Go Wichita is on a mission—a mission to open the eyes of skeptics who hold preconceived ideas of what Wichita is all about.
The Greater Wichita CVB changed its name to Go Wichita earlier this year. The bureau also launched a new branding
campaign: "The city you’ve been searching for." In keeping with that theme, the CVB’s website features an Internet search bar as the main visual element.
"Instead of merely showing potential visitors what we think they should see, we want to get them to seek out their own experiences in Wichita," says Maureen Hofrenning, vice president of Go Wichita. "The city has so much to offer."
Hofrenning notes that some might not find Wichita that intriguing. So Go Wichita proposed a somewhat unorthodox challenge.
"We launched a ‘Search for Wichita Skeptics’ campaign," Hofrenning says. "Many Wichitans say their out-of-town friends and relatives don’t want to visit because they think nothing is going on here. We set out to prove them wrong."
Local residents were invited to nominate relatives and friends who seemed to always have excuses to avoid a visit. The winners receive a free weekend in Wichita. One skeptic from New York visited the city this summer and was wowed by Old Town, Karg Art Glass, Hatman’s Jack and the Kansas Aviation Museum. Another skeptic from Seattle visited the city and was impressed by the delectable sushi served up at Sumo Japanese Grill and World League Volleyball matches at Charles Koch Arena.
People can follow Wichita skeptics live on Twitter and Facebook to witness the conversions on a more immediate level.
"These skeptics are leisure travelers, but the same concept applies to groups," Hofrenning says. "Many groups are full of skeptics. We know we can convert them with what we have to offer."
Several new developments that benefit groups are taking shape in Wichita.
Intrust Bank Arena, a 15,000-seat multipurpose arena, is currently under construction. The $185 million complex is scheduled to be completed in January 2010, but according to a recent article in the Wichita Eagle, the project could be completed by this November.
"One side of the arena will look very modern, while the other side will include a red brick facade," Hofrenning notes. "The red brick side is
going to face the Old Town district, so it fits in with the architecture. I think that the arena illustrates what is going on in Wichita right now."
Downtown Wichita and the city’s Old Town district are undergoing revitalization. The state offers historic tax credits to developers to renovate historic buildings, and that’s fueling all the growth.
The Broadview Hotel, built in the 1920s and considered a serious meetings hotel, will be undergoing a major overhaul next year. The Wichita Downtown Development Corp. considers the property’s renovation critical to the momentum of the redevelopment of downtown.
"The development is done with an eye toward sustainability, but it still reflects our history," Hofrenning points out.
Wichita was incorporated in 1870, based primarily on the success of business folk who came to hunt and trade with native populations. The city’s location on the Chisholm Trail made it a stop for cattle drives headed north to board the railroads for Eastern markets.
That Old West vibe gave way when aircraft pioneers Walter Beech and Clyde Cessna began businesses in Wichita in the late 1920s and early 1930s that would lead to its designation as the "Air Capital of the World." Boeing-Wichita is part of the world’s largest aerospace company, which produces about half of all commercial airliners worldwide.
Workers at the city’s three other major aircraft manufacturing companies produce more than 60 percent of the planet’s general aviation aircraft.
"We bring in many regional meetings and conventions, and a lot of those groups fall into medical associations, aerospace and agriculture," Hofrenning notes. "We also attract government meetings."
Part of the city’s urban revival is an increasing number of eclectic entertainment options.
"Wichita has started to offer more cool restaurants and nightlife," says Shawn Tremblay, a Wichita native who owns locally based Amerifun, an events company that coordinates casino parties and other custom group get-togethers.
"Old Town has a lot of unique shops," he adds. "Walking around Old Town is a nice way to relax during the day, and it has vibrant nightlife."
Old Town’s red brick warehouse district is the heart of Wichita’s nightlife. Groups will find nightclubs playing rock, country, jazz, reggae and blues. All the while, it retains that Midwestern friendliness. The district isn’t any tourist trap. This is where the locals live in loft apartments and condos. The American Planning Association named Old Town one of the "Top 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2008."
The city boasts 35 museums, including Old Cowtown Museum, the Mid-American All-Indian Center, the Kansas Aviation Museum, the Wichita Art Museum and many more.
Most of the museums can host a number of group functions. One of the most unique off-site venues in Wichita is the Museum of World Treasures, located in a converted warehouse in Old Town. The museum features a motley crew, everything from a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur skeleton and Egyptian mummies to artifacts from European royalty and American presidents. Its meeting and event space can accommodate groups of up to 400.
For attendees interested in getting outdoors, the city’s 117 parks and 127 miles of trails provide respite.
Botanica, The Wichita Gardens offers
a number of indoor and outdoor spaces for groups to convene, including the Shakespearean Garden, which features Italian sculptures carved from Carrara marble. Flowers and herbs in the garden are either mentioned in William Shakespeare’s writings or were likely found growing in high-society gardens during his lifetime.
Wichita has a whole lot of fauna going on, too, thanks to the Sedgwick County Zoo, the Great Plains Nature Center and the Tanganyika Wildlife Park, which only recently opened
to the public after 20 years of breeding and caring for rare and endangered animals. The wildlife park’s Serengeti Room can accommodate groups of up to 400 people, as well as an additional 150 to 200 guests on a covered veranda. Other spaces are also available.
"Wichita has a lot of venues," Tremblay notes. "It depends on the theme and nature of the event, but you’re sure to have a lot of choices."
On the cultural side, the largest city in Kansas boasts the Music Theatre of Wichita, the Wichita Grand Opera, the Wichita Symphony, the Cabaret Old Town and many other venues. Local musicians and artists get exposure thanks to the First Friday music crawl and the Final Friday art crawl. The Broadway sensation Wicked will be running in Wichita for a run in October and November at the Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center.
A primary group-friendly property is the 303-room Hyatt Regency Wichita, which includes more than 35,748 square feet of event space. The hotel is connected to the Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center, which includes about 200,000 square feet of event space.
The Hyatt’s fairly new Harvest Kitchen is an eco-friendly dining option, with a farm-to-table approach.
Other meetings-friendly properties include the Hilton Wichita Airport Executive Conference Center, with 22,000 square feet of event space; the Marriott Wichita, with 17,000 square feet of meeting space; the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Wichita Downtown-Convention Center; and the Grand Prairie Hotel and Convention Center in nearby Hutchinson, with 28,000 square feet of event space.
The Wichita area includes about 8,000 hotel rooms, Hofrenning says. About 1,000 rooms are situated downtown. The ideal group size for the region is 800 to 1,000 delegates, although the city has handled conventions of up to 7,000.
More offerings in the works for planners to note include the WaterWalk development, a mixed-use project located on the Arkansas River that is set to open some time next year. It will be situated within walking
distance of the Century II Convention Center and the new Intrust Bank Arena. Developers have dubbed it "Wichita’s Next Great Gathering Place."
