All That Makes Ocean City, Maryland a Total Meetings Package
In this Meetings Today podcast episode, Content Developer Taylor Smith speaks with Kim Mueller, Director of Sales for Ocean City, Maryland’s Department of Tourism about everything that makes this East Coast destination the total package for meetings and events of all kinds.
From the oceanfront Roland E. Powell Convention Center and its 214,000 square feet of space to an array of accommodations that makes it easy for every group to find a hotel to call home, Ocean City's list of amenities has everything meeting planners search for and then some. Discover what makes Ocean City a meetings destination that has it all by listening to the full interview now or reading the transcript below.
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Transcript:
Editors note: The following transcription was facilitated by AI program Otter.ai and proofed by our editors. Although it is very accurate, there inevitably will be some mistakes, so please consider that when reading. Thank you.
Taylor Smith
Hello and welcome to this Meetings Today podcast. I'm Taylor Smith, destinations and features content developer at Meetings Today. And for the next 20 minutes or so, I'll be taking you on a deep dive into the destination of Ocean City, Maryland.
What makes Ocean City the best place to host your next meeting or event? Answers to that question highlight everything from Ocean City’s spacious facilities and top-tier hotels to its eclectic dining scene and all the beyond-the-boardroom activities there are to choose from.
Here to tell us all about how Ocean City ticks every box on a meeting planner’s checklist is Kim Mueller, director of sales in the tourism department at the Town of Ocean City, who just may know Ocean City better than anyone else. Thanks for joining me today, Kim.
Kim Mueller
Thanks Taylor, it's a pleasure.
Taylor Smith
Yes, always. So, for listeners today who maybe haven't thought about adding Ocean City to their list of destinations to host their next meeting or event, what can you tell them about the destination? Why should Ocean City be on all of their lists?
Kim Mueller
Ocean City is a destination that surprises a lot of people in the meeting and events world. If you're picturing it just as a summer beach town, you're missing out on the full story.
We offer an incredible blend of oceanfront beauty, top-tier meeting facilities and a welcoming community that makes every event feel special. A lot of planners… When I meet with a lot of planners, they'll always say, “You know, it's this little old beach town, with independent properties and small little bungalows.”
And that might have been Ocean City about 20 years ago, but today it has so much to offer.
Taylor Smith
And how is Ocean City a destination that's evolved and is built to cater to groups of all types and sizes? Whether they be associations, corporate, incentive, you know, how does Ocean City deliver to all of those different kinds of events?
Kim Mueller
Well, one thing about Ocean City that I love the most is that… how flexible the meeting space is. Whether you're planning a small executive retreat or a mid-sized association or a full-scale convention or tradeshow, we have the venues to accommodate now. And, you know, it's not a one-size-fits-all destination, either. We customize everything based on what the planner needs and the attendees are looking for.
We have the convention center with 214,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, we have unique hotels and offsite meeting venues. We have five Hiltons now in our portfolio, three Marriotts, a Hyatt, four IHG properties and then totally unique independent properties that offer beautiful, oceanfront meeting space.
Taylor Smith
And-
Kim Mueller
Go right ahead.
Taylor Smith
I was going to say I want to dive into all of those with you at this point. But yeah, so starting with the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, right? I mean, talk about flexibility and having the facilities to be able to cater to groups of all types and sizes. And it's also undergone some upgrades, recently. So, what should our planners know about the convention center, and what makes it such a versatile facility?
Kim Mueller
Well, we'll start with meeting space. You know, alone… We have now back in ‘22, we went through an expansion and added 30,000 square feet more of exhibit hall onto our already existing 45,000. So now it's a continuous 75,000 square feet of exhibit hall, which opens up into this beautiful 6000-square-foot bayfront gallery. So people are just, you know, they have the bay right out the back door.
Maybe I should really have started with that, honestly. We… our back door of the convention center sits on the Bay and our front door is two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful beach. So that alone I think is the major thing that sets us apart from other convention centers.
Attendees can truly feel immersed and relaxed right when they get here. Being able to take a break from a meeting and walking out to that setting really does put a different perspective for all attendees. They're able to take a deep breath and just really be able to take in and get creative and forget about everything else back home and just emerge themselves in the experience.
But inside the building, we have 21 meeting rooms, breakout meeting rooms, to go along with that 75,000 square feet of exhibit space. We have a beautiful 20-square-foot ballroom with floor to ceiling windows that overlook the Bay.
It's just a gorgeous setting. And we've got an amazing staff here that helps work through and customize every piece of the event and really become partners with the planners to make sure that the event doesn't just deliver the flexibility in the space, but true success. To really give that “wow” fact.
And also over the past 18 months, we've invested over $11 million in renovations in the interior. We've updated all of our audio-visual with overhead projectors, screens.
