Encompassing two cities with the same name in different states that face each other from across a river, as well as inviting communities such as Overland Park, the Kansas City metro area lures groups with the sweet sounds of jazz and blues, the savory flavor of barbecue and a slew of attractions old and new, including one-of-a-kind museums and more than 200 decorative fountains.
Extensive urban redevelopment and investment in new and renovated venues, both recently completed and slated for the months and years ahead, are turning planners’ heads.
Couple these charms with a reputation for friendliness and affordability, and the Kansas City metro area is a recipe for meetings success.
Kansas City, Mo.
Missouri’s biggest city, Kansas City, has been working hard to get even bigger and better. Over the past five years, more than $5 billion has gone into the redevelopment of a 14-block core section of downtown. This walkable convention district includes the new nine-block Power & Light District, a one-stop, 24-hour entertainment neighborhood with more than 40 restaurants and nightclubs, as well as the 18,500-seat Sprint Center arena and the Kansas City Convention Center.
The convention center, which recently completed a $150 million expansion and technology upgrade, now offers 388,800 square feet of column-free exhibition space, a new 46,000-square-foot ballroom and 45 meeting rooms.
It’s no wonder that all of this activity is creating a buzz within the meetings industry.
“We believe the unparalleled growth across the Kansas City region has excited meeting planners and attendees,” says Rick Hughes, president and CEO of the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association. “Nearly $9 billion in private and public development has occurred in the metropolitan area over the past several years, and much of it is geared toward the convention attendee and tourists.”
Nearly all downtown hotels have completed major renovations in the last two years, and the city has added a new events venue, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, with two halls seating 1,600 and 1,800 respectively.
The destination’s many meetings hotels include the Westin Crown Center and Hyatt Regency Crown Center, both of which are undergoing guest room renovations; InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza; Hilton President Kansas City; Crowne Plaza Hotel Kansas City Downtown; Kansas City Marriott Downtown; the newly branded Sheraton Sports Complex Hotel; and Harrah’s North Kansas City Casino Hotel.
Another option for gatherings is Town Pavilion, featuring offices, shops, restaurants and a state-of-the-art conference center with more than 10,000 square feet of space. Additionally, The Rotunda at Town Pavilion is also available as a special event venue.
Meanwhile, there’s more than enough to do between meetings, on spousal tours and after-hours.
“Kansas City has an edge with its rich and appealing history in jazz music, unique dining and being a high-value urban destination all rolled into an extremely convenient, hospitable, Midwest city,” Hughes says. “Kansas City offers the highest value and richest cultural scene in America.”
Top tourist attractions include the city’s many jazz clubs and unique cultural and historical institutions, such as the American Jazz Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the National World War I Museum. Mirroring the trend of civic improvements, several museums and other attractions have gone through recent expansions as well. These include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City Zoo, Powell Gardens and Worlds of Fun theme park. Additionally, the city’s Truman Sports Complex, home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and the MLB’s Kansas City Royals, will finish a $625 million renovation in 2010.
Fueled by investment and building on a foundation of tradition, the city has hopes of regaining the place it held in years past as a premier events mecca.
“Through most of the first half of the 20th century, Kansas City was acknowledged as one of the top convention and meeting destinations in the country,” Hughes says. “K.C.'s convenient location, easy access, friendly people and unique topography are all still in place. These natural elements combined with the new and existing venues will allow Kansas City to re-emerge as a preferred destination for meetings and conventions.”
Platte County
Outside Kansas City, Mo., Platte County offers 4,000 hotel rooms with an added benefit of convenience; Kansas City International Airport is minutes away from most venues. In addition, the county is building a 262,500-square-foot expo center set to open in 2011.
“As a meetings destination, Platte County offers convenience, affordability, a variety of meeting venues and options for group events,” says Jennifer Goering, tourism manager at the Platte County Visitors Bureau. “With the impending construction of the ITEC Expo, the Platte County area will offer meeting planners a variety of meeting options for a majority of their clients.”
