The southwest region of Missouri has long been a playground for leisure travelers, from the glitz of Branson shows and the Route 66 history of Joplin to the outdoor adventure capital of Springfield, home of Bass Pro Shops. Nowadays, the area is becoming known as a growing business market as well, thanks to new development and a host of unique attractions.
Branson/Lakes Area
With more seats than Broadway and more sequins than Las Vegas, Branson is an icon for family-friendly entertainment. The addition of a new convention center, two major hotel properties and an upcoming airport gives the town new life as a meetings destination.
“Opening the airport will be huge for our meetings market,” says Lynn Berry, director of public relations for the Branson/Lakes Area CVB. “Since we’re already so affordable and centrally located in the country, it will put us into a different tier.”
Branson Regional Airport is currently under construction just south of the city proper and is scheduled to open in May 2009. The possibility of linking to such markets as Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, and Minneapolis has the city looking ahead to more development.
A new John Q. Hammons property is already in the planning stages. The hotel is slated to begin construction this fall and will be located in the upscale Branson Creek planned community, just two miles from the airport. Plans call for the hotel to have 180 to 200 guest rooms, along with meeting space. The property is slated to open in 2010.
Much of the recently completed development has been just past the historic downtown district, along the edge of Lake Taneycomo. Last year’s opening of the Branson Convention Center (with 220,000 square feet of function space, including a 23,000-square-foot ballroom), the 293-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel (with 3,500 square feet of meeting space) and the 242-room Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing (with 2,000 square feet of function space) has provided an amazing boost to the area, according to Berry, and given Branson something new: a convention district with amenities within walking distance. The shops and eateries of the new Branson Landing lifestyle center are just steps away from the convention center and two Hilton properties, and the historic district, also filled with unique shops like Dick’s Old Time 5 & 10, are within a few blocks.
“Our potential is vast for any size of meeting,” Berry says. “There’s no typical number, and we have 19,000 rooms, so we’re ready for anything.”
Additional meeting and hotel facilities in Branson include the recently renovated Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa and Convention Center and Radisson Hotel Branson.
As for off-site venues, the problem isn’t finding one, it’s choosing which ones to use. The options are nearly endless for groups, from a reception at the Titanic museum to renting out the Celebration City theme park, which also offers flexible meeting space, for a private corporate event. All 50 of Branson’s theaters are happy to work out special events or shows for planners, and some include a meet-and-greet afterward. Shows like Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede or the new RFD-TV theater are popular choices with groups, and a new option has been added to the city’s lineup this year: the Sight & Sound Theatre, which presents live Christian shows like Noah—the Musical.
The Branson area also has three lakes for outdoor fun. Groups can choose any of the three for some downtime fishing or boating, or plan a dinner cruise aboard the showboat Branson Belle, which can accommodate up to 700 in the dining hall. For a special treat, planners can surprise attendees with a reception by the fountains at Branson Landing, a perfect way to end an afternoon of shopping.
For spouse or family activities, both Silver Dollar City, a circa 1890s theme park with modern rides, or White Water, a popular waterpark, fill the bill nicely. Throw in award-winning golf courses and more shopping at two outlet malls, and there’s something to satisfy everyone’s interests.
Joplin
Less than 30 minutes from Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, Joplin is tailor-made for regional meetings.
The area has a rich history: Route 66 winds through the heart of town, Mickey Mantle played for the minor-league Joplin Miners before he was called up to the Yankees, Bonnie and Clyde had a shootout with police at their Joplin home, and native son George Washington Carver is remembered with a national monument and discovery center.
Today, fans of the Country Music Television show Trick My Truck know Joplin as the home of the Chrome Shop Mafia, the famed big rig body shop. At the other end of the spectrum is Precious Moments Park and Chapel, an attraction inspired by the Precious Moments art and figurines, located a few minutes away in the town of Carthage.
With outdoor attractions like the new meetings-friendly Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center and favorites like the Joplin Museum Complex, Joe Becker Stadium and Sandstone Gardens, a noted home and garden shopping site, the city is getting the word out that there is something for everyone, especially meeting planners.
We’ve been doing a lot of rebranding in the last few years,” says Cameo Gerdes, director of sales for the Joplin CVB. “Planners are just shocked and amazed to see how much we have.”
The big news in Joplin is the opening this month of the Downstream Casino Resort and the debut this fall of the resort’s 222-room hotel tower, which will feature meeting space for up to 200 people. Located right on the Missouri-Oklahoma border and less than an hour from downtown, the casino is just the beginning of new development, Gerdes says.
She also notes a growing trend in meetings this year; attendees are adding extra days to their stay and bringing their families along for a fun break, enabling them to save gas on just one trip rather than planning a separate vacation.
“We have groups that plan all their sessions in the morning, so the families have time to spend together in the afternoon,” she says.
Joplin’s main convention facility is the John Q. Hammons Convention Center, with 40,000 square feet of meeting space.
All hotels are within a two-block radius of the convention center, and a popular off-site venue, the Bridge and the Foundry, is located next door. The Bridge is one of the largest extreme sports parks in the country, with skateboard and BMX ramps, cage basketball and a rock-climbing gym. The facility hosts team-building events for groups, and the adjacent Foundry, a state-of-the-art music venue, offers 7,000 square feet of event space.
Among the group offerings at the new Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center are meeting space and sessions on environmentally friendly living, including how to hold a “green” meeting.
Other large facilities include Memorial Hall, with 7,000 square feet of function space, while additional meetings properties include the newly renovated Holiday Inn Joplin, located adjacent to the convention center and featuring 12,000 square feet of meeting space; and the former Ramada Joplin, which was recently renovated and reflagged as the La Quinta Inn Joplin, with 4,500 square feet of space.
Springfield
Just one hour north of Branson is Springfield, the state’s third-largest metro area. Easily accessible on Interstate 44 from either St. Louis or Kansas City, Springfield is a popular pick for meetings and is also close enough to the Branson/Lakes area for day trips and group events.
Springfield also has plenty of interesting attractions, from the first Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World location, stuffed with gear for outdoorsmen, to Fantastic Caverns, the only “ride-through” cave tour in the country. Both will host events for groups, and Wonders of Wildlife, the museum and aquarium located next door to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, also offers meeting space, although the facility is currently closed for a renovation and expansion project that is due for completion next year. The museum expansion is part of a new development wave happening in Springfield as the entire region grows to meet business needs.
More construction is taking place on Springfield college campuses; the John Q. Hammons Arena, an 11,000-seat facility, is slated to open this fall at Missouri State University, and the 4,000-seat O’Reilly Family Event Center will open next winter at Drury University. A new John Q. Hammons hotel is also planned for Springfield. The 200-room, as-yet-unflagged hotel will be a four-star property and will open by September 2010.
While the city is a regular site for associations and religious groups, the amateur sports market is a big draw for the area, according to Dana Maugans, director of sales for the Springfield Missouri CVB.
“We have quality facilities, and excellent Parks Department areas to handle just about any sport,” she says. “The new arena will definitely enhance what we can do for those groups as well.”
For downtime pursuits, attendees can take to the air with BalloonSport USA and get the best view of the Ozark mountains at sunset, catch a game at Hammons Field with the Springfield Cardinals, the minor-league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, or take a tour of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Meeting facilities include the Springfield Expo Center, with 112,000 square feet of event space; the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center; the Clarion Hotel of Springfield; Oasis Hotel and Convention Center; Holiday Inn North–Springfield; and the former Hawthorn Park Hotel, which was renovated and reflagged this year as the Doubletree Hotel Springfield.
ForMoreInfo:
Branson/Lakes Area CVB 417.334.4084
www.meetinbranson.net
Joplin CVB 417.625.4789 www.visitjoplinmo.com
Springfield Missouri CVB 417.881.5300 www.springfieldadventures.com
