Comprising Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Triangle is a tempting trio marked by beauty via its lovely campuses and downtown districts, personality via its rich cultural offerings and intellect via its renowned universities and research institutions.
The area is home to Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, as well as Research Triangle Park, which was founded 51 years ago as a model for research, innovation and economic development. Planners appreciate the many local speakers available for meetings, particularly of the medical and high-tech variety.
All of this plus a solid meetings infrastructure that includes group-friendly hotels and unique off-site gathering spots, golf courses for group networking outings, a wide range of culinary opportunities and historic allure makes the Triangle an ideal spot for Southern meetings.
Raleigh
The Raleigh area is home to state-of-the-art meeting venues, a range of overnight accommodations, seven colleges and universities, and the famed Research Triangle Park. Because the destination is a center for academia, technology and research, expert speakers that planners rely on are easy to find, according to Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh CVB.
“We also are an affordable destination for meeting planners,” he says, explaining some of Raleigh’s greatest strengths impact a planner’s bottom line, including competitive prices to fly via Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which is on track to complete phase two of a new terminal by early 2011, more than 40 free attractions and the R-Line, downtown Raleigh’s free hybrid circulator service that connects all of the major dining and entertainment districts in downtown.
“The Red Carpet Welcome program provided by the Greater Raleigh CVB’s convention services is another opportunity for planners to take advantage of, particularly the SMART Card Program that offers convention attendees discounts and savings at more than 220 restaurants, attractions and other services throughout the Raleigh area,” Edwards says. Aside from affordability, Raleigh is currently promoting a $3 billion-plus renaissance that will secure its reputation as a “can’t miss” cultural and entertainment center of the Southeast.
Projects included in the renaissance are City Plaza, considered downtown Raleigh’s “living room” and home to public, outdoor art, performances, farmer’s markets and festivals, which opened in October 2009 just steps from the Raleigh Convention Center; the North Carolina Museum of Art, which opened a $138 million expansion featuring new galleries and public spaces in April; the Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, which will provide some meeting space when it opens in 2011; and the Raleigh Amphitheatre, which opened in June beside the Cree Shimmer Wall at the Raleigh Convention Center as the site for musical concerts and performances in an open-air setting.
Along with the North Carolina Museum of Art and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, popular off-site venues for group gatherings in the area include the circa-1875 All Saints Chapel, as well as the Angus Barn Wine Cellar and Pavilions at the Angus Barn.
Among Raleigh’s group-friendly hotels are the Umstead Hotel & Spa, the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel, the Raleigh Marriott City Center, Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle and Sheraton Raleigh.
“The Raleigh area is also home to some of the state’s most celebrated golf courses,” Edwards says, citing Lonnie Poole Golf Course on the campus of North Carolina State University. “And Triangle Segway Tours provides guided tours that give an overview of our area on themed tours, and the Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tour allows groups to taste the flavors of some of the area’s most popular restaurants on a guided walking tour.”
Durham
Durham is a colorful, creative and entrepreneurial community that’s full of attractions that appeal to leisure visitors and groups alike, according to Corey Bizzell, director of group sales and services at the Durham CVB. Durham, Bizzell says, is the proud home of Research Triangle Park, the Durham Performing Arts Center, Duke and North Carolina Central universities, Durham Bulls AAA Baseball, dozens of historic sites and three major art museums, including the Nasher Museum of Art and the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science.
“The downtown area is really vibrant with nearly 4 million square feet of old historic textile and tobacco factories that have been remade into everything from loft apartments to eateries and art galleries,” Bizzell says.
Planners might consider booking an event around one of the city’s popular festivals, such as the Bull Durham Blues Festival or the World Beer Festival, and they are encouraged to talk with the Durham CVB about having a scavenger hunt.
“Lots of groups do scavenger hunts, which allows attendees to interact with each other and also get an exciting tour of the city,” Bizzell says, explaining that the hunts are arranged on a case by case basis. “Depending on the amount of time and resources available, I have seen groups do all-day hunts that include food stops, museums, downtown and shopping. Other groups that only have an hour or so may be more focused and driven by just one of our niche pieces such as dining and shopping or African American heritage.”
Among the area’s most important group facilities are the Durham Convention Center and adjacent Durham Marriott Convention Center, the Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center, the Hilton Durham near Duke University, the Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park, Millennium Hotel Durham, Radisson Hotel Research Triangle Park and the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club.
New to this portfolio are the Hotel Indigo Durham, the King’s Daughters Inn and for off-site events, Room 100 and the Cotton Room at Golden Belt, as well as Bay 7 at the American Tobacco Campus.
“These are new facilities where meetings can be held in renovated old buildings,” Bizzell says, adding they are within walking distance of other downtown attractions.
Chapel Hill
Visitors and groups to Chapel Hill quickly discover its small town flavor and big-city taste, according to Linda Ekeland, sales director at the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau.
“Chapel Hill is an exciting venue with all the unique character of a historic university town that is not only rich in heritage but has a vibrant downtown, colorful shops and an exquisite array of restaurants that range from casual to elegant,” she says, adding Chapel Hill offers a wide variety of meeting spaces and hotels. “We provide affordable and flexible venues for all types of meetings, and planners appreciate our commitment to hospitality and our cozy atmosphere.”
Within that cozy atmosphere, groups will enjoy outings to, among other venues, Morehead Planetarium & Science Center, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Ackland Art Museum and Carolina Basketball Museum.
“There is a variety of venues to choose for an off-site activity in Chapel Hill,” Ekeland says. “Groups love to visit A Southern Season for gourmet shopping and dining. The professional cooking school is the perfect setting for hands-on experiences preparing lunch, dinner or specialty items.”
Perhaps Chapel Hill’s most unique group activity is the Chapel Hill Creamery farm tour, where attendees enjoy seasonal hay rides, bottle feeding new calves and sampling the different types of cheese produced at the farm. Another is a visit to the North Carolina Botanical Garden, one of the largest natural botanical gardens in the Southeast that features more than 800 acres of preserved land for groups to explore. Guided tours are available, and groups can coordinate box lunches for a picnic as part of the stop.
Top meetings properties include the William and Ida Friday Center; the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel, which recently completed an $8 million makeover; the historic AAA Four Diamond Carolina Inn; and the AAA Four Diamond Siena Hotel.
Several new properties are also gracing the scene.
Aloft Chapel Hill recently opened next to the Finley Golf Course with 130 guest rooms and nearly 1,600 square feet of meeting space. The new Great Room, designed to host events ranging from receptions to board meetings for up to 170 people, is now open at Top of the Hill Restaurant. And the new 3,500-square-foot Depot at Hillsborough Station is an art gallery available for meetings and corporate parties.
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings South.
