Record visitor attendance set at K-State Olathe in 2016

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017

OLATHE — The numbers are in: More businesses, organizations and community groups in Greater Kansas City are choosing Kansas State University Olathe as their destination for workshops, meetings, events and more.

In 2016, K-State Olathe hosted 760 events that were attended by more than 26,000 people — up from 455 events and 15,885 attendees in 2015.

"It is exciting to see more and more people discover how flexible our building is when it comes to event space," said Martha Walker, events manager. "K-State Olathe is committed to providing a platform for professional development workshops, planning meetings and events to its business and community partners."

Starting in July, thousands of Johnson County election workers began using K-State Olathe for a series of training sessions that prepared them for local elections and the presidential election. The campus also hosted numerous organizations and businesses throughout the year, including the Food and Drug Administration, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, Olathe Chamber of Commerce, Merck Animal Health, John Deere, Heritage Tractor Inc. and SmartVet USA.

"The K-State Olathe facility offers Heritage Tractor easy access, excellent facilities and the latest technology that we need to conduct productive planning meetings and employee training," said Craig Murray, senior vice president for Aftermarket sales and operations at Heritage Tractor Inc. "The K-State staff are true professionals who do everything they can to provide our team an exceptional experience every time. We are fortunate to have such an outstanding partner in our community."

In addition to being used for professional activities by industry and community partners, the campus also collaborates with K-State Research and Extension to host weekly gentle yoga classes and two muscle strengthening classes for older adults. K-State Olathe faculty use the facility to instruct graduate-level courses; professional development short courses and workshops; K-12 STEM-based workshops and short courses; and large-scale research and engagement activities, including sensory and consumer research panels and the Healthy Cooking for Diabetes class.

As part of its mission and mandate by the Johnson County Research Education Triangle Authority, the K-State Olathe building provides a venue for university, industry and community partners for non-academic purposes.

Learn more K-State Olathe's space for events and meetings at
olathe.k-state.edu/community/planning/.