The three cities that make up the Triad region—Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point—share many attributes: meetings-ready facilities, mild weather, rich historical treasures and that inimitable Southern hospitality. Yet each city has its own identity—surprising given that each is no more than 28 miles from the next.
Greensboro has a rich Revolutionary War and Civil Rights history; an increasingly popular wine trail is among the highlights of Winston-Salem, the Southeast’s arts mecca; and High Point, the international home furnishings center, boasts unique collectibles and outdoor delights.
Greensboro
The arrival and departure of 60 trains a day back in 1891 gave Greensboro its nickname, the “Gate City.” More than a century later, the city is more accessible than ever for groups.
“Greensboro is two hours from the mountains, three hours from the beach and four hours from Atlanta and Washington, D.C.,” says Henri Fourrier, president and CEO of the Greensboro Area CVB. “We are very accessible for groups wanting to drive. Plus, we have two first-tier national meeting venues.”
Those sprawling venues are the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center and the attached Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons, with more than 250,000 square feet of combined function space, and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, with 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 23,500-seat arena and a 2,300-seat performing arts theater.
Groups can also take advantage of meetings-ready properties like the Holiday Inn Express Guilford Convention Center, Embassy Suites Hotel Greensboro, Grandover Resort & Conference Center and Greensboro Marriott Downtown.
“Our downtown continues to be vibrant. Over the last decade, a huge push has been made for revitalization,” Fourrier notes. “We continue to do well with youth groups, sports events and religious meetings.”
The United Pentecostal Church International and Women of Faith recently held events in Greensboro.
The city has a rich history that presents memorable experiences.
Greensboro’s Guilford Courthouse National Military Park is the oldest preserved Revolutionary War battlefield in the national park system. The park accommodates large groups and features a self-guided, 2.5-mile tour, walking trails and a bookstore. The British won this battle, but more than 25 percent of their troops perished.
Castle McCulloch and The Crystal Gardens are additional historic alternatives for groups. The facilities at this restored gold refinery, which was originally built in the 1830s, feature more than 24,000 square feet of meeting space. It is accessible for groups convening in Greensboro, Winston-Salem or High Point. From April through the end of October, groups can pan for gold or gems—rubies, emeralds, amethysts and other jewels in the rough.
Sure to be another historic treasure is the International Civil Rights Museum, which is currently being built in the F. W. Woolworth building. In 1960, at the “white-only” lunch counter here, four African-American freshmen from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College held a storied sit-in. The museum will open in 2010.
Winston-Salem
Groups will find that Winston-Salem has a little bit of everything—history, art, lush vineyards and quaint retail shops. It’s all presented along with easygoing Southern charm.
“We have a lot of things that set us apart from other Southern cities—our unique history being one unique element, and our many arts and cultural events being another,” says Stephan Dragisic, director of marketing and communications for Visit Winston-Salem.
The Old Salem district in Winston-Salem dates back to 1753, when a bishop on behalf of the Moravian Church, a Protestant denomination of Christianity with roots in the Czech Republic, founded the settlement. The town was known as “die Wachau,” or Wachovia, named after an Austrian estate of a count. The town of Salem was built in the late 1760s in the district. It was named by a German religious and social reformer and bishop at the Moravian Church. The name comes from the Arabic word for peace, salam.
Groups can learn about Moravian heritage by visiting Historic Bethabara Park, the site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina. This National Historic Landmark features a restored, circa-1788 church, archaeological ruins, a reconstructed village and tours with costumed guides. Twenty miles of nature trails are also sure to please groups who like to get out and exercise, bird watch, observe other wildlife like mink, otters and beavers, or all of the above.
Old Salem Museums and Gardens is one of the country’s most authentic colonial sites, with 100 restored and reconstructed buildings. Costumed guides demonstrate activities of the people who lived in Old Salem through 1840. Groups can enjoy a variety of special tours, including a tour by candlelight.
Winston-Salem is known as the “City of the Arts,” in part because of its history—the city was home to the first arts council in the U.S.—and for its local art schools and its many attractions and art galleries.
