Bundled together with its Northeast neighbors, Connecticut takes slightly longer to spot on a U.S. map than some other attention-demanding states—say, Texas or California. If not for a distinguishing line punctuated with ‘CT’ pointing to it from beyond the map’s border, the Constitution State would appear a tiny abbreviation-absent rectangle.
What those in the know realize, of course, is that the petite state is worth the extra bit of effort to locate because it packs a lot of punch—
from beautiful landscapes to bustling city centers. In fact, mapmakers would have been wise to place an exclamation point after that CT.
Much like Hollywood has.
According to Susan Henrique, director of sales and marketing at the Coastal Fairfield County CVB, in July 2006, Connecticut launched an “extremely aggressive tax incentive” for filmmakers. Since the initiative took effect, marquee talent—you may have heard of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro?—has been descending on the state in droves to shoot movies that will soon premiere on silver screens everywhere.
At once a place of beloved New England traditions and modern, group-friendly amenities, Connecticut has made its mark on the maps of meeting planners as well. After all, like movie directors, planners must set the stage for memorable productions.
Hartford
A meeting production in Hartford, known as the gateway to the state—the hassle-free Bradley International Airport (BIA) is situated 12 miles from downtown—in most instances revolves around the riverfront Connecticut Convention Center (CCC), the Hartford Civic Center (HCC) or the Connecticut Expo Center.
Aside from housing the state’s three largest convention facilities and a number of historic attractions, such as the circa-1842 Wadsworth Atheneum and the circa-1930 Bushnell Performing Arts Center, both available for off-site events, Hartford is chosen because of its location, according to H. Scott Phelps, president of the Greater Hartford CVB.
“There are 23 million people within a 2.5-hour drive,” Phelps maintains. “A planner looking at Hartford often has a lot of people in the region.”
National groups book Connecticut’s capital, too. Among them, the 10,000-person Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association met at the CCC in October (complete with an off-site event at BIA’s New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks), and the HCC hosted the United Church of Christ General Synod, at which Barack Obama spoke, for five days in June.
“We had the busiest year yet in Hartford in 2007,” Phelps says.
With new developments recently unveiled and on the horizon, Hartford’s bookings will assuredly continue to grow. Scheduled to open this year is the Connecticut Science Center. Attached to the CCC and its interconnected 409-room Hartford Marriott Downtown, this “gorgeous building” will sport unique off-site function space overlooking the Connecticut River, Phelps says.
He adds that the historic Bond Hotel was transformed into the new Homewood Suites by Hilton Hartford Downtown and opened in November, complete with sweeping views of Bushnell Park and the capitol building, and within walking distance of the CCC. Additionally, the Goodwin Hotel is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation that’s scheduled for completion this year, and the Hilton Hartford, connected to the HCC, reopened in 2005 after a $34 million renovation.
“We also have the Front Street mixed-use project beginning this spring,” Phelps says, explaining that the addition will bring a greater mix of retail, entertainment and dining to the area surrounding the CCC.
While it’s a walkable downtown, Phelps recommends the free Hartford Star Shuttle service, which stops at restaurants, the convention center and hotels.
New Haven
Like Hartford, the cultural hub of New Haven is also an accessible, walkable city, according to Ginny Kozlowski, president and CEO of the Greater New Haven CVB.
“The city isn’t large and overwhelming,” she says, explaining that groups appreciate exploring all New Haven has to offer, including an active nightlife, the Yale campus, museums, and great restaurants.
Indeed, within a 27-block radius downtown, Kozlowski says there are oodles of dining options, including Union League Cafe; Central Steakhouse, which has a lovely wine room for groups; Thali, a new Indian restaurant; and BAR, which specializes in pizza and microbrews.
“We submitted a program defining ‘How Culinary Tourism Can Revitalize a City—One Plate at a Time’ to win the bid for the 2008 New England Culinary Tourism Symposium, scheduled for April,” Kozlowski says.
The event will be held at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, the city’s flagship meeting facility, with 22,000 square feet of space.
When it’s not satisfying palates, New Haven appeals to the culturally hungry, in large part because Yale calls the city home. Among the university’s offerings are the Yale Repertory Theatre, Woolsey Hall, and the recently expanded, Cesar Pelli-designed Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center.
In other news, the Colony Inn on Chapel Street is adding two stories and undergoing renovations to become an upscale, as-yet-unnamed, boutique property when it opens this year with 125 rooms. A proposed mixed-use retail/condo development on College Street is also tentatively slated to open in 2009.
Summer is a great time for groups in the city. At New Haven Green, free musical acts that have included Los Lobos and Soul Asylum, and gatherings such as the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, keep locals and visitors alike entertained.
Perhaps Uma Thurman, the star of In Bloom, which was recently shot in town, would confirm Kozlowski’s sentiment: “Once people come and experience New Haven, they want to come back.”
Coastal Fairfield County
The overall appeal of Fairfield County, according to the CVB’s Henrique, is the high level of service planners can count on at a fraction of the cost of nearby New York City. Located only 35 miles away, though, “We push that the most incredible city in the world is in our backyard,” Henrique says.
