Bank of Springfield Center, known as BOS Center, hosts conventions, conferences, trade shows, training sessions, receptions and holiday parties in downtown Springfield, Illinois. Its Main Hall holds 6,459 in theater style, and smaller rooms on the lower level and the mezzanine suit groups from about 50 to a few hundred guests.
Seminars and company events
BOS Center describes itself as a multi-purpose facility. Corporate organisers use it for professional training seminars, meetings, retreats, networking events and cocktail hours, as well as for large conventions and expos. The lower level offers 21,000 square feet of meeting room space, and the official site says it can serve groups from 100 to 1,000 attendees. Each event is assigned an event coordinator, who schedules planning sessions and coordinates move-in, move-out and event hours. Free wireless internet covers the public areas, and a wired connection is available on request. LCD projectors and screens are available in meeting rooms B4, B6, B7 and the four sections of the ballroom. The in-house audio-visual company is Audio Techni Services.
Rooms and capacities
The Main Hall covers 44,000 square feet without columns. Measured at 200 by 200 feet, it holds 1,950 at banquet tables, 6,459 in theater style and 1,584 classroom style. A reduced configuration with risers, 110 by 88 feet, holds 2,918 in theater style.
The lower level ballroom, labeled B11, measures about 9,100 square feet and is suited to banquets or large business presentations. Air walls divide it into four rooms, B11A to B11D. Three adjoining sections, B11ABC or B11BCD, form a 6,500 square foot space.
On the mezzanine, the North Terrace measures about 4,200 square feet with a patio of 950 square feet. It seats 250 at banquet tables, 350 theater style and 176 classroom style, and looks toward the old Lincoln Depot and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The South Terrace covers about 2,100 square feet: 150 banquet, 175 theater, 80 classroom, with views of the Wyndham Springfield City Centre and the Lincoln Home sites. Both terraces have colored LED lighting that can match a brand palette. The Main Floor Lounge, 38 by 22 feet, seats 50. The outdoor BOS Plaza, a stamped concrete area of about 8,300 square feet outside the lobby, is used for summer events and private functions.
Catering
Only the center's preferred caterers may provide food and beverages for meal functions. They cover a range of cuisines, and the event coordinator gives the list.
Good to know
Main Hall events require special event insurance. Trade shows must use a decorating service, since the center does not supply booth curtains, tables, chairs or carpeting.
History and setting
The center opened in 1979 and was renovated in 2010. The work added about 6,000 square feet to the lobby, the outdoor plaza, extra concession areas, an upper level patio terrace and two upper level terraces.
Getting there
The center is at 1 Convention Center Plaza. It has its own parking garage at 7th and Washington. The official site also lists nearby hotels for out-of-town attendees.
