Central Iowa can be thought of as the heart of the Upper Midwest, flanked at a distance by the region’s two archetypal rivers, the Missouri and Mississippi.
That geographic centrality and its charming small and midsize cities would make it a natural meeting place, but central Iowa’s importance to the U.S. presidential races, agricultural exports and big insurance industry also mean this region punches above its weight as an attractive destination.
Des Moines
During election years you mostly hear about Des Moines through the lenses of politics—big-party presidential candidates and major media outlets all set up offices here—and corn, when the candidates eat some form of Iowa’ best-known commodity. But Des Moines is much more than coverage of the quadrennial beauty pageant implies, says Greg Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines CVB.
“That’s one of our major jobs: to show the rest of the country, and particularly regional and national planners, that 63 insurance companies call Des Moines home; that Wells Fargo Mortgage is the largest private-sector employer in the area, with 14,000 employees; and that our downtown alone employs 77,000 people from Monday to Friday.”
In fact, that heavy insurance company presence—EMC, Nationwide, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Principal Financial Group and American Republic all have major operations here—has led Des Moines to be called the “Hartford of the West.”
Still, Edwards says, the candidate cavalcade does lend Des Moines a certain buzz.
“On just about any given day for the next four to five months we’re going to have candidates and activities,” he says. “It’s pretty neat to walk out on your lunch hour and see a CNN or CNBC truck outside your local coffee shop.”
Alternative energy has also become a big part of Des Moines’ meetings mix, and Iowa is now second in wind-energy production only to Texas and manufactures giant wind turbine blades in Newton.
At press time, the city was readying for the National Ethanol Coalition, and Sept. 15-17 would see the Small & Community Windpower Conference and Exhibition at the Iowa Events Center.
But Des Moines is also courting leisure travelers.
“We’ve really bolstered our summer advertising campaign, really promoting the fact that Des Moines is a place to take a mini-vacation. It’s family-friendly and there are activities for all ages here,” Edwards says, noting that TripAdvisor recently rated Adventureland as America’s eighth-best waterpark.
Other diversions include strolls through the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, Broadway performances at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines and the annual Iowa State Fair, which occurs at the Fairgrounds each August. The Fairgrounds have 14 different venues ranging from the Knapp Conference Center to the 4-H Exhibits Building to a horse barn.
Meetings-friendly lodgings include the Renaissance Des Moines Hotel Savery and Hotel Fort Des Moines, plus numerous chain properties. Des Moines also has a lively restaurant scene, although those in search of American meat-and-potatoes classics will particularly enjoy spots such as the 801 Steak and Chop House, Iowa Beef Steakhouse and Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse.
Ames
When Julie Weeks, executive director of the Ames CVB, is asked during the summer of 2011 how Ames markets itself, she laughs and recalls the recent Ames Straw Poll, the traditional kickoff of the GOP presidential campaign in the Hawkeye State.
“Every four years we don’t have to market it,” Weeks says, describing the mass of Straw Poll participants, candidate entourages and media that catapult this college town of 50,000 into the national headlines.
Ames, the home of Iowa State University, is used to the change between college town and big-city crowds, Weeks says, noting that the turnout for the Straw Poll mimics those who arrive to cheer on Iowa State’s team during fall football weekends.
The destination attracts a steady meetings clientele.
“We [cater to] associations that have conferences with a strong educational component and corporations that need training facilities for clients or employees,” she says. “It really is our major conference and convention facility fit; [Ames was] designed with spaces with large, gracious lobbies with a lot of space for breakouts.”
In the past few years Iowa State University has hosted several biotechnology and biorenewables conferences. Sporting events are also popular here, and the Central Iowa Sports District works to match Ames’ facilities with appropriate events. One such event will be the Beep Baseball World Series in 2012, which represents the championship of an adaptive form of baseball for the blind.
Major meetings-ready venues in Ames include the Central Iowa Expo site, Stephens Auditorium and Hilton Coliseum, while hotels with meeting space include the Best Western University Park Inn & Suites, Gateway Hotel & Conference Center and Holiday Inn Ames Conference Center.
Pella
This picturesque community began as a Dutch American colony and still embraces its Low Countries heritage. Its skyline is dotted with windmills and its downtown has an Old World charm—complete with a canal—that perfectly complements the Tulip Festival that is held each May. Pella also has some unique spouse program potential in the form of windmill tours and wooden shoe painting.
Properties such as the Royal Amsterdam Hotel and Bos Landen Golf Resort are group favorites, and other lodgings include the Baymont Inn & Suites, Country Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express. Groups can also take advantage of LEED-certified buildings on the Central College campus or the beautiful and historic Pella Opera House for gatherings.
Marshalltown
Sports meetings do particularly well in Marshalltown, says Shannon Espenscheid, director of the Marshalltown CVB, who cites softball, baseball and aquatics facilities that are purpose-built to host state and regional competitions.
The city’s historic Main Street features the classic 1940s Orpheum Theater, which was completely renovated in June 2010 and is popular for movies, plays and other events.
Meetings-friendly hotels here include the full-service Best Western Regency Inn and Conference Center and the limited-service Hampton Inn and AmericInn.
Mason City
Almost exactly halfway between Minneapolis and Des Moines, Mason City is considered the home of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School of architecture. That’s partly because the last surviving Wright-designed hotel, the Historic Park Inn, reopened in August following an $18.5 million renovation.
Mason City has embraced the Historic Park Inn’s renewal as a cultural and architectural touchstone, a task made easier because Wright and his devotees also built several adjacent blocks of downtown along Prairie School lines. The city has even revitalized its streetscape to blend in better with Prairie School architecture, says Sue Armour, executive director of Visit Mason City.
“We’re having a week-long celebration not only of the opening of the Park Inn Hotel, but of a huge streetscape upgrade. We wanted everything to be fresh and new and tie in together, so the whole downtown area now has that Prairie School, natural-color tone, heritage and architectural design.”
Mason City’s other major touchstone is native son Meredith Willson, creator of the play and movie The Music Man. Those works, plus Willson’s Mason City boyhood and later life, are commemorated at Music Man Square.
Meetings-friendly facilities include the Holiday Inn Mason City and the Muse-Norris Conference Center at Northern Iowa Area Community College.
The North Iowa Fairgrounds also features a campus of buildings that are popular for large-equipment and other trade shows.
West of the city, Clear Lake is a popular vacation destination and has a resort-community feel. The Surf Ballroom, site of the final performance of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, is located here and remains a popular meeting and concert venue.
Paul D. Kretkowski writes frequently about travel, food and sports. He is also the founder of Beacon, a blog about foreign policy.
