St. Bonaventure University has announced a new initiative that welcomes people to experience the St. Bonaventure campus in a new way.

Dubbed "St.Bona.Venue," business and community customers are invited to utilize campus facilities, faculty expertise and leadership for events, meetings, workshops and conferences.

Additionally, the University's Office of Events and Conferences is leading the charge to develop a series of innovative programs that will enhance entertainment and thought leadership in the region.

Plans are in progress to feature the university campus as a magnet for visitors to attend concerts and lectures, take part in leadership development workshops, or enroll their child in any number of camps. The focus areas in development include a speaker series, concerts, leadership and talent development workshops, conferences, venue rentals and camps.

"We are very excited about our new St.Bona.Venue program," said Sister Margaret Carney, OSF, president of St. Bonaventure.  "It certainly reflects how we are indeed open for business in a new way. We look forward to welcoming local and regional businesses, national groups, and local citizens to our campus to learn, to develop, to celebrate, and to grow both as individuals, teams, and organizations."

The campus has an array of banquet and lecture room spaces to host meetings, luncheons, employee training events, holiday banquets or special events for groups from 10 to 300 guests.

Additionally, the university's Reilly Center — a 5,480-seat multi-purpose arena — can be used to host concerts of all genres, large conferences and exhibitions.

St. Bonaventure offers flexible catering through its own on-site provider and can provide bed-and-breakfast type accommodations during the summer months at several facilities throughout the campus. Free WiFi for delegates and AV equipment to support events round out the offerings.

"We have created a playbook which includes our six focus areas of development. We have room rental and catering packages as well as additional amenities for customers with the desire to think outside the box for trainings and team building events," said Jennifer Pulver, event sales and marketing manager for St.Bona.Venue.

"We're also talking with university and community leaders about what types of events and conferences we can create or partner with to add value to regional residents," Pulver said. "We want local and regional businesses to know we welcome their ideas about how our Events and Conferences staff can work with them here at St. Bonaventure."

St. Bonaventure has long been known for its idyllic setting in Allegany, just west of the city of Olean, in the Southern Tier of Western New York.

As a center of excellence not only for students but the region at-large, the campus boasts inspiring historic spaces along with modern training spaces and event center capabilities, Pulver said.

"The campus facilities are a unique treasure, bringing the intellectual heritage of the university to life," Pulver said.

For more information on about the St.Bona.Venue initiative, visit www.StBonaVenue.com or contact Jennifer Pulver at 716-375-2045.