Items that once appeared at the top of meeting and events planners’ convention-center checklist— advanced technology infrastructure, continuous exhibition halls, clean-and-green certifications—have become so common and nonnegotiable, there’s no need to list them anymore. They’re staple, unquestionable deliverables.
Now at the top of the list items such as unique venues and locally sourced F&B appear. So, what does a convention center need to stay one step ahead?
Sometimes the answer comes in the form of versatile meeting spaces with natural light and inspiring views, and other times it’s a convention center’s accessibility and proximity to transportation hubs.
When planners choose to host their events at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland, though, the question is no longer multiple choice; it’s “select all that apply.”
“It’s more than a venue; it gives planners a little bit of everything,” said Kim Mueller, director of sales for the tourism department for the Town of Ocean City. “The destination is a place where you can feel both productive and refreshed in a beautiful setting. We have over 214,000 square feet of meeting space, with 75,000 square feet of exhibit space in the hall. Out the back door, we’ve got the beautiful bay and we’re just two blocks from the beach.
“It’s that setting that really sets us apart,” she added, “and then the fact that we offer everything else that the others do.”
Following is a list of convention center must-haves and how the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City doesn’t make planners choose between one or another, it just has them all.
A One-Stop Affordable Shop
When industry reports predict stagnant budgets and the economy shows signs of increasing inflation, affordability becomes the most important convention-center checklist item of all. But when a nice price already has taxes and fees included, those other boxes are a lot easier to tick.
“We are a full-service facility,” Mueller said. “The convention center caters to a range of groups, from small executive retreats to large-scale conventions and even sports competitions. We offer flexibility, affordability and the coastal setting, and it makes us an ideal choice for a variety of groups.”
The Roland E. Powell Convention Center offers a full list of amenities and services including an in-house audiovisual team that’s non-exclusive—giving planners the convenience of a ready-made crew and the flexibility to bring in their own—as well an exclusive food and beverage partner of 25-plus years, Sodexo Live!.
“What we have is the best staff ever,” Mueller said. “They’ve been here a long time, and they’re more than just a team assisting planners; they’re an extension of them, and they really work hand-in-hand with the planners to make sure that their event is a success.”
[Related: Discover Ocean City, Maryland’s Unexpected Charm for Meetings and Events]
Location & Accessibility
“The convention center sits right in the center of town,” Mueller said, and Ocean City offers practically everything a group needs within a walkable 10-mile strip home to 10,000 hotel rooms and 250 restaurants.
“We have transportation that runs constantly, and as an added amenity, if you’re hosting your event at the convention center, you can take all of our city transportation for free. Constant buses, constant free transportation,” Mueller added.
Ocean City is easy to reach for drive-in attendees, just three hours from Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia and four from New York City. The Salisbury Regional Airport (SBY) is less than 30 miles from Ocean City and has nonstop domestic flights from Charlotte and Philadelphia.
Versatile Venues
With 214,000 square feet of space, planners have a lot of room to play around at the state-of-the-art Roland E. Powell Convention Center. One unique venue in particular is the Ocean City Performing Arts Center.
“It’s right in the center of the building. It’s beautiful, it’s state of the art and it’s large enough to host 1,200 people, there is not a bad seat in the house” Mueller said. “It’s an intimate setting, but it has digital screens and all the updates.”
The Performing Arts Center hosts everything from Broadway shows to live concerts and to Convention Key Note speakers and also offers a pre-function area, box office and concession area.
“The convention center also has a ballroom that has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bay, it’s really is a stunning backdrop to anything,” Mueller said. “We even host volleyball in that ballroom, and it’s fun because the team will webcast and you can see the water in the background, and you’re like, ‘Where are they?’”
[Related: Discover the Unique Venues in Ocean City, MD: A Meeting Planner’s Dream]
Staying Sustainable
The Sustainable Maryland-certified Roland E. Powell Convention Center partners with Go Green OC on their mission to become the first zero-waste beach resort town.
“In the past year, we’ve changed the whole convention center over to composting products, so now everything we do is fully compostable,” Mueller said. “We’ve also started a certification program that we discuss at the start of the planning process, stressing little things planners can do like vendors not doing giveaways and avoiding waste, and then we can certify them for hosting a sustainable event, and it’s a real partnership.”
The Roland E. Powell Convention Center also makes an effort to donate all leftover food and beverage when possible, diverting waste to foodbanks and communities in need. The convention center then reports back to planners summarizing their event’s positive impact.
“We want to give them something tangible to take back to their attendees and show them what they were a part of,” Mueller said.
Recent Renovations
Like many convention centers across the U.S., the Roland E. Powell Convention Center has been going through a lot of changes of its own to stay on trend.
“In the last 18 months, we've invested $11 million in our renovations, well beyond just the aesthetics and the decor,” Mueller said. “We've updated our large service elevators, making an easy, convenient and efficient way to move cars and trucks in the building on different levels. The refreshed interior includes new lighting, and in all the meeting rooms, we've updated our overhead projectors, screens and audio."
The convention center also just invested in Taraflex flooring for sporting events, “the worldwide leading brand of indoor spot floor” from commercial and sports flooring manufacturer Gerflor.
“It’s the flooring that they use in the Olympics for volleyball, and it’s going to be a big game changer when it comes to attracting sporting events. It will cover the full 75,000 square feet of space in the exhibit hall. We’re actually going to have the largest space covered with Taraflex flooring in the U.S.,” Mueller said, and the Roland E. Powell Convention Center will continue to invest in itself to be “somewhere groups want to come and feel inspired.”
"Meeting planners love the space and setting, but if you’re not providing the right tools to help them be productive and deliver a high-level program, you won’t stay competitive."
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Ocean City, MD CVB
This article was created in partnership with the Ocean City, MD CVB.
