Louisville is an affordable, friendly place to gather for business, says Michael Kleine-Kracht, DMCP, president of local DMC Visitours, and groups can get the best destination value by tapping into local history and culture.
“We’re no longer the hidden jewel we used to be,” he says. “People are realizing they can have the ‘real’ America here in a place that still has a small-town feel yet get the sophistication they want.”
Southern belles and gents events are popular for business groups that gather in Louisville, he adds, especially in large, elegant mansions like Whitehall, a mid-19th century edifice with a grand white-columned portico, or The Olmstead, which looks and feels like an antebellum picture in many visitor minds.
“We almost always serve mint juleps and Hot Browns at such occasions—our delectable Brown Hotel dish that dates to the 1920s,” Kleine-Kracht says. “We can do mini Hot Browns for appetizers, because at some point you gotta have bourbon, bourbon balls and Hot Browns in Louisville, even if you don’t get a full serving.”
Louisville’s sports side is something to celebrate as well, he adds. The Louisville Slugger Museum is a great place to have a relaxed and casual event for up to 500 guests. Inside, they’ll learn all about the legendary bat made famous by Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and other baseball greats. The official bat of Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger is still made by its originator, Hillerich & Bradsby. Groups tour the factory, have dinner in the great hall, and immerse themselves in baseball and softball history and thrills throughout the interactive exhibits.
“Whether we do an event at the Slugger Museum or not, we sometimes give mini or full-sized bats as welcome gifts,” Kleine-Kracht says. “For VIPs, that can mean putting their names on the bats—or maybe even their signatures. It’s a great touch.”
Group encounters with horses can mean much more than race spectating at Churchill Downs, the city’s most famous place. It can also mean behind-the-scenes track tours or maybe breakfast in the kitchen where trainers and owners eat.
“We sometimes get a horse person to talk to a group about horses, how they’re raised, and what it takes to prepare them for the Derby,” Kleine-Kracht says. For a real in-depth tour of horse farms, we’ll go to nearby Lexington and maybe the Kentucky Horse Park, which is wonderful for touring and for an upscale tented event.”
Glassworks—which features glassblowing demos, cocktails on the roof garden and galleries—is one of Kleine-Kracht’s favorite event venues. And the 75,000-square-foot Frazier International History Museum can enthrall guests for hours, he attests, with its ornaments exhibits, live demonstrations of historic European arms and armor by costumed interpreters, and interactive exhibits. That museum also has a 120-seat auditorium and movie theater to handle a variety of group facility needs.
