If you ask people about the last time they really 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.
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 Oklahoma City, Okla., to Birmingham, Ala., innovative downtown redevelopment is putting a wealth of great off-site venues and break-time activities within easy reach.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Much like other cities around the nation, Oklahoma City’s downtown hasn’t always been a magnet for meeting attendees.
"I remember when I was 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," Richardson says. "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, Ala.
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 multiuse facility, but that never happened."
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 there 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."
Louisville, Ky.
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."
According to Barnett, work is currently under way 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. MFS
Katie Morell is a Chicago-based freelance writer and former Meetings Focus editor.
