In the early part of the 20th century, people described St. Louis as “first in shoes, first in booze and last in the American Leagues.” Thus was a lively city summed up in the popular imagination: a booming manufacturing center of footwear, hats and hardware, the beer brewing capital of the country and the home of a disappointing baseball franchise.
Some things change, and others don’t. One hundred-odd years later finds the handsome brick factories transformed into sought-after lofts and condos; Anheuser-Busch the country’s undisputed largest brewer, still headquartered in St. Louis; and Major League Baseball’s Cardinals having won the 2006 pennant in their brand-new Busch Stadium.
Change is certainly in the wind in St. Louis.
“Our area is redefining itself through high-profile ongoing projects and new developments,” says Steve Stickford, senior vice president of sales and services for the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC).
A $17 million street improvement project has rejuvenated Washington Avenue from America’s Center at Eighth Street West to 18th Street with widened brick sidewalks, decorative lighting, trees, landscaping, and architectural enhancements. Plans are also under way for a redevelopment of a mile-long strip of historic riverfront between the Eads and Poplar Street bridges along the Mississippi River.
The Cardinals broke in their new Busch Stadium with a World Series win in 2006, and construction continues on Ballpark Village, a $380 million mixed-use entertainment and residential development. The area will feature new restaurants, clubs, offices, retail shops, and living space.
East of the America’s Center convention complex in Laclede’s Landing entertainment district, Pinnacle Entertainment is building a $400 million casino development that will include a 90,000-square-foot gaming floor, a 200-room luxury hotel, a spa, 22,000 square feet of meeting space, upscale restaurants, and a nightclub.
The lineup of new hotels also includes two Hotel Indigo properties, one debuting in October in the Central West End area and another slated to open in the convention district in spring 2008.
A buffet of hot new restaurants has also sprung up to tempt the palate. Chef Larry Forgione opened An American Place, serving regional cuisine, adjacent to America’s Center in the ornate former lobby of the historic Statler Hotel. Red Moon, an Asian-French fusion restaurant with dramatic decor, opened in the newly restored Terra Cotta Lofts building. Lucas Park Grille, a new dining experience in the Bell Lofts building, offers seasonal Midwestern specialties.
The city has high hopes for the impact the many additions and transformations will have on the meetings market.
“The perception of St. Louis in general will drastically change as the city continues to develop and transform into a 24/7 community serving the business traveler, conventioneer and leisure guest,” Stickford says. “With new entertainment districts surrounding the convention center to the north, south, east, and west, meeting and convention planners will find a vibrant new downtown ready to welcome their attendees.”
Apart from the newer products of the renaissance, St. Louis already has plenty to offer planners. America’s Center features 502,000 square feet of exhibit space, 82 meeting rooms, the 1,400-seat Ferrara Theatre, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom, and 7,600 hotel rooms within less than a mile of the complex.
The city’s 26 largest meetings hotels each boast more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space. A few of the most notable properties located downtown include the Renaissance Grand Hotel; the Hyatt Regency St. Louis; the Hilton St. Louis Downtown; the Sheraton City Center St. Louis; the Millennium St. Louis Downtown; the Westin St. Louis; the newly renovated Adam’s Mark St. Louis; the newly renovated Embassy Suites St. Louis–Downtown; and the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, which plans to open a new conference center early next year.
There are also two IACC-certified facilities at Washington University: the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center and the Eric P. Newman Education Center.
Outlying communities such as Chesterfield, Westport, Lambert, and Clayton offer additional meetings-ready properties, including the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center St. Louis; the Hampton Inn and Suites Chesterfield; the Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel; the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel St. Louis; the Renaissance St. Louis Hotel Airport; the St. Louis Airport Marriott; the Hilton St. Louis Airport; the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis; and the Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Louis–Clayton.
And, of course, the perennial advantages St. Louis has always enjoyed as a meetings destination will continue to make it a powerful draw for as long as people need to meet face-to-face, and as long as someone has to pay for those gatherings. Location, accessibility and affordability are key reasons to choose the “Gateway City,” situated as it is at the divide between North and South, East and West.
“Meeting planners are drawn to the ‘Gateway City’ because we are centrally located, making it easily accessible from anywhere in the country,” says Donna Andrews, director of public relations at the St. Louis CVC. “Once here, planners learn that St. Louis has so much to offer their attendees and families. St. Louis is also an affordable and family-friendly city with more free world-class attractions than practically any other place outside of Washington, D.C.”
Choices for group activities and day trips are boundless and a great way to showcase the region’s famous spirit for exploration and discovery.