Among Platte County’s meetings properties is the Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa in Riverside, which added its hotel and spa portion last year, including more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
Attractions in the county include the Zona Rosa shopping and entertainment district, a wine trail, a wintertime ski area, and the historic riverside towns of Weston and Parkville.
Kansas City, Kan.
New developments are also making headlines across the river in Kansas City, Kan.
The other Kansas City may be smaller, but it is nevertheless a major part of what makes the metro area so enticing. With heavy-hitting attractions such as Kansas Speedway and upcoming projets such as a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at the racetrack and Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, a large-scale, all-season waterpark, things are heating up on the Kansas side as well.
“Kansas City, Kansas, has small- town hospitality with big-city amenities,” says Bridgette Jobe, director of the Kansas City/Wyandotte County CVB. “Since the opening of Kansas Speedway in 2001 and the subsequent opening of Village West, including Cabela’s, Nebraska Furniture Mart and The Legends Shopping Center, Kansas City, Kansas, has become one of the most popular locations for meetings in the Kansas City metropolitan area.”
Large meetings properties include Jack Reardon Convention Center at the Hilton Garden Inn, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space, the Best Western Inn & Conference Center and Great Wolf Lodge, with 281 suites.
Kansas Speedway offers a unique alternative for gatherings, with more than 50,000 square feet of space available for event rentals.
Besides the racing, barbecue and jazz the metro area is known for, Kansas City, Kan., boasts many museums and historical attractions well worth visiting.
“We are a proud community with great ethnic diversity,” Jobe says. “Strawberry Hill Museum, Quindaro Ruins, the National Agricultural Hall of Fame and Grinter Place State Historic Site are all locations that honor our ethnic diversity and history. Our fantastic shopping, dining and entertainment experiences are modern and provide an experience that you cannot get anywhere else in the Midwest.”
The city will continue to grow as a popular meetings destination for groups of all sizes, according to Jobe.
“With the 2009 openings of Schlitterbahn Vacation Village and the first phase of the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel, we will be able to accommodate larger numbers and will be able to offer additional entertainment experiences to our visitors,” Jobe says.
Another new project that has groups in mind is Park Place, a $450 million mixed-use development in the nearby suburb of Leawood. The first phase opened in May and when all phases are finished, the development will boast more than 1 million square feet of shopping, dining and office space, two parks, a skating rink and two hotels: Element by Westin and aloft by Starwood.
Overland Park, Kan.
The community of Overland Park, a satellite of Kansas City and itself the second-largest city in Kansas, is known for its dining, shopping and abundant green spaces.
“Located within a one-day drive for over 60 million people with easy highway access and a major international airport (KCI) just 35 minutes away, Overland Park is the natural choice for meetings of various sizes,” says Joe Novak, vice president of sales at the Overland Park CVB. “Overland Park offers a clean, safe and contemporary suburban setting with a variety of attractions, restaurants and shopping options. Plus, we are within minutes of all the attractions the Kansas City metropolitan area has to offer.”
The city is home to the Overland Park Convention Center and its largest meetings properties include the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center; Overland Park Marriott, which is undergoing a renovation; and Doubletree Overland Park–Corporate Woods.
Two new developments will be adding vastly to the city’s already impressive shopping opportunities. Corbin Park will feature upscale national retailers, local boutiques and fine restaurants. Prairie Fire at Lionsgate is a mixed-use development planned to include a variety of retail and restaurants as well as a hotel. New York’s Natural History Museum will partner with Prairie Fire to host two major museum exhibits each year starting in 2010.
The city has an array of unique off-site venues, one of which is the new Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
For More Info:
Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association 816.221.5242 www.visitkc.com
Kansas City, Kansas/Wyandotte County CVB 913.321.5800 www.visitthedot.com
Overland Park CVB 913.491.0123 www.opcvb.org
