Boston, one of the nation’s most historic and traditional cities, is also one of its most dynamic and progressive. While the Beacon Hill and Back Bay neighborhoods, with their stately red brick townhouses and willow-draped green spaces, would still be recognizable to a visitor from the 19th century, areas such as the new Seaport District—now Boston’s main convention hub—would astonish anyone who hasn’t been to the city within the last five years.
Boston, along with Cambridge just across the River Charles, is a center of science and innovation, possibly boasting more prestigious colleges and universities per square mile than any other place on the planet. When its cultural and historical attractions, many of which offer inviting spaces for special events, are factored in, it’s little wonder that this relatively compact area is a powerhouse destination for meetings.
Areas just beyond Boston also offer attractive options for groups, including Essex County, with its historic seaport towns, and the Merrimack Valley, with its quaint communities steeped in literary and Revolutionary War history.
Boston
Just how significant is Boston as a meetings destination? One major indicator is the fact that the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) for the third year in a row named Boston and Cambridge as the Top Destination in the U.S. for international association meetings. In 2010, Boston and Cambridge hosted a record 43 international meetings (as defined by ICCA criteria), up from 36 the previous year—more than any other U.S. destination.
“This didn’t happen by accident,” says Patrick Moscaritolo, president and CEO of the Greater Boston CVB, explaining that the CVB formed a partnership five years ago with the Cambridge Tourism Office and Massport, which operates Logan International Airport, for the purpose of attracting more international meetings to the region.
The campaign for international meetings included trade missions and efforts to expand overseas air service, which will include the first-ever nonstop service from Tokyo to Boston next April. As a result of these efforts, Moscaritolo says Boston has also increased its appeal to U.S.-based associations that want to attract their overseas members to meetings.
“We started with a laser focus on bringing in international conferences, but now it’s evolved into bringing more international attendees to U.S.-based meetings,” he says. “In post-meetings surveys, we now know that 25 to 30 percent of the delegates coming in to our U.S.-based association meetings are international.”
Both international and domestic meetings coming to Boston these days are hitting the “sweet spot of our brand,” he adds. “We’re a magnet for meetings related to education, medical and life sciences, which are the kinds of industries that contribute to our local economy. The wealth of colleges and medical schools that we have here are huge resources for these meetings.”
Major upcoming events include Bio Boston USA 2012, the world’s largest annual gathering of the biotechnology industry, which is expected to bring 26,000 delegates from around the world to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. In July, the city will have an opportunity show its attributes to corporate meeting planners and travel managers when it hosts the annual convention of the Global Business Travel Association.
When it comes to meeting facilities, Boston can handle almost any requirements. Its major venues are the 1.3 million-square-foot Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, with 516,000 square feet of continuous exhibit space and 84 meeting rooms; the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, with 176,000 square feet of space, a 24,000-square-foot ballroom and 41 meeting rooms; and the Seaport World Trade Center, featuring a 118,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 200,000 square feet of meeting space and a 396-seat amphitheater.
Located in the Seaport District, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is in a newly developed area that is fast becoming a hub for some of the city’s hottest new restaurants and other commercial ventures. The district’s Liberty Wharf is a new waterfront dining complex with several group-friendly restaurants, including Legal Harborside, part of the popular Legal Seafoods chain; Del Frisco’s Double Edge Eagle Steak House; Temazcal Mexican Tequila Cantina; and Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill, named for its owner, the former sports announcer and Red Sox second baseman.
Hotels near the convention center include the Westin Boston Waterfront, which is attached to the facility, Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Seaport Boston Hotel and InterContinental Boston.
A $900 million complex under development on nearby Fan Pier, which will be home to a major pharmaceutical firm, is also scheduled to include a hotel.
“Now there is really a ‘there, there’ to the Seaport District,” Moscaritolo says. “There’s plenty to do outside the convention center, including great new restaurants that have been standing-room-only since the day they opened.”
In the talking stages is a possible expansion of the convention center and at least one additional headquarters hotel, according to Moscaritolo.
“In the next five years, you will definitely see some additional hotel development,” he says. “As much buzz as there is happening about the Seaport District now, its best days are still ahead.”
In the heart of downtown, two top meetings properties are the Hyatt Regency Boston and The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common.
Next to the North End, the waterfront Boston Marriott Long Wharf recently renovated its meeting space, lobby and restaurant, and added the new Harbor View Ballroom.
Boston’s Back Bay, home to the Hynes Convention Center, is also a prime meetings hub that is seeing its share of new restaurants. These include two acclaimed dining spots attached to the Hynes center, Towne Spirits and Capital Grille, both of which offer private dining spaces.