The Piedmont Opera Theater, the Sawtooth Center for Visual Art and the Winston-Salem Symphony are some of the main attractions. Two other venues with a focus on the arts are also great for meetings: the Delta Arts Center and Reynolds Auditorium.
Museum buffs in the group can check out Reynolda House-Museum of American Art, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem University, the state’s largest African-American exhibition space. Plus, the city’s arts district is stuffed to the brim with eclectic art galleries. The city is also home to one of the largest indie music scenes in the state.
In addition to the city’s historic treasures and arts scene, Winston-Salem boasts its very own wine country that groups can experience—the Yadkin Valley, just west of town.
“I would say that North Carolina is home to sweeter varietals of wines,” Dragisic says. “Red and white wines are produced here, but the state is really good at producing hearty reds.”
In addition to all the fun, the city boasts an array of meeting facilities. Most of the event space is conveniently located downtown in Twin City Quarter, an extensive complex with shops, restaurants, hotels and meeting venues. Included are the Embassy Suites Winston-Salem and the Winston-Salem Marriott, both connected to the Benton Convention Center. Total meeting space at Twin City Quarter is more than 170,000 square feet.
The Winston-Salem Entertainment-Sports Complex in the city’s North Ward is popular for trade shows.
In January, Visit Winston-Salem will launch Meetings in Minutes, an online program that will connect meeting planners with selected suppliers in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County area. The service meets the needs of smaller groups of up to 50 people.
“The turnaround time to get everything set up once a planner connects with suppliers is 90 minutes,” Dragisic says. “Hotels will offer aggressive rates to these groups. We think this will be very helpful to meeting planners.”
High Point
Located just a few miles from its Triad neighbors, the city of High Point literally is a high point. The town sits at one of the highest elevations of North Carolina’s Piedmont, the plateau between the coastal plains along the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The city is also a “high point” for retailers, interior designers and collectors of fine furniture. High Point is known as the “Furniture Capital of the World.”
Twice a year, more than 80,000 people from all over the globe descend on the city to attend the High Point Market, the largest furniture market in the world.
“We know how to handle large, diverse groups,” says Maggie McBride Shimon, sales manager for the High Point CVB. “We can tailor that knowledge to meet the needs of smaller groups as well.”
Showplace, one of High Point’s main convention venues and the location where the furniture show is held, was recently host to the North Carolina Assisted Living Association, the Southern Building Materials Association Trade Show and a seminar series put on by celebrity and businesswoman Suzanne Somers.
The city’s other prominent convention venues are Centennial Station, a special event center that accommodates groups of up to 500 people, and Suites at Market Square, which offers 110,000 square feet of meeting space for groups of 200 to 5,000 people.
Meetings hotels include the Radisson Hotel High Point, J.H. Adams Inn and Courtyard High Point.
After meetings, groups can explore the downtown area, which is also called the Showroom District because most of the furniture retailers are located here. Some 50 retail furniture shops offer discounts.
High Point features more than settees and sideboards, though. Groups can head outdoors to the Piedmont Environmental Center and its extensive hiking trails on 376 acres. A memorable team-building experience in the outdoors is available at Maize Adventure, a 10-acre cornfield maze with miles of twisting pathways.
Just like her Triad sister cities, High Point holds a rich history. Groups can explore the Doll & Miniature Museum of High Point, showcasing a special exhibit of 130 Shirley Temple dolls and other dolls and miniatures. Mendenhall Plantation lets groups explore its false-bottom wagon used to transport slaves during the Civil War era and its early 19th century Quaker plantation.
Meeting attendees with high-octane interests can tour the Bill Davis Racing NASCAR facility in High Point and check out new race cars in development.
For More Info
Greensboro Area CVB 336.274.2282 www.visitgreensboro.com
High Point CVB 336.884.5255 www.highpoint.org
Visit Winston-Salem 336.728.4200 www.visitwinstonsalem.com
