In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a trio of companies trading on vision technology incorporated in Rochester, N.Y. Since that time, the city has been known as the "World’s Imaging Center" and the "Picture City." Science has come a long way since the invention of roll film and the monocle, but the Greater Rochester area has remained a high-tech hub, a birthplace for ideas that continue to revolutionize the way we view and share images.
Today, Rochester is still the perfect place to see and be seen. Its location on the shore of Lake Ontario and just north of the Finger Lakes region, renowned for its beauty and called the "Napa Valley of the East" for its more than 100 wineries, provides ample recreational opportunities for groups in the form of lake cruises, wine tasting and world-class golf. The draws of the city itself include rich history, especially where civil rights are concerned, a healthy cultural scene and vibrant nightlife options.
"For meetings and conventions, Rochester provides compelling resources that are hard to beat," says Tracy Armstrong, director of community-wide convention marketing at Visit Rochester. "The birthplace of Bausch & Lomb, Eastman Kodak and Xerox Corporation, this city’s legacy in imaging and optics is unparalleled. Rochester also boasts 11 colleges and universities, plus hundreds of entrepreneurial firms making headlines around the world. It has important assets and expertise in other areas, too, including biomedicine and medical research, fuel-cell research and precision manufacturing. This combination of education, research and business expertise provides a wealth of speakers and special amenities for groups meeting here."
Apart from the impressive array of brainpower and resources, a strong element of the region’s draw for planners is the individualized attention they receive with each event.
"We recognize that different markets have different needs," Armstrong says. "As a midsize city, every event is given VIP treatment. When you hold a large convention in Rochester, New York, you are the convention in town. Attention to detail is a hallmark of Rochester’s hospitality and service. If it’s possible, we’ll make it happen!"
Hugh K. Lee, former chairman of MPI and president of Fusion Productions, based in Rochester, echoes that sentiment.
"Over the past 30-plus years in the meetings and events business, much has changed and much has stayed the same," Lee says. "Twenty-five years ago, we built a wonderful convention center. Over the years we have continued to raise the standards of both the physical layout and most of all the service. The warmth and flexibility of the facility shines through, and you can sense the level of detail when you meet Executive Director Joe Floreano or any of his staff."
The versatile Rochester Riverside Convention Center offers 100,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space connected to 1,100 rooms in three major hotels via an enclosed skywalk system and scenic riverside. It boasts the only convention center catering service to have won an honorary membership in the prestigious Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs culinary society.
The city offers a total of 7,500 hotel rooms. Meetings hotels in the center of town include the 465-room Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, a former Clarion property that was reflagged in April following a $6.5 million renovation; the 363-room Rochester Plaza Hotel & Conference Center; the 338-room Hyatt Regency Rochester; and the recently renovated, 155-room Strathallan Hotel.
The nearby Center City entertainment district holds a wide array of choices for after-hours unwinding. Its restaurants, clubs, pubs, theaters, cafes and live music venues are sure to offer something that appeals to everyone.
Other meetings hotels in Greater Rochester include Holiday Inn Rochester Airport, with 12,000 square feet of meeting space; Doubletree Hotel Rochester, with 10,000 square feet of meeting space; and Rochester Airport Marriott, with 5,600 square feet of meeting space. In nearby Fairport, the upscale Woodcliff Hotel and Spa, which recently completed a property-wide renovation, offers more than 6,000 square feet of meeting space.
Sporting venues provide another option for larger-scale events. Blue Cross Arena has seating for more than 12,000 and can accommodate receptions as large as 465. Frontier Field, home to Rochester’s AAA baseball team, seats almost 11,000 and offers a pavilion suitable for 1,500. A new soccer stadium is currently under construction and will provide another venue for outdoor events.
Planners can take advantage of Rochester’s location and give meetings a luxurious feel by booking a gathering at a resort in the nearby Finger Lakes region. A one-hour drive from Rochester, the AAA Four Diamond Geneva on the Lake resort can welcome 50 for indoor events or 160 outdoors. Bristol Harbour Resort in Canandaigua offers meeting space for 350 and a top-quality golf course. The elegant and unique Belhurst Castle, located in Geneva, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property can welcome groups as large as 250.
Rochester also offers interesting options for off-site events and excursions.
"Ultimately, Rochester is an attraction-filled experience with great activities and venues for both business and pleasure," Armstrong says. "Groups can enhance their programs with free-time activities or social functions in a variety of spaces that help make any event a truly memorable experience."
Despite its high-tech edge, Rochester has also worked hard to preserve its history. The city boasts more sites on the National Register of Historic Places than any other U.S. city its size. In fact, meeting space is available at two of Rochester’s National Historic Landmarks. The mansion home of Kodak’s founder, George Eastman House, can welcome 100 people for events, and groups of up to 45 people can assemble in the Susan B. Anthony House, a former headquarters for the women’s suffrage movement.
The city was also home to important episodes in the fight for African-American civil rights. The Freedom Trail Tour tells the story of the struggle for equality while visiting sites related to famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass and many other community organizers who led the way to legal equality.
Planners can add an artful flair with an event at a cultural venue. Geva Theatre, the five-screen Little Theatre and the University of Rochester’s magnificent Eastman Theatre all offer private rentals.
Not merely located off-site, Genesee Country Village and Museum in nearby Mumford is actually set in the 19th century. The living history village presents 68 authentic structures brought to life by costumed interpreters and craftspeople. Meeting spaces include an auditorium seating as many as 330 people, a 250-person exhibition hall and a Victorian garden capable of welcoming 185 people.
Other popular attractions include Strong National Museum of Play, the world’s only museum dedicated to play and a favorite for kids of all ages, and Seneca Park Zoo.
With inspiring attractions, a variety of meeting space, modest prices and attentive service, Rochester is seeing far less of a decrease in meetings business than many other U.S. cities.
"In today’s economy, there are more regional and smaller meetings than the big extravagant national meetings that were held in the past," Lee says. "But beyond the obvious, several trends are clear. Meetings need to show value, meet business objectives and appeal to the changing demographics who look for a balance in work and family. All these trends bode well for holding an event in Rochester. We have the world-class facilities, service and attractions to meet the business and attendees objectives. Perhaps that’s why our region was ranked by Money Magazine as one of the 10 best places to vacation."
