When groups choose Seattle, attendees are given the reason they’ve been looking for to visit this distinctive city. An urban metropolis set in the middle of luscious natural surroundings, Seattle offers the ability to explore longstanding landmarks such as Pike Place Market and the Space Needle alongside world-class restaurants and signature retail shops—all within walking distance of premier meeting facilities and a robust hotel mix.
Summit is Open in Seattle
The Summit building at Seattle Convention Center is officially open and has welcomed its first guests. The first vertical convention center in North America offers more than 570,000 square feet of additional event space and pairs with the existing Arch building—just one-and-a-half blocks away—doubling the capacity of the entire campus.
Offering Truly Remarkable Spaces
Summit offers multiple ways to soak in Seattle’s surroundings without even leaving the building. Summit’s stunning 58,000-square-foot ballroom offers panoramic city views. The 99,250-square-foot Flex Hall—fully carpeted, acoustically treated, and column-free—offers a blank slate for meeting planners to bring their ideas to life. And the building’s suspended stair system, designed with built-in seating, offers views of Pike Place Market and Puget Sound just down the street.
Constructed with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Mind
From being one of the top cities for women in legislation to being consistently ranked in the top 10 for share of women-owned businesses, Seattle is a beacon for female leaders to come together and share ideas. As of Summit’s opening, the team had already committed nearly $150 million to women- and minority-owned businesses, nearly doubling the initial commitment goal.
Of note, Summit features one of the nation's largest window shade systems, which is made by a local woman-owned company. Seattle-based Lumenomics designed and provided the ballroom's 12 window shades, each of which is 63 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
Seattle Offers A (Still) Tiny Footprint
While the addition of Summit means that Seattle can welcome more attendees, they will still leave a tiny footprint on the planet. With Arch already LEED Silver-certified, Summit is now slated to achieve LEED Gold Certification and is targeting Platinum, building on Seattle’s legacy as a leader in sustainability.
Every aspect of Summit was designed with sustainability in mind, featuring upcycled materials from Seattle’s industrious past to minimize the environmental impact of building our future. The building used reclaimed wood from a Honda dealership that previously occupied a portion of the site. Captured rainwater is used in landscaping irrigation as well as toilet flushing, while radiant floors circulate hot or cool water depending on the season to reduce the need for AC and heaters. Finally, the venue’s solar panels deliver 30% higher energy performance over baseline ratings.
From the moment you arrive at SEA Airport—the first North American airport to earn certification for reduction of carbon emissions—to the multiple LEED Gold and Silver-certified hotel options in the downtown core to the sustainably designed features of Seattle Convention Center, Seattle is the perfect setting to positively impact your attendees and the planet.
Learn more about placing your meeting in Seattle at visitseattle.org/meetings.
Sponsored by Visit Seattle
