one overflow hotel where everyone stayed. And the conference was within walking distance of both. In Corning, it’s required a bit of coordination to arrange for shuttles to and from (numerous) locations,” Coleman said.
The Corning Inc. Foundation is one of the event’s major sponsors; it has sponsored the GAS conference each of the previous five times it was held in Corning. It was previously here in 1976, 1979, 1984, 1991 and 2001.
“We are grateful for the continued support of the Corning Inc. Foundation and their recognition of how much this conference benefits the region,” said Pamela Figenshaw Koss, executive director of the Glass Art Society. “... international glass artists, collectors and fans will spend almost a week shopping and eating at local businesses, attending activities at a wide variety of local venues and exploring the region.”
Businesses are stocking their shelves and decorating their windows as about 1,400 visitors begin their descent on the Corning area for the 2009 Annual Glass Art Society Conference, taking place Thursday through Saturday."
Costello, Kathleen. "Gas Conference takes place this weekend." June 10, 2009. website accessed June 12, 2009. http://www.the-leader.com/homepage/x702334772/Glass-Art-Society-Conference-takes-place-this-weekend
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