From the copious consumption of crawfish to the accordion hymns of Cajun culture, there’s nothing usual about Louisiana. Boasting moss-draped swamps teeming with alligators, majestic antebellum plantation homes and an events calendar crammed with 400-plus festivals per year, the state offers more culture within its Southern environs than just about all the other states combined.
Though most people think of New Orleans when they want a taste of Louisiana, the smart planner knows that the cities of Baton Rouge and Shreveport-Bossier City offer just as much Louisiana flavor with the added bonuses of local spice and excellent price. Add small-town Southern hospitality alongside big-city amenities, and you’ve got two dynamic destinations perfect for your next meeting.
Baton Rouge
Located on the mighty Mississippi between the state’s romantic Plantation region and the wetlands of Cajun Country, the state capital of Baton Rouge, says Paul Arrigo, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area CVB, “let’s you experience all that is Louisiana—the Old South, Creole and Cajun culture, even the swamps; we have two right within the city limits.”
This cultural diversity provides a fun-filled backdrop to meetings, and the city has spent the last several years upgrading amenities to make it more meetings-friendly than ever. The award-winning CVB has played a big role.
“We pride ourselves on going beyond just bringing in conventions,” Arrigo says. “We like to serve them, make them happy. We want meeting planners and attendees to go home with a great feeling for Baton Rouge.”
The Baton Rouge River Center is the city’s largest meeting venue. Combining a convention center, an arena and a performing arts theater, the SMG-run facility offers over 200,000 square feet of space. Groups can book the main lobby or second floor veranda for magnificent views of the Mississippi River. The building is undergoing renovations to expand breakout rooms from 13 to 22.
Within walking distance of the River Center, the Sheraton Convention Center Hotel offers 300 rooms and suites, 14,000 square feet of meeting space and its own riverboat casino, the Belle of Baton Rouge, while the Hilton Capitol Center has 290 rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. The Hilton was formerly the Heidelberg Hotel, a Baton Rouge landmark that served as the home away from the governor’s mansion for the notorious Huey P. Long. A tunnel beneath the hotel led Long to many a secret rendezvous with his mistress at the King Hotel across the street. Today, it delivers a plush private dining room and wine cellar for small groups, while the King is being converted into a 93-room boutique hotel, set to open in spring 2009.
Other top meetings-ready hotels include the Baton Rouge Marriot, the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center and the Cook Hotel and Conference Center, located on the campus of LSU (Louisiana State University).
In 2009, a Marriott Renaissance will become the city’s largest hotel, with 348 rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
If you want to break your hotel habit, Baton Rouge features some spectacular off-site venues.
The architectural award-winning Shaw Center, opened in 2005, houses the LSU Museum of Art and the Manship Theatre, and offers over 17,000 square feet of exhibit space and several unique settings, from expansive riverside terraces to a rooftop sculpture garden.
The Louisiana State Museum, inaugurated in 2006, features 10,000 square feet of meeting space, including two beautiful galleries showcasing Louisiana’s rich culture. Why not set up shop alongside a full-size Louisiana shrimp trawler? Add a jazz trio and some upscale Creole appetizers, and you’ve got an event that would make both Bubba and Gump proud.
The USS Kidd, a restored World War II destroyer docked on the Mississippi, features an auditorium for up to 100 people and daily guided tours.
The Rural Life Museum, rated one of the top 10 outdoor museums in the world, offers a step back into Louisiana history, telling the story of the people who made the gorgeous River Road plantation homes tick. Groups can rent the entire facility for events.
The city’s colorful political history is reflected in some intriguing off-site venues, including the Old State Capitol, an American Gothic castle built in 1849. Though Mark Twain considered it one of the ugliest buildings on the river, modern groups are thrilled with the facility’s stained-glass windows and dramatically grand staircase. The Old Governor’s Mansion, built in 1929 by Huey P. Long and nicknamed “Louisiana’s White House,” offers a backdrop of true Southern elegance to any event. Both properties are connected to the New Capitol Building, a jewel of Art Deco architecture and at 34 stories the tallest state capitol building in the nation.
No matter the location, planners can rely on the CVB to add a unique Baton Rouge twist to events.
“A lot of cities in this part of the country do plantation tours and swamp tours, so we try to think of ways to make it different,” says Geraldine Bordelon, director of destination sales for the Baton Rouge Area CVB.
This could include an ecology lesson in a local swamp followed by a Cajun dance party amid the gators or a candlelit nighttime tour of a plantation home capped off with a Creole feast under the oaks.
