Steady investments in new developments, hotel upgrades and attractions in recent years have boosted Southern Ohio's stock in the meetings market. Bigger, better and more prepared for larger conventions than ever, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Mason are becoming important players in the group market.
Cincinnati Area
Compact and walkable, packed with cultural attractions and burgeoning with exciting new developments, Cincinnati has taken its place as a top-tier meetings city.
"For over a decade, Cincinnati USA has laid the groundwork to become a world-class convention destination, and recent developments have made that work a reality," says Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA CVB. "The downtown Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati will open its doors in early 2013. The Banks, Cincinnati's newest entertainment district, boasts 18 acres of mixed-use development on the banks of the Ohio River, just blocks away from the Duke Energy Convention Center and downtown hotels. Finally, the third-ever 21c Museum Hotel will open in late 2012."
The group-friendly Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati will feature 2,300 slot machines, 73 table games, a 31-table poker room and three restaurants. The Banks is still under development, but several restaurants and nightspots, including Christian Moerlein Lager House and Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill, are already open. 21c will add 160 hotel rooms to Cincinnati's downtown.
The recently renovated Duke Energy Convention Center leads the way with exhibition space at 200,000 square feet. The center is home to one of the largest ballrooms in the state, at 40,000 square feet, and offers 31 meeting rooms. On the north side of town, Sharonville Convention Center has 65,000 square feet of event space. Other large-scale spaces in town include the 13,176-seat Fifth Third Arena at the University of Cincinnati and the 12,823-seat US Bank Arena, located downtown.
Convenience is built into meetings in Cincinnati. There are more than 3,000 hotel rooms and 75 restaurants within a five-block walk of the convention center.
Cincinnati's downtown meeting hotel portfolio is led by the AAA Four Diamond, 561-room Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, with more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space; the 473-room Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, with 33,324 square feet of event space; and the 452-room Westin Hotel Cincinnati, with 32,000 square feet of function space. The Millennium Hotel Cincinnati has 848 guest rooms and 27,000 square feet of event space.PageBreak
In this competitive market, space alone isn't enough to make a city a first-rate meetings destination. Planners expect exciting extracurricular activities that take advantage of local history, cuisine, arts and culture. Cincy USA delivers.
"Our vibrant arts and culture are among the best you're going to find in the Midwest," Lincoln says. "Cincinnati is getting recognition from national and international publications for this strength. You may feel like you're on the East or West Coast, but you're in the heart of America."
Within walking distance of the Duke Energy Convention Center, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center celebrates Ohio's proud tradition of abolitionism and the men and women who braved every risk for freedom. The center, featuring 7,000 square feet of event space, also educates visitors on how and where slavery still exists today.
The only public museum of its kind in the U.S., the American Sign Museum explores the country's history through the medium of signs. Painted, plastic-molded or picked out in neon, this colorful collection of 4,000 antique signs jogs childhood memories with bygone logos and mascots. The museum can welcome groups of 200.
With 60,000 objets d'art spanning six millennia, Cincinnati Art Museum makes an elegant backdrop for a variety of events.
As a testament to its appeal a major meetings destination and arts and cultural hub, Cincinnati was chosen as the first U.S. city to host the World Choir Games. The event, held in July, drew roughly 20,000 participants and thousands of visitors.PageBreak
Mason/Dayton
An array of family-friendly and flight-oriented attractions gives the area north of Cincinnati a special appeal to youth organizations, aviation enthusiasts, religious meetings and military reunions. New developments are making Dayton and Mason more enticing to larger groups than ever.
"Groups find they are a big fish in our pond. Individual groups are noticed and appreciated when they meet in Dayton," says Jacquelyn Y. Powell, president and CEO of the Dayton/Montgomery County CVB. "Continued growth of our product, from meeting facilities to hotels and attractions, allows us to provide that much more for meeting planners and event attendees."
Major meeting spaces in Dayton include Dayton Convention Center, with more than 100,000 square feet; Schuster Performing Arts Center, with 30,000 square feet; and the Hara Complex, which offers a variety of event spaces totaling 165,000 square feet.
Meetings hotels include Crowne Plaza Hotel Dayton and Dayton Marriott.
As the Wright Brothers' hometown, Dayton earns the title "Birthplace of Aviation." Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Institute of Technology are also located here, making it an important center for the aerospace industry and military groups.
