As a Midwest destination, Kansas City offers meeting planners a central location with good airlift along with the affordability that comes with a second-tier city, but one that is in the midst of adding first-tier attractions for off-site events.
Deb Lang, corporate convention and meeting manager for Le Mars, Iowa-based Wells Dairy Inc., has used Kansas City as a venue for her corporation’s meetings in the past, and plans to return in September.
“It’s very easy to get in and out of, and it’s very affordable,” Lang says. “Kansas City has a lot to offer, and it looks like they’re keeping with the trends. They’re opening up new venues in their downtown area, which gives us a place to go for evening entertainment.”
Lang is referring to the more than $4 billion in downtown development that is reshaping the city as a meetings destination, and in particular to the $850 million Power & Light District, which is scheduled to be completed in March.
“There’s going to be a lot of restaurants, and that’s something that when you’re in a meeting all day long, you’re looking for some type of entertainment and leisure activities in the evening,” she says. “And it’s going to be very close to the convention center.”
Besides her larger meetings of 100 to 300 attendees, Lang says she also uses Kansas City’s existing entertainment infrastructure for her smaller groups.
“I do a lot of smaller meetings in the Kansas City area for groups of 20,” she says. “The [Country Club] Plaza area is a great location because the hotels that are down there are very close to restaurants and bars for nightlife.”
Lang has also used the ropes course at Adventure Woods Challenge Camp for team-building programs, as well as downtown’s Union Station, a working railroad station dating to 1914 that offers ample group space for splashy receptions.
“Union Station is a very nice venue if you have a large group for catered meetings, as they have good restaurants and a theater,” says Lang, who adds that she is considering the National World War I Museum as a private event venue for her September meeting.
At the end of the day, Lang says Kansas City remains a popular location for her company because the service is good, attractions are typically centrally located, so it’s easy to get around without a lot of shuttle buses, and accommodations are inexpensive but offer quality.
“A lot of times we go back to the same places if we get good service,” she says. “The service level in Kansas City and the pricing is always good, and I haven’t been in a bad hotel in Kansas City.”
