Meeting Space Available At New Wellington Room

Good news for all of those who’ve inquired about meeting space for large groups in Wellington — the new Wellington Room at the Lake Wellington Professional Center is open for business.

The room, which comes fully appointed and can accommodate up to 30 people, has been operating for about a month now, said Diane Brockway, managing director of the Lake Wellington Professional Center. “There’s nothing like it in Wellington,” she said.

The genesis of the idea began when the center kept getting calls from groups needing space to host functions.

“We identified a need. There’s not a lot of space in Wellington for meetings,” said Michela Perillo-Green, executive director of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, who was instrumental in getting the space dedicated.

Perillo-Green approached Ken Adams, owner of the Lake Wellington Professional Center, with the idea of creating a space where businesses could have meetings. The chamber itself had a need for such space, for its monthly training sessions. After getting the green light from Adams, staff worked swiftly to get the room ready in less than 90 days.

“We like to help small businesses grow,” Adams said.

While the room itself isn’t new — the space was rearranged, Brockway explained — it now contains high-tech TVs, Apple TV, a projector with a drop-down screen, Wi-Fi and even complimentary coffee. The space also has a kitchenette so groups who want to can bring in food and beverages, she said.

There is a small conference room accommodating six that also can be rented.

The chamber has already conducted one training session in the Wellington Room, and another, a Microsoft training session, is scheduled for Aug. 21, Perillo-Green said.

The Wellington Room can be rented by the day, hour, for a week or a month. It can be used for training, arbitration, seminars, mixers, just about any event a client could think of, Brockway said.

Rates for in-house clients — those with offices in the Lake Wellington Professional Center — is $40 per hour. Outside clients pay $75 per hour.

A $300 deposit is also required, and clients must give 24 hours notice if plans change and an event needs to be canceled. Those who wish to rent the room also need to do so in advance, Brockway added.

There is a nominal charge to rent the conference room, too, but clients wishing to use both the Wellington Room and the conference room for a day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., would pay $280, Brockway said.

“It’s a beautiful room. A lot of time and effort went into it. It’s a major asset for Wellington,” she added.

Before the Wellington Room was created, business executives were often forced to meet in public spaces such as restaurants, which can be noisy and are not always conducive to training-like settings, Perillo-Green said. Now, those using the room can focus on the task at hand. “It’s quiet and private,” she added.

To schedule a tour, or for more information, stop by the Lake Wellington Professional Center at 12230 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 110, in Wellington, call (561) 227-1500 or e-mail diane@lakewellington.com.

ABOVE: A view of the seating area, along with the high-tech presentation equipment.