Too often when someone says “New York,” listeners picture New York City and its surroundings. But the Empire State has an upstate that’s full of lively, accessible cities and beautiful landscapes that repay a visit many times over.
Whether attendees wish to be adventurous in the Adirondacks, explore the wine trails of the Finger Lakes or catch a performance of the Buffalo Philharmonic, there’s a diversion for everyone in upstate New York, not to mention a wealth of facilities for meetings and events.
Albany/Saratoga
The “capital” of upstate is also New York’s capital. Albany celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2009, and as the seat of state government, it benefits from association business as well as groups that have business before the governor, legislature and courts.
But Albany has also become a center for scientific research in recent years, with the state putting a strong focus on nanotechnology research at the State University of New York campus, which has expanded Albany’s meetings business into science and beyond.
Gina Mintzer, director of sales at the Albany County CVB, feels that Albany’s attractions are interesting but don’t threaten to overwhelm a meeting, as in some cities.
“People find when they come here that they can focus on their meeting and there are attractions that are nearby, but it’s not Vegas, where nobody’s in your meeting because they’re doing other things all the time,” Mintzer says. “We also get cited a lot for our architecture, which goes back 400 years in downtown Albany.”
Indeed, Albany’s architecture varies from the old-school grandeur of the New York State Capitol to the ultra-modern look of The Egg (a performing-arts venue) and the rest of downtown’s Empire State Plaza.
For the city’s 400th anniversary this year, the Albany Institute of History & Art is showcasing Hudson River Panorama: 400 Years of History, Art and Culture, including artifacts, documents, artwork and interactive displays, particularly focusing on the role of the Hudson River in Albany’s success.
Major hotel properties here include the Albany Marriott, Crowne Plaza Albany and 74 State. Recent enhancements to the inventory include the newly renovated Holiday Inn Express Downtown, a new TownePlace Suites and the Hilton Garden Inn at Albany Medical Center.
Just 30 miles north of Albany is Saratoga Springs. It’s the site of numerous natural mineral springs and a considerable number of spas, in addition to numerous buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also noted for the Revolutionary War Battle of Saratoga in nearby Stillwater as well as the famous Thoroughbred-racing track at Saratoga Race Course. For six weeks each summer, Saratoga is a hot destination for horse-racing enthusiasts and bettors, who fill the city’s hotels and flock to races that occur every day except Tuesday.
Lake Placid/Adirondacks
Lake Placid is known for hosting the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and also as one of the main starting points for exploring the sprawling, 6 million- acre Adirondack Park, which contains 1 million acres of wilderness as well as several small towns and villages, attracting outdoor lovers and nature buffs.
Asked about the Lake Placid area’s prospects given the current recession, Jon Lundin, director of communications at the Lake Placid/Essex County CVB, says the drive market is key to ensuring his area’s prospects right now.
“The long-haul destinations are suffering at this point, but our proximity to major urban markets—Montreal, New York, Boston—[means] the drive-to destinations are faring a little better. The price of gas has allowed that to happen.”
In the past year, the High Peaks Resort (formerly Hilton Lake Placid) has changed flags and renovated its dining rooms, Dancing Bear Lounge, foyer and conference center. In addition, the Lake Placid Lodge, which suffered a devastating fire a few years ago, has reopened.
In Warren County, Lake George is a 32-mile-long gem at the southeastern corner of the Appalachians. A vacation destination for decades, its shores have long been dotted with second homes, summer camps and plush properties such as The Sagamore, a grand resort that offers everything from golf and kayaking to spa treatments and 26,000 square feet of meeting space.
Other top meetings hotels at Lake George include Fort William Henry Resort & Conference Center, the Georgian Resort & Conference Center and Canoe Island Lodge.
Big as Lake George is, it’s just one of 120 lakes in an area that is one of New York’s most popular four-season playgrounds—and one with over 9,000 guest rooms.
Glens Falls is the unofficial capital of the region as well as the home of the event-ready Glens Falls Civic Center.
As an additional attraction for planners, Kate Johnson, director of the Warren County Tourism Department, says the county launched an incentive that will fund up to $50,000 for qualifying events held in the county.
“We are looking for new special events in our area—trying to attract something that attracts interest and that may attract spectators,” she says.
