The bottom half of the Buckeye State, situated adjacent to Kentucky and Indiana, is home to several meetings hot spots that boast the best of three regions: the smarts of the East, the friendliness of the Midwest and the charm of the South.
Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus are favorites among planners looking for accessible, affordable, intriguing and fun-filled Northeast destinations to host memorable events.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati has been enjoying a renaissance, including the addition of hotels, unique dining opportunities, sports stadiums, and a casino that is in the works, according to Julie Calvert, spokesperson for the Cincinnati USA CVB.
“The laundry list of prestigious organizations that have held significant meetings and events in Cincinnati runs the gamut,” she says, citing the upcoming 2012 World Choir Games and the 2014 National Urban League’s national convention. “Because of the evolution of the area and focus on welcoming significant events, Cincinnati is better able to accommodate groups and meetings representing a variety of needs.”
Like other destinations during these tough economic times, Cincinnati USA is working with meeting planners who need to do more with less, adds Barrie Perks, vice president, sales and services at the CVB.
“Customer service and attention to detail are more important than ever before,” Perks says. “Our convention services team is highly decorated and second to none, so that allows us to win the day throughout the bidding and planning processes.”
Among the area’s convention facilities are the Duke Energy Convention Center, which underwent a $135 million expansion and renovation in 2006; the nearby Sharonville Convention Center, which is on track to complete a major expansion project by April 2012; the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, which is under way on a 20-acre site in downtown Cincinnati’s Broadway Commons area and expected to open in late 2012 with more than 33,000 square feet of meeting space; and the Covington, Ky.-based Northern Kentucky Convention Center, represented by the Northern Kentucky CVB, which markets itself as the “Southern Side of Cincinnati.”
All the major brand hotels are located in downtown Cincinnati, from the Millennium to the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel, an Art Deco masterpiece.
Newcomers to Cincinnati’s meetings-friendly hotel collection include the 132-room Hampton Inn & Suites Uptown, the 134-room Residence Inn Cincinnati Downtown and the 160-room 21c Museum Hotel, which will open in 2012 in a historic building and feature meeting space and an 8,000-square-foot contemporary art museum.
Cincinnati also boasts plenty of off-site venues.
The Moerlein Lager House Restaurant and Brewery, scheduled to open this fall in the Cincinnati Riverfront Park with views of the Ohio River, Roebling Suspension Bridge and Great American Ball Park, will feature a full line of Moerlein craft brews and foods once served in the city’s celebrated 19th century beer gardens.
According to Cincinnati USA, the venue will seat up to 500 people inside and an additional 600 people outside, and the second floor will have meeting rooms with multimedia capabilities.
Existing attractions that double as off-site venues include the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, featuring five history galleries, a changing exhibits gallery, a performance theater and special event space; and the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, an Art Deco gem that’s home to the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science and the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater.
“The versatile space is a great venue for a diverse array of events. It’s sure to impress,” Perks says. “Hold an event in original dining rooms or the glorious grand rotunda as well as the 300-seat auditorium. Virtually every area of Cincinnati Museum Center is available for private events.”
Dayton/Mason
Dayton, known as the Birthplace of Aviation, consistently hosts “top-flight events” for a variety of groups, according to Jacquelyn Y. Powell, president and CEO of the Dayton/Montgomery County CVB.
“We find that Dayton has great appeal due to its highly accessible location for meeting attendees from across the nation,” she says, adding that the area’s other attributes include affordability, ample attractions, some 7,000 hotel rooms, the Dayton Convention Center, the Hara Arena Conference and Exhibition Center and the Expo Center at Dayton International Airport.
“These amenities combined with the CVB’s extensive complimentary services ensure a meeting planner’s event is wildly successful,” Powell says.
Promotional materials and meeting itineraries often include tidbits and experiences encompassing Dayton’s innovative history.
“We feel that the ‘spirit of innovation’ experienced in Dayton is conducive to highly effective and energized events,” Powell says, explaining that the Wright Brothers invented powered manned flight in Dayton, and other inventions born in the area include refrigeration, the cash register, the ice cube tray, the computer’s predecessor and the pop-top can.
