As the hub of a metro area of almost 2 million people, Charlotte is the Tar Heel State’s largest city and the nation’s second-largest banking center—headquarters of Bank of America and Wachovia Bank and a slew of Fortune 500 companies—as well as the home of the country’s fastest-growing spectator sport, NASCAR racing.
Charlotte is also fast becoming one of the South’s hottest tickets for meetings and conventions, with $5 billion in ongoing developments enhancing its appeal for planners.
“People who come back after five or six years wonder if they are in the same place,” says Mike Butts, executive director of Visit Charlotte, the sales and marketing arm of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. “We’re more cosmopolitan. We’ve added new attractions and lots of new restaurants, and hotels have invested money. We’re changing exponentially. I’m in the best destination in the U.S.”
From the air, three large structures catch the eye: Charlotte Arena, which opened in October 2005 and is home of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting and the ECHL’s Charlotte Checkers; the 73,000-seat Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers; and the Charlotte Convention Center, which is planning a 100,000-square-foot expansion and currently serves up 280,000 square feet of exhibit space and 90,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 35,000-square-foot ballroom.
On one side of the convention center is the 3-year-old, 700-room Westin Charlotte, with 44,000 square feet of meeting space, and on the other is the 407-room Hilton Charlotte Center City, which has 30,000 square feet of meeting space and is wrapping up a $25 million renovation.
Within walking distance of the convention center are more than 4,100 of the metro area’s 30,000 hotel rooms and almost 100 restaurants.
Other meetings-ready options in downtown Charlotte, known as Center City, range from large hotels such as the Charlotte Marriott City Center, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Omni Charlotte, with 16,000 square feet of function space, to the retreat-oriented, historic Duke Mansion, featuring 20 guest units and 4,800 square feet of meeting space.
Over the next couple of years, Center City will debut a new Ritz-Carlton and two trendy new hotel brands: a Starwood aloft property and a Novare Group Twelve hotel.
On the outskirts of the city, one of Charlotte’s most notable properties is the IACC-certified, 214-room Ballantyne Resort, a Starwood Luxury Collection property with a spa, a golf course and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
Meanwhile, Charlotte received a big boost last year when it was chosen as the site for the new NASCAR Hall of Fame over competitors Atlanta; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; and Kansas City, Kan. In late January ground was broken on the site, which is adjacent to the convention center and will be part of the center’s 100,000-square-foot expansion.
Opening in late 2009 or early 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will feature an office tower, NASCAR interactive exhibits, an inductees’ hall, a theater, TV and radio studios, stores, and restaurants, as well as a 40,000-square-foot ballroom that will be part of the convention center expansion.
“We’ve already had a number of groups confirm for the new convention facilities, and we’ve also recently seen a dramatic number of bookings for national associations for the years 2008 to 2010,” Butts says, adding that corporate group business is strong, as is SMERF group business.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame, he adds, is not the only new attraction improving the city’s profile.
Last August, the long-awaited, $20 million U.S. National Whitewater Center opened 10 miles west of downtown Charlotte. The attraction features four channels of class III and IV white water. Activities range from rafting and kayaking to climbing, hiking and camping. The center offers team-building programs, 2,400 square feet of conference space and larger tented venues outside, and it has one group of 2,000 people booked for May.
New Kids on the Block
Back in Center City, a stroll from the convention center reveals the transforming side of Charlotte.
To the east is the NASCAR Hall of Fame site, and to the west across College Street is The Green at Wachovia Center. Google Earth still shows it as one big parking lot but parking is now underground, and the area is now a 1.5-acre park with landscaping, statues, fountains, and a wintertime ice rink.
Just another block to the west is the Wachovia 1st Street project. In addition to a 46-floor office and retail tower, condominiums and a 1,200-seat theater, it will feature three museums slated to open in 2009: the Bechtler Museum, the Mint Museum of Art and the Afro-American Cultural Center, plus a 1,200-seat theater. The Bechtler, featuring 20th century modern and contemporary art, will be new; the other two are existing Center City attractions moving to larger locations.
