With a central U.S. location and an international airport that provides ample airlift, Cincinnati is well positioned with an agreeable price point, according to Joe Rigotti, creative director for Accent on Cincinnati (www.accentcinti.com), a leading Cincy DMC.
“We can offer both a cosmopolitan experience for those who are looking for that, and we can also offer a really great Midwestern feel,” Rigotti says. “Some people are looking for fun and sassy, and others are looking just for down-home fun.”
Many of his clients are surprised to find the wealth of cultural and architectural facilities in the city, Rigotti points out.
“It’s pretty phenomenal what we have here--there’s really a 1930s flair in the city,” he says, citing the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza and the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal as two of the more prominent examples of Art Deco architecture.
One popular program offered by Accent on Cincinnati is the Street of Spires tour, which takes in some of the city’s landmark churches and synagogues.
Other popular excursions include Cincinnati’s three major art museums, all of which offer special event space.
“We have a thriving arts community,” Rigotti says. “There is incredible opera, symphony and theater here in town. For a city of our size, we really have a diverse and thriving arts network here.”
Apart from programs taking in Cincinnati’s arts and unique architecture, Accent on Cincinnati also operates tours that focus on fitness, such as 5k runs and walks, yoga or Seaway jaunts through the town’s interesting neighborhoods.
The end result, Rigotti says, is that clients leave Cincinnati with a fresh perspective on a city they may not have had an accurate perception about before.
“We don’t want people to think of Cincinnati as just a lazy river town, and when they do, we try to dissuade them of that,” he says. “We want them to experience the vibrant life that Cincinnati has.”
Besides leaving groups pleasantly surprised about the rich arts, culture and architecture in Cincinnati—and the highly customized, cutting-edge event programs operated by Accent on Cincinnati—Rigotti says the southern Ohio metropolis also boasts what many of its sister cities in the region offer.
“They get a real good bang for their dollar,” he says.
