Among the most culturally diverse states in the nation, Massachusetts is filled with meetings-friendly destinations that offer planners both terrific hotels and convention facilities as well as exceptional cultural attractions that double as interesting off-site venues.
From Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to Martha's Vineyard's Grange Hall, the Bay State boasts ample options for gatherings that are sure to positively punctuate any group itinerary.
Boston
Boston and Cambridge offer planners a combined destination that features 400 years of international innovation, research and revolution, according to Larry Meehan, vice president of tourism at the Greater Boston CVB. The home of more than 75 cultural institutions, Boston presents planners with a rich international cultural heritage with an American vitality.
"The cultural product is diverse—sports, culinary, music and historic event venues are available," Meehan says, adding two of the finest in the world are Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). "Both would provide amazing venues for a never-to-be-forgotten reception, and if the client hasn't been to Boston in the last five years they would be so impressed to experience these new spaces."
The 5-year-old Institute of Contemporary Art (617.478.3100) is an international contemporary architectural landmark that celebrates the view and location at Boston's historic harbor, according to Meehan.
"This is an event setting unlike any other in Boston," he says, explaining the ICA offers both stunning works of contemporary art and breathtaking water and city skyline views. "The innovative cuisine and impeccable service of Wolfgang Puck on-site and the location just three blocks from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center makes the site perfect for meeting planners."
The ICA's five spaces include the State Street Corporation Lobby and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater.
The 101-year-old classic Museum of Fine Arts Boston (617.267.9300), located in Boston's Grand Fenway cultural district, is an internationally popular and loved museum that houses more Monet works than anywhere in the world outside Paris, according to Meehan.
The museum just added the Art of the Americas wing by Sir Norman Foster of architectural firm Foster and Partners.
"Featuring the soaring 63-foot-high, glass-enclosed, light-filled Shapiro indoor courtyard, the new space provides year-round enjoyment of the outdoors and is a spectacular venue for special events," Meehan says, adding that visiting groups can enjoy 25 exhibitions presented through spring 2012, spotlighting artists such as Chihuly, Goya and Degas.
Founded in 1870, the MFA attracts more than 1 million visitors a year and contains more than 450,000 works of art, one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas.
North of Boston
Located just 18 miles from Boston, with 200 miles of shoreline and "a story in every mile," the North of Boston region receives rave reviews from meeting planners and attendees, according to Susan Middleton Campbell, convention and international sales manager at the North of Boston CVB.
"As the birthplace of artistic luminaries and home to historic events that shaped the nation, the North of Boston region has something for every culturally curious visitor," she says. "In addition to hotel and conference space, there are mansions, museums and boats to stage your special events."
Completed in June 2010, the Shalin Liu Performance Center (978.546.7391) is the premiere chamber recital hall North of Boston, with state-of-the-art acoustics, modern amenities and superior service.
Built by Rockport Music for the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, which has presented chamber music of the highest caliber since 1981, the venue hosts special events in an intimate setting and features gorgeous views of the ocean.
"There are a number of off-site venues North of Boston that are great for group meetings, but the ones that really stand out are those that offer not only every amenity, but can showcase the natural beauty and uniqueness of this region," Campbell says. "The Shalin Liu Performance Center really captures this as a new landmark in the small seaside town of Rockport."
Worcester
Worcester, according to Monica Elefterion, convention, tourism and membership coordinator at the Central Massachusetts CVB, is the county's urban anchor and New England's second-largest city.
"The area offers a variety of world-class cultural, entertainment and recreational activities, including a number of outstanding museums," she says, explaining most of them double as off-site venues for group gatherings.
The Higgins Armory Museum (508.853.6015 ) is a standout spot, as it features the largest on-display collection of medieval and Renaissance armor in the Western Hemisphere, Elefterion says.
Joanne Roy, coordinator of special events and venue rentals at the Higgins Armory Museum, adds that the circa-1931 glass and steel building is perched atop one of Worcester's many hills and fashioned after the castles of Medieval Europe.
