Many visitors come to eastern Pennsylvania to discover the birthplace of American democracy, but their quest yields much more than the historic neighborhoods and architecture created by an emerging nation.
Yes, there are the historical homes, legacy gardens, performing arts venues, museums, and Independence Hall, where the founders pledged their worldly goods, their honor and their lives to exist apart. But 21st century Philadelphia and nearby Valley Forge dish out a lot of stylish amenities and sophisticated, meetings-ready facilities, along with the historic and the grand.
Philadelphia
Ben Franklin has been gone for more than two centuries now, and he probably wouldn’t recognize the neighborhoods these days in his hometown. Today, Philly offers visitors gleaming new attractions, restaurants and hotels, with about 11,000 rooms within walking distance of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and another 6,000 or so on the downtown fringes.
The long-awaited expansion to the convention center has been approved by the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, with construction scheduled to begin later this year. The project will increase the center’s size from 624,000 square feet to about 1 million square feet, and it will allow for two simultaneous events as well as larger conventions.
Jack Ferguson, executive vice president of convention sales for the Philadelphia CVB, says project completion is expected by the end of 2009 at a cost of $700 million, the largest expenditure in Pennsylvania history.
“The national science teachers’ annual conference is our first major convention booked into the new center for March 2010, right after the annual flower show,” Ferguson says.
He says the new Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC) will offer the largest contiguous set of exhibit halls among centers in Atlantic City, Baltimore, Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. In conjunction with the planned expansion are more hotel rooms for the neighborhood.
“We anticipate there will be around 12,500 hotel rooms within a four- to five-block walk from the convention center when these projects are done,” Ferguson says. “A 700-room hotel will be directly across from the PCC on Broad Street and ready for occupancy when the center’s expansion is complete at the end of ’09.”
Additionally, a Four Points by Sheraton and a W hotel are rising from the Center City landscape, adding to an existing hotel lineup that includes group standouts such as the 1,408-room Philadelphia Marriott, which is connected to the PCC. Other meetings-friendly favorites include the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing; Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue; Loews Philadelphia; Accor Hotels–Sofitel Philadelphia; The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia; Four Seasons Philadelphia; and Sheraton Philadelphia City Center.
High labor costs are an issue Ferguson and other city managers continue to hear about from meeting planners, but Ferguson says groups need to look at the value inherent in the entire meeting package.
“Philadelphia is a union city, but we are very competitive in other areas,” Ferguson says. “For example, access is very affordable, with Southwest Airlines, Amtrak and major highways that give easy drive-in access to 40 percent of the U.S. population. We also have a hotel walking package that delivers a better program more cost-effectively. So when people talk about labor costs in our facilities, we ask them to look at the full-cost package.”
Taking the big picture into consideration prompted confirmed bookings valued at $166 million following PCMA’s January 2006 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
“The came, they saw, they liked, and they bought,” Ferguson says.
Some of what planners enjoy about Philly is its plethora of major early American historic sites, many of which are available for private events. Examples include the Betsy Ross House, Carpenters’ Hall, the National Constitution Center, the Franklin Institute, and Amtrak’s 30th Street Station, a gem of transportation history.
Philadelphia’s high profile and growing dining scene is another component of the package that sells the city. While most visitors don’t leave without consuming the most famous local food icon—the Philly cheesesteak—it’s the trendy dining scene that is gleaning foodie accolades. National media like Bon Appetit and The New York Times have named Philadelphia one of the top three restaurant cities in the U.S., and the array of choices range from contemporary Asian fusion and upscale French fare to traditional Pennsylvania Dutch treats. And the smorgasbord of dining stops continues to grow. Among the latest: Gayle, a casual American cuisine venue by Daniel Stern, a former chef at the famed Le Bec-Fin; Divan Turkish Kitchen, a family-owned outlet for stuffed grape leaves, lamb and kebabs; and Pura Vida, a Latin fusion spot that features a tropical atmosphere and fare such as Cuban sandwiches and Guatemalan tamales.
Valley Forge
In 1778, Gen. George Washington huddled in Valley Forge with his troops to strategize—without the benefit of modern-day meetings amenities—but the area’s many pharmaceutical companies and other major corporate citizens enjoy contemporary Valley Forge’s sophisticated portfolio. Numerous conference centers, a convention center, several meetings-ready hotels, and a variety of other venues give groups the opportunity to accomplish objectives in the hallowed shadows of history.
“We have one of the highest concentrations of conference centers in the country,” says David P. Bradley, director of convention sales for the Valley Forge CVB. “Add to those our convention center, with 108,000 square feet of space with its new ballroom, and you have facilities that can support a variety of groups. Our ideal group size is 150 people per night, but area-wide, we have enough rooms to accommodate up to 2,000.”
Bradley advises planners that his city has what they want for most meetings, and at lower prices than the big city 18 miles down the road.
“We are seeing a surge of interest in Valley Forge as a meetings destination—to the extent that we have just put an individual on the ground in D.C. to market to associations,” Bradley says.
The destination’s Valley Forge Convention Plaza features the Valley Forge Convention Center, which is connected to two hotels: the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge and the Scanticon Valley Forge Hotel and Conference Center.
The region has one of the largest collections of IACC-certified conference centers in the country, including three in the town of King of Prussia: the recently renovated Scanticon Valley Forge, with 30,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space; Sheraton Park Ridge; and Crowne Plaza Valley Forge. Others include the ACE Center at Lafayette Hill; Desmond Great Valley Hotel and Conference Center in Malvern; Gregg Conference Center at The American College in Bryn Mawr; and Villanova Conference Center at Villanova University in Radnor.
When business is done, the area offers a variety of lures, including picturesque rolling hillsides, King of Prussia Mall (one of the country’s largest malls) and Valley Forge National Historical Park. The 3,600-acre park was where Gen. George Washington and his Continental Army endured the harsh conditions of the winter encampment of 1777-78.
Longwood Gardens is also in the vicinity. Often called America’s premier horticultural display, it features a conservatory and 40 gardens. Also in the attractions mix is the African-American Freedom Trail Tour and the Wyeths’ Brandywine River Museum.
For outdoor recreation, there are plenty of golf courses and hiking and biking trails in the region, while boating and birding are also popular activities.
Bucks County
Just north of Philadelphia lies one of eastern Pennsylvania’s most bucolic regions, brimming with Revolutionary War history as well as cultural venues and unique shopping stops.
Quaint towns, art galleries, boutique shops, antique stores, and scenic countryside are among the main draws of Bucks County, in addition to Peddler’s Village, an historically themed shopping, dining and entertainment center. Unique restaurants and several wineries are also highlights.
Small groups can gather at various hotels and inns, featuring banquet facilities and business centers.
For More Info
Bucks County Conference
and Visitors Bureau 215.639.0300
www.experiencebuckscounty.com
Philadelphia CVB 215.636.3300
www.pcvb.org
Valley Forge CVB 610.834.1550
www.valleyforge.org