She mentions the wonderful opportunity groups have to play in Times Square after a meeting at the Sheraton Stamford; Hyatt Regency Greenwich; Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard, which serves as the area convention center; or Dolce Norwalk Conference Center.
“You never know who you might run into walking down the street in Fairfield County,” Henrique says, adding that the area has been dubbed “Hollywood East” by the movie industry.
To name only a few of the many movies filmed here and scheduled for 2008 release are Righteous Kill, starring De Niro and Pacino; Revolutionary Road, which reunites Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who haven’t worked together since Titanic; and Old Dogs, starring John Travolta and Robin Williams.
Not to be outdone by such glamorous news, hotels in the area are spiffing up. Among them, the Trumbull Marriott Merritt Parkway, which accommodates up to 700 delegates, recently underwent an $18 million renovation; the Stamford Marriott Hotel and Spa recently added a spa and completed a $7.5 million guest room renovation; and the Homestead Inn & Thomas Henkelmann in Greenwich received the 2006 meetings trophy for best conference facility from Relais & Chateaux.
“What really sets us apart from most of New England is that we have an island with a lighthouse here,” Henrique says, citing Norwalk’s circa-1850s Sheffield Island Lighthouse, where groups are encouraged to enjoy a lobster bake.
Plus, groups are intrigued by performances at the Stamford Center for the Arts and year-round outings on Fjord Catering and Yacht Charters in Greenwich.
“They could sail two to 150 people to New York and have a fabulous dinner onboard,” Henrique says.
Southeast Connecticut
Conveniently located 2.5 hours from New York City and Boston, and even closer to Newport and Cape Cod (to which delegates flock for side trips), southeast Connecticut’s slogan, according to Eliza Cole, marketing manager of Mystic Country Connecticut, is “Coast, Countryside and Endless Possibilities.”
“I feel this sums up what makes our area unique,” she says, explaining that groups can spend time on the water for lighthouse or lobster dinner cruises, or harbor seal and eagle cruises in the winter, “then head less than an hour north on I-395 and take a wagon ride across farmland to see over 100 head of bison.”
The area also boasts two of the largest casinos in the world: Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is scheduled to open new culinary and retail offerings in May after a $55 million expansion, and Mohegan Sun, where the $740 million Project Horizon expansion, featuring a House of Blues hotel, plus more retail, dining and gaming, will roll out through 2010.
Joining several of the area’s main meetings players, including The Spa at Norwich Inn, Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa, and Hilton Mystic, is the recently opened Mystic Hyatt Place, located one mile from historic downtown Mystic.
Among Mystic’s popular options are Mystic Seaport, where groups could explore and have a lobster bake in the boat shed along the river; Mystic Aquarium, which is available for evening functions; and the Mystic Whaler schooner, which hosts dinner cruises.
“Groups are starting to take interest in the northern part of our district, also known as the ‘Quiet Corner’ for its agri-tourism and eco-tourism,” adds Cole, citing October walking tours in the Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor, a federally recognized area spanning 35 towns in northeast Connecticut and southeast Massachusetts.
Northwest Connecticut
Popular with New York City and Boston executives seeking seclusion, the pastoral northwest corner of Connecticut offers a variety of unique venues, according to Janet Serra, director of the Northwest Connecticut CVB.
Among them is the knockout Winvian in Morris, featuring 18 themed cottages; Washington’s Mayflower Inn and Spa; Lakeville’s Interlaken Resort and Conference Center; Southbury’s Heritage Hotel, which is expected to finalize a renovation this year; Danbury’s Ethan Allen Hotel and Danbury Sheraton, which will undergo a complete renovation in 2008; and the Marriott Courtyard Waterbury Downtown, situated near the circa-1920 Palace Theater.
Named by National Geographic as one of the 50 best places in the U.S. for a scenic drive, and included in a 2007 Forbes roundup of where the rich and famous live, northwest Connecticut’s hills, Serra says, are “star-studded.”
“You may run into entertainers, politicians and sports figures here,” she says, citing Ivan Lendl, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon.
Serra adds that the Upper Housatonic, which includes 10 of the region’s towns, was named the 23rd National Heritage Area in May 2007.
“We worked for 10 years with the federal government to preserve the area,” she says.
Highlighting New England’s famed seasons, the region’s popular off-session activities for groups include skiing at Mohawk Mountain and Ski Sundown; guided fly-fishing on the Housatonic River in West Cornwall; golf at the above-mentioned Interlaken and Heritage properties; and custom events at New Milford’s Hunt Hill Farm and Silo, where Serra says cooking classes in the beautiful, renovated dairy barn are available.
For More Info
Coastal Fairfield County CVB 203.853.7770
www.coastalct.com
Greater Hartford CVB 860.728.6789
www.enjoyhartford.com
Greater New Haven CVB 203.777.8550
www.newhavencvb.org
Mystic Country Connecticut 860.444.2206
www.mysticmore.com
Northwest Connecticut CVB 860.567.4506
www.litchfieldhills.com
