Sandwiched between the urban behemoths of New York City and Philadelphia, the state of New Jersey presents much more variety than planners may initially think. Straddling both the city life and the country life, as a destination, New Jersey has nearly 100,000 hotel rooms, 25 percent of which are 15 miles from Manhattan.
The Garden State offers a web of transportation connections to several nearby states, plus over 100 miles of beaches and more than 100 golf courses. In Jersey, history sits right alongside modernity, sports stadiums occupy land that is within driving distance of national parks, and Revolutionary War sites sit not too far from high-tech companies.
Interestingly, the state is crammed with people—it has the highest population density in the nation—but is 46th out of 50 in total area. Despite its miniscule geographical footprint, the state has given birth to numerous politicians, rock stars, actors and sports personalities. Planners can opt either for the obvious destinations or their not-so-obvious equivalents. As legendary New Jersey resident Yogi Berra says, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
Atlantic CityAtlantic City is not being deterred by any facet of any downturn. The city is going full steam ahead with green initiatives, more nighttime entertainment geared for a younger crowd and expanding infrastructure.
New developments will probably bring Atlantic City to a total of 23,000 hotel rooms by the end of this year. In a destination with 23 golf courses already within 20 minutes, the city is reinventing itself big time.
The meetings-friendly hotel scene has expanded and diversified over the past several years following the opening of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, while recent newcomers include the Water Club (part of an expansion at the Borgata), the Chelsea and the Courtyard by Marriott.
Existing properties have also significantly enhanced their offerings, including Caesars Atlantic City, featuring The Pier Shops at Caesars; Trump Taj Mahal, offering a new 39-story tower; Harrah’s Atlantic City, which added a 47-story tower; and Tropicana Casino and Resort, which recently unveiled numerous new features.
Opening in 2011, Revel, a new casino resort, will feature two complete towers, each with 1,900 guest rooms. The property will also include 150,000 square feet of casino space, 500,000 square feet of entertainment, dining and retail space, plus a 5,000-seat events center.
Meanwhile, last year marked the first full operational year of the largest solar rooftop project in the U.S. A roof-mounted solar array was installed at the Atlantic City Convention Center at the end of 2008, and the results have exceeded expectations.
"We were expecting that when all was said and done, it would generate 23 to 25 percent of the building’s electrical use," says Gary Musich, vice president of convention development for the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA). "It ended up producing 28 to 29 percent, even in periods of really bad weather. It’s been better than expected."
Even better, another 25 percent is expected to come from a huge, full-size wind turbine to be installed on the convention center property, partly funded by a $1.6 million federal stimulus grant for renewable energy development.
For Atlantic City, it doesn’t stop there. Propane-driven vehicles will soon be taking folks to and from properties around town. The CVA is shooting for a goal of 75 percent of its promotional materials to be nonprintable. New 16-foot fans in the convention center are saving $80,000 a year in costs. The list goes on, and Musich says the city was ahead of the game all along.
"We focused on energy before it became chic," he says. "We were moving in this direction as part of our business model regardless. We’re the No. 2 solar state right now. We’re a very progressive state when it comes to renewable energy. And Atlantic County is very progressive in renewable energy to start with. It was a natural fit for us."
While the green initiatives are emerging left and right, the city is also seeing a resurgence of the entertainment market. New nightclubs and entertainment venues are opening up in hotels, catering to everyone from younger night owls to business travelers. Top options include the new One Atlantic atop the Pier Shops at Caesars Atlantic City, a 10,000-square-foot event space offering panoramic beach, Boardwalk and ocean views; The Pool and Loft at Harrah’s Resort; and House of Blues Atlantic City.
Southern Shore/Cape May
South of Atlantic City in Cape May County are meetings-friendly waterfront communities such as Ocean City, Cape May and Wildwood.
Wildwoods Boardwalk is home to the 260,000-square-foot Wildwoods Convention Center overlooking the ocean, and the Nouveau Wave Hotel, a $131 million development, is planned for Wildwood, including 100 rooms, 169 condominiums and 23,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space.
Cape May, a highlight of Jersey’s southern shore, is generally referred to as the oldest seaside resort in America. The area features numerous beaches, natural attractions, historical sites and places to hold meetings with scenic backdrops.
What one doesn’t expect from the Southern Shore area, however, is the New Jersey Motorsports Park on 700 acres in Millville. Diane Wieland, director of the Cape May County Department of Tourism, says the facility is ripe for corporate functions, including team-building events that involve racing.
"Because we’re mostly a beach destination, we’ve been able to open up to a different audience," she says. "It extends our business. When you talk about them, you have the different levels—the car owner, the crew and the drivers, and the next is the spectator. So we get to build on what’s happening over there, and it helps our area."
Cape May is currently finalizing plans for a new $10 million convention center to be built on the site of the city’s existing convention center.
Meadowlands Liberty Region
Perhaps no region showcases the juxtaposition of opposites in New Jersey better than the Meadowlands, with the latest in sports entertainment not too far from natural and ecological lures. It is home to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, and the big news this year is the new NFL stadium to be shared by the New York Giants and the New York Jets. A soft opening took place a few months ago, while local Bon Jovi performed at the official opening in May of this year.
"From a meetings perspective, the stadium was designed and built to be much more than an athletic stadium," explains Jim Kirkos, president of the Meadowlands Liberty CVB. "It has tremendous amounts of concourse space and great little venues for meetings, conferences, small trade shows and small little expo types of events."
Xanadu Meadowlands, a gargantuan sports, retail, shopping and family entertainment megaplex, is also scheduled to open in late 2010.
