The past, the present and the future converge in a region of Pennsylvania that mixes rolling pastureland, deep-rooted cultural traditions, a waterfront state capital and the "Sweetest Place on Earth" with new and upgraded facilities.
Harrisburg, set on the Susquehanna River, along with the chocolate mecca of Hershey and Pennsylvania Dutch Country, centered on Lancaster County, form a diverse, meetings-friendly area with plenty of interesting venues and experiences for groups.
Harrisburg
Harrisburg, located 40 miles west of Lancaster, benefits from the delights of Hershey but also has an appeal of its own. Earlier this year, Forbes named it the nation’s second-best place to raise a family, following Des Moines, Iowa.
Settled around 1719 as a ferry stop, it was incorporated in 1791 and got its city charter in 1860, giving it reason to celebrate this year with 150th anniversary events.
"Together, Harrisburg and Hershey make two great components that complement each other. We’re affordable and accessible—a three-hour drive from New York and two hours from D.C.—with big-city amenities at low country rates," says Sharon Altland, sales director at the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau.
According to Altland, with so many varied attractions that can appeal to SMERF groups, the bureau has been targeting that market, especially religious meetings and reunions.
"This has been beneficial. We’re seeing an upswing," she says.
The city’s largest venue is the PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center north of downtown. With almost 1 million square feet of space indoors, it is undergoing $9 million in upgrades scheduled for completion Dec. 31.
Projects include refurbishing the entrance; upgrading the seating in its largest arena, updating technology, adding a new meeting room above its smallest arena and converting one meeting room area to become the Keystone Conference Center. Also nearing completion is a $3.5 million energy and utility cost reduction program.
"It keeps getting better," Altland says, adding that the enhancements will keep it competitive with other Mid-Atlantic facilities.
A 127-room Staybridge Suites opened adjacent to the expo center in April last year. Altland explains that it was one of six limited-service hotels that have opened since early 2009, boosting the area’s guest room count from 7,200 to 8,000.
Another major venue is the 30,000-square-foot Carlisle Expo Center in nearby Carlise, west of Harrisburg off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The center includes a 22,400-square-foot main exhibit hall that can accommodate more than 1,400 people for banquets and 7,400 for receptions.
It is owned and managed by Carlisle Events, which conducts car shows on the adjacent Carlisle Fairgrounds throughout most of the year. Some of the country’s largest car, truck and motorcycle collector events take place at the fairgrounds.
According to Fran Kachnoskie, event and marketing manager at the Carlisle Expo Center, the facility is centrally located and features free on-site parking, full-service catering, broadband Internet connectivity and multimedia capabilities.
"We have one of the most complete and convenient facility packages in Central Pennsylvania," Kachnoskie says. "Our business runs the gamut from consumer shows to weddings and banquets and state associations."
Meanwhile, pedestrian-friendly downtown Harrisburg features the Capitol Complex and river, the 326-room Hilton Harrisburg, with 38,000 square feet of column-free function space, and the 261-room Crown Plaza Harrisburg, with a 5,600-square-foot ballroom. Nearby is "Restaurant Row" (2nd Street). The area is surrounded by museums, including the State Museum, the Susquehanna Art Museum and the Whitaker Center for Science and Arts.
Reached via pedestrian and vehicle bridges, City Island is the pride of the waterfront. It is a park that encompasses a beach, a sports complex, jogging and biking trails, water activities ranging from kayaking to waterskiing, and cruises on a 120-passenger paddle wheeler that is available for charter.
The island also houses Metro Bank Ball Park, home of the Harrisburg Senators AA Minor League Baseball team that opened for the 2010 season following a $32 million renovation and remodeling.
Located on a scenic hilltop overlooking downtown Harrisburg is the National Civil War Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, offering a range of spaces, including a ballroom seating 200.
Another off-site possibility is the 2,000-slot Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, with 6,500 square feet of meeting and function space.
Served by six carriers with 13 nonstop destinations, Harrisburg International Airport had its busiest month in almost five years in May, and a 3.7 percent passenger increase in the first half of the year.
Hershey
Hershey, situated just 14 miles east of downtown Harrisburg, is a tempting spot for leisure visitors as well as a well-equipped meetings destination.
The 665-room Hershey Lodge boasts a convention center with more than 100,000 square feet of function space, and The Hotel Hershey, a European-style grand hotel that opened in 1933, has 278 guest rooms, the "chocolate spa" and 23,500 square feet of meeting space.