Back Bay is home to some of the city’s most upscale hotels, including the Taj Boston, a historical landmark overlooking the Boston Public Garden. Additional meetings hotels include the Boston Park Plaza, Hilton Boston Back Bay, Boston Marriott Copley Place, Fairmont Copley Plaza, Sheraton Boston and Westin Copley Place. Recently joining the collection are the 114-room Ames Hotel and the 234-room W Boston Theatre District Hotel.
Two hotels converted from historic buildings are the Langham Boston, located in a the elegant former Federal Reserve Building in the Financial District, and the Liberty Hotel, housed in the former Charles Street Jail in Beacon Hill.
While Boston is one of the more expensive cities in the U.S., there are good values to be found, particularly during the first quarter and the month of August, according to Moscaritolo.
“During the first quarter of the year, we offer a lot of incentives for meetings, particularly smaller groups who don’t book that far out,” he says. “The hotels and the CVB have identified that time as one where we want to drive more business. August, while a good month for leisure travel, is another time when we have good availability for groups.”
Cambridge
Just across the river from Back Bay, Cambridge is best known as the home of Harvard and MIT, but it also offers plenty of other attributes that make it an appealing destination for meetings. Much of the small city is centered on three hubs: Harvard Square, a lively district where good restaurants, shops and nightlife converge around the famous university; Central Square, near MIT and the hub of city government; and Kendall Square, an important center for the life sciences and biotech industries.
Most of the city’s meetings-friendly hotels can be found within the Cambridge Conference Collection, a group of eight meeting hotels within a two-mile radius. The collection encompasses more than 102,000 square feet of meeting space and 3,500 guest rooms at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge, Sheraton Commander, Doubletree Guest Suites, Hotel Marlowe, Le Meridian Cambridge, Marriott Cambridge Center, Royal Soonest Hotel and Charles Hotel. The city’s newest addition is Hotel Veritas, an upscale boutique property.
Beyond Boston
Just outside of Boston are attractive communities with venues and accommodations ideal for small to midsize groups. The North of Boston CVB is a meeting planning resource for Essex County, where small seaside cities such as Salem, steeped in Colonial-era history and witchcraft lore; Marblehead, an elegant yachting community with smart shops and restaurants; and Gloucester, a historic seaport featuring whale-watching, are located.
Essex County offers an array of meetings-ready accommodations, ranging from historic inns to resorts with golf and spa amenities. They include the Boston Peabody Marriott, CoCo Key Hotel & Water Resort-Boston in Danvers, Sheraton Colonial Boston North Hotel & Conference Center in Wakefield, Wylie Inn & Conference Center in Beverly and the Wyndham Boston Andover.
With over 200 miles of shoreline, Essex County offers an array of water-related activities, including yacht rentals. Off-site meeting and event venues also abound, including historic mansions such as Salem’s Hamilton Hall and Phillips House and museums such as the Peabody Essex Museum, a complex of galleries, historic homes and gardens that the New York Times has called a “cross-cultural marvel.”
To the west of Boston, the communities of the Merrimack Valley offer classic New England charm just beyond the city limits. The Merrimack Valley CVB provides information about accommodations and meetings facilities in the area, including the Tsongas Arena at UMass Lowell, which has a seating capacity of 8,000 and offers 30,000 square feet of exhibition space, and the historic Lowell Memorial Auditorium, which has 2,000 square feet of exhibit space and seating for up to 3,000 people.
Meetings-ready hotels in the area include the Radisson Hotel and Suites Chelmsford, Concord’s Colonial Inn, Courtyard by Marriott Lowell/Chelmsford, Element Lexington and UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center.
“Our hotels and venues allow us to serve a wide variety of meetings, whether it’s a corporate meeting or social gathering,” says Deborah Belanger, executive director of the Greater Merrimack Valley CVB. “We have a lot of tech companies in the area, so they drive a lot of business, as does the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus.”
Among the area’s most noteworthy destinations is Concord, known not only for its part in Revolutionary War history, but as the home of such American literary figures as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott. The homes of Emerson and Alcott are among its major attractions, as is Minute Man National Historic Park, site of a battle that launched the Revolution.
Nearby Lowell honors its past as the 19th century capital of the textile industry with attractions that include the American Textile History Museum, the American Quilt Museum and Lowell National Historic Park.
“Lowell has really embraced the creative economy during the last 10 years, with all if its restoration,” Belanger says. “A lot of artists have moved into the old mill buildings, so there are plenty of galleries for visitors to explore.”
Maria Lenhart is a former Meetings Focus editor.
