In last year’s box office smash Yes Man, Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel take a spontaneous vacation to wherever the next flight is headed. Ambivalent at first when their destination turns out to be Lincoln, they wind up having a marvelous weekend visiting the Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum, cheering the Cornhuskers at a University of Nebraska-Lincoln football game and going skeet shooting.
In similar fashion, while the capital of Nebraska might not be the first meetings destination that pops into the mind of many planners, its solid advantages add up to a promising package that is turning heads and convincing more and larger events to say “yes” to Lincoln each year.
“Lincoln is proving itself as a city not to be ignored,” says Derek Feyerherm, director of sales at the Lincoln CVB. “Major events such as the 2010 National Games of the Special Olympics provide evidence that a community doesn’t necessarily need to be on a tier-one level to host a national event with nearly 20,000 in attendance. The CVB is seeing more groups who are willing to look at a smaller city if it offers affordability and entertainment options to their attendees, which Lincoln does.”
With budget concerns taking more and more priority in event planning for every industry and sector, the city where a dollar goes furthest is rising toward the top of the list. Lincoln fits the bill.
“Lincoln offers affordability and organization to meeting planners that is hard to be matched elsewhere,” Feyerherm says. “The state of Nebraska has been consistently rated among the top states in the country in terms of affordability, having been ranked No. 2 by AAA in 2008. Centered in the middle of the country, Lincoln also is a convenient place to meet. We are located within a day’s drive of major Midwest cities, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis.”
Adding to both convenience and affordability, Lincoln is served by two airports; attendees can fly into Lincoln Airport or Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, just 40 minutes away.
Yes to Space
The increase in meetings business has spurred new development in the city. A number of hotels are set to debut this year, strategically placed to open up new neighborhoods for events.
“Lodging properties are shooting up all over Lincoln, with four new hotels opening this summer in areas of our city where planners identified a need,” Feyerherm says. “Groups will now have an opportunity to stay in all parts of Lincoln. Additionally, the Holiday Inn Downtown, a full-service property in our downtown/Historic Haymarket district, just completed a multimillion-dollar renovation that included everything from an additional elevator to a new facade. This renovation has revitalized a property that has been loved by meeting planners in Lincoln for decades.”
Holiday Inn has 231 guest rooms and 15,000 square feet of meeting space. Other larger meeting hotels in town include The Cornhusker, a Marriott Hotel, with 297 guest rooms and 46,000 square feet of meeting space, and Embassy Suites Lincoln, with 252 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
Newcomers in town will include another full-service Holiday Inn, expected to open in late 2009 or early 2010 with 90 guest rooms and 4,000 square feet of meeting space; the 91-suite Residence Inn Lincoln South, scheduled to open in August with a 420-square-foot meeting room; and the 82-room Comfort Inn & Suites, slated to open in July.
The city’s largest venue is the 405,000-square-foot, five-building Lancaster Event Center. It offers a 35,000-square-foot multipurpose arena, meeting space for groups as large as 350 and facilities for conventions as large as 5,000.
The historic Pershing Center, which played host to one of Elvis Presley’s final concerts, offers 45,000 square feet of exhibition space.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) presents another important resource for events. Its Lied Center for Performing Arts offers a 2,210-seat theater as well as an auditorium and lobbies on several levels. Each area opens onto a wall of windows with views of the campus. Lied Center is also a venue for touring Broadway shows and other entertainment opportunities.
UNL is home to several unique museums available for rental as well. Sheldon Museum of Art houses more than 12,000 works of art and offers a 294-seat auditorium, a hall capable of welcoming 200 for receptions and a sculpture garden for outdoor gatherings. The LEED-certified International Quilt Study Center & Museum boasts one of the largest public collections of quilts in the world. It can host groups as large as 500. University of Nebraska State Museum offers rentals of Morrill Hall—with a 14-foot-tall wooly mammoth skeleton as its centerpiece—that can include a show at Mueller Planetarium.
The 10,000-square-foot Courtside Banquet Hall provides an elegant setting for as many as 350 guests located a few minutes south of downtown Lincoln.
An hour east of Lincoln, Lied Lodge and Conference Center in Nebraska City has 144 guest rooms and 14,000 square feet of meeting space. Owned and operated by the Arbor Day Foundation, the green-focused facility also features an environmentally friendly golf course designed by Arnold Palmer.
Yes to Fun
Lincoln offers further surprises to attendees looking to unwind after-hours and planners wishing to cook up interesting group outings.
The city’s two distinct entertainment districts are just a couple blocks apart. Downtown draws the college crowd with its live theaters and cinemas, more than 100 restaurants and dozens of bars and clubs. The beautifully restored 19th century warehouses of the Historic Haymarket district today house art galleries, antique shops and even more restaurants and watering holes. The live music scene is hopping, and places to catch a show include the Zoo Bar, a venerable blues venue. The historic Rococo Theater, restored to its 1929 glory, can accommodate rental groups of more than 1,000.
The elegant Pla Mor Ballroom, a well-known venue for country and big band acts, is available for rental and capable of hosting groups of nearly 700 just outside city limits.
Lincoln’s park system comprises more than 6,000 acres and 100 parks, including five golf courses. Antelope Park, one of the city’s largest, offers several outdoor, natural delights. Lincoln’s Children’s Zoo, home to more than 300 animals, has discounted tickets for groups of 30 or more and air-conditioned meeting space for 90. In the evenings, the entire zoo can be rented for a delightful off-site suitable for groups of almost any size. Across the street, the nationally recognized Sunken Gardens comes alive with annual blooms from spring to autumn. Nearby is the Rose Garden and Veterans Memorial Garden, where 21 memorials honor the veterans of many wars hailing from different branches of military service.
Wine lovers may be surprised to find out that there are more than 20 wineries in Nebraska, including three in the Lincoln area. Each offers tours and tastings. James Arthur Vineyards, the second-oldest and one of the largest in the state, offers both meeting space and off-site tastings. The vineyard is located 10 miles from downtown Lincoln.
Golf is another great option, with seven inexpensive area courses rating four stars and above. Quarry Oaks, 30 minutes away in Ashland, can host tournaments as large as 144 or gatherings of as many as 270 in its 10,000-square-foot clubhouse. HiMark Golf Course in southeast Lincoln offers 27 holes and banquet space for groups as large as 400.
One of the nicest things about Lincoln is that it’s such a safe, friendly city, so attendees feel encouraged to explore its attractions without worry. Although it’s far from being a small town, with a population of more than 225,000, not only are its streets non-threatening by day or night, but its inhabitants are ready to help should visitors need directions or recommendations.
“Meeting planners new to hosting events in Lincoln are surprised by the hospitality one receives in a community of our size,” Feyerherm says. “The residents of Lincoln embrace visitors and give helpful information whenever it is needed. Safety is another factor that is highly touted by meeting planners. Those staying in the downtown area have no fear if they choose to go out for a night on the town and wish to walk back to their hotel.”