Taking shape three blocks north of the convention center is the EpiCentre. The first restaurants and shops of the new $100 million entertainment district, which includes high-rise condos, will open later this year. Above the retail space, EpiCentre will have a 175-room aloft hotel by Starwood, slated to open in 2009.
Opposite the EpiCentre, a new Bank of America tower is planned. Expected to open in late 2008, it will include a 150-room Ritz-Carlton with 13,000 square feet of meeting space.
It was here, around Trade Street and the 60-story Bank of America Center, that Charlotte began as a small mid-18th century town on a crossroads of the great wagon road, the route for immigrants moving south.
A few blocks away is another mixed-use retail and office site, where the 150-suite Twelve boutique hotel will be built.
Meanwhile, in June 2004 transportation options expanded with the unveiling of the Charlotte Trolley. Electric trolley service had been discontinued in 1938, and the new electric service uses vintage cars on a two-mile route, connecting 9th Street via the convention center with the Historic South End neighborhood.
Using some of the same rail bed, the 10-mile South Corridor Light Rail Line is scheduled to open in November. Designed to transport commuters from the southern suburbs, the line is the first phase of a five-line, 25-year rapid transit plan.
Off-Site Options
Center City is home to standout attractions that are also available for private events, including Discovery Place, a cutting-edge science center that can host up to 2,500 people for receptions, and Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, with three theaters seating 700 to 2,100 people. Among the other choices are Levine Museum of the New South, the Mint Museum of Art, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, the new ImagineOn children’s museum, and The Forum nightclub, which has a rooftop garden.
Outside downtown Charlotte, the list includes the Charlotte History Museum, located three miles away; Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, situated 30 minutes away; and Paramount’s Carowinds theme park, located 15 minutes away.
Banks are also popular for off-site events. The Atrium at Wachovia Center can handle banquets for up to 340 guests and receptions for up to 1,000 people, and Founders Hall at Bank of America Center accommodates 500 diners for banquets and another 500 people for receptions at its outside plaza.
“We have so much just in Center City alone,” says Susan Schwint, Visit Charlotte’s director of convention and visitor services. “You could start at Founders Hall with a reception and then move next door to a theater at the Blumenthal.”
City tours can be customized to suit the group with options such as antique shopping, modern malls and historic homes, according to Schwint. Cooking classes are also available at Johnson & Wales University, which has done much to put the city on the culinary map since opening in 2004.
For team building, the new white-water center is ideal, Schwint says, while winery tours can be combined with barbecue or visits to NASCAR racing shops.
Golfing is also a popular pastime, with more than 40 courses in the area.
Cabarrus County
Just north of Charlotte, Cabarrus County claims standout attractions, including Lowe’s Motor Speedway as well as several other NASCAR-related lures (see sidebar, this page). It also boasts Concord Mills, the state’s largest mall and outlet center, and historic draws such as Reed Gold Mine.
The destination is expanding its lineup of facilities, with the $60 million, 308-room Embassy Suites Hotel Charlotte–Concord Resort and Spa, which debuted in January and opens up new markets for the area. Overlooking the Rocky River Golf Course, the property features 37,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, including a 29,000-square-foot ballroom.
“The opening of the new hotel and conference center represents the beginning of a new era for Cabarrus County tourism,” says DeSales Wagster, president and CEO of the Cabarrus County CVB. “The center’s amenities, combined with everything our region has to offer, make it an excellent choice for meeting and convention planners.”
The new property is also the speedway area’s first full-service hotel. The area has several other properties, mainly limited service, and about half of the county’s 2,000 hotel rooms.
Other major group venues in Cabarrus Country are the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center and Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
For More Info
Cabarrus County CVB 704.782.4340
www.visitcabarrus.com
Visit Charlotte 704.334.2282
www.visitcharlotte.com