Attractions in town that double as appealing off-site venues include the National Museum of the United States Air Force (the largest and oldest military aviation museum in the world), the Dayton Art Institute and America’s Packard Museum–The Citizens Motorcar Company.
“Dinner under the wings at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is a spectacular and unique experience,” Powell says. “A function in the gothic cloister of the Dayton Art Institute, with its arched glass ceiling, is elegant and serene, and car enthusiasts love functions at America’s Packard Museum–The Citizens Motorcar Company.”
Powell adds that for a community its size, Dayton also offers outstanding arts and cultural events, including ballet, opera, a philharmonic orchestra and dance and theater companies.
“The beautiful Pelli-designed Schuster Performing Arts Center hosts Broadway series and cutting-edge theater,” she says.
The lineup for 2011/2012 includes Les Miserables, Wicked and Jersey Boys.
Among the city’s meetings-ready hotels are the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dayton, which is on track to wrap up a complete renovation in October, and the Dayton Marriott, which is expected to complete a ballroom renovation by the end of January.
Mason, located about 30 miles south of Dayton in Warren County, features attractions including Kings Island Theme Park and the Great Wolf Lodge, where attendees can enjoy an indoor waterpark after the meeting.
Columbus
Columbus, which has a great reputation as an accessible and affordable meetings destination, will celebrate its bicentennial next year. In preparation, according to Brian Ross, vice president of sales for Experience Columbus, the city has invested millions in downtown development and added green space to its urban core.
New projects include Columbus Commons, a nine-acre outdoor park in the heart of downtown featuring gardens, walking paths, a carousel, an outdoor reading room with free Wi-Fi and a concert stage, as well as Scioto Mile, a tree- and colonnade-lined promenade and park along the Scioto River in the heart of downtown featuring views of the Scioto River.
“We’ve been able to continue to invest in our convention package and product through the recession and now we are seeing the fruit of that labor,” Ross says, adding that more than $63 million in renovations to full-service hotels in Columbus have taken place since 2008.
Refreshed properties include the Hyatt Regency, Crowne Plaza Columbus Downtown, Westin Columbus, Renaissance Columbus Downtown, Red Roof Inn Columbus Downtown, Holiday Inn Columbus Downtown Capital Square and Hilton Columbus at Easton.
Parts of the city’s newly enhanced convention package include a recent $40 million renovation at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, which opened the 74,000-square-foot Battelle Grand ballroom in January 2010; the Hyatt Place Columbus/OSU, which opened last fall with 2,000 square feet of meeting space; the Hollywood Casino Columbus, which will feature up to 3,000 slot machines, a steakhouse and an entertainment lounge when it opens in late 2012; and the 532-room Hilton Columbus Downtown, which will open in 2012 across the street from the convention center and feature more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
In addition to this impressive lineup, Ross adds, Columbus is consistently ranked as one of the most value-inherent destinations in the country in terms of costs of doing business and visitor taxes.
Notable areas for groups to explore in Columbus include the King Lincoln District, the Short North Arts District and the Historic German Village.
The King Lincoln District, one of the oldest African-American neighborhoods in the city, is home to King Arts Complex and the King Lincoln Theater, which first opened in 1928 and hosted jazz greats including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Columbus native Nancy Wilson and Sammy Davis Jr., who made his debut here at three years old.
Within walking distance to the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the Short North Arts District contains the city’s largest and most eclectic collection of art galleries, as well as independent restaurants, pubs and specialty shops.
“The area has received national acclaim for its independent spirit and creative culinary and retail scene,” Ross says.
Just south of downtown is the Historic German Village, a 233-acre restored neighborhood that was originally settled in the mid-1800s by German immigrants and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Along its tree-lined, brick-paved streets, you’ll find lovingly restored red-brick homes, wrought iron fences, glorious urban gardens and some of the city’s finest restaurants and specialty retailers,” Ross says.
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus East.
