North Carolina’s Triangle has as its points Raleigh, also the state capital, Durham and Chapel Hill. The area can rightfully brag more brainpower than many other regions of the country. As the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Duke University, Research Triangle Park and a growing multitude of high-tech companies, including pharmaceutical and computer giants, the Triangle has an iron-clad reputation for research smarts and scientific know-how.
These factors are boons for planners, ensuring state-of-the-art meeting facilities, a wealth of science-related activities and speakers, and a strong attraction for groups with ties to medicine or technology.
All this might sound a little nerdy, but there’s no need to bring a pocket protector along. The Triangle is also known for its arts and music scene, golf, cuisine and charming architecture steeped in history.
Raleigh
The “Smithsonian of the South” earned its moniker due to the large number and high quality of its many museums. The nickname also points to Raleigh’s reputation as a scientific giant, home to North Carolina State University and a number of private colleges.
The Greater Raleigh area is in the midst of a $3 billion renaissance that’s adding new hotels, restaurants, attractions and public spaces, most of which are scheduled for completion by 2010.
A few projects have already seen fruition, including the new 500,000-square-foot Raleigh Convention Center. Opened last September, this downtown development boasts 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 32,000-square-foot ballroom and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The center was built with sustainability in mind, reflected in features such as water and energy efficiency, and it has applied for LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Adjacent to the new center, the 400-room Raleigh Marriott City Center Hotel opened in August 2008. The property offers 15,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 9,000-square-foot ballroom.
Renaissance Raleigh Hotel North Hills opened last fall, offering 223 guest rooms and 8,000 square feet of meeting space in Raleigh’s midtown.
The 300-room Westin Raleigh Soleil Center is scheduled to open this summer in Crabtree Valley near a large mall complex.
Other significant meeting venues in town include the RBC Center, with 700,000 square feet of event space and 50,000 square feet of meeting space, and the McKimmon Conference and Training Center, which offers 37,000 square feet of event space.
In transportation news, Raleigh-Durham International Airport is in the process of adding a new $600 million terminal, and it added several new direct flights by a number of carriers in early 2008.
Raleigh is also adding attractions. A new golf course is set to open on the campus of North Carolina State University this spring. Just a few minutes from the downtown convention area, the Lonnie Poole-designed course will offer 18 holes. North Carolina Museum of Art is undergoing a $138 million expansion set to open this year. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences broke ground last spring on its new Green Square project, which will create a new Nature Research Center in 2011.
Interesting off-site options include Artspace, a visual art center capable of welcoming groups of up to 500 people; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, which can accommodate as many as 1,500 guests; and the prestigious Capital City Club, offering panoramic views and event space for 400 people.
Groups can also take advantage of Triangle Segway to explore the city. Segway tours are a unique and pleasant way to take in the history and architecture of this fascinating city. There are three different tours to choose from, including a new tour of Raleigh West, home to historical Hillsborough Street and entertainment hub Glenwood Avenue.
In addition to cutting-edge meeting venues and tempting attractions, the CVB itself works hard to sweeten the pot for planners.
“Incentives offered to planners by the Greater Raleigh CVB include the Red Carpet Welcome program, offering attendance-building, digital marketing and the SmartCard, which provides groups of 500 or more with discounts to more than 100 restaurants, attractions and golf courses,” says Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh CVB.
Durham
Built on tobacco and synonymous with technology, Durham is proud of its history and primed for the future. One way the city unites all of these elements is by putting its heritage buildings to creative new uses to fill today’s needs.
“One area with considerable new development is Downtown Durham,” says Shelly Green, chief operating officer at the Durham CVB. “It features two of the largest adaptive reuse projects of historical buildings in North Carolina’s history. American Tobacco Campus is 1 million square feet of tobacco warehouses from the 1800s completely restored into restaurants, nightlife [venues], outdoor amphitheaters and condos, plus meeting and office space. The Liggett & Myers tobacco warehouses are nearly 1 million square feet in 12 tobacco factories built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, now developed into housing as well as office and retail space adjacent to Brightleaf Square’s retail and restaurants.”