"Our Great Hall boasts soaring arches, stained glass, tapestries and secretive archways providing the backdrop for a multitude of signature events," she says. "This space lends itself beautifully to seated dinners for 120 guests, cocktail receptions for 250 as well as elegant weddings and fundraising galas."
Springfield
Springfield is a culturally rich destination in the state's Pioneer Valley.
"The site of the nation's first armory, commissioned by President George Washington, is open to the public for touring," says Mary Kay Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield CVB, adding that Springfield is also home to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the hometown of aauthors such as Emily Dickinson and Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. "Indian Motorcycles were manufactured in Springfield, as were some early Rolls Royces, both of which are archived in the newly opened Museum of Springfield History."
Part of Springfield Museums, comprising five world-class museums in the heart of downtown Springfield, the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History (413.263.6800) opened in October 2009 and is already a popular meeting site, Wydra says, adding that the museum contains priceless artifacts that trace the city's history, including products from companies such as Breck, Milton Bradley and W. H. Young, among others.
"There is a large atrium area at the front of the building that lends itself perfectly to gatherings and features an antique Gee Bee plane positioned overhead for a terrific visual effect," Wydra says. "The site was thoughtfully designed for special events and, considering its contents, lends itself thematically to several different kinds of meeting groups, especially those concerning manufacturing, automobiles or motorcycles."
Berkshires
Nestled within the rolling Appalachian mountains and a neighbor to New York, Connecticut and Vermont, the cultural offerings in the Berkshires include summertime musical performances at Tanglewood, theaters on par with those in New York and museums that rival any large city, such as the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (413.662.2111), according to Lindsey Hammond, spokesperson at the Berkshire Visitors Bureau.
Known as MASS MoCA, the North Adams-based museum is a favorite venue to include on any Berkshire group tour, "whether you make it a stop prior to heading to Tanglewood or as part of an evening tour after a day of foliage viewing," Hammond says.
Open year-round, the museum is the largest center for contemporary art in the country, with more than 150,000 square feet of gallery space and a full schedule of performing arts events, she adds.
"The museum offers professional guided tours to enhance your group's visit and has plenty of interpretative material to help your guests get the most from their visit," Hammond says. "MASS MoCA more than anything is an off-site venue where groups could go to escape or for a change of pace from their meeting venue."
Cape Cod and the Islands
Cape Cod is a place unlike any other that inspires artists from around the globe, according to William DeSousa-Mauk, spokesperson for the Cape Cod COC.
"Writers, painters, potters, weavers, tillers, stained-glass artisans, glassblowers and those expressing their artistic sensibilities in dozens of media all find refuge and inspiration here," he says, adding that the cape's history lives in hundreds of local museums and sites strewn across its 15 towns, and there are more than a dozen theaters, four centuries of architecture and a wide range of musical performances year-round.
Recently named one of the "1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts," the Cultural Center of Cape Cod (508.394.7100) in South Yarmouth's Bass River historic district, according to Executive Director Robert M. Nash, has the pertinent bells and whistles for group events, including a fully equipped caterer's kitchen, tables and chairs to seat 150, a state-of-the-art digital projection system, a Bose sound system, inputs for microphones and musical equipment and a Steinway baby grand piano.
"The building itself is a cultural treasure, but so are the exhibits it holds [in four galleries adorned with artwork]," Nash says. "It therefore makes a perfect venue for any event whose success relies partly on visual appeal."
Additionally, the cultural center staff works diligently to make every event a success.
"We are very experienced at tailoring the setup to suit the gathering, running the event smoothly, working closely with caterers, bartending services and entertainers, and assisting with audiovisual and other special needs," Nash says.
The circa-1859 Grange Hall (508.627.4440) on Martha's Vineyard is another standout off-site venue for group get-togethers, according to Nancy Gardella, executive director at the Martha's Vineyard COC.
The grand post and beam barn, completely restored and partially reconstructed in 1993, stands as an enduring landmark and hosts a variety of traditional island activities such as the annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair and the Vineyard Artisans Festival.
The barn, along with a year-round meeting hall addition, cattle shed, animal barn, horse rink and accessory buildings all stand next to a hay field on a 21-acre site at the Panhandle in West Tisbury, Gardella says.
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus East.
