As if validating the Charlotte’s Got a Lot tag line, the diverse city now finds itself center stage for the next presidential election. In February, the Democratic National Committee deemed Charlotte the perfect spot for its 2012 convention.
"The selection by the Democratic National Committee for its 2012 convention is the ultimate validation of Charlotte as a convention and meeting destination," says Tim Newman, CEO of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA). "We have the team in place, the thousands of quality hotel rooms, attractions, restaurants and meeting venues, and the energy to put forward to assure this will be the best convention the DNC has had in its history."
Anyone who has been to Charlotte in recent years knows how much the city has to offer.
"Our biggest [asset] is the city itself," says Bill McMillan, senior director of sales for Visit Charlotte. "When we get people to come and visit Charlotte, they see how clean the city is. They experience our Southern hospitality, our world-class customer service. We have a lot of big-city amenities but not the urban sprawl."
Part of that visibility is ease of access, not only as a drive-to city, but also with expanding service at its Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Newer nonstop options that rival major metropolitan hubs include destinations like Paris, Rome and Honolulu. Through the AirTran merger, Southwest Airlines will enter the market, likely adding flights with its signature low fares.
Charlotte also garnered attention last year with the debut of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which can host events in its Great Hall.
"The NASCAR Hall of Fame performed very well in its first year," McMillan says. "You don’t have to be a NASCAR fan to enjoy it. The design of the building is striking and not only gives people a well-rounded look at the sport, but really makes it hands on—you can take a wrench and be part of a pit crew. That gets that competitive spirit going."
The Levine Center for the Arts debuted last year and is now host to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Mint Museum Uptown, the Knight Theater for performing arts and the Harvey B. Gantt Center Afro-American Cultural Center, among other offerings, all within walking distance of the Charlotte Convention Center.
"Having four new museums open in calendar year 2010, all within a block or half a block from our convention center is really staggering when you think of the economy," McMillan says. "It greatly enhances our destination by giving the meetings industry unique venues to go to."
Last year, Discovery Place, a hands-on science museum, finished its 18-month, $31.6 million renovation and is now open for receptions up to 600. Also relatively new is EpiCentre, which is located four blocks from the Charlotte Convention Center and sports a movie theater, upscale bowling alley, restaurants and nightlife options, as well as the Aloft Charlotte Uptown.
On the hotel front, Hotel Sierra is slated to open this spring adjacent to Time Warner Cable Arena and four blocks from the Charlotte Convention Center. The 163-room hotel will also have 2,200 square feet of meeting space and 1,840 square feet of outdoor entertaining space next to the rooftop pool.
For groups, the 40,000-square-foot Crown Ballroom opened in May adjacent to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and accessible to the convention center via a walkway. The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte debuted in 2009 with 12,000 square feet of meeting space. It is now LEED-certified and features a green roof.
Charlotte Marriott City Center is sporting a $10 million hotel renovation. The Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark, formerly the Hyatt SouthPark, recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation and reopened last November.
Other meetings hotels include the Hilton Charlotte Center City, Westin Charlotte, Omni Charlotte Hotel and Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne, which was awarded LEED certification last year. Just outside of town is the Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge, a meetings favorite.
Groups can also explore the U.S. National Whitewater Center, which aside from white-water rafting offers mountain biking and running trails, kayaking, trekking, a climbing center, a zip line and a challenge course.
In addition, Charlotte has more than 40 public golf courses and offers space at its 73,000-seat Bank of America Stadium, home to football’s Carolina Panthers, and at the Charlotte Bobcats’ 17,000-seat Time Warner Cable Arena.
According to McMillan, the CRVA has set several goals over the next couple of years, including adding to the city’s array of amateur sports facilities.
"Amateur sports are huge for us," McMillan says. "It accounts for 50 percent of tourism-related hotel rooms. We would love to offer more indoor facilities."
A long priority has been to move Minor League Baseball’s Charlotte Knights from its current stadium in South Carolina to downtown Charlotte. Another goal is to add a 1,000-room hotel adjacent to the convention center.
"When we built the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the state of North Carolina reconfigured the space next to it to make room for either expanding an existing hotel or putting in a new one," McMillan says.
Groups can also explore Charlotte’s diverse neighborhoods, including Center City, a cultural and entertainment district, and the upscale shopping mecca of SouthPark, featuring the SouthPark mall and neighboring Phillips Place. Meanwhile, South End serves up a mixture of specialty and antique shops as well as restaurants and galleries.
Cabarrus County
With its "Where Racing Lives" tagline, Cabarrus County boasts the highest concentration of motorsports attractions in the world. NASCAR fiends flock to Charlotte Motor Speedway, part of a racing complex in Concord, and host to three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events a year. The complex also includes The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMAX Dragway.
Charlotte Motor Speedway will unveil the world’s largest HD video board in time for this year’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race May 21. The hockey rink-size screen measures 40 percent larger than the new screen in Texas’ Cowboys Stadium.
"We’re planning to attend trade shows that have to do with gaming and see if some organizations hosting national or regional gaming competitions would be interested in using it for hosting their finals," says Tracy Aldridge, senior vice president of sales and services for the Cabarrus County CVB. "We’re also pitching to convention groups to use it for an opening or closing event."
The city’s core group business is with organizations, businesses and associations associated with motor sports activities, according to Aldridge. "What happens when a motor sports group comes to town is that it becomes a built-in theme."
More than just motor sports, the region is gaining notoriety as a center for biotechnology research with the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, featuring a 355,000-square-foot lab building.
Several other buildings are planned for the campus, according to Adridge, but state budget cuts have slowed down future developments for now.
Cabarrus is also home to the popular Concord Mills mall. Unique meeting venues include the Reed Gold Mine, the only underground gold mine in North Carolina open to the public.
The county is also using its old buildings for groups, potentially including the Amtrak train station in Kannapolis.
"We’re trying to figure out a strategy for day groups or overnight groups that come in for a meeting to use the train," Aldridge says.
The Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte/Concord opened last year and can host small meetings. The Great Wolf Lodge-Charlotte-Concord can also host groups with over 18,000 square feet of event space.
"Great Wolf is going aggressively after the meetings market," Aldridge says. "They are trying to change their image as just a great leisure venue, but also want to utilize its meeting space as much as possible. They are giving better rates for groups midweek."
The largest property is the 308-room Embassy Suites Hotel Resort and Conference Center Charlotte-Concord, which offers 42,000 square feet of meeting space. The Cabarrus Arena & Events Center is another option.