Johnson is also confident that the Lake George area will fare well in the current economic downturn.
“We’re a very likable, affordable, easy-to-reach destination,” she says.
Buffalo/Niagara Falls
Buffalo is New York’s second-largest city and its western gateway to Canada. The city is located at the head of the Niagara River and proximity to Niagara Falls is a perennial attraction.
As the western terminus of the Erie Canal, which connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, Buffalo was a major commercial, shipping and rail hub throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Today its economy centers on light industry, medical research, service industries and tourism.
Buffalo attractions include a unique collection of early-20th century architecture, sailing and yachting, and cultural institutions such as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Shea’s Performing Arts Center and the Buffalo Philharmonic.
The city’s primary group venue is the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.
Meetings-friendly properties in Buffalo include the Adam’s Mark Buffalo Niagara, Marriott Buffalo Niagara, Hyatt Regency Buffalo, Holiday Inn Buffalo Downtown, Hotel Indigo, Mansion on Delaware Avenue and, closer to the airport in Cheektowaga, the Millennium Hotel Buffalo.
Niagara Falls is about 17 miles north of Buffalo and easily accessible by car. More adventurous groups may want to take one of the boat tours that ventures as close as possible to the base of the falls, just to feel the average 4 million cubic feet of water crashing over them each minute.
Primary meetings properties include the Conference Center Niagara Falls, with 116,000 square feet of function space, and Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel.
Rochester
Although Rochester has fewer people than Buffalo, its metropolitan area’s economy is actually larger than Buffalo’s. Big employers here include imaging companies such as Xerox and Kodak, the tech-oriented University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology, and headquarters for companies as diverse as Birds Eye foods and Wegmans supermarkets.
Cultural draws include the Rochester Museum & Science Center, Strasenburgh Planetarium, Geva Theatre Center, Rochester Philharmonic and the Smithsonian-affiliated Strong National Museum of Play, a children’s museum focused on the history and culture of play.
Rochester is also well-known as the cradle of the women’s rights movement, and visitors can stop by the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester as well as the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, which was also home to suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The Rochester Riverside Convention Center is the area’s premier meeting facility, and the city also offers several hotels with significant function space, including the Doubletree Hotel Rochester, Hyatt Regency Rochester, Marriott Airport Hotel, Rochester Plaza Hotel & Conference Center and Woodcliff Hotel & Spa.
Syracuse
David Holder, president of the Syracuse CVB, sees Syracuse’s location in central New York—alongside two interstates and within a five-hour drive of 18 million people—as helping to bring tourists to the area for both culture and shopping.
“We are a regional shopping hub, and that may be the major draw in this area right now,” Holder says, noting that the already huge Carousel Shopping Center is currently undergoing a 1 million-square-foot expansion that’s due to finish in late summer or early fall 2009.
He also notes that Syracuse’s I.M. Pei-designed Everson Museum of Art will be one of the only North American cities to host an exhibition of French Impressionists ranging from Turner to Cezanne. It’s the first time this collection has traveled beyond its home at the National Museum of Wales.
Holder thinks Syracuse’s otherwise low profile is an advantage, given the public’s currently sour mood about corporate junkets.
“We’ll see people turn to Syracuse as a destination because it’s an affordable destination. It’s not going to be viewed as a glitzy, frivolous destination.”
The Oncenter Complex is the destination’s premier group facility, featuring the Convention Center at Oncenter, the War Memorial Arena at Oncenter and the Civic Center Theaters at Oncenter. A 366-room Westin, set to open in 2010, will be attached to the complex.
Meanwhile, the Holiday Inn Liverpool recently finished renovating and expanding its conference space, the first phase of a project that will also incorporate renovations to the main tower, including the lobby, guest rooms and lounge.
In addition, limited-service properties by Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn and SpringHill Suites are all under construction east of downtown.
Finger Lakes/Ithaca
As a small city that’s home to two noteworthy colleges (Ithaca College and Cornell University), Ithaca is well positioned in the current economic climate, according to Mary Rachun, director of sales for the Ithaca/Tompkins County CVB.
“We’re proceeding ahead and attending all the trade shows we usually attend. Some business will come our way regardless,” she says, noting that Ithaca’s meetings business never swings too high or too low regardless of the economy.