And then we've also gone into major interior upgrades to bring our brand to life, which is a light hearted, truly fun feel where the building just shines. We really got that beach vibe happening inside the building. And it’s just a really good feel inside.
So between the audio-visual, the interior and then also all of the other functional standpoints, we have updated our escalators, our elevators our… You know, everything behind the scenes has also been invested in.
Taylor Smith
Yep, the convention center sounds like it really has it all!
Kim Mueller
Yes, we… you know, we feel that way.
Taylor Smith
Well, I think you know… the one big selling point really that you mentioned is just, where else can you get that close to the water and step outside and feel connected to nature? To take that break from your meetings and just recharge yourself. I think that's… you know, you can't find that everywhere, so that really sets it apart like you mentioned.
Kim Mueller
Absolutely. And you know what we've had a lot here, too, is a lot of interest with the sporting groups. So we host large competitions, whether it's cheerleading, volleyball, basketball.
And just last month, we invested in Taraflex flooring. Its top choice flooring for sporting events. It's actually what they use in the Olympics for volleyball. It could be used for indoor hockey, it's a it's a game changer for tournament organizers. And we have it for the whole 75,000 square feet of our exhibit hall, which, interesting, makes us the largest Taraflex sport floor facility in the US.
Taylor Smith
Wow!
Kim Mueller
Yeah, within one week of getting it and closing on a deal and putting out to promoters that we have it, we booked the U.S. Indoor Field Hockey Festival for December this year already. So I mean, it's really been well received, rights holders and promoters are super excited about that coming into our space.
Taylor Smith
Well congrats on the development. I think you know everyone who's into the sports side will be excited to hear about that, too.
Kim Mueller
Yeah!
Taylor Smith
I know you mentioned that Ocean City has tons of hotels and brands and boutique properties that groups can enjoy, award-winning accommodations, historic motels, everything that you could really think of. So which ones like to play host to those groups and what, like, new or newly renovated hotels should our planners be sure to check out?
Kim Mueller
Well, yeah. I mean, we really have something for everyone. We have the Hilton Suites, the Holiday Inn & Suites, The Cambria, the Aloft. Some of those really come off more… they have intimate settings for their meeting space. So you're the one, you are in those properties. If you're a group from 25 to 125, you are their one group on property, their main focus. And the properties are, I don't know…They're just very personable.
So, you know, that's the difference I think that Ocean City delivers from your large metro areas. We host smaller meetings in a way that… When I say smaller, less at one time. You may have D.C. with 100 meetings going on at a time. Ocean City may concentrate on 20 meetings in the city at one time.
And the community really buys into all of those groups that are coming in, it's… everyone gets involved. So those small boutique hotels really do shine. And they're either sitting on the beach or sitting on the bay. So everyone has the view.
The larger properties we have, the Assure, that has gone through a major renovation. Actually it was bought two years ago, it used to be the Clarion. A group from New York came in and bought it, shut it down, went through a full renovation. So there are 250 guest rooms and suites, Fully renovated. They transformed their food and beverage space. So I mean they have now…
Taylor Smith
It's a one-stop-shop!
Kim Mueller
It's a one stop shop. Their convention space is separate from the hotel, which is really nice. You're still under one roof of a hotel, but it sits a little separate. You, you know, walk through kind of a breezeway into 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. It's beautiful. Their food and beverage space is also… transforms into event space. Beautiful. Their shore deck… It's 3000 square feet of outdoor event space with stunning views of the Atlantic.
It's one of our top hotel-level properties for groups and conventions and large associations. And beside… beyond the renovations, the Assure really offers like a curated experience. Beachside bonfires, food and beverage tasting, live entertainment, as do many of our other boutique hotels. From Princess Bayside that has 12,000 square feet of meeting space to our other highlighted hotels.
Taylor Smith
And it sounds just like they tap into destination immersion and giving groups the opportunity to, you know… They're not just in Ocean City, staying in in the board room and networking, right?
They're getting out and about, and they're really experiencing the destination from those beachside bonfires to the food that they're eating and that these catering teams are curating so…Like we said, it really is a one stop shop and it ticks all those boxes that we mentioned planners are looking for.
Kim Mueller
Well, yeah and Ocean City is 10 miles. A 10 mile stretch of beach.
It has 11,000 hotel rooms, 250 restaurants. So when a group comes into one of our hotel properties, it's… that we don't want them to just stay at the hotel. Of course, you've got the meeting space, you've got the food and beverage outlets there. But we want them to get out into the community.
There's so much here that can really elevate the experience of the attendees and take it from just a convention to a… a full experience for them. We have venues like Seacrets, for instance.
Taylor Smith
Yes, I was gonna ask you about them.
Kim Mueller
I know, I know. We've talked a few times and I've mentioned that I have to get you here to check it out.