Last year, The Hotel Hershey unveiled its $67 million "Grand Expansion," which included 10 new cottages featuring 48 premium rooms, a new pool complex, a year-round ice-skating rink, exterior and lobby check-in improvements and seven new boutique shops.
Among its many attractions are Hersheypark, a theme park packed with 65 rides, including 11 coasters plus waterpark activities; the Hershey Theatre; and Hershey Gardens. All of the attractions, along with Chocolate World, are included in Hershey Meetings’ list of special event venues.
Another possibility for functions is the 71,000-square-foot Antique Auto Club of America Museum.
Hershey also has Hershey’s ZooAmerica, which turns 100 years old this year; the 63 holes of the Hershey Golf Collection; and Giant Center, home to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, plus a 7,225-seat arena where the Bears formerly played.
At Hershey’s Chocolate World, a new attraction debuted in summer; visitors can now create their own candy bar and wrapper using factory equipment.
Meanwhile, another attraction is slated to open in fall 2011. Harrisburg-based craft brewer Troegs Brewing Co. is planning a brewery that will include an 8,000-square-foot event hall in a former Hershey production plant on Hersheypark Drive.
Lancaster County
Lancaster County’s settlement by German-speaking immigrants dates to 1710. Celebrating the 300th anniversary this year, the Mennonite Historical Society has organized a slate of yearlong special events.
The pastoral scenes, horse-drawn buggies on country roads and Amish attractions conjure a well-known popular image. Less well known is Lancaster, one of the state’s oldest cities, but the destination is raising its profile with new options for visitors and meeting attendees.
"We now have a unique mix—a historic downtown with a new state-of-the-art convention center and, within 20 minutes, the countryside and the family destination we are known for," explains Mike Messina, managing director, sales at the Pennsylvania Dutch CVB.
Lancaster opened its long-awaited $177 million Lancaster County Convention Center and adjoining 299-room Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square in June 2009. Located in the heart of downtown, together they provide more than 90,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. To blend in, the project incorporates the facade of the landmark Watt & Shand department store.
"The convention center has exceeded expectations. A goal was to bring in new business and we have certainly done that, and the second year is better," he says.
During its first year, the center hosted 850-plus events and attracted two dozen new restaurants, retail and service businesses to downtown’s core. The Marriott derived 72 percent of its meetings business from groups that were new to Lancaster or had not visited in five years.
According to Messina, the center has helped attract new sports groups. He gives the example of a volleyball tournament headquartered at the center, with 320 teams producing 4,000 room nights in January.
In March, the city attracted 24,000 attendees for the newest international convention of the American Quilter’s Society, and it has signed on for two more years. It’s no coincidence that across the street from the center is the Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum, with event space and a notable Amish collection in a complex that includes the county’s Heritage Center Museum.
Also close to the center are Central Market, the country’s oldest continuously operating farmers market, and the Fulton Theatre, the country’s oldest continuously operating theater. Just three blocks away is Prince Street, dubbed "Gallery Row," with 70 arts venues and a regular First Fridays event.
There is also a new way for groups to see the city’s interesting sights: Red Rose Segway started up in October 2009, offering city, ghost, arts and other tours.
Meanwhile, Lancaster is home to a new boutique property: the 75-room Cork Factory Hotel, with more than 6,000 square feet of meeting space. A Historic Hotels of America member, it is part of a mixed-use project in industrial buildings dating to 1865.
A major meetings resort, Willow Valley, located three miles from downtown, was split into two properties in June following a $9 million refurbishment. Continuing under the same ownership and management, the properties are the 185-room Doubletree Resort Lancaster/Willow Valley and the 160-room Willow Valley Inn & Suites, which together have more than 16,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Among the other meetings-ready properties is the 319-room Lancaster Host Resort, which completed a guest room refurbishment last year, along with pool area renovations and a new climate-controlled outdoor tent that seats up to 200. The property has 80,000 square feet of meeting space and 18 holes of golf. .
Also, located outside the city, the 285-room Best Western Premier Eden Resort & Suites offers 25,000 square feet of meeting space. In summer it completed a refurbishment of its 2,550-square-foot Presidential Ballroom and its 1,000-square-foot State Room that included sound system upgrades.
Tony Bartlett has been covering the travel trade industry for more than 20 years.
