Counties to meet in Kalispell

Flathead County will host the Montana Association of Counties annual conference in 2014, thanks to a concerted local effort to win the four-day event.

Commissioner Pam Holmquist initiated the request to have the conference here, and local promoters made a formal presentation about the Flathead Valley’s amenities and ability to accommodate large events.

Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Karena Bemis, director of sales for the Hilton Garden Inn, spoke to the group of more than 200 county officials gathered in Great Falls for the annual conference that ends today.

The last time Kalispell hosted the conference was in 1999 when it was held at the Outlaw Inn, Bemis said.

“We were there to tell them, ‘We want your business in Kalispell,’” she said.

Commissioner Cal Scott said the event will generate a considerable amount of revenue for this area, with roughly 200 officials plus exhibitors staying for four days.

“Pam and I were like the Yellow Pages; you never stop selling,” he said.

The vote to hold the 2014 conference in Kalispell was unanimous, he said.

The Montana Association of Counties, which has been holding its annual conference for 103 years, works to educate and develop relationships with legislators, state officials and local elected officials about county structure, budgeting and operation.

The news about the association of counties conference comes a week before Kalispell hosts the annual conference of the Montana League of Cities and Towns.

That gathering will be Wednesday through Friday.