Taylor Smith
Yes! I would love to. It sounds like such an amazing facility, right? There’s… you've got to tell our listeners today what they can experience there.
Kim Mueller
Well, if you're coming with a group, a convention, or you're coming on vacation, everybody has to experience it. It's one of the largest nightclub-restaurants in the U.S., and you wouldn't think Ocean City has that, but we do. And it sits right in the center of Ocean City.
It started out with just Seacrets, the night club. Which has a concert hall. You can… we host a lot of the convention center… Associations host their welcome receptions there. It fits 2000 in their concert hall, they have 21 bars, they have two restaurants and that main Seacrets.
Then they went further, they added a distillery which is a super cool vibe and feel itself. They do tours, and you feel like you're part of Disney in these tours. So a lot of our groups will do that for teambuilding, you go through the tour, you hear the story. And then you go into the Speakeasy, and you do some tasting and then you transition into events right there in the Speakeasy. That's great space for groups anywhere from 25 to 100, 125.
Then they added Area 51, which is one-of-a-kind. It's still in the same compound, but it has this art-deco design with a futuristic twist, really fun. Floor-to-ceiling, retractable windows that open up to the bay. So it's an incredible mix of indoor-outdoor event flow. It's just a very cool space. And again, that that area alone in Seacrets can be another 200.
And then they went one step further and they opened up The Hideaway, just this year. It's a private bay-front beach venue. And it's incredible for corporate receptions, incentive groups, large social events and can go up to 1000 guests right in that section.
Taylor Smith
Oh wow.
Kim Mueller
And then on top of it you once you finish there, they'll put you on a boat and you go down to the beach side of Seacrets and you get off and you can dance the rest of the night with people. It's a fun spot. It's really unique for Ocean City.
Taylor Smith
And it does sound like it's got it all, right? It takes you back in time with the Speakeasy, and then it takes you all the way to the future with Area 51. You could just experience everything at Seacrets.
Kim Mueller
I know, it's really hard to explain to people 'cause it's just… it's something you have to see.
Taylor Smith
There's no other place like it!
Kim Mueller
Yeah, I agree with that. But you know another thing that really surprises planners is… Again, when planners think of Ocean City, they think of the 10-mile strip. But just minutes outside of Ocean City we have small town charm at our fingertips. And groups are really starting to take advantage of that.
We have a lot of breweries and wineries within five miles of Ocean City that are great settings for groups anywhere from 100 to 500. That really make you feel like you're at a farm with live music and cornhole and fire pits, to countryside at the wineries.
So that's always a surprise for planners when they come here and we take them for sites.
Taylor Smith
And it again relates to that trend of authentic destination experiences and immersion and this desire for groups to know that they're giving back to the local community, that they're making a positive impact there.
So I'm glad that you brought that up today because, you know, that's what our groups want more and more of is to really get out into the destination, give back and feel like they have memories to take home with them.
Kim Mueller
Yeah, you know that is… You say that and I think it really is cool thing about Ocean City because most of our restaurants are, you know… You're walking in and you're talking to the owners. I'm setting up a group at Seacrets, actually, and the owner, Leighton Moore, will be taking the group through the distillery and telling his story of over the last 30 years how he grew this compound.
And this is just reaching out to our local partners in town and stakeholders. And they care, they want to be involved. And they want to personally touch groups when they come into Ocean City. So it is cool.
Taylor Smith
And that's special, too.
Kim Mueller
Yeah.
Taylor Smith
So another thing that I kind of want to dive into is the food and beverage scene in Ocean City. Restaurant menus feature everything from spicy Maryland steamed crabs and fresh out the water seafood, to this classic boardwalk fair that we're all a big fan of. So in what ways does Ocean City deliver on dining, and how can groups get a little taste of that when they're in town?
Kim Mueller
Yeah, we are definitely foodies here. So yeah, from your classic crab feast. It's great. Every group loves it and we transform that here in the Convention Center itself with groups of 1000 and do large crab feats. It's a great experience.
People walking around teaching everyone how to crack a blue crab, which I had to learn when I moved here 16 years ago.
To Spain, to authentic restaurants. Entrepreneurs coming into town, we have a new one, Spain, it's rated the top rooftop restaurant and bar in Maryland, here in Ocean City.
Taylor Smith
Oh, wow!
Kim Mueller
Yeah, it looks over the bay, Assateague Island. If you look real close, you can see the horses running on Assateague Island sometimes from the roof top of Spain. And the food is just incredible and authentic. To our farm to table, it really is… the local farms are definitely a top priority for our restaurant owners. They know them personally, they’re family. And they make it a priority to utilize what they have to offer locally in this area.
Taylor Smith
And I know the catering team at the convention center does that as well, I think.
