The Kansas City region, encompassing Kansas City, Mo., Kansas City, Kan., and Overland Park, Kan., has long been appealing to meeting planners due to its central location, affordability and Midwestern hospitality. Throw in ample meetings-ready facilities, cultural attractions and other fun off-session activities, plus some of the best barbecue around, and gatherings here are certain to be well-attended and memorable.
Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City has been enjoying a $9 billion renaissance, with $5 billion of that happening in the downtown convention district, according to Denise DeJulio, executive director of convention sales at the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association.
Among the major projects are the $850 million Power & Light entertainment district, the $413 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the $150 million expansion and technology upgrade at the Kansas City Convention Center.
“The Kansas City area offers first-rate exhibit and meeting facilities of all sizes,” DeJulio says, citing the convention center’s 388,800 square feet of contiguous, column-free exhibit space in Bartle Hall and its 46,500-square-foot grand ballroom, which is one of the largest eco-friendly ballrooms in the nation.
As for group-friendly hotels, she adds, the metropolitan area offers more than 26,000 guest rooms, with nearly 2,000 within three blocks of the convention center. Top options include Kansas City Marriott Downtown, the historic Hilton President Kansas City and Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downtown, all within walking distance of the convention center, as well as InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, Westin Crown Center and boutique properties like The Raphael and the upcoming Ambassador Hotel Kansas City.
Groups wishing to be closer to the airport can take advantage of several meetings-ready properties in nearby Platte County. Major meetings properties in the area include Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa, with more than 18,000 square feet of function space; Hilton KCI Airport Hotel; Hyatt Place, KC Airport; and Marriott KCI.
Back in the heart of town, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, situated in the Crossroads Arts District, is Kansas City’s striking new address for symphony, ballet and opera, according to DeJulio.
“It definitely helps put Kansas City’s arts scene on the map, and it’s located immediately south of the convention center, which makes for easy group outings,” she says, adding that its dramatic overarching shell, featuring a glass roof and glass walls, provides sweeping views of the city. “It has a variety of extraordinary and unique spaces that would make any private event unforgettable.”
Among the city’s other popular off-site venues for group events are the National World War I Museum and the College Basketball Experience (CBE).
The former, according to DeJulio, is the nation’s only museum dedicated to the Great War, and it has some beautiful spaces that can accommodate up to 650 people, while the CBE, complete with hands-on exhibits including last-second buzzer beaters, pop-a-shots and jump, can host and keep up to 1,500 people entertained.
The CBE is situated right across from the Power & Light District, where there are more than 50 bars and restaurants, so the fun can continue after the event is done.
“Another popular group activity here is to host your own Kansas City jazz crawl,” DeJulio says. “There are several vendors in town that will take care of all the planning, letting the group experience several of the city’s best jazz joints in one day, plus some authentic Kansas City barbecue.”
Vendors offering jazz crawls include Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors and Blue Ribbon Travel.
Kansas City, Kan.
The many appealing factors of neighboring Kansas City, Kan., according to Bridgette Jobe, executive director at the Kansas City Kansas CVB, include its group-friendly venues, which host everything from intimate gatherings to larger meetings, shopping opportunities, restaurants and various attractions to explore at the end of business.
“We are a small community with much ethnic diversity, but also a part of the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, so we are able to offer big-city amenities,” Jobe says. “Our close proximity to the metropolitan area and superior highway access makes traveling and organizing an event a breeze.”
The history of the community and its ability to share that history through many of its attractions makes Kansas City unique, Jobe adds, citing the Kansas Speedway, Legends Outlets Kansas City, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home of the Kansas City T-Bones minor league baseball team, Livestrong Sporting Park, home of Sporting Kansas City, a professional soccer club, the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame and Strawberry Hill Museum and Cultural Center.
Some of the most popular off-site venues to hold group events in town include most of the above-mentioned attractions, Jobe says, plus Backfire Barbeque (featuring the Orange County Choppers), Cabela’s, Dave & Buster’s, Grinter Place State Historical Site, Savior Pastoral Center and Wyandotte County Lake and Park.
Standby group-friendly hotels in town include Hilton Garden Inn & Jack Reardon Convention Center, Best Western Kansas City Inn, Best Western Premier KC Speedway Inn & Suites and Great Wolf Lodge, Kansas City’s premier indoor water park resort, featuring a restaurant, spa, arcade and banquet and meeting space.
Overland Park, Kan.
Overland Park is unique in that it is centrally located in the U.S., 15 minutes from downtown Kansas City, Mo., and 30 minutes away from Kansas City International Airport. According to Liron BenDor, spokesperson for the Overland Park CVB (OPCVB), Overland Park is located within a day’s drive for more than 60 million people.
“We offer that great Midwestern and suburban hospitality but are not short of any metropolitan amenities,” she says. “Planners love how accessible and service-oriented our hotels and convention center are.”
The 237,000-square-foot Overland Park Convention Center, which features a 60,000-square-foot, practically pillar-less exhibit hall and a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, is attached to the 412-room Sheraton Overland Park, which offers an additional 21,000 square feet of meeting space.
Other group-oriented hotels in Overland Park include the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Kansas City-Overland Park and the Marriott Overland Park, both within a couple minutes of the convention center by car.
In July, the OPCVB released a free, state-of-the-art mobile application for smart phones, including the iPhone, Android and Blackberry.
Designed for use by both visitors, including group delegates, and Kansas City area residents, this user-friendly app includes features such as an Overland Park restaurant guide, an events calendar, Kansas City International Airport flight information, information on area shopping, attractions, parks and weather, and coupons.
“The OPCVB is committed to providing visitors and residents useful technology to help promote the area’s venues, hotels, attractions, restaurants and services,” says Amy Garton, director of interactive solutions at the OPCVB.
The most unique feature of the app is the Groups tab, which is a password-protected area for event information, including agendas and schedules for attendees. The customized information is promoted through coordination with event hosts or planners.
“We have already had a number of clients choosing to utilize the app for their events that are scheduled for later in the year,” Garton adds. “The OPCVB staff recognized a need for our event planners and attendees, and we are excited that they find it beneficial for their events. It is a great way for us to support these events and promote the area.”
Off-session attractions abound. Highlights include the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens and the Nerman Contemporary Museum of Art, which both double as off-site venues for group gatherings; the Deanna Rose Farmstead; and New Theatre Restaurant.
“There is truly something for everyone,” BenDor says. “New Theatre Restaurant offers exceptional Broadway-style entertainment and fantastic food; the Nerman Museum is an architecturally significant building with great social function space; the Ritz Charles offers spacious indoor banquet space with notable catering services; and Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens offers a vast green space for outdoor obstacle courses or scavenger hunts.”
Lastly, the Culinary Center of Kansas City is well-suited for culinary team-building events, BenDor says.
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus MidAmerica.
