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Save the Date for SEMC 2023: November 13–15, Louisville, Kentucky
Save the Date for SEMC 2023! November 13-15, 2023, Louisville, Kentucky
Mark your calendars for the 2023 SEMC Annual Meeting which will be held at the newly renovated Galt House Hotel, Louisville’s only waterfront hotel and the largest meeting and convention hotel in the Southeast with 130,000 square feet of meeting and event space to meet SEMC’s needs.
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About the Galt House Hotel
In the early 1800s, the original Galt House was a residence owned by Dr. W.C. Galt on Louisville’s waterfront. In 1835, a 60-room hotel was opened as the Galt House Hotel across the street from the residence. Over half a century later, in 1972, Galt House Hotel was reestablished as part of Louisville’s Riverfront Urban Renewal Project and continued to expand with the creation of the East Tower in 1984. The hotel was renovated between 2019 and 2022 and is located in the heart of downtown, just minutes from many Louisville attractions, including the KFC Yum! Center, Fourth Street Live!, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Actors Theatre, the Muhammad Ali Center, and Whiskey and Museum Rows — some of which are connected to the Galt House Hotel by pedway. In addition to professional sessions and workshops, luncheons and the 2023 Expo Hall, your stay at the Galt House will be accompanied by views of the Ohio River, and four bars and restaurants including Walker’s Exchange, a Kentucky Brasserie; Swizzle Dinner & Drinks, a social experience with swirling rooms, perched 25 floors above Louisville; and two original founding members of the Urban Bourbon Trail, Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar and Down One Bourbon Bar.
Explore Louisville’s History
Named for King Louis XVI of France in appreciation for his assistance during the Revolutionary War, Louisville was founded by George Rogers Clark in 1778. While its initial growth was slow, the advent of the steamboat in the early 1800s sparked booming industrial development, and by 1830 Louisville had secured its place as the largest city in Kentucky. During the Civil War, Louisville was an important Union base of operations and a major military supply center. Owing to its strategic location at the Falls of the Ohio River, Louisville was a major commercial center. River transportation was supplemented by the construction of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, which was chartered in 1850 and operated more than 1,800 miles of line in the state by 1920. Joseph E. Seagram and Sons opened the world’s largest distillery in Louisville following the repeal of prohibition. Thanks to companies such as Dupont, the city became the world’s largest producer of synthetic rubber during World War II.
Louisville was also a city of firsts. In the reform-minded progressive era of the 1880s, the city was the first in the nation to introduce the secret ballot, significantly reducing vote fraud. It was the first city in Kentucky to adopt zoning and planning measures to control and shape urban growth. Home to the first bridge designed
exclusively for motor vehicles to cross the Ohio River, Louisville was also the birthplace of Mary Millicent Miller, the first woman in the United States to receive a steamboat master’s license. The city has been home to men and women who changed the face of American history including President Zachary Taylor and two U.S. Supreme Court Justices. John James Audubon was a local shopkeeper in the early years of his career, drawing birds in his spare time. Second Lt. F. Scott Fitzgerald, stationed at Camp Zachary Taylor during World War I, was a frequent presence at the bar in the famous Seelbach Hotel, immortalized in the novel The Great Gatsby and Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, was born in Louisville and won six Golden Glove tournaments in Kentucky.
Louisville would not be the creative, innovative, passionate city that it is without its Black community. For so many things that make Louisville unique- from Bourbon to horse racing, to food traditions, and even the Greatest himself, Muhammad Ali- countless people of color have contributed their gifts to build the city’s vibrant culture. Louisville welcomes you to discover Bourbon City’s Black Heritage.
Getting to Louisville
Within a day’s drive of over half the U.S. population and served by all major airline carriers, Louisville is an affordable destination and only a quick trip away!
Just 10 minutes from downtown, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is a low-fare airport that draws travelers from across the beautiful state of Kentucky and Southern Indiana region. The airport offers nonstop service to more than 30 destinations, including 19 of the region’s top 20 domestic markets. With just one stop, travelers from across the region can reach more than 460 destinations in the U.S. and worldwide. The airport accommodated more than 4.2 million passengers in 2019.
Arrive early — stay late — experience a unique part of the SEMC region in 2023. More details and registration information coming soon!
