Montgomery county, Md., is an attractive destination in itself, but its proximity to Washington, D.C., makes it an even bigger draw, allowing attendees to easily venture south to the famous museums and monuments of the nation’s capital.
Whether groups are seeking a walkable, friendly community to explore or want quick access to Lincoln and Washington, Montgomery County is a prime meetings destination. It includes the cities of Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville and Silver Spring, which have populations ranging from just over 60,000 in Bethesda, to almost 90,000 in Germantown. There are more than 10,000 hotel rooms in the area, for the most part evenly distributed throughout the cities. Visitors can fly into the major local airports: Baltimore/Washington International, Dulles International and Reagan National.
These urban centers and assorted outlying entertainment districts offer interesting attractions, arts, dining and culture, combined with more affordable pricing and accessibility to the capital.
“It’s easy for meeting planners to use Montgomery County as an affordable base and then travel into D.C. with attendees to see the sights,” says Kelly Groff, executive director of the Montgomery County CVB, pointing out that it is just over a half-hour on the metro rail from Bethesda to the National Mall.
Accommodating Conferences
The largest conference facility in the county—and the largest ballroom—is located at the Bethesda North Conference Center, operated by Marriott and adjacent to a 450-room Bethesda Marriott. The duo combines to feature 447 guest rooms and approximately 50,000 square feet of function space.
Other nearby IACC-approved meeting spaces include the Hilton Washington, D.C./Rockville Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, with 14 conference rooms and a 5,000-square-foot-plus grand ballroom, and Dolce’s Bolger Center in Potomac.
Located 15 miles from the White House and spanning 83 landscaped acres, the Bolger Center and its 70,000 square feet of function space continually see strong government bookings, according to Groff.
“As one of the few IACC-certified conference hotels in the D.C. area, we primarily serve groups, including federal government agencies, associations and corporate groups, but the campus-like environment makes the Bolger Center unique, not like a traditional hotel,” says Valerie Gordon, sales manager for the Bolger Center.
The center offers packages for weekend retreats, government groups and single-day events that do not require overnight rooms. PageBreak
“We’re very flexible with our all-inclusive complete packages,” Gordon says. “We can customize itineraries to meet each program’s goals.”
The Bolger Center campus has a surprising history. The core of the property was originally used as a convent until 1981, when the United States Postal Service purchased the land to use as a leadership development academy. USPS training still occurs there, but Dolce Hotels & Resorts has managed the center for the last eight years and opened it up to external conference groups. On the weekends, the catering department stays busy hosting weddings, private parties and other celebrations.
But when groups want to move outside the meeting room, the center’s expansive grounds provide plenty of team-building outlets, from a ropes challenge course to chili cook-offs and cake decorating competitions.
“Culinary programs have been popular this year,” Gordon says. “We even have three outdoor pizza ovens groups can use for activities.”
When looking for new business, the Montgomery County CVB heavily targets associations and has been recently looking to bring in weekend groups and SMERF-type events.
“We do very well with those,” Groff says
The CVB is also trying to promote awareness surrounding the county’s numerous non-traditional event facilities.
Alternative Venues
“What’s unique about Montgomery County is our variety of venues,” Groff explains.
In downtown Silver Spring, she recommends the new Civic Center building, the American Film Institute’s Silver Theater and the Fillmore Silver Spring concert hall.
The Silver Spring Civic Building in Veteran’s Plaza opened in summer 2010 and has grown into a community hub within the city’s bustling downtown, offering an outdoor ice-skating rink, the Great Hall, with event space for up to 700 people, and additional community rooms.
Originally built in 1938, the restored AFI Silver opened in 2003 and has been attracting groups with its spacious and elegant venue offerings ever since. In addition to screening movies and educating the public about cinema, the community icon offers quality event space for planners. Three theaters seat 400, 200 and 75 people respectively, while the 5,000-square-foot gallery area accommodates receptions. Situated very close to Washington, D.C., the versatile theater serves government officials and military leaders as well as arts and theater groups.
The Fillmore concert hall is only 20 miles from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and located within walking distance from five local hotels and the metro’s red line. A Live Nation event venue, the Fillmore hosts concerts, receptions and high-energy corporate meetings in its unique space. In addition to catering and advanced audiovisual services, the venue also offers branded merchandise and attendee gifts. A buyout can accommodate 1,100 reception guests or 415 people theater-style.
“The venue just opened in 2011,” says Jodi Grossman, director of sales for the Fillmore Silver Spring. “In addition to state-of-the-art lighting and sound, the venue offers uniqueness and versatility. You can dress it up or use it as-is.” PageBreak
She books many networking and non-profit events in the Vertical Lounge, and corporate groups looking to bring in big-name entertainment can host clients in the large theater.
Contrasting with the Fillmore’s glitz, a truly quaint experience can be found in the tiny Montgomery County town of Glen Echo. With a population of just over 200 people, it’s the smallest town in the Maryland, but is renowned as the home of Clara Barton and a historic Dentzel carousel. The town was chartered in 1905, and the carousel was built 16 years later in 1921. It has since undergone careful restoration and is open to riders seasonally. The National Park Service leads information tours of the carousel and surrounding Glen Echo Park.
The NPS also manages Clara Barton’s former home and the original American Red Cross headquarters on the bank of the Potomac River. From teaching in a one-room school house to caring for wounded soldiers during the Civil War, Barton lead a meaningful life, which visitors can learn about at the Clara Barton Birthplace Museum. Open seasonally or by appointment, the museum can also serve as a unique backdrop for group events.
For another classic Montgomery County historical experience, groups can pay a visit to the National Capitol Trolley Museum in Colesville. Founded in 1959 after the Washington, D.C., streetcar line was officially shut down and abandoned, the museum’s collection now contains 11 vintage streetcars. With two weeks of advance notice, venue spaces inside the museum can be reserved for events outside operating hours, and planners can choose to have the trolleys on display. Vintage trolley cars may also be chartered for private trips through the park for up to 45 guests.
Meanwhile, Bethesda is home to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the nearby National Institutes of Health, which draws medical groups. For team-building, Groff says zip-line facilities at Go Ape! and the Adventure Park at Sandy Springs get groups out of the traditional meeting space.
Continued Growth
Combined with such a desirable location, this diverse selection of venues and activities is key in Maryland and Montgomery County’s continued strength as a destination.
The CVB reports that visitation to Maryland has increased more than 26 percent since 2007, with more than 34.4 million visitors in 2011. Montgomery County accounts for approximately 16 percent of the state’s visitation numbers. This bucked national trends, and the growth occurred in both business and leisure segments.
Connie Yingling, public relations coordinator for Visit Maryland, lists a few reasons for Maryland’s continued success, even during a national economic slump and general tourism downtrend.
“Maryland is an easy drive-to market,” she says. “When the trend shifted to groups looking away from flying, they were still driving to and through Maryland.”
In addition to being adjacent to Washington, D.C., Maryland is also within easy driving distance of the East Coast population centers of Philadelphia and New York.
“Location is a big draw,” Yingling says. “We’re close to major metropolitan areas and access is really easy, which definitely helps the meetings side of things. Plus Maryland is so darn cool.”
