Detroit is the perfect place to plan a meeting where the number of attendees is high and the demands for after-hours entertainment is even higher, according to Bob Poikey, law enforcement coordination specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Michigan.
Last August, Poikey brought 2,000 delegates from law enforcement agencies, private foundations and community organizations around the country to The Motor City for the 2007 Weed and Seed Conference. The purpose of the conference, he says, was to “present national best practices and current trends targeting violent crime.”
Detroit was an easy choice for the group because of its plethora of off-site activity options, he says.
“They felt that Detroit had a lot to offer for after-hours entertainment,” he says, adding that delegates were excited to visit attractions such as the Motown Historical Museum and Detroit Institute of Arts. They also enjoyed trying their luck at its three casinos, taking a stroll down the streets of the eclectic Greek Town neighborhood, and even watching a baseball game at Comerica Park, he adds.
The group filled the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center and overflowed into the nearby Sheraton Detroit Riverside Hotel (formerly Hotel Pontchartrain), and according to Poikey, attendees were pleased.
“The people really liked the opportunity that the Renaissance Center not only had as a hotel, but they liked the shopping it had, too,” he says. “It had drug stores and clothiers on-site, so they didn’t have to leave the hotel.”
After a full day of meetings, Poikey says attendees found it especially easy to get around on the Detroit People Mover, an elevated train connecting many of the city’s most sought-after attractions.
“They liked the fact that they didn’t need to get a taxi,” he says. “They could just get on the People Mover and get to any point (including back to the Renaissance Center) within 15 minutes.”
With all of Detroit’s activity options, Poikey says even his most skeptical of delegates had a great time.
“They were pleasantly surprised,” he says. “The evaluations that came back to us said they had a fantastic time in Detroit.”
For planners considering Detroit as their next meeting destination, Poikey offers one major piece of advice.
“Contact the Detroit CVB,” he says. “They really stepped up and did a fantastic job. Planners would be very impressed with the services that the CVB provides. I wish I would have brought on the CVB a little sooner than I did. They are the experts in what the city has to offer.”
