Downtown Atlanta, GA

America’s Southeast is caught between the past and the
present, and that’s what makes it such an appealing destination. Convention facilities are housed in century-old buildings, yet they have modern audio and visual equipment. Hotels are newly renovated, but they maintain the charm of generations past. Restaurants serve delicious and impeccable dishes, but the recipes date back decades. It’s in the Southeast, from Mississippi and Alabama all the way east to North Carolina, that Southern hospitality meets technology and professionalism, resulting in a refreshing mix that brings satisfying rewards for meeting participants.

Atlanta, Georgia

Big-city amenities and warm Southern hospitality overflow like sweet iced tea in Georgia’s capital. As the ninth largest metro area in the country, Atlanta has a lot to offer in terms of hotels, restaurants and meeting facilities.

“Environment is huge when you’re bringing in 22,000-plus people, college students specifically, to one city,” says Brittany Thoms, publicist for the Passion Conferences. “For organizations like Passion and Catalyst Conference, we call Atlanta home all year-round, but when gathering tens of thousands of people together, Atlanta is a great choice because it’s easily accessible from around the country and internationally.”

Passion, which holds conferences worldwide, met in Atlanta in 2007 and 2010 and will again in January 2011. For venues, Thoms scoured the many options and chose Philips Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center for their “space and setup offerings.” And there’s room to grow at both sites. “It’s important when you’re gathering people from across the world … that you make room for growth,” she adds. “Passion is a lot more than a four-day conference; it’s a movement among a generation of university-aged young people that bring friends, groups and even younger siblings as they enter the college-age window [to the event].”

Meetings aside, attendees won’t have to go far in search of entertainment. Downtown, there’s the world’s largest aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, world-class restaurants and multiple parks and green space.

Stone Mountain Park, located 16 miles east of downtown, has several pavilions and venues available to groups. “With more than 3,300 acres of natural beauty, a variety of outdoor attractions, entertainment and recreation, Stone Mountain is the ideal location for spiritual groups to commune and relax,” says Michelle Harding, public relations coordinator for the Atlanta CVB. “Visitors can make the 1.3-mile hike up the world’s largest exposed mass of granite and experience spectacular views at the top.”

Just north of the city, Sandy Springs and Dunwoody offer convention hotels, outstanding shopping and great restaurants; and venues such as the 13,000-seat Gwinnett Arena in Duluth and the 12,000-seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta prove that the Atlanta suburbs are viable meeting options in themselves.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Whether you’re a college football fan, Cajun cuisine lover or enthusiast for the pristine nature surrounding Bayou country, Baton Rouge has a wealth of draws for meeting planners. Culture in this southeastern Louisiana town may come with a little Tabasco or even a tiger’s growl, but it’s all covered in a good bit of genuine hospitality.

As the state’s capital and home to Louisiana State University, attractions, dining and entertainment are never hard to come by. The college town is filled with live music for a night out or swamp tours that take attendees way off the beaten path, if so desired.

“I continue to be pleasantly surprised with the city of Baton Rouge,” says Pastor Lue Russell, conference coordinator of the World Link of Churches and Ministries. “It has ample venues for activities, many restaurants, good shopping, great freeway access and good hotel prices.” Russell planned the Spirit of the Pentecost Conference, which was held in Baton Rouge July 5-11.

An elegant event at Nottoway Plantation, the largest plantation home in the South, has an authentic South Louisiana feel to it. New accommodations are on the grounds as well as the renovated Mansion restaurant, which can be converted to banquet or meeting space. The barn at Magnolia Mound is also a popular venue for an old-fashioned crawfish broil set against a rare Creole plantation house surrounded by gorgeous Magnolia trees.

In 2005, the Baton Rouge River Center expansion added a 70,000-sq.-ft exhibition hall to the existing arena and theater for the performing arts. More than 200,000 square feet of new and renovated space is available in the downtown complex.

A different side of Cajun country can be tasted along one of the Louisiana Culinary Trails that go through the area. The Louisiana Office of Tourism and Tabasco has created culinary tours throughout the state, but the restaurants on the trail that cuts through Baton Rouge are enough to satisfy groups with their combination of Cajun, Creole and French flavors.

Birmingham, Alabama

For a metropolitan area with a population of more than a million people, the shopping, entertainment and dining options in Alabama’s largest city are not surprising. Sports dominate with bass fishing, golf and attractions such as the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and nearby Talladega Superspeedway.

Civil rights are a huge part of the city’s history, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 16th Street Baptist Church and Kelly Ingram Park are among the many highlights of a civil rights tour of the city, each providing meaningful off-site venues.

Your group can spend an afternoon shopping in the charming neighborhoods close to downtown from Mountain Brook to Homewood and the Highlands. There, they’ll find cute boutiques and nationally recognized restaurants. And the Summit and Riverchase Galleria malls have it all when it comes to name-brand shops and restaurants.

As one would expect in a city the size of Birmingham, large convention space is plentiful. The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) has 220,000 square feet of exhibit space while smaller venues are available throughout the region, such as the Cahaba Grand Conference Center with 22,000 square feet or the Gardendale Civic Center’s 16,000 square feet of meeting space.

The big news for meetings in Birmingham is the $530 million expansion and renovation of the BJCC, set to begin in 2011 and be completed in 2014. The expansion includes a 57,000-seat facility that includes 160,000 square feet of flat floor space and long-awaited updates to the existing space. Other meeting venues include the Birmingham Museum of Art; the McWane Science Center, which is ideal for youth groups; and the Faith Chapel Christian Center, soon to have a bowling alley.

Charlotte, North Carolina

It’s hard to be the first to do anything anymore, but the Charlotte Convention Center can claim one very important first: the first convention facility to go green in North Carolina. It has switched to biodegradable cups and eco-friendly cleaning supplies, maintains constant internal heat and air-conditioning temperatures, and recycles all aluminum, glass and plastic bottles used by groups. Green initiatives have crept into every aspect of convention planning, which makes going green in Charlotte the standard rather than a hassle.

The Charlotte Convention Center, with more than 90,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, anchors Charlotte’s Center City convention district. The area boasts nearly 100 restaurants,
as well as art and science museums.

The Westin Charlotte, Hilton Charlotte Center City, Omni Hotel and Charlotte Marriott Center City are all large hotels with space for groups to spread out (and hold meetings) within walking distance of the convention facilities.

New destinations surrounding the convention center give visitors plenty to do during non-meeting hours. EpiCentre, an entertainment venue blocks from the convention center, has shops and restaurants and is the heart of the nightlife scene uptown.

Nearby, the Wells Fargo
Cultural Campus is an arts mecca, with newly opened museums including the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture, which has space for small receptions in its classrooms and galleries. Mint Museum Uptown, a 145,000-sq.-ft. museum of American, contemporary and craft art, opens in October.

The newly opened NASCAR Hall of Fame is a 150,000-sq.-ft. space dedicated to the history of auto racing. The museum, which includes interactive exhibits and a racing “Hall of Honor,” features multiple layouts within the hall that are perfect for themed receptions or events. The stock-car lined Great Hall and the High Octane Theater, which has a 64-foot curved projection screen, can accommodate events. The 40,000-sq.-ft. Crown Ballroom is the largest in the Charlotte market and connects the hall to the convention center.

King’s Kitchen, