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University of Southern Maine

USM Conference Services, 88 Bedford St, , Portland, Maine 04104
1000 Guests

Event Types Welcomed

Adult Social Events
Corporate Social Events
Expo/Competitions
Family Reunions
Professional Meeting / Training / Conference / Retreats
Youth Retreat/Camps

About

The city of Portland boasts a world class art museum, great restaurants, the beautiful Old Port area and a bustling waterfront. Numerous sandy beaches are near and outlet shopping is just 20 minutes away. The University of Southern Maine has a new conference center in Portland, Maine. Located just off the peninsula, the Abromson Center has five, light-filled classrooms, two conference rooms and an impressive 512 seat auditorium. All space has state-of-the-art a.v. technology available. The building is beautiful and was designed specifically with events like conferences and meetings in mind. With easy access from I-295, there is an 1150 spot parking garage attached to the building making it so convenient for attendees coming from any direction.

Only 12 miles inland, USM’s Gorham campus is a more traditional New England style campus with rolling green hills and the village center a short 5 minute walk from campus. There are numerous residence halls, a large dining commons and classrooms and a spacious field house.

Meeting & Event Spaces

Max Capacity: 1000 Guests
Largest Classroom Style: 100
Largest Theatre Style: 500

The Abromson Community Education Center

The Joel and Linda Abromson Center for Community Education provides a first class venue for the University of Southern Maine and community organizations. Specifically, the Abromson Center provides: The 500-seat Hannaford Lecture Hall (auditorium) that has advanced communication and presentation capabilities. Class room and meeting space for conferences, meetings, and events Free Parking in the attached parking garage for up to 1,050 guests Conference Services coordinates the day-to-day management of the facility, including the booking of space. Conference Services also provides comprehensive event planning services to ensure quality control and the efficient coordination of other service departments at USM (such as those provided by Catering Services, Facilities Management, Parking and Transportation, Instructional Technology and Media Services, etc.)

McGoldrick Center

The McGoldrick Center celebrates Portland’s maritime industry and the State’s forestry industry with diagonal mass timber framing, a corrugated metal façade, an interior stone fireplace and natural stained wood. The first floor features a lobby, the 254-seat dinning commons, the Double L Fireside Student Lounge, the University Store and the Husky Brew coffee bar and pub. The second floor has a 4,500-square-foot multi-purpose room seating up to 300 people( can break into 3 spaces) and hosts the Presidential dining room. The McGoldrick center is pursuing a LEED Gold certification include a 33.3-kW rooftop photovoltaic array, passive solar heating, and significant mass timber elements.

Food & Beverage Options

the "Foodiest" Small City in America

RESTAURANTS, PUBS, MICROBREWERIES & COFFEEHOUSES Greater Portland rivals most major metropolitan cities for culinary opportunity with a staggering number of restaurants. From creative to traditional New England, elegant to picnic tables, fresh seafood to vegetarian delights, the Greater Portland Casco Bay region offers an incredible dining experience.

Catering Options

University of Southern Maine Catering

Feed your participants well – while staying in your budget. We highly recommend USMs catering services through Sodexo when hosting an event on campus. Select the perfect menu for your participants from a wide range of options. Whether it’s a simple coffee break, professional luncheon, cocktail reception or an elegant dinner, USM catering can do it all. The food is delicious and the presentation is impressive and polished. Visit https://usouthernmaine.catertrax.com/ for menu samples

Accommodations

  • Total Number of Overnight Guests: 500
  • Number of Overnight Rooms: 700

Portland Commons

Portland commons opened in 2023 as one of the largest Passive House buildings in the nation. This is the first residence hall on the Portland campus adding 385 rooms and 564 beds. Portland Commons consists of mostly private hotel style single bedrooms with some family 2- and 4-bedroom options. All rooms have air conditioning with in room control. Scattered through the hall are rooms with dedicated kitchens and a common living room space. Portland commons has available meeting rooms, a common kitchen, common lounges, recycling rooms, and laundry facilities on each floor. The building is handicapped accessible and there is convenient parking just across the street in the parking garage that features the largest charging station in Maine. Settled in the heart of Portland, there are many restaurants and attractions within walking distance. If you choose to stay in, Portland commons is connected to the McGoldrick Center that has a dining facility and pub or you could take the elevator to the 8th floor sky lounge and admire the scenery of Casco Bay.
385 Rooms | 564 Beds
Guest Wifi: Yes

This accommodation has A/C

Floorplan Layout

Upperclass Hall

The Upperclass Hall opened Fall 2007 and it has the distinction of being the first LEED certified residence hall at USM. Upperclass Hall suites and apartments have air conditioning with complete in-room control. Every floor has lounges, recycling rooms, and laundry facilities. The building is handicapped accessible and there is convenient parking just behind the building. There is even a recreation room with a pool table, ping-pong, foosball, television and vending machines. Four person double suite bedrooms include two twin beds, two dressers, two desks and chairs, and two closets. Suite common areas include a couch and a chair, two micro-fridges, and a counter top with cabinets and a sink. Four person single apartment bedrooms come with a twin bed, dresser, desk, chair and closet. Apartment common areas include a full kitchen with full sized refrigerator, stove, oven, sink, microwave, plentiful cabinets and counter space, and a dining room table and four chairs. Bedrooms and common areas have high speed internet hookups.
75 Rooms | 300 Beds

