Across the states and beyond, communities large and small seem to be grasping the true value of meetings travel—and what groups can bring to their financial bottom line. And these locales are responding in kind by stepping up their group lures and meetings-friendly offering in myriad ways.
From dynamic hotel booms to electrifying attractions and vibrant venues, here’s a closer look at what several meetings hot spots are doing to make their event appeal even greater.
Columbus Discoveries
Where to even begin with the recent boosts Columbus, Ohio, has given to its gamut of group-friendly offerings?
“Columbus is a city on the rise with many development projects underway that are positively impacting our meetings industry, including an $80 million modernization project at Port Columbus International Airport, a $125 million renovation and expansion of the Greater Columbus Convention Center [GCCC] and ongoing retail, entertainment and hotel developments in our downtown,” says Brian Ross, president and CEO of Experience Columbus. “The incredible benefit of these projects has been shown recently through Columbus hosting the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, being named a finalist city in the bid for the 2016 Democratic National Convention and becoming the destination for the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four.”
The GCCC upgrades begin this September and are slated to wrap in July 2017; the project will add 100,000 square feet of extra event space, substantial public art elements and also boost the connected Hyatt Regency.
The city’s hotel inventory has also improved lately with the launch of the 532-key Hilton Columbus Downtown and the elegant 135-room Le Meridien, The Joseph, which neighbors the Pizzuti Collection Gallery, another popular newcomer.
Albuquerque Takes Off
In sunny New Mexico, the Albuquerque meetings landscape has brightened with more than $300 million in recent and planned hospitality developments.
Of particular importance to planners is a $23 million boost to the Albuquerque Convention Center that wrapped in October, showcasing improvements ranging from a handsome new exterior facade to ample new interior decor.
And buzz is already building around the Hotel Chaco, a snazzy 118-room boutique blending modern design with ancient Native American touches; the property recently broke ground and is set for launch in 2016.
Mile-High Momentum
Denver has been a meetings mainstay for many years, but that isn’t stopping the city from growing its event appeal. Grabbing the group-friendly headlines currently is a wealth of vibrant new venues that include a massive revamp and a host of hip hotels.
The city’s Union Station, a historic train terminal, unveiled a remarkable revitalization last year that included eight new restaurants, a branch of the locally loved Tattered Cover bookstore and the indie Crawford Hotel, a 118-room boutique.
Other new and upcoming lodging lures range from the uniquely artistic ART Hotel—which debuted in June with 165 rooms and 4,000 square feet of space—to a dual-branded property set for 2017 launch, combining an AC Hotels by Marriott with a Le Meridien from Starwood.
These factors and many others have helped Denver continue its meetings momentum, including luring the massive global travel expo IPW 2018 to town.
Greensboro Growth
Greensboro, N.C., always has plenty to report, and the city’s hotel hub got a big boost earlier this year from a $30 million upgrade of the Sheraton Hotel at Four Seasons, in addition to the revamp and rebrand of a new Holiday Inn that once served as the Park Lane Hotel.
But it’s really a new teambuilding temptation that should be front-and-center on planners’ radars: the unique SkyWild aerial adventure park. Based at the sprawling Greensboro Science Center, the one-of-a-kind wonder debuted in May and is set among the trees of the center’s Animal Discovery Zoo.
The course blends 78 physical challenges based on animal mimicry, with a diversity of ziplines, and takes about two hours to conquer, with three difficulty levels to suit any group: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
PageBreakA.C. Does It
Atlantic City, N.J., is a city well worth watching these days, attempting somewhat of a reinvention to diversify away from a longtime focus on gaming.
Much of the new emphasis is on cultivating the seaside city’s meetings magnetism, and plenty of recent effort there is drawing attention. Meet AC debuted a new sports commission early this year, and the Atlantic City Alliance has extended a million-dollar meetings incentive offer through 2016.
Venue news includes a $50 million improvement project recently completed at Tropicana Atlantic City, and a spectacular $128 million Harrah’s Waterfront Conference Center set for an August opening that will include a pair of 50,000-square-foot ballrooms.
A.C., which is mounting a comeback from a couple of rough years, is reporting impressive new events coming to town, including MPI’s World Education Congress in 2016.
Promising Palms
What exactly don’t the Palm Beaches of Florida’s east coast offer for meetings and events?
“The Palm Beaches are typically at the top of the list for associations and corporations planning important events,” says Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO of Discover the Palm Beaches. “The destination in its entirety has a resort-style feel, offering a quintessential Florida experience with classic hotels, pristine beaches and the best in golf, spa, dining and entertainment.
“Of course,” he continues, “the state-of-the-art Palm Beach County Convention Center in the downtown convention district, along with over 1,000 walkable hotel rooms and the only connected headquarters hotel, makes this stretch of South Florida an ideal host for conferences and events.”
The meetings mecca will become even more group-friendly soon with the opening of the Hilton West Palm Beach in early 2016, a 403-room property connected to the convention center by an enclosed walkway, with 24,000 square feet of its own function space.
Varied Vitality
Elsewhere around the U.S., countless other cities are making their own meetings moves, in all kinds of ways.
Atlanta has made a mark recently with some major venue openings, including last year’s launch of the Center for Civil and Human Rights and College Football Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, Jacksonville, Fla., is touting a downtown renaissance bolstered by new Hilton and Marriott properties underway, as well as a the newly opened Jessie Ball DuPont Center, a nonprofit hub boasting a robust conference center.
In Cincinnati, a recent surge of hotel activity—with much more forthcoming—includes three new properties totaling 572 new guest rooms. And on a final note, Houston will add a major new meetings magnet with next year’s debut of the spacious Marriott Marquis Houston.