Golden Belt, east of downtown, is another adaptive reuse project and a prime choice for off-site events. The textile mill, which dates to 1900, reopened in June 2008 as a complex of artist studios, lofts, retail shops and restaurants. ROOM 100, a central art gallery, offers reception space for 350 people. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and expects to become LEED-certified soon.
With eight new hotels in the pipeline and more on the table for review, the lodging product in Durham is set to expand by nearly 1,100 rooms to a total of 8,500 in the next two years.
Scheduled for completion in 2009 are a 159-room Four Points by Sheraton, a 125-room Hotel Indigo and a 100-room Courtyard by Marriott. In 2010 the city expects to add a 207-room Westin, a 130-room Hilton Garden Inn and a 110-room downtown boutique property. A 280-room Davis Park development is currently on hold. Other projects under consideration would add another 900 rooms.
Existing meeting venues include Durham Civic Center Complex, with 103,000 square feet of event space; the 180-room Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club on the campus of Duke University; and the 19,000-square-foot Charles Hamner Conference Center in Research Triangle Park.
Meanwhile, the Durham Performing Arts Center opened in December 2008. The 2,800-seat theater features state-of-the-art sound and lighting. One of the largest performance halls of its kind in the Carolinas, it hosts Broadway musicals, concerts and comedy shows.
Located adjacent to the new arts center and American Tobacco Campus is Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The park provides private picnic spaces for as many as 1,000 people. Groups can also get discounts on tickets to minor league baseball games.
“Durham has a bright future as a destination for meetings and conventions,” Green says. “There are several things that make this colorful, creative and entrepreneurial community a great meeting destination. Great accessibility, quality facilities, world-renowned scientific institutions, a distinct cultural identity and creative, engaging people all help make each event a success.”
Chapel Hill
A classic college town, Chapel Hill is the best-educated city in the state, according to census information. In recent years, the city has received national media attention for its cuisine, with several local eateries featured on popular cooking shows. Along with nearby Carrboro, which is known for its arts and music scene, Chapel Hill is well suited for groups of approximately 300 people.
“We are emerging as a popular destination for regional and national conferences and events, offering everything you can find in a large city with a unique small-town setting,” says Linda Ekeland, director of sales at the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau. “When the meeting is completed, attendees enjoy a stroll down Franklin Street, the heartbeat of Chapel Hill. They visit the many shops, restaurants and entertainment venues that are open night and day. No visit is complete until one takes the self-guided campus tour of the University of North Carolina.”
Sheraton Chapel Hill recently completed a remodel to all of its 168 guest rooms and bathrooms and added Shula’s 347 Grill, along with two new meeting rooms. Major renovations to all 16,000 square feet of meeting space will be finished this month.
Larger meetings hotels include the 184-room Carolina Inn, with 13,000 square feet of meeting space; the 67-room Franklin Hotel, with 2,300 square feet of meeting space; and the 108-room Residence Inn by Marriott–Chapel Hill, with 1,980 square feet of meeting space.
Notable meeting facilities on the campus of the University of North Carolina include the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education, with 25,000 square feet of meeting space and a 425-seat auditorium, and the Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center, with 41 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
Carolina Basketball Museum opened in January 2008 to celebrate the Tar Heels’ storied history. The 8,000-square-foot museum, located on the University of North Carolina campus, presents memorabilia and more than 450 artifacts.
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center was the first planetarium on any college campus in the U.S. when it was built in 1949 at the University of North Carolina. The historic facility, which once trained astronauts for NASA, offers private bookings of shows for groups of 10 or more.
For More Info
Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau 919.968.2060 www.chocvb.org
Durham CVB 919.687.0288
www.durham-nc.com
Greater Raleigh CVB 919.834.5900
www.visitraleigh.com
