Last November, Philadelphia added yet another American milestone by becoming the nation’s first UNESCO World Heritage City. Following September’s visit by Pope Francis and capping another jam-packed convention year, the UNESCO recognition comes with potentially significant tourism, group and economic benefits.
With its own nation-making legacy—the Continental Army’s 1777-1778 winter encampment—Valley Forge introduces the new self-guided Patriot Trails tour this month.
As each destination invests in the future—Philadelphia has some 12 hotels with 2,500 rooms in development, including a projected 20 percent increase in Center City inventory by 2018—the old guard continues to serve the group agenda as reliably as ever.
Philadelphia
November also saw the debut of the 57th-floor observation deck atop One Liberty Place. Located 883 feet above street level, “Philly from the Top” combines 360-degree panoramas with interactive technology and artistic installations portraying different facets of the Philadelphia story—96-foot-tall Ben Franklin sculpture included. In comparable fashion, the UNESCO honor illuminates Philadelphia’s past while casting a bright horizon for the future.
“This designation puts us in the company of other celebrated cities like Cairo, Paris and Jerusalem,” says new Philadelphia CVB President & CEO Julie Coker Graham. “With attractions like Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the National Constitution were signed, convention attendees and other visitors will find a city that has preserved the traces of our colonial past and our nation’s founding, while simultaneously developing into a sophisticated, vibrant metropolis teeming with eclectic culinary experiences, revitalized public spaces and an inspiring culture of innovation.”
With the potential to significantly boost domestic and foreign tourism, the designation also primes Philadelphia for enhanced commercial benefits, via networking programs with the other 266 UNESCO cities around the globe. With Philadelphia’s strengths in sectors including health care, knowledge, life sciences, diversity and sports, this paves the way for new academic and business partnerships—and accompanying group bookings.
As Founding Father Benjamin Franklin himself reminds us (see Zoom In, page 31), “Philadelphia has always welcomed and supported meetings and discussions which bring people together and increase our businesses and trade services.”
With 2014 representing the Philadelphia CVB’s strongest convention booking year in a decade and that momentum continuing in 2015 and beyond—including hosting the Democratic National Convention this July—much of the UNESCO marketing leverage will come from Philadelphia’s ever-present past.
For groups, that means an American treasure chest of venues and experiences from across the ages, starting with Independence National Historic Park. Where 18th century delegates to the Second Continental Congress argued for and finally declared independence, today’s attendees can be inspired by the ideas that created a nation with tours of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Other park attractions include the National Constitution Center, Declaration House and Christ Church Burial Ground, final resting place of Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Overlooking the Schuykill River, Laurel Hill Cemetery, final home to some 40 Civil War-era generals, six Titanic passengers and prominent Philadelphians, can host 40 guests indoors or hundreds outdoors.
Captivating, too, is Eastern State Penitentiary. Opened in 1829, this prison was the first in the world designed to inspire penitence through “confinement in solitude with labor.” Along with tours, groups of up to 1,200 can rent the entire 10-acre complex.
Two more American originals—the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, opened in 1805 as the nation’s first art school and first art museum, and the Philadelphia Zoo, from 1874—come with evocative function space.
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Opened in 1892, Reading Terminal Market ranks among the nation’s premier food markets. Taste of Philly Food Tours offers private tours for up to 75 people of the landmark market, which features some 75 vendors, including original 1892 tenant Bassetts, America’s oldest ice cream company.
Available for buyouts for up to 1,000 guests, the Moshulu, built in 1904, is the world’s oldest surviving square-rigged sailing vessel, while 1960s heirloom Electric Factory, famously featuring acts including The Who and Jimi Hendrix, rocks on as a perennial favorite for live shows and events.
Groups can meet on the 33rd floor of the historic Philadelphia Savings Fund Society building, now the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The former three-story banking room is a banquet space with historical features, such as the bank’s safe and Cartier clocks.
Valley Forge/Montgomery County
Broad product diversity, including some 70 hotels across all price points, combined with a service-oriented mindset and sweeping investment in upgrades and renovations, continue to elevate this historic destination’s competitive position in the Northeast group and leisure markets.
With leading properties including Valley Forge Casino Resort and the landmark Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center, offering 30,000 square feet of IACC-certified space, groups also have ample free parking, diverse dining options, neighborhood brewpubs, quaint art galleries, lively theaters and active nightlife.
“These hospitality assets, and of course our significant role during the Revolutionary War, will be key when we host a substantial number of delegates attending the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July,” says Mike Bowman, president & CEO of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board.
With many area tourism assets recently completing major renovations and putting on extra polish for last fall’s papal visit and the Democratic National Convention ahead, Montgomery County’s heirlooms remain rock solid options for groups.
These include the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. Celebrating its 50th anniversary last year, the event-capable venue features autos, trucks and horse-drawn vehicles made in southeastern Pennsylvania. Housed in a converted tire factory, the American Treasure Tour takes groups on a 90-minute tram ride through an eclectic collection of Americana, from past advertising icons to vintage music-making machinery. Opened in 1928, the 280-seat Ambler Theater is also available for a wide range of private events.
Featuring heated vintage Pullman cars, the newly revived Civil War-era Colebrookdale Railroad follows a historic iron industry route through the breathtaking “Secret Valley” between Pottstown and Boyertown. Along with themed rides, groups can charter the entire train (up to 140 seats, plus 40 additional standees in an open car) for a two-hour adventure. Plans call for relocating a historic rail station to Pottstown this year, where groups now also have a vintage carousel, debuting in 2016 after a 13-year restoration project.
In Schwenksville, groups can take guided tours showcasing early 20th century life at the event-capable Pennypacker Mills site, while the Philander Chase Knox Estate, set on 3,500 acres within Valley Forge National Historical Park, is another choice for events.
Debuting this Presidents’ Day, Patriot Trails is a new initiative that uses web-based, mobile technology to guide users on a county-wide Revolutionary War journey.
“While most people recognize the role that Valley Forge National Historical Park played during those crucial years of 1777 and 1778, visitors—even locals—may not know that the encampment housed there is just one aspect of a much larger story,” Bowman explains. “We’re telling that tale by showcasing other significant historic sites throughout Montgomery County.”
