Culture, high-end dining experiences and stellar meeting venues probably aren’t the first things that come to mind when planners think of Iowa, but tourism officials in this vast and varied Midwestern land would like to set the record straight.
“You probably presume we are pretty nice and pretty hospitable, which we are, but we are also way more hip than you thought we would be,” says Tim Boyle, president of the Cedar Rapids Area CVB.
With a rich heritage and new and improved meeting facilities, hotels, attractions, and restaurants, the Hawkeye State is filled with options for gatherings.
Des Moines/Ames
Iowa’s capital has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years that has brought an influx of new developments, including the Western Gateway Park, a family-friendly space with the stunning Des Moines Public Library as its centerpiece, and Wells Fargo Arena, part of the Iowa Events Center.
“Things have really changed in the past two years,” says Vicki Comegys, director of sales and services for the Greater Des Moines CVB. “It is so energizing and so exciting.”
The Iowa Events Center is a one-stop shop for gatherings, with facilities including Wells Fargo Arena, Hy-Vee Hall, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and Polk County Convention Complex. The center is connected via skywalk to the Des Moines Marriott Downtown, which will finish a $13 million renovation in March, and the Renaissance Savery Hotel.
The newly renovated Sheraton Hotel West Des Moines, Embassy Suites Hotel Des Moines–On the River and Hotel Fort Des Moines are among the other popular meetings hotels.
In nearby Altoona, the Meadows Events and Conference Center opened in November.
In Newton, located east of Des Moines, groups can hike along the Chichaqua Valley Recreational Trail and visit Jasper Winery and Sugar Grove Vineyards and Gathering Place, both available for private events.
In September, Newton welcomed the Iowa Speedway, which includes space for groups at its Newton Club.
Newton also features the Sodexho DMACC Newton Conference Center, Christian Conference Center and the newly renovated Holiday Inn Express.
In Ames, groups will enjoy the new Main Street Cultural District, filled with shops, galleries and eateries, as well as the educational resources of Iowa State University.
“We see a lot of groups that have a strong educational component,” says Julie Weeks, executive director of the Ames CVB. “Because of the resources we have, we become a great place for training groups.”
Meeting venues include the Iowa State Center, housing the Hilton Coliseum, Scheman Building, Stephens Auditorium, and Fisher Theater.
The Gateway Hotel and Conference Center and the Comfort Suites, soon to be a Holiday Inn, are among the city’s hotels catering to meetings.
Pella
Groups interested in “A Touch of Holland” will feel right at home in historic Pella, influenced by Dutch culture after immigrants settled there in 1847.
While Pella preserves its past, new developments are also under way.
Construction is expected to begin soon on Earthpark, a 70-acre complex scheduled to open in 2010 with an indoor rainforest, nature exhibits and meeting space.
Jill Vandevoort, director of the Pella CVB, says another upcoming project is The Point, which will include residential units and a hotel when it opens in 2009.
Groups can meet at the Vermeer Global Pavilion and hold off-site receptions at the Pella Opera House and the Boss Landen Golf Resort.
The Royal Amsterdam Hotel and the recently renovated Holiday Inn Express Pella are among the city’s meetings-ready property options.
Mason City/Waterloo
Delegates traveling north will find themselves in charming Mason City, where Sue Armour, executive director of the Mason City CVB, highlights the city’s downtown district, the Cultural Crescent, as a fun hot spot.
“There are quite a few cultural experiences within a few blocks of each other,” she says, pointing to the Meredith Wilson Boyhood Home, honoring the man who wrote the Broadway show The Music Man; Music Man Square; the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum; and the Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House.
Other attractions include the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Park Inn, originally built in 1910. The inn is undergoing a restoration and is slated to reopen by September 2010, the hotel’s centennial anniversary.
The Muse-Norris Conference Center and hotels such as Holiday Inn and Hanford Inn are also popular options.
“You get a lot of quality for a great price if you are a meeting planner, and you get the feeling that you belong,” he says, adding that the area’s largest group venue is the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.
New developments include the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel and the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, both slated to open this year.
Cedar Rapids
Even as the home of Quaker Oats, Cedar Rapids is beginning to be known less for its cereal fame as for its cultural distinction.
“Historically, we have been a place for industry and agriculture, yet in the more recent past, people are looking more at our cultural and musical scene,” the Cedar Rapids Area CVB’s Boyle says, adding that in the past two years, the Cedar Rapids Downtown District has experienced a revitalization resulting in more shops, restaurants and nightlife spots.
According to Boyle, a renovation of the U.S. Cellular Center, the city’s largest convention facility, may be in the cards.
“I think it would be a huge boon if we had that traditional one-stop-shopping exhibition space,” Boyle says.
Other top venues for groups include the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Cedar Rapids Education and Conference Center and area hotels such as the newly renovated Cedar Rapids Marriott; Best Western Longbranch Hotel and Convention Center, currently undergoing a renovation; and Crowne Plaza Hotel Cedar Rapids–Five Seasons.
Iowa City/Coralville
Iowa City and Coralville offer groups a variety of attractions, many of which will fit into the tightest budgets.
“We have a lot of affordable venues and attractions and things to see and do in the area. We have a number of museums that are free of charge,” says Jillian Helscher, vice president of the Iowa City/Coralville CVB, highlighting the University of Iowa Museum of Art, the Old Capitol Museum and the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, all available for group events.
Last year, the area unveiled the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, with 60,000 square feet of function space, and Iowa City’s hotelVetro, with 15,000 square feet of function space.
Other options include the recently renovated Iowa Memorial Union and hotels such as the Sheraton Iowa City, Holiday Inn Coralville and Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, which is located just outside Iowa City and features a 973-seat Events Center, gaming, entertainment, golf, and a spa.
Amana Colonies
A dose of German history awaits groups in the Amana Colonies, a collection of seven quaint countryside villages established in the 1800s.
The destination offers unique venues like the Community Church Museum and the Festhalle Barn, as well as eateries such as The Ox Yoke Inn and Ronneburg Restaurant.
Other top planner choices include the Holiday Inn Amana Colonies, the Amana Colonies Outdoor Convention Facility and RV Park, and the Amana Colonies Golf Club, offering meeting rooms and new condominium units, while plans call for expanding conference space at the property.
Dubuque/Quad Cities
When Kevin Costner built a baseball diamond in “Field of Dreams,” he was a few steps away from Dubuque, and now groups can play ball in the same field as a fun post-meeting option.
Other off-site venues in the Mississippi River locale include the Greyhound Park and Casino; National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, slated to build a new theater in 2010; and Diamond Jo Casino, set to open a land-based casino in 2008.
Dubuque offers group space at the Grand River Center, with 86,000 square feet of meeting space; the adjoining Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark; the Holiday Inn; and Julien Inn.
Farther south along the Mississippi is the Quad Cities: Davenport and Bettendorf on the Iowa side and Moline and Rock Island on the Illinois side.
“We are the largest area on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Minneapolis,” says Arlyce Musal, vice president of meeting and convention sales for the Quad Cities CVB. “There are so many meeting possibilities it takes four cities and two states to hold them all.”
Options include the River Music Experience, the Rock Island District and hotels such as the new Stony Creek Inn and Conference Center; the newly renovated Clarion Hotel Conference Center; The Abbey Hotel; The Lodge Hotel and Conference Center; and the Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel, which will add a new hotel tower this spring and an adjoining events center in 2008.
Also in the meeting venue lineup are The MARK of the Quad Cities, the RiverCenter and the QCCA Expo Center.
Council Bluffs/Sioux City
Historically dubbed “Gateway to the American West” due to its location on the transcontinental railroad, the allure of Council Bluffs has grown with time.
“We have a number of historical attractions that sometimes play into conventions,” says Angela Halpin, director of convention sales for the Council Bluffs CVB, citing the General Dodge House and the Union Pacific Railroad Museum as two favorites.
The city also satisfies groups with the Mid-America Center, Harrah’s, Ameristar Casino Hotel and Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites.
Sioux City features antique shops and restaurants along its Historic Fourth Street and gathering facilities such as the Sioux City Convention Center, which may expand within the next five years; Tyson Events Center; the newly renovated Clarion Hotel and Conference Center; and the Marina Inn Conference Center.
Another inviting community is Spencer, home to the Clay County Fair, the Clay County Regional Events Center and the Spencer Golf and Country Club.
For More Info
Amana Colonies CVB 319.622.7622
www.amanacolonies.com
Ames CVB 515.232.4032
www.visitames.com
Cedar Rapids Area CVB 319.398.5009
www.cedar-rapids.com
Council Bluffs CVB 712.325.1000
www.councilbluffsiowa.com
Dubuque CVB 563.557.9200
www.traveldubuque.com
Greater Des Moines CVB 515.286.4960
www.seedesmoines.com
Greater Newton COC 641.792.5545
www.visitnewton.com
Iowa City/Coralville CVB 319.337.6592
www.iowacitycoralville.org
Iowa Meetings Association 515.971.9925
www.iowameetings.com
Mason City CVB 641.422.1663
www.masoncitytourism.com
Pella CVB 641.628.2626
www.pella.org
Quad Cities CVB 563.322.3911
www.visitquadcities.com
Sioux City Tourism Bureau 712.279.4800
www.siouxcitytourism.com
Spencer COC 712.262.5680
www.spenceriowachamber.org
Waterloo CVB 319.233.8350
www.waterloocvb.org