This accommodation has A/C

Floorplan Layout

Phillippi Hall

Philippi Hall was built in 2001 and is the second newest of our residence halls. It is named after Dr. Harlan Philippi, the first Dean of USM Lewiston-Auburn College. Every single and double room comes with a closet, desk and chair, dresser, and bed for each occupant. Each room has a microfridge and high speed internet hookups. Double and single rooms are clustered in wings, and surround a central block of three single-user bathrooms. Suites include a common living area and a private, en suite bathroom. Common living areas contain a countertop, stainless sink, under counter cabinets, two microfridges and a couch. All windows have mini-blinds for privacy.

This accommodation has A/C

Floorplan Layout

Floorplan Layout

Hotels in the Portland Area

We have a long list and history with hotels in the area and can negotiate the best deals to meet your conference needs. Our sample listing below includes some of the many options for accommodations convenient to our Portland & Gorham campus. Clarion Hotel (Portland) Comfort Inn (Portland Airport) Courtyard by Marriot (Portland Airport) DoubleTree (Portland Airport) Eastland Park Hotel (Portland) Embassy Suites (Portland Airport) Hampton Inn (Portland Airport) Hilton Garden Inn (Portland Airport) Holiday Inn by the Bay (Portland) Inn by the Sea (Cape Elizabeth) Portland Regency Hotel (Portland) Portland Harbor Hotel (Portland) Pine Crest Inn (Gorham) Super 8 Motel (Westbrook)
25-250 Rooms | 50-500 Beds

This accommodation has A/C

Floorplan Layout

Floorplan Layout

Floorplan Layout

Floorplan Layout

Featured Amenities

In-House Catering
Overnight Rooms
Theater Seating

Venue Location + Transportation

Address

USM Conference Services,

88 Bedford St, ,

Portland, Maine 04104

Nearby Airport

Portland Int'l Jetport - 10 minutes

Nearby International Airport

Portland Int'l Jetport - 10 minutes

Parking

Parking on Site: Yes

Car charging stations: Yes

Nearby Cities

Portland – 0|Boston – 110|Manchester, NH – 90

Things to Know

Catering

In-house catering available

Must Use In-House Catering: Yes

Food And Beverage Onsite: Yes

Do You Offer Tables, Chairs, And Linens?: Yes

Technology

USM Conference Services offers an award winning conference registration service and housing bureau. State of the art meeting technology. Wireless internet connection.

Testimonials

Liz and the team from USM were efficient, dependable, professional and fantastic. I just can't thank them enough for all they did for us. Liz was never more than an email away and helped so much in getting our European friends registered for the conference. With this in mind, when it was time to select someone to handle registration for the Florida Marine Science Educators Association (FMSEA) we turned to Liz and the USM Team. I know our conference registration will run smoothly and it's taken a huge load off my shoulders. Mellie Lewis, National Marine Educators Association Membership Chair and Florida Marine Science Educators Association Membership Secretary.

National Marine Educators Association

Services

Award Winning Registration Service

USM Conference Services will help you manage the complex details of registration- before, during, and after your event. We have the technology, the customer service, and the expertise to anticipate your needs and help you avoid DIY disasters. We are certified as a One-Stop Shop and can support you from start to finish: Preparation for the Event Support During the Event Reporting Following the Event One-Stop Shop Certification Preparation for the Event Create a customized registration system Capture organization membership status, including new members and membership renewal Anticipate your data needs and include all relevant fields on your form Provide an easy-to-use, secure online registration process (MC, Visa, Discover) Accept P.O. #s and send invoices Support participants with customer service by phone and email Track participant meal preferences, workshops, and special events Register and track sponsors and exhibitors Confirm all registrations by email Produce customized nametags Assemble packets Provide conference reports Workshop rosters Participant lists Payment status Meal counts Attendee special needs

Technology

State of the art Technology

Technology

WiFi - Today’s conference attendees expect that they can use their laptops, smart phones, or iPads. When you have your event on campus you are guaranteed access to our wireless high-speed network. Your conference attendees can check their email, update their blogs, upload pictures, and post on Facebook or Twitter.

AV - We offer professional audio visual equipment with personal

attention, reliability, and support. We can coordinate:

Knowledgeable AV technicians

Projectors and screens

Computer equipment

Wired and wireless microphones

DVD Player and LCD monitors

CD Players

And much more

Polycom- We can coordinate Polycom service giving you the flexibility to meet and collaborate with colleagues and partners by simultaneous two-way video and audio transmission.

Click here for a full list of venues for this group

We Connect Unique People With Unique Spaces

MEET TO YOUR OWN DRUM

At Unique Venues we believe that at the core of being unique is inherent inclusivity. We celebrate the notion that people gather for different reasons and that audiences are filled with humans of every race, gender expression, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, age, political leaning, and more.

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