Of course, if you have even the slightest interest in college football, you know that Baton Rouge is home to LSU and its fighting Tigers football team. Locals are football crazy and every game spawns a massive tailgate party with up to 100,000 people crowding the Tiger Stadium lot. Bordelon and team offer groups the opportunity to “tailgate like the locals,” including a parking lot feast of boiled crawfish and jambalaya.
Across the river, West Baton Rouge offers low-key alternatives for groups.
“We are just five minutes from downtown Baton Rouge, but on the rural side,” says Sharon Stam, executive director of the West Baton Rouge CVB. “So you get the nearby amenities of the big city but in a really quiet, moderately priced area full of mom-and-pop shops and restaurants.”
The West Baton Rouge Conference Center offers 7,000 square feet of meeting space.
Off-site venues include the West Baton Rouge Museum, which tells the story of Louisiana’s sugar production; Poplar Grove Plantation, a stunning mansion built in 1884; and Couzan’s, a newly inaugurated Cajun dance hall with ample space for groups.
Shreveport-Bossier City
Separated by the rolling Red River, the twin cities of Shreveport and Bossier City sit just miles from the Texas border, giving this Louisiana community a unique Southern feel.
“Think of us as a Cajun crawfish with a cowboy hat on,” explains Kim Brice, vice president of convention marketing for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.
That Southern image comes standard with a healthy dose of hospitality—what Brice considers the area’s best selling point.
“We hear it all the time from visitors,” she says. “Our people really go out of their way to make you feel welcome here.”
Backing up the “Howdy ya’ll” welcome mat are all the perks a meeting planner could need.
“Small meetings and groups really are big fishes in our pond,” Brice says. “They get the great attention that a small town can offer but with big-city amenities.”
However, larger groups need not fear; Brice and crew have successfully hosted citywides of 5,000-plus attendees.
The SMG-operated Shreveport Convention Center, opened in 2006, offers 350,000 square feet of space, 10 breakout rooms and the Rotunda Board Room, featuring a wall of glass revealing a stunning view of the city and Texas Bridge, the world’s largest neon-lit span. The attached 318-room Hilton Shreveport, opened in 2007, makes this a great all-in-one location for groups.
Other top meetings spots include Riverview Hall, with 16,200 square feet of function space and the 28,000-square-foot Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, a recently renovated copper-topped arena.
Outdoor options include Festival Plaza and Riverview Park, both of which are located on the Red River and offer tented areas and outdoor stages. Riverview Park is a local favorite for its 200-foot-long water plaza featuring dancing fountains and soaring steel rose sculptures. Groups can get the real sweet-smelling deal at the American Rose Center, with 42 acres of roses providing a lovely backdrop for off-site events.
In Bossier City, the CenturyTel Center offers 350,000 square feet of configurable space, while the Bossier City Civic Center Complex has 24,000 square feet of meeting space.
Like Baton Rouge, Shreveport-Bossier City is home to several riverboat casinos, including Sam’s Town and Diamond Jack’s, which are eagerly seeking group business.
“They are looking beyond gaming and that is great for meetings and groups in Shreveport-Bossier City,” Brice says.
Sam’s Town offers 18,000 square feet of function space, while Diamond Jack’s offers 20,000. The meeting venues are located in the casino’s associated hotels, separate from the gaming action on the riverboats. It is possible to hold an event without hearing a single ping from a slot machine.
There are over 9,000 rooms in the twin cities, and good group-ready bets in Shreveport include the Best Western Chateau Suites, the Holiday Inn Riverfront, both within walking distance of the convention center, and the Clarion Inn Shreveport.
In Bossier City, the Holiday Inn Bossier City and the Ramada Inn and Conference Center are centrally located, while the newly opened 249-room Springhill Suites by Marriot offers the convenience of sharing event space with the adjacent Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack. For those who love to shop, a 130-room Courtyard by Marriott will open in 2009 on the Louisiana Boardwalk, a half-mile stretch of outlet shopping, dining and entertainment along the Bossier City riverfront.
Shreveport-Bossier City offers some unique off-site venues, including the Art Deco Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium, where groups can meet on the same stage where Elvis Presley gave his first professional performance.
On the riverfront, the Sci-Port Discovery Center and Space Center houses an IMAX theater and a planetarium where groups can party under the stars. In Bossier City, attendees can celebrate carnival-style at the Ark-La-Tex Mardi Gras Museum, which houses a large collection of costumes and floats.
For More Info
Baton Rouge Area CVB 225.383.1825 www.visitbatonrouge.com
Shreveport–Bossier City Convention and Tourist Bureau 318.222.9391 www.louisianasotherside.com
West Baton Rouge CVB 225.344.2920 www.westbatonrouge.net
