Chat with Cat: Wayfinding

Montreat is without a doubt a place of discernment. A place where many come to figure out which way to go in life. But I'm not talking about that kind of wayfinding, not this time.
Yesterday officials in Asheville introduced new directional signage that will be displayed all around Buncombe County, pointing visitors to areas of interest, public parking, and nearby communities--including Black Mountain and Montreat. The 300+ signs will be accompanied by 13 informational kiosks giving information on the area they are in as well as on other areas in the county.
Each set of signs will feature a locally crafted finial. Signs in Black Mountain will feature an eagle, forged by Black Mountain Iron Works artist Dan Howachyn. Before this area was settled by Westerners, the Cherokee used to call our valley Grey Eagle, so the finial is 'local' both in its origin and its symbolism.
The wayfinding project, in which local organizations invested almost $2 million, is designed to get people where they want to go, but also to make them want to go to new places. All the while, the signs will pull from our heritage by using the local finials as well as quotes from Thomas Wolfe and other Asheville authors.
Good directions are vital to a community that serves almost 3 million overnight tourists each year, as they are vital to any community, church, or business. How accessible or findable are you? Do people feel welcomed with good information? Or discouraged by confusing signs?
What are your 'kiosks,' meaning what information do you give that links people to what they really want, even if it's not from you? And lastly, how do you put your local mark on your messages?
One thing to bear in mind when considering our own signs and messages is this: As part of this project, Asheville also removed more than 100 signs that were already in place to reduce confusion. Good directions are important, but there is such a thing as too much.
Read more about the wayfinding project in the Asheville Citizen-Times, and look for new signs the next time you're here!
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Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.

Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.

Chat with Cat: Celebrate

It's the perfect time of year to celebrate with loved ones, with colleagues, and with all of our communities. We can celebrate the coming of Christ in Advent, the love of our families and friends, and the end of another year and beginning of another.

Tonight I will be celebrating with the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce. We are having the annual holiday banquet in the Galax Dining Room of Assembly Inn, complete with an hour of "fireside" time before the festivities really begin.

If you have taken a look at our website, or at any of our materials, you might have seen the phrases:

• Celebrating Relationships
• Nurturing Congregations
• Deepening Discipleship

These words flow out of our mission statement, and they serve to define, or at least guide, what we do as a part of our ministry. That first part is my favorite because it applies to so many aspects of our lives. Tonight I will be celebrating the many great relationships Montreat Conference Center has with the businesses of this area. Next week we will be hosting holiday parties for Montreat College, the Black Mountain Rotary Club, and for a local business, so that they can celebrate another year of great relationships.

Which relationships are you celebrating this holiday season?

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Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.

Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.

Holiday Decorations Delight Montreat Visitors

Christmas trees, poinsettias, bright red bows, and garland deck the halls for Christmas at Montreat Conference Center’s Assembly Inn. Annually, the entire conference center staff pitches in to string lights and decorate trees for the start of the holiday season, transforming the stately Inn into a twinkling holiday wonderland. Taking time out to see the Christmas decorations at Montreat Conference Center is a holiday tradition enjoyed by guests, families with children, and area visitors who often make a special trip to Montreat for Christmas shopping. The decorations at Montreat will be on display throughout the holiday season.

Katherine and Thomas Belk Foundation to Underwrite State-of-the-Art Renovations at Montreat

A grant for $452,918 has been awarded by the Katherine and Thomas M. Belk Foundation of Charlotte, NC, for major renovations to the Left Bank building at Montreat Conference Center. Upon completion mid-summer, 2010, the renovated space will be known as the Katherine and Thomas Belk Center at the Left Bank and will house two levels of state-of-the-art meeting space. The children of Thomas and Katherine Belk initiated this gift in memory of their father and in honor of their mother, both of whom have had long ties with Montreat. Thomas Belk served as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Mountain Retreat Association, and Katherine McKay Belk’s grandfather, William Church Whitner, designed and constructed the original wooden dam on Lake Susan in the early 1900’s as well as the concrete dam that replaced it in 1924.

Designed by the Rev. Dr. Robert Campbell Anderson in 1925, the Left Bank building overlooks Lake Susan and has served numerous purposes over the years. In those early summers, the Committee on Christian Education and Ministerial Relief and the Committee on Home Missions met on the upper floor while the Committee on Religious Education and Publication and the bookstore were located on the first floor. More recently, the Left Bank has served as both office space and housing. “Our first home after our honeymoon was upstairs in the Left Bank,” said conference center president Pete Peery, reminiscing about the time he and his wife Margaret spent there as seminary-student chaplains to the conference center’s summer staff.

Although the historic integrity of the Left Bank will be painstakingly maintained throughout the renovations, architect John Legerton has been commissioned to bring the facility up to exacting standards structurally, technologically, and environmentally. Energy efficient window replacements will be installed. Conference rooms will be equipped with state-of-the-art video equipment, audio equipment, and a video-conferencing system. In addition, a ramp and lift will be added to increase accessibility. “We are excited about this project and know that it will be a useful and needed facility that will allow more collaborative programming for the entire Montreat community. We look forward to the new opportunities that these updated spaces will provide for the creative interchange of ideas,” said Katie B. Morris of the Foundation.

“With this gift from the Katherine and Thomas M. Belk Foundation, we’re introducing a new level of technological excellence to the conference center,” agreed Peery. “As a meeting venue for conferees, church retreats, family gatherings, businesses, and community organizations, the new Katherine and Thomas Belk Center will greatly enhance the conference center’s mission – to celebrate relationships, nurture congregations, and deepen discipleship in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Renovations to the Left Bank are being designed and planned by Legerton Architecture. John Legerton, AIA, Principal, has over 30 years of providing professional architectural design and planning services for a wide variety of clients. He has a strong interest in Green Design and environmentally sound architectural practices.

Montreat Conference Center is a national conference center serving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Annually, approximately 50,000 people of all ages and from all walks of life come to Montreat for rest, renewal, and recreation.

Chat with Cat: Decorating Day

Today at Montreat we celebrated a seasonal tradition. All of us left our office chairs for a few hours this morning to pitch in and decorate the whole of Assembly Inn. There are wreaths in the dining room, trees in the lobby and in Convocation Hall, and beautiful garlands adorning the porch and the staircase.

Maybe the best part of this tradition is the potluck break we take at 10 a.m. There are crackers and dips, cookies and cakes, sweets and nuts, and all delicious. It's not just about eating food--there's something about the sharing of recipes and all the "mmm's" of agreement around the table that makes potlucks a very special community event. Ethel's homemade buttermints make it pretty special too.

All in all, Decorating Day is a day of preparation. In the church calendar, we are now three days into Advent, the season of waiting and of preparation. We are preparing for the coming of Christ, and we are also preparing to see our families, to share in special fellowship, and to begin a new year with new opportunities.

There is a lot to do. My hope for us this season is that we see this not as a busy time with lots of tasks to cross out, but as an opportunity to be mindful in our preparation. Take a moment among the craziness to slow down, think about where our traditions have come from, and consider where we might be going. Even buttermints are better when you take the time to enjoy them.

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Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.

Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.