Kim Mueller
Yes, absolutely. That's our first choice. You sub locally before anything else. And we give back to the community. We're very involved with, too, the community involvement with our composting projects throughout the restaurants and the convention center with a local Go Green organization.
Ocean City is really trying… our long term goal is to be zero waste. So a big part of that is sourcing locally, recycling, composting, giving back to those farms, taking our composting from the convention center to the farm and then back to the farmers to go full circle.
Taylor Smith
Yep.
Kim Mueller
We did a field trip just… I don't know, I think it was in October to see the whole process happen. It's pretty cool.
Taylor Smith
And that's another thing that groups are always looking for, like I said, is sustainability a huge thing right now. And to be able to deliver that to them is, you know, that that sets you guys apart, too.
Kim Mueller
Yeah, we kicked off a certification program with Go Green with the composting efforts and everything we're doing here at the convention center. It's very easy for groups to come in, check off a few other items, and then we can certify them as a green event. So they can put that on their website, and the Convention Center and the venue are already, immersed in being sustainable, it's very easy for the group to come in and take hold of that and be part and partner in that. So that's been received really well from our existing clients and new clients coming in.
Taylor Smith
What opportunities are there in Ocean City for groups to have fun on land and on water, right? There's no shortage of experiences for visitors to enjoy there. So what are some authentic activities and attractions that groups should add to their event agendas?
Kim Mueller
Well, one of my favorites is the bonfire on the beach. Groups love it, especially the ones… You know, Ocean City is a great place to mix business and leisure, and that whole leisure we've talked about and laughed about.
And we have a lot of corporate groups that the family can join them while the bonfire is a great place. Where after the day of meetings and dinner events, they go out on the beach, live music, s'mores, games. And it's a great experience, and something you can't get everywhere. It really brings them down to nature.
But besides that, we have got everything from deep-sea fishing for teambuilding, we have 17 championship golf courses. I mentioned Assateague Island, National Park with the wild ponies.
They do a lot of we have groups going over there and doing eco-tours. So they get in the kayaks, they go out, they go out in the bay, they see the wild ponies, they learn about the ecosystem. And if you've never seen Assateague Island and the wild ponies, that's something, itself, is pretty unique for the area.
Taylor Smith
A transformative moment, I think, for a lot of people.
Kim Mueller
Oh yeah, yeah. You know, you leave Ocean City with all the action and the restaurants and the activities, and you go over there and it's just tranquil and beautiful and something that is just hard to find these days. Not having, it's… There's no commercial on the island at all. So it really brings you back down to nature and groups love going over there. So that's always a highlight too.
Taylor Smith
Well, is there anything else about Ocean City, Kim, that our listeners should know about today? Anything I didn't ask you about that you're like, “Oh, I want to make sure I mention this,” before we sign off.
Kim Mueller
Well, I have to say, Ocean City is a great drive-to destination. So I think when people think about the location, I guess I'd like to mention that we are an easy drive to all the major Mid-Atlantic cities. D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York.
People are hitting that easy button, not having to get in a plane. It's affordable, you know, it makes it very affordable to not have to put the air in the packages. Our off-peak season, which starts in September and kind of goes all the way into the end of May, beginning of June, is incredibly affordable for groups. Sometimes in some parts of our offseason, it's 50%-off our peak rates. So, your budget goes a lot further.
And it's nice getting out of those metropolitan areas. So, really, it's just about the ease of getting here I guess I wanted to kind of tack into our conversation.
Taylor Smith
Yeah, definitely.
Kim Mueller
But no, I think that sums us up.
Taylor Smith
Well, I mean, you did a great job proving why Ocean City is the total package, right?
You've got it all there and it just, you know, it sounds like the place that groups should just want to be.
Kim Mueller
Yeah. Well, we think so. You know, we might be a little biased, but I think we give planners more than just great venues. We give them the experience that their attendees will want to talk about long after the event’s over, you know? Whether it's on the water, the golf course or the boardwalk, we deliver something truly special for groups looking to mix business with fun.
Taylor Smith
I love that. Thanks so much Kim for joining me today, it's been great chatting with you.
Kim Mueller
Thanks for having me, Taylor. It's been it's been great, thanks.
Taylor Smith
Of course! That was Kim Mueller, director of sales and the tourism department at the Town of Ocean City. Once again, I'm Taylor Smith, Destinations and Features Content Developer at Meetings Today and I want to thank you all for joining Kim and I on this deep dive into the destination of Ocean City, Maryland. If you're interested in listening to more Meetings Today podcasts, you can find our latest episodes online at Meetingstoday.com/podcast.
And to learn more about planning events in Ocean City, visit ococean.com.
Thanks again for tuning in!
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Ocean City, MD CVB
This article was created in partnership with the Ocean City, MD CVB.