Rachun adds that there is an assortment of large scientific conferences in Ithaca each year as well as smaller corporate retreats and meetings, and the city really fills up each time there’s a NASCAR race at nearby Watkins Glen.
One possible benefit of having a hotel school at Cornell is that Ithaca’s downtown has a disproportionate number of excellent restaurants, ranging from the all-natural Moosewood to the casual Antlers and the white-tablecloth Tower Club.
The city also has a nice range of meetings-ready properties, such as the University Hotel & Conference Center, and there are more on the way, including the Hotel Ithaca, a high-end property due to open in 2011.
It’s also a natural base for exploring the Finger Lakes, which stretch between Rochester, Ithaca and Syracuse. Ithaca itself is at the base of Cayuga Lake, the region’s longest, and gorges and streams nearby are perennial attractions.
The Finger Lakes is one of the East’s premier wine-producing regions, and several wineries offer meeting space, while the region is also home to standout lures such as the New York Wine and Culinary Center, the Corning Museum of Glass, Smith Opera House and Belhurst Castle.
Binghamton/Central Leatherstocking Region
While Binghamton’s economy is driven by aerospace and healthcare employment and several local colleges, it also has the world’s largest collection of working antique carousels, the largest planetarium in the Northeast, a Binghamton Walk of Stars that includes The Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling (a Binghamton native), and a thriving downtown arts scene.
Binghamton is also nearly equidistant from cities such as Albany, New York, Philadelphia and Rochester, and its location alongside interstates 81 and 88 makes it a natural drive-to destination. It also has about 2,500 guest rooms, making it ideal for midsize citywides.
The Events Center at Binghamton University and Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena are primary group facilities, while meetings properties include the Binghamton Regency Hotel and Conference Center and the Holiday Inn Arena and Convention Center.
In nearby Johnson City, Traditions at the Glen Resort and Conference Center is a popular corporate retreat that was once an IBM meeting facility.
About 80 miles northeast of Binghamton is Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a must-visit for any fan of the game. Despite its baseball-related fame, the town jealously guards its small-town status—advertising that it has just one stoplight, period—and plays up opportunities for antiquing, golf and outdoor recreation in Otsego County’s numerous state parks and forests. Cooperstown’s historic Otesaga Resort is a favorite among groups for its lakeside setting and elegant ambience.
1,000 Islands
This stretch of the St. Lawrence River east of Lake Ontario contains an archipelago of roughly 1,600 islands—defined as above water 365 days a year with at least two living trees.
Most islands are larger than this definition implies—the biggest, Wolfe Island, is about 18 miles long—and some of these forested beauties have significant visitor capacity (parks, golf courses and even the occasional ruined castle) that makes them an ideal place to visit.
Most significant-sized hotel properties are on either the U.S. or Canadian mainland, however, particularly in Alexandria Bay, N.Y., and Kingston, Ontario. Top waterfront choices in Alexandria Bay include Pine Tree Point Resort, Edgewood Resort & Conference Center and Bonnie Castle Resort.
Planners should also consider having events on the islands themselves. Boldt Castle on Heart Island and Singer Castle on Dark Island provide unique backdrops for gatherings.
For More Info
Albany County CVB 518.434.1217 www.albany.org
Buffalo Niagara CVB 716.852.0511 www.visitbuffaloniagara.com
Cooperstown/Otsego County Tourism 607.643.0059 www.visitcooperstown.com
Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance 315.536.7488 www.fingerlakes.org
Finger Lakes Visitors Connection 585.394.3915 www.visitfingerlakes.com
Greater Binghamton CVB 607.772.8860 www.binghamtoncvb.com
Ithaca/Tompkins County CVB 607.272.1313 www.visitithaca.com
Lake Placid/Essex County CVB 518.523.2445 www.lakeplacid.com
Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation 716.282.8992 www.niagara-usa.com
Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau 518.584.1531 www.discoversaratoga.org
Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau 607.936.6544 www.corningfingerlakes.com
Syracuse CVB 315.470.1910 www.visitsyracuse.org
Visit Rochester 585.546.3070 www.meetinrochester.com
Warren County Tourism Department (Lake George Area) 518.761.6468 www.visitlakegeorge.com
1000 Islands International Tourism Council 315.482.2520 www.meet1000.com
