The temperate climate and prevailing winds in Oklahoma create an almost perfect breeding ground for thunderstorms. However, in an economic sense, the state’s two largest cities are in the eye of the storm, having maintained a state of calm and equilibrium during the world’s recent economic turmoil.
Tulsa and Oklahoma City have weathered the recession with startling success, avoiding much of the distress suffered by most cities. In fact, in 2008 Forbes named Oklahoma City the most "recession-proof city in America."
This favorable fiscal climate has enabled the state’s two largest metro regions to continue planned growth, retain workforces and expand, rather than contract, its meetings offerings. In addition, rates in the cities are as affordable as they have always been, and their central location keeps travel costs down.
Tulsa
Far from being blown off course by the winds of recession, Tulsa’s ambitious Vision 2025 project is well under way. In 2008 the city launched the 19,199-seat BOK Center arena, and adjacent sites are under discussion for future development. The Tulsa Convention Center will soon complete a substantial expansion, ONEOK Field will open this spring, and 220 new hotel rooms are currently under construction.
"Vision 2025 development and the additional private investments it has spurred have definitely created new venues, attractions and opportunities for meetings," says Amy Huntley, vice president of the Tulsa CVB. "Just like the Tulsa economy, the Tulsa hospitality and services industry has not been hit as hard as the rest of the nation, allowing us to maintain a full staff at most locations ready to meet the needs of guests. Add to that the fact that Tulsa has always been a value destination, and you have a comfortably cosmopolitan city with all the amenities of larger destinations at a minimum of the cost."
The city’s unique flavor is another major draw. From its location on the old American frontier to the Greenwood District, once known as the "Black Wall Street," to the spectacular architecture built during its days as an oil boomtown, there are symbols of its rich history everywhere the visitor looks.
"Tulsa has a history you would be hard-stretched to find elsewhere," Huntley says. "From an extensive and nationally recognized Art Deco collection to the rich Native American culture we have, Tulsa is a cosmopolitan city with a strong appreciation and understanding of its past. So while Tulsa is a true Southern city with all the charm and hospitality of the South, it’s also a progressive, growing urban area with a diverse and creative culture."
With Tulsa’s growth, Huntley says it is becoming a larger player in the meetings market.
"We will have groups and organizations looking at us for the first time because we are now large enough to host them," she says.
The QuikTrip Center in Expo Square, home of the Tulsa State Fair, offers 350,000 square feet of column-free event space under a cable-suspended roof. Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center, the city’s only AAA Four Diamond property, offers more than 50,000 square feet of meeting space. Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills, with 43,000 square feet of meeting space, is another larger meetings hotel. Other choices include the Doubletree Hotel Tulsa-Downtown, currently undergoing a renovation; the historic Mayo Hotel, which recently reopened after a complete restoration; and the Crowne Plaza Hotel Tulsa, with 38,000 square feet of meeting space.
In August 2009, the Cherokee Nation opened Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, with 350 guest units, 35,000 square feet of meeting space and 125,000 square feet of gaming space. An additional 2,500-seat event center is scheduled to open in 2010.
Meanwhile, the 118-room Courtyard by Marriott-Atlas Life, located in the historic Atlas Life Building, will open this summer.
Post Oak Lodge is located on 1,100 secluded acres in the Osage Hills just seven miles from downtown Tulsa. The property offers 60 guest rooms and specializes in corporate retreats, conferences and leadership development.
The Tulsa Zoo & Living Museum, set on 78 acres within Mohawk Park, provides a variety of event spaces.
Cedar Rock Inn, a charming bed and breakfast nestled on 55 acres in the wooded foothills west of Tulsa, offers Silo Event Center, a 3,500-square-foot space built of wood and stone.
Groups won’t want to waste a moment during downtime in Tulsa. The Blue Dome and Brookside districts serve up fine dining, hip watering holes and a hopping nightlife. The Cherry Street Farmers Market brings color and flavor to Saturday mornings. For culture mavens, Tulsa is home to two symphonies and a top-ranked opera company.
Tulsa is renowned for its world-class golf. Courses rated four stars and above include Cherokee Hills, Forest Ridge, Bailey Ranch and Heritage Hills.
Local winery Stone Bluff Cellars offers wine tastings, event space and city views.
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City has managed so well during the country’s recent economic troubles, and it makes a standing offer to planners to help them do the same.
"Oklahoma City has a diverse mix of industry, which has allowed us to weather the storm in this recession," says Elizabeth Richardson, director of convention sales and services at the Oklahoma City CVB. "Our meetings industry has not slowed down, and we attribute this to being an affordable, centrally located destination. As such, the overall cost of doing business in Oklahoma City has remained stable, keeping planners from experiencing unexpected increases."
Besides its focus on affordability and accessibility, the destination has added new attractions, made recent improvements to Ford Center and Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel, two of the city’s largest meeting venues, and opened meetings-ready properties such as Wyndham Garden Hotel–Oklahoma City Airport, Hilton Garden Inn Oklahoma City North–Quail Springs and Hampton Inn & Suites Oklahoma City–Bricktown.
Other larger meeting spaces include Cox Business Services Convention Center, which offers 100,000 square feet across the street from 1,400 hotel rooms in three hotels. Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City, with 18,500 square feet of meeting space, and Sheraton Oklahoma City, with 28,000 square feet, enjoy direct underground connections to the convention center.
There’s no shortage of things to do after-hours, either.
"Our city is a surprise to event planners and attendees alike," Richardson says. "We have a vibrant downtown that exceeds their expectations every time. Planners rave about how clean our city is, how friendly our citizens are and how much they love our downtown area, particularly the Bricktown Entertainment Districts."
Richardson says in addition to diverse dining options and myriad cultural amenities, the city has a strong Western heritage that visitors can experience in Stockyards City or at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
Chesapeake Boathouse, built in 2006 as part of the state centennial revitalization of the downtown area along the Oklahoma River, offers a meeting room and team-building events like rowing, dragon boating or kayaking. Panoramic glass walls look out over the river and reflecting pool.
For a memorable banquet experience, try Nonna’s Euro-American Ristorante and Bar in the Bricktown Entertainment District. The 22,000-square-foot restaurant offers two private dining rooms as well as 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Jim Thorpe Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, dedicated to legendary Native American athlete Jim Thorpe, opened its new 9,800-square-foot Bud Wilkinson Event Center this summer. The banquet facility, lit by natural light from an arched glass ceiling, seats as many as 600.
After a decade spent improving its meetings and attractions inventory, Oklahoma City has set its sights even higher for continued growth.
"Our citizens voted in December to build a new convention center as part of a larger continuing revitalization project," Richardson says. "The new convention center will be completed in approximately 2018 and will be much larger, allowing us to accommodate larger and more groups."
—A frequent contributor to Meetings South, Kelly Crumrin appeared in her high school’s production of Oklahoma! as a member of the chorus.
