Maryland's Montgomery County offers travelers a cultural experience distinct in its own right, but also provides the options and value meeting planners crave. Centrally located between the District of Columbia, Baltimore and Annapolis, the region is home to no less than 18 federal government agencies and is served by three airports: Dulles International, Reagan National and BWI Thurgood Marshall.
“Basically, we’re positioned as an urban meetings destination,” said Kelly Groff, president and CEO of Visit Montgomery. “Our location in the Washington metropolitan area is what sells us.”
The region is a major draw for meetings and conferences of every variety and offers a range of venues for attendees as well as myriad adventures in this diverse and ever-evolving expanse of Maryland real estate.
Vibrant Venues
One of the first things many planners notice about the destination is the tremendous number of resources available to them for customizing an event that is not only functional, but also engaging for attendees.
“A key strength about our area is that there are so many different options for meeting space aside from a standard hotel,” Groff explained.
For starters, there is the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, with a 5,000-square-foot ballroom, Wi-Fi and multimedia capability. In North Bethesda, the Strathmore music center can seat 900 people in a single hall and regularly hosts opening and closing events for conferences. It also provides a range of smaller and adaptable spaces for groups. For fans of the putting green, the Manor Golf & Country Club offers memorable and posh corporate retreats.
Ancillary to Strathmore is the newly opened AMP, a food and live-music venue located at the new Pike & Rose development off the Rockville Pike.
“We had an event there-a digital marketing summit-and it is fabulous,” Groff said of the venue. “It’s got the built-in stage, and three-quarters of the space is all glass and open for a beautiful view of the district.”
Off-the-beaten-path, Calleva Outdoor Adventures promotes unique opportunities for teambuilding and personal growth through physical challenges. Adventurous groups can bond by kayaking, rock- and rope-climbing, as well as a variety of eco- activities targeted to better understand our relationship to the planet.
Calleva additionally offers summer and harvest-time “Dirty Dinners,” a celebration of local goods that includes food, wine and music. In autumn, Calleva hosts Markoff’s Haunted Forest, a running weekend event that decks out the Dickerson location for Halloween. Highlighted are two candlelit, outdoor hikes through haunted woods. Autumn enthusiasts can also delight in hayrides, hot cider, bonfires and all the amenities of the season.
In Silver Spring, the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and the Fillmore can serve as full-time venues for audiovisual-heavy conferences or anchors for opening and closing events.
“AFI has theater seating,” Groff said. “They have three different theaters within the facility. In the main ones you can fit 40 or 50 people. It’s phenomenal, and of course what they’re able to do for audiovisual technology is really top of the line.”
For planners seeking the ease of meeting space combined with accommodations for their attendees, Montgomery County continues to provide an increasing number of options that are as appealing as they are functional.
“Downtown Silver Spring is a walkable destination,” Groff said. “There are five hotels, all in walking distance.”
The William F. Bolger Center in Potomac is a combination hotel and conference center, providing 431 guest rooms as well as more than 70,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
Three of the destination’s best-known combination venues-the metro-adjacent Hyatt Regency as well as the Residence Inn by Marriott in Bethesda and the Hilton Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Rockville-recently completed comprehensive updates to their interiors. Both the Hilton and Hyatt recently converted their outdoor pools into ballrooms for more event space.
Out on the Towns
“We’re urban, but within the county we have these districts that can be marketed independently as their own cities, as distinct clusters for meeting space,” Groff said. “There’s Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Rockville and Gaithersburg.”
There is also a newcomer to the list of districts.
“Outside the beltway is this new area we’ve branded the Pike District,” Groff said. “It starts with the anchor at the bottom, right outside the beltway, The Music Center at Strathmore.”
Though still in development, visitors will find plenty to enjoy at the heart of the new neighborhood, Pike & Rose. Already bustling with comprehensive retail and dining establishments, the district is slated to host luxury offerings like Pinstripes, The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden and Hilton’s new concept in lifestyle hotels, Canopy, set to open in 2018 as part of the second phase of the development.
Having so many distinct communities in such close proximity makes for quite a range of downtime activities, whether that means enjoying live entertainment, shopping or dining at one of the county’s 1,000 restaurants.
“Downtown Bethesda has 200 alone,” Groff noted, referring to the region’s remarkable resume of eateries.
“We’re a very multicultural destination,” Groff continued. “Wheaton, Md., for example—you probably aren’t going to stay at a hotel there. It’s a small town, but it’s right on the Metro, and you can easily visit for dining. Wheaton is really known for authentic international foods. It’s really unique because of its ethnic, cultural twist.”
North of Gaithersburg, Simon Property Group recently opened doors on a LEED-certified mixed-use development, Clarksburg Premium Outlets, a two-story showcase of luxury retailers. Offerings include Calvin Klein, Nike, Under Armour and Steve Madden, all at significantly reduced prices. The new center provides a distinct opportunity for attendees to relax after-hours.
“For me, whenever I go to a conference, that’s pretty much the only time I get to shop,” Groff joked.
