Planners are known for not leaving much to chance, so successful meetings destinations have earned that status for a reason. But even in already-successful destinations, the development of a new neighborhood or debut of a dynamic new venue can greatly boost meetings and lure fresh planners and attendees to town.
Here is our take on six meeting cities that are grabbing the spotlight with fresh offerings, from Music City to the City of Roses. While some of these locales are already pretty well-established on the meetings landscape, these awesome improvements have them poised to reach new heights.
Location: Nashville
What’s New: Music City Center, Omni Nashville
Nashville has long been rocking with planners as a likable locale, but the recent additions of the spectacular Music City Center and Omni Nashville have opened the floodgates for even more meetings biz.
The Music City Center is a dazzling structure with amazing architectural elements, including a large and sprawling living roof adjoined by the outline of a massive guitar. It offers planners 1.2 million square feet of space to consider, and upon its one-year anniversary this May had already made an incredible impact as a meetings magnet—to the tune of about 300 events and approximately 400,000 visitors since July 2013.
The neighboring Omni Nashville, which opened its doors in late September of last year, has been boosted by the incoming traffic and has no doubt served as an additional lure to boot. The snazzy newcomer showcases 800 guest rooms and suites and its own 80,000 square feet of event space, plus awesome amenities like a rooftop pool deck and live entertainment venue.
Location: Cleveland
What’s New: Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation
About two decades after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and new homes for the Cavaliers and Indians gave fresh life to the city, two venues of a different kind are re-energizing Cleveland.
The neighboring Cleveland Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation, which both launched in the summer of 2013, have provided instant oomph to the city’s standing as a top medical meetings hub, in addition to boosting its general allure as an event-friendly metropolis.
The Global Center showcases innovations in healthcare technology at its 230,000-square-foot venue, while the convention center provides planners with about 760,000 square feet of space to work with. New events drawn into town already include the Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association annual show, and the Gay Games, previously hosted in high-profile cities such as Paris and London.
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Location: Anaheim, Calif.
What’s New: Burgeoning neighborhoods, major convention center additions
Anaheim might still be a locale that brings Disneyland instantly to mind, but its lure as a meetings magnet might soon overshadow even the Magic Kingdom.
It begins with the city’s convention center, an already impressive venue that is constantly improving itself; and the recent and current efforts are dramatic ones. In early 2013, the alfresco Grand Plaza created a buzz with its towering palm trees, unique water and lighting elements, and 100,000 square feet of space available for receptions hosting up to 2,000. Next up, the facility is installing a 200,000-square-foot expansion, a $180 million endeavor adding even more possibilities for what is already the West Coast’s largest convention facility.
The added attendees coming to town will have excellent options for some downtime and dining now, as the city’s Center Street Promenade continues to revitalize and a brand-new neighborhood known as the Packing District develops nearby. The Packing District includes the newly launched Packing House, a superb food hall with a variety of carefully chosen culinary purveyors housed in a charming 1919 Art Deco structure that formerly served as an orange packing warehouse. The nearby Packard House is a similar reclamation project, and now plays home to a snazzy branch of Umami Burger and the sleek Anaheim Brewery, with an event-ready patio.
“Projects such as the newly opened Anaheim Packing House, the ongoing development of projects along downtown Anaheim’s Center Street and, of course, the upcoming expansion at the Anaheim Convention Center; all of these new products raise our brand awareness to meeting planners everywhere,” says Jay Burress, president and CEO of the Anaheim/OC VCB. Burress also expressed enthusiasm over the city’s stupendous new transportation hub project, ARCTIC, slated to launch by the end of the year.
Location: Washington, D.C.
What’s New: The Marriott Marquis
Can a hotel opening bring an already-strong meetings city onto the same level with some of the industry’s biggest players? Possibly, if the property is the shimmering $520 million Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, offering 1,175 guest rooms and 105,000 square feet of event space. Another bonus is the newly launched property’s connection to the city’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center by underground concourse.
Having debuted May 1, the promising meetings property is already shaking up the D.C. meetings landscape by bringing more corporate groups into a city known for its association and government events, and attracting new business to our nation’s capital as well.
“I’m excited by the early demand,” says Bill Wallace, director of sales and marketing, who notes that 56 percent of current bookings are composed of groups that are either brand-new to D.C. or haven’t visited in at least five years. He adds that 25 percent of those groups are corporate, “a real positive.”
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Location: Boston
What’s New: Assembly Square, Seaport Square
Boston has relied greatly on its trove of historical gems to reach its current status as a solid meetings destination, but it’s a pair of newcoming neighborhoods that will likely help the locale scale new heights.
Assembly Square is a burgeoning district about 10 minutes north of downtown that received a momentous boost this spring from the debut of Assembly Row, a dynamic retail center offering visitors far more than mere shopping fun. Holding a grand opening “season” this May through September, Assembly Row is home to 23 stores, seven eateries and entertainment options such as Legoland Discovery Center and a snazzy AMC multiplex. The new offering aims to be strongly group- and event-focused, with meet-and-greet programs, various private event spaces, welcome bags for convention delegates, all-inclusive group menus aimed at cost-cutting, and even spousal programs tied to conventions and events.
Seaport Square is another likely game-changer for the city, though it’s a more far-flung endeavor. The ambitious project will essentially bring a brand-new neighborhood to Boston upon its completion, covering 23 acres and currently slated to offer four hotels and more than 1,000 total guest rooms. No concrete wrap date has yet been set, though it is projected to take several years to complete.
Location: Portland, Ore.
What’s New: Revitalized neighborhoods, convention center ‘greening,’ new HQ hotel
Along with its meetings venues, Portland is enjoying major improvements to some of its trendier shopping and dining districts. In fact, you’d practically need a scorecard to keep up with all the new group-friendly offerings in the City of Roses.
Its status as a top “green” meetings locale was elevated even further in March, when the Oregon Convention Center was awarded LEED Platinum standing, the highest level of sustainability within the U.S. Green Building Council’s designations. The convention center will also soon be the beneficiary of a long-awaited new Hyatt headquarters hotel. Other venue news has included the April debut of a 223-room Residence Inn by Marriott with 2,000 square feet of event space, a significant addition as the first hotel in Portland’s hip Pearl District.
In Nob HIll, the already dynamic dining scene has been spurred by established Portland ethnic eateries opening new locations. These include St. Jack and its cutting-edge take on French fare; colorful Spanish delights at Ataula, and Bamboo Sushi, America’s first sustainability-certified sushi restaurant.
Elsewhere, the West End has ramped up with the recent launch of Union Way, a chic shopping hub crafted from two former nightclubs. And the city is already buzzing over the planned September 2015 opening of Tilikum Crossing, a 1,700-foot bridge limited to pedestrians, cyclists and public transit.
