Lincoln, Nebraska, continues to be the choice for meeting planners across the country who are looking for a convenient, friendly and memorable setting for their next meeting or event. With a population of nearly 300,000, this growing city sits less than a day’s drive from major metros such as Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City; Minneapolis, Denver and Chicago with air service to and from Chicago, Denver and Houston out of the Lincoln Airport and nearby service from Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, providing a variety of airline carriers and originating cities to select from.
The primary conference center hotel is the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel. This property is one of only a handful in the nation that Marriott allowed to keep its former name due to the history of the property. Located blocks from the Nebraska State Capitol, the property has 300 sleeping rooms and over 46,000 square feet of meeting space. Additionally, the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel has a full-service restaurant, a Starbucks and many other amenities.
Located on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Innovation Campus (NIC), The Scarlet Hotel is the perfect blend of small-town generosity and genuine connection, designed to celebrate Nebraska in every way. Features include 154 unique rooms, a full-service restaurant, coffee shop, fitness facility, rooftop bar and additional high-end features. A hub of modern style and innovation, this unique property is conveniently situated next to the NIC Conference Center. The NIC Conference Center is housed in a historic building that was reconstructed to provide a unique full-service conference center, featuring a 400-seat auditorium with state-of-the-art studio and visual capabilities and each seat equipped with a table and power outlet. Additional meeting space includes a 400-seat banquet room, eight breakout rooms and other collaborative spaces.
Head over to UNL’s East Campus, just minutes from the downtown Lincoln area, and visit the International Quilt Museum, which houses the largest publicly held quilt collection dating from the early 1600s to the present and representing more than 65 countries. This beautiful and sprawling museum also offers one-of-a-kind elegance that will bring beauty and style to any occasion with facility rentals available for business meetings to weddings, receptions and more.
For large and mid-size groups, Pinnacle Bank Arena is celebrating 10 years of operation after opening in the fall of 2013 and continues to rack up awards as one of the best arenas in the U.S. Boasting 16,000 seats in the Historic Haymarket District of downtown Lincoln, Pinnacle Bank Arena features multiple hospitality rooms, suites, premium clubs and other amenities popular to groups. It has also hosted religious gatherings, conventions, tradeshows and much more—not just concerts and sporting events.
Formerly the Lancaster Event Center, the Sandhills Global Event Center is a 400,000-square-foot versatile venue located in northeast Lincoln, easily accessible from nearby Interstate 80 and Highway 6. The facility consists of interconnected buildings, making it easy to host multiple events at one time. There is free surface parking on site and the facility has full food and beverage capabilities. In 2021, the event center hosted the National High School Finals Rodeo, the world’s largest rodeo with over 1,600 competitors, and will host it again in 2026 and 2027.
Once the meeting is over, your attendees will want to stay entertained, and Lincoln is bursting with opportunities to explore all parts of the city.
Lincoln has invested nearly $1 billion in its downtown area, expanding the entertainment and retail opportunities for groups. Off-the-beaten-path activities are popular as well, including a tour of the famous Robber’s Cave. Legends of Jesse James, prohibition and other infamous activity run wild when touring Robber’s Cave. The cave is featured as a nationally registered Historic Landmark and featured in Atlas Obscura, among other places. As Lincoln’s only underground attraction, tours are available year-round, seven days a week and provide an interesting history of Lincoln with exciting stories and more.
Let Visit Lincoln help plan your next meeting and stay in Lincoln. Visit Lincoln offers a full complement of planning and logistics services, ranging from guest registration to press outreach and more, as these amenities will help you make the most of your time and budget.
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