Meanwhile, in nearby by Harrison, next to Newark, Red Bull Arena recently debuted. The state-of-the-art, 25,000-seat stadium is now home to the New York Red Bull Major League Soccer franchise. The venue includes 30 skyboxes and three separate hospitality areas for meetings and events.
There are also billboards from Hartford, Conn., down to Baltimore advertising the Meadowlands’ "Walk, Gawk and Squawk" campaign. That is, anyone can walk along trails, gawk at birds, pro football and the Statue of Liberty, and then squawk to all their friends about what the Meadowlands has to offer. In the process, the Meadowlands CVB has partnered with the New Jersey Audubon Society as well as the Hackensack Riverkeeper, an independent, nongovernmental advocate for the river.
The Meadowlands Commission’s efforts in the ecotourism area have also increased dramatically, resulting in more and more planners incorporating wildlife elements as part of their trips. Wetlands tours, hikes along many trails, birding festivals and pontoon boat rides down the Hackensack River are all increasingly common, Kirkos says.
Central Jersey and Shore Region
If one points a finger right at the middle of New Jersey, New Brunswick would be the target. The location of Rutgers University, the city gave birth to college football, the first game being Rutgers versus Princeton in 1869. Rutgers recently built a solar farm that now provides 10 percent of the university’s energy. Chet Jasinski, who chairs the Central Jersey CVB, explains that Rutgers is going full steam ahead with over 50 different green initiatives.
"If planners come and do a meeting out here, they will want to see green technology," he says. "They can do a tour of all the green initiatives going on at Rutgers. I know this is something the meetings industry wants to continue to learn more about. This would be an excellent opportunity for them."
The two primary meeting facilities are the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, with 155,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, with 72,000 square feet of meeting space.
Continuing east to the Atlantic Ocean brings one to the Shore Region, featuring over 90 miles of coastline. The area is home to a wealth of renowned beaches, piers, boardwalks and even rock clubs. Musicians Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi got their starts in places like Asbury Park, with "The Boss" still occasionally showing up and gigging unannounced at the Stone Pony.
Numerous small towns highlight the Shore Region, including Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Seaside Heights and Red Bank. Each one features its own eclectic style and character. Ocean Grove, for example, is on the National Historic Register, offers 25 bed-and-breakfast inns, has more restored Victorian homes than anywhere else in the U.S. and also features a 6,000-capacity auditorium—all just steps from the ocean. In Red Bank, the Count Basie Theatre packs ’em in.
Over the last few years, many smaller boutique hotels have opened up along the shore and several independent businesses are making a go at dealing with the recession. For example, the Paranormal Bookstore in Asbury Park dug its heels in last summer and now offers successful ghost tours of the Jersey Shore Region.
Bob Hilton, executive director of the Jersey Shore CVB, emphasizes that the region is not just about beaches.
"A lot of people don’t know that within a 30-minute ride they could be next to some incredible waterfalls down by the river," he says. "And a 45-minute ride later will get them to Six Flags Great Adventure, which is always opening up new and exciting things."
The Skylands
Planners who think New Jersey is nothing but smog, factories and suburbs will especially delight in the state’s northwest region, which contains numerous state parks and forests totaling over 65,000 acres. Quick accessibility to the great outdoors, natural geography, ecotourism, golf, canoeing, kayaking and even wolf reserves all characterize the Skylands. The area offers numerous historical tours and villages along the Delaware River, plus skiing and snowboarding in the winter.
In general, the New Jersey meetings industry is implementing green initiatives left and right, and the Skylands is more than well suited for such efforts. The Crystal Springs Golf Resort features a year-round biosphere pool complex, including a grotto-like Jacuzzi, a cave-themed steam room and sauna, plus a dome-covered pool, the latter of which is common for cocktail receptions. Planners scheduling any sort of event at the resort have full access to the biosphere complex.
The Skylands also features New Jersey’s first wine appellation, the Warren Hills AVA, covering 226 square miles. A total of nine wineries call the Skylands home, and visitors can even plan a trip around the Skylands Wine Trail.
Delaware River Region
The Delaware River Region encompasses five counties straddling the river, from the state capital of Trenton southward to the Delaware border. In the north are Princeton and Trenton and farther southwest are the communities of Camden, Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel.
The region sits right across the water from Philadelphia. Revolutionary War historical sites dot the landscape, and there are plentiful outdoor recreational opportunities.
The economic downturn has had little effect in South Jersey. Business travelers still concentrate around the Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel areas while the rest of the region brings in mostly day trips and drive-in visitors.
"We’re in a unique position between Philadelphia and Atlantic City," says Jake Buganski of the South Jersey CVB, which oversees the region. "So you can park yourself here and then head in either direction."
The area offers no traditional convention center per se, but instead prides itself on eclectic options for planners. The Camden waterfront features group facilities and attractions that double as off-site event venues. Both the Battleship New Jersey and the Adventure Aquarium can accommodate up to 3,000 people for an event. The adjacent Susquehanna Bank Center and Cambell’s Field are options for larger groups.
In Mount Laurel, the aloft boutique hotel recently opened, offering six different spaces for business meetings, including a 5,200-square-foot ballroom. Mt. Laurel Marriott and Westin Mount Laurel are other meetings choices in town.
Princeton has three IACC-certified properties: the recently renovated Princeton Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at Forrestal, Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel and Conference Center and Chauncey Conference Center.
For a more rural setting, the Appel Farm Arts & Music Center in Elmer celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The venue regularly hosts team-building activities and can handle events for 300 to 400 people.
Finally, in South Jersey, the great outdoors is pretty darn close. The legendary Pinelands, or Pine Barrens, popularized by Pulitzer Prize-winning author John McPhee, is a short drive away.