“Our unique flavor reaches the sports enthusiasts, animal lovers, savvy shoppers, history buffs, and more,” says Rebecca L. Rodgers, public relations manager at the St. Louis CVC. “A day trip is also a great way to encourage team building and relaxation. Whether it’s the Missouri Wine Country, a Segway or helicopter tour, a cruise up the Mississippi River, or competition at NASCAR SpeedPark, you will have a memorable time. If the family travels with you, you can stay for a while to see the free world-class attractions St. Louis has to offer.”
A few distinctive ideas for off-site venues include the EarthWays Home, a demonstration house built to showcase energy-saving techniques and teach visitors how to cut consumption and support recycling; the Museum of Transportation, featuring more than 300 moving vehicles; and American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog, which celebrates the history of the dog in art.
For the adventurous, a trip to Six Flags St. Louis might be a welcome thrill. The park recently introduced Tony Hawk’s Big Spin, a new rollercoaster experience with a skateboarding theme. Other thrill-seeking types might get a kick out of a helicopter tour of the Gateway Arch, downtown and Forest Park. Arch Helicopter Tours offers flights from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
As St. Louis continues its renaissance, it is careful to retain many colorful aspects of its grand past as the largest city west of Pittsburgh and an early cultural mecca. St. Louis has long been one of the spiritual homes of blues music, and the soulful sounds can still be sampled in dozens of live music clubs.
Its important role in the fight for emancipation of African-Americans and a historic black community center is marked by the presence of the Black World History Museum, the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and the Old Courthouse National Historic Site, with its tributes to Dred and Harriet Scott and Caroline Williams.
Attendees can catch a glimpse of the city’s days as the second-largest U.S. port city and even get a taste of the glorious steamboat era. Group tours on paddle wheel riverboats the Tom Sawyer and the Becky Thatcher are offered by Gateway Arch Riverboats. Majestic America Line features overnight cruises on the Delta Queen Steamboat Company boats Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen and American Queen, although they do not always berth in St. Louis. Other steamboats, including the Art Deco Admiral, currently the President Casino, now serve as stationary gaming houses.
Balance between the old and the new is of the essence, and as St. Louis develops its future, meetings will remain an important part of that vision.
“As we continue to grow and prosper, we will continue to garner all types of meetings and conventions,” Stickford says. “We are pleased that all markets are recognizing the true beauty of our city. As a result, we have the opportunity to celebrate and share the renaissance of the city and the hotel product improvements.”
Saint Charles
Saint Charles, a city of 62,000 located northwest of St. Louis on the Missouri River, is a blast from the past heading rapidly into a bright future. Its cobblestone streets lined with antique shops are witnessing a modest building boom, adding a variety of hotel rooms and meeting options. The old and new create a vibrant and winning combination.
“The competitive advantage that Saint Charles brings to any meeting is a totally unique setting,” says David Rosenwasser, director of the Greater Saint Charles CVB. “There is no other community with such a vast historical landscape, with a storybook commercial shopping and dining district on the banks of the Missouri River.”
Rosenwasser says attendees will find an attractive community with plenty of interesting diversions.
“Whether it’s taking a horse-drawn carriage ride on our cobblestone Main Street or enjoying the informative attractions found at the Lewis and Clark Boat House Museum and Missouri’s first state capitol, no other city looks like Saint Charles or provides the hospitality of Saint Charles, yet so close to a major metropolitan center,” he says.
The city currently offers a 154,000-square-foot convention center and adjoining 296-room Embassy Suites as its anchor meetings hotel.
The new Ameristar Resort and Spa will add 400 rooms and a 7,000-square-foot spa when it opens later this year. The project is part of a major expansion at Ameristar Casino St. Charles, which also included the recent opening of a 19,000-square-foot conference center.
Interesting alternative venues include the Foundry Art Centre, a former railroad foundry now housing art studios and a large, flexible open space; Lindenwood University, with a wide variety of meeting options; and a number of wineries within a short drive.
The picturesque suburb seems poised to become a tempting new midsize meetings alternative. Savvy planners take note: Now is the time to get in on the ground floor.
“Saint Charles is just really starting its climb into the convention, meeting and conference business,” Rosenwasser says. “Our convention center and headquarters hotel, Embassy Suites, are just 2 years old. Our new Ameristar Resort and Spa will add an appreciation to the higher-end market that we have not had previously. The assets of our city just continue to grow and grow.”
For More Info
St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission 314.421.1023
www.explorestlouis.com
Saint Charles CVB 636.946.7776
www.historicstcharles.com
