If you ask people about the last time they enjoyed attending a meeting in an urban location, chances are it had to do with the proximity of the meeting venue to appealing aspects of the city , everything from dining and shopping to live entertainment and the hottest new museum shows.
Increasingly, these needs are being satisfied in the form of dynamic new entertainment districts located just steps away from convention centers and meeting hotels. From San Diego to Birmingham, Ala., innovative downtown redevelopment is putting a wealth of great off-site venues and break-time activities within easy reach.
San Diego
A little less than 25 years ago, downtown San Diego was a place to avoid, according to Margie Sitton, senior vice president of sales for the San Diego CVB.
“I remember my husband and I went to a convention at the InterContinental in downtown, which is now the Marriott, and we were told not to go out at night,” she says. “Back then, the downtown was a very blighted, non-safe area.”
What a difference two decades makes. Not long after the San Diego Convention Center opened in 1989, downtown development kicked into high gear. Since then, a a whole new district has grown up around the convention center, with parklands, visitor attractions, boutique hotels, residences and PETCO Park (home of the San Diego Padres baseball team).
Most exciting of all was the evolution of the Gaslamp Quarter, a refurbished historic district just steps from the convention center that is filled with shops, restaurants, theaters, clubs, hip hotels, street performers, bike cabs, and palpable energy.
“It is a nice attraction for our convention guests,” Sitton says. “Because there are so many things to do, they really don’t have to plan an evening event—they can just send delegates out to the Gaslamp. It is a safe, unique destination. It creates a real value for our convention customers.”
Los Angeles
While a few years ago downtown L.A. was completely overshadowed by the city’s glamorous western enclaves, these days the area is coming into its own with the creation of L.A. LIVE, a 4 million square-foot, mixed-use development adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center.
“People want to come to downtown now because of L.A. Live,” says Carol Martinez, spokesperson for L.A. Inc., the city’s the CVB. “It has brought a new vibrancy to L.A.”
In just the past few years, L.A. LIVE has bounded onto meeting planners’ radar with a 123-room Ritz-Carlton and 878-room JW Marriott, the GRAMMY Museum, STAPLES Center, Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge and Nokia Plaza L.A. LIVE. Many of the venues are attached to the Los Angeles Convention Center, making access to events even more convenient for delegates.
“In the past, we heard that planners wanted to come to downtown L.A., but needed more hotel product and more space for meetings,” Martinez says. “Now, because venues such as the Nokia Theatre are connected to the convention center, and we have The Ritz and JW Marriott, groups are more willing to give L.A. a chance.
“We’ve become a stronger meetings festination and are now much more competitive with other cities trying to lure meetings on the West Coast.”
Denver
“Denver’s downtown has changed dramatically in the past 10 years,” says Rachel Benedick, vice president, sales and services for Visit Denver. “Today, there is a 24 hour atmosphere; a buzz no matter what time of day or night.”
The buzz surrounds 16th Street Mall, an entertainment and shopping mecca right near the convention center.
“16th Street Mall runs through the spine of our downtown,” Benedick says. “There is even a shuttle that connects various attractions along the way. It will take you to LoDo (lower downtown) and to the sports stadiums. Everything is right at your fingertips.”
How has the mall helped to attract meetings business to the city?
“It is part of the overall sell,” Benedick says. “Groups don’t need to provide shuttles to their attendees, which is a huge cost savings. The dots are connected in our city.”
Oklahoma City
Much like San Diego and Los Angeles, Oklahoma City’s downtown hasn’t always been a magnet for meeting attendees.
“I remember was I growing up, people would work downtown, but when the clock hit 5 p.m., they went back to their homes in the suburbs,” says Elizabeth Richardson, director of convention sales and services for the Oklahoma City CVB.
In the early 90s, city leaders got together and decided to create a downtown district, naming it Bricktown after the historic brick homes that lined the streets. A canal was dug and shops starting sprouting along the water. Today, Bricktown bears resemblance to San Antonio’s famous River Walk.
“Bricktown just blows my mind,” says Richardson. “You can take a water taxi ride where the driver will give you a narrated tour of the district and explain its history. There are also great shops and restaurants to enjoy.”
Has the existence of Bricktown increased the city’s meetings business?
“Absolutely,” she says. “Meeting planners are intrigued by Bricktown. Especially with today’s slashed meeting budgets, a lot of planners don’t have the money to organize large-scale dinners. Now they know that they can send meeting attendees out on their own and they don’t need to worry about safety and transportation.”
Birmingham
Birmingham, Ala., is a city on the rise. In mid-January, ground was broken on a new entertainment district right near the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Mike Gunn, vice president of sales for the Birmingham CVB, couldn’t be more excited.
“It is definitely something to look forward to and should open in late 2012,” he says. “Right now, the convention center is surrounded by vacant lots and old buildings. The center bought the surrounding land several years ago and tried to expand it as a multi-use facility, but that never happened.
“They were supposed to build an entertainment district and two hotels before the market crashed.”
The convention complex, which includes an arena, concert hall, and meeting space, is now at the center of an area under development that will include a new Westin hotel and more than 20 night clubs, shops and restaurants, according to Gunn.
“When the entertainment district opens, you will be able to walk outside your hotel or meeting room and within a block or so will be a lot of things to do,” he says.
Gunn is confident the entertainment complex will attract new convention groups to the city.
“One of the major complaints we’ve received from groups is that there hasn’t been much to do within walking distance of the convention center,” he says. “We have other areas of the city that are filled with fun activities, but you have to drive to enjoy them. I think this complex will give conventioneers something else to do outside of their hotel and meeting room.
“It will give us one more thing to sell,” he continues. “We are really looking forward to it; it is something we’ve been wishing for for quite some time.”
Louisville
In Louisville, Ky., meeting guests are also greeted with a thriving downtown core.
“There was a major tax incentive for downtown projects to be completed by the end of 2005,” says Jennifer Barnett, vice president of convention development for the Louisville CVB. “More than $700 million in projects was completed.”
Included was the development of the Louisville Downtown Marriott, the renovation of the Galt House Hotel & Suites Downtown and the creation of Fourth Street Live!, a mixed-use dining, entertainment and shopping hub.
“Meeting groups really want the whole package when they are coming to a destination,” Barnett says. “That is what you get with Fourth Street Live! The convention center is connected to the downtown district with climate-controlled skyways, so even in the winter; the area is accessible and convenient for groups.
We also have 2,300 hotel rooms connected to the convention center through a skywalk.”
According to Barnett, work is currently underway on even more restaurant outlets and entertainment venues.
“The Second and Main corridor is rolling out a lot of new development right now, which will make the downtown even more exciting,” she says.
-- Katie Morell is a Chicago-based freelance writer and former Meetings Focus editor.
