Construction cranes are disappearing, brand-new doors are opening, and Charlotte’s citizenry is unfurling red carpets for visitors throughout 2010. It’s as if this gracious Southern belle were polishing and laying out her best silver and china to welcome guests with the best in traditional and new Southern hospitality. As the locals say, "Charlotte’s got a lot," and they’re eager for groups to experience all they’ve been building for several years.
Especially in Center City, there’s an array of new infrastructure made possible with nearly $9 billion in development, including attractions, hotels and entertainment venues. The centerpiece is the new Wells Fargo Cultural Campus, where several attractions are debuting this year. Meanwhile, planners can take their pick when it comes to the city’s wealth of new private event venues.
Mike Butts, executive director of Visit Charlotte, says everything that is opening in 2010 comes from his city’s vision to grow tourism and meetings.
"While other cities have stagnated in the economy, we have so much that’s new to offer planners and their groups," he says. "Planners are looking these days for budget-friendly destinations, and we offer that along with a lot that’s new and fresh. This allows people to reinvent their meetings or add value instead of providing the same old, same old they might have elsewhere."
Headlining the "Queen City’s" openings is the NASCAR Hall of Fame—a repository of the history and excitement of motorcar racing. With its debut May 11, the largest city in North Carolina will seal her profile as the queen of racing.
A major feature of the new NASCAR site is The Crown Ballroom, a 40,000-square-foot space with a connection via an over-street walkway to the Charlotte Convention Center, the city’s main group facility, with 280,000 square feet of exhibit space, more than 90,000 square feet of meeting space and a 35,000-square-foot ballroom.
Elsewhere on the new Wells Fargo Cultural Campus are the Mint Museum of Art–Uptown; the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture; the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; and the Knight Theater, home to the North Carolina Dance Theatre and Opera Carolina.
Charlotte’s accommodations lineup has a new star, too: The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. Aside from all of its luxury components, the 146-room hotel has LEED certification for environmental soundness, 12,000 square feet of meeting space and a location just four blocks from the convention center. A bilevel penthouse and wellness center are also among the features.
Other major hotel choices in Center City include the Hilton Charlotte Center City, with 400 guest rooms and 30,000 square feet of meeting space; Charlotte Marriott City Center, with 438 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space; Omni Charlotte, with 374 guest rooms and 16,000 square feet of meeting space; Westin Charlotte, with 700 guest rooms and 38,000 square feet of meeting space; and aloft Charlotte Uptown, with 175 guest rooms and meeting rooms totaling 2,600 square feet.
Just outside of town, the IACC-certified Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge is a meeting planner favorite, with 214 guest rooms, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa and an 18-hole golf course.
Meetings-ready properties are also available in the airport area, including options such as Ramada Airport South and Conference Center, Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel and Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel.
The city’s entertainment sector is another area that has received plenty of enhancements, such as the Discovery Place renovation, a $31.6 million project that provides interactive advancements that include a digital 3-D theater, a larger aquarium and new science lab stations. Carowinds is getting the Southeast’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster: The Intimidator. Named for racing great Dale Earnhardt, it will stand 23 stories tall and top speeds of 75 mph. More than a mile long, it will treat riders to high-speed twists and turns, plus seven steep drops. Meanwhile, live music and other pleasures continue to lighten up the city scene at NC Music Factory and The EpiCentre, home to 267,000 square feet of shopping, entertainment and dining stops.
Activities available to business groups vary from an exploration of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s racing simulators and pit crew experiences to "volunteaming" activities offered by The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte that combine team building with service projects in the area.
The U.S. National Whitewater Center has the largest manmade white-water river and rock climbing surfaces in the nation, and it doubles as an Olympic training facility. Groups can experience extensive team-building activities with a ropes course, geo-caching, rafting a zip line and more.
Just north of Charlotte in the Yadkin Valley are dozens of wineries, including the Swan Creek Wine Trail, which encompasses estates such as Laurel Gray, Raffaldini, Shadow Springs and Dobbins Creek. Yadkin Valley Wine Tours specializes in guiding custom tours of the valley from February through early December.
Charlotte welcomes groups with easy access by air, road and train. Charlotte Douglass International Airport is one of the nation’s busiest, offering nonstop service to 130 national and international destinations. The Queen City connects to cities all over the nation via Interstate 77 and Interstate 85. In addition, Interstate 40, less than one hour north of the city, provides an important east-west link with coast-to-coast access.
Cabarrus County
Next to Charlotte is Cabarrus County, a center of the auto racing world. While it’s a favorite for auto racing exhibitions and association events, it is also emerging as a center for the biotech research industry as well.
"We work a lot with state and regional associations, as well as clients who want to work in motorsports for incentive programs," says Tracy Aldridge, senior vice president of sales for the Cabarrus County CVB, pointing to the Cabarrus Arena and Event Center as a major group venue. "Our arena and event center seats up to 7,000 and has 130,000 square feet of flexible space for exhibits and meetings."
Cabarrus has nearly 3,000 hotel rooms, with its leading properties only 5 years old or younger, according to Aldridge.
"We offer competitive rates outside Center City, and we’re convenient to a lot in the region, such as the Concord Mills Mall and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Loew’s Motor Speedway), right off I-85," Aldridge says.
Included in the Cabarrus lodging lineup is the new Great World Lodge, where 400 suites and 20,000 square feet of meeting space serve guests. There are also family-friendly features like an 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark and an 18-hole miniature golf course. Adult guests enjoy Elements, a full-service spa with an extensive menu of services.
Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord Golf Resort & Spa is another top group choice. The property has more than 300 suites, Spa Botanica and Rocky River Golf Club with a course designed by Dan Maples. Conference Center Charlotte-Concord adjoins the resort and accommodates meetings of up to 3,000 attendees. It includes a 29,000-square-foot ballroom and 26 meeting rooms.
Charlotte Motor Speedway also accommodates groups with 44,000 square feet of meeting space boasting views of its track. Vintage Motor Club and its 15,000-square-foot banquet hall is the centerpiece.
Located about a mile from the speedway is Concord Mills, a 1.4 million-square-foot shopping mall with anchor sites such as Bass Pro Shops and NASCAR Speedpark, which has private event space for up to 50, rides, arcades and other entertainment activities.