Upgrades to flight-related attractions include a 200,000-square-foot addition to the National Museum of the US Air Force, the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum. The project is slated for completion in 2015 and will add three galleries devoted to space, presidential aircraft and global flight. The museum is available for events. PageBreak
The downtown Carillon Historical Park, a 65-acre campus enshrining Dayton's history of creativity and invention, is expanding. Currently housing 30 historic buildings, the park added a new 27,000-square-foot Heritage Center focusing on innovations by Dayton inventors. The park will also open Carillon Brewing Company, where visitors can sample craft beer brewed using antique equipment, in 2013. Carillon Historical Park is home to a 1905 Wright Flyer III airplane, one of two such in the country and listed as a National Historic Landmark. The park's Event Lawn can host groups of more than 6,000.
The theme parks and charming, turn-of-the-20th-century main streets of Mason and other towns make Warren County a popular tourist destination, as well as a great meetings spot.
"For easy transportation access and even more entertainment options, Warren County has the convenience of being located within a short distance of two major metropolitan communities," says Phillip S. Smith, president and CEO of Warren County CVB. "Cincinnati and Dayton provide the big-city benefits. Our goal is to provide an environment that is perfect for a creative business exchange, offer relaxation and the opportunity to enjoy safe and affordable amenities."
Great Wolf Lodge has a 40,000-square-foot conference center and more than 400 guest suites in addition to its 79,000-square-foot indoor waterpark.
The 295-room Cincinnati Marriott Northeast in Mason offers 12,535 square feet of meeting space.
Kings Island Resort and Conference Center comprises 284 guest rooms and 13,000 square feet of event space across the road from the 364-acre theme park of the same name.PageBreak
Columbus area
Ohio's capital and largest city, Columbus has invested a lot into its meetings package in recent years. The results speak for themselves: More than $73 million in meeting hotel renovations since 2008, a new 532-room Hilton opening this fall and 410,000 square feet of exhibition space at Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) make for a mighty attractive product.
There are now nearly 26,000 hotel rooms across the city, with 2,100 of these either adjacent or directly connected to the convention center. Recently upgraded meetings hotels include the 633-room Hyatt Regency, with more than 70,000 square feet of meeting space; the 375-room Crowne Plaza Columbus Downtown, with more than 10,000 square feet; the 188-room Westin Columbus, with more than 12,000 square feet; the 376-room Renaissance Columbus Downtown, with 22,500 square feet; the 400-room Sheraton Columbus at Capital Square Downtown, with 16,500 square feet; and the 313-room Hilton Columbus at Easton, with 30,000 square feet.PageBreak
"In addition to new enhancements to our meeting package, Columbus is gaining national attention as an emerging destination for visitors," says Bill Behrens, director of convention services at Experience Columbus. "The city has been recognized as one of the nation's leading gay travel markets, and many journalists have noted that the independent and entrepreneurial spirit that drives Columbus has produced one of the most innovative culinary and arts scenes in the U.S."
Apart from the GCCC, large-scale event facilities in Columbus include the 18,000-seat Nationwide Arena, Ohio Expo Center, with more than 1 million square feet of space, and Veterans Memorial, with more than 110,000 square feet of space.
Off-site options are plentiful and top-notch. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Center of Science and Industry and the new Huntington Park baseball stadium are all ranked among the best in the nation by travel publications, and all welcome groups.
New attractions include Hollywood Casino Columbus, set to open this fall. The casino will offer 3,000 slot machines, live poker and 70 table games. Located on the west side, the property will also include buffet and steak restaurants and several entertainment and lounge spaces.
Opened in 2011, Columbus Commons is a nine-acre downtown park. The commons can host receptions as large as 450 on the pavilion stage or seat as many as 6,000 on the lawn. Two blocks away, the Scioto Mile, a one-mile stretch of riverfront parkland, opened in July 2011 and features spectacular fountains and a new performance pavilion.
Events in the park are the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the new food truck culture taking root in Columbus. Around 70 trucks in the area include local favorites Blu Olive, featuring Italian and Mediterranean cuisine; The Coop, which emphasizes farm-to-table food; and Hungry Monkey, specializing in creatively-topped burgers. Several food trucks can be arranged to appear at events as an exciting catering option.
Kelly Crumrin is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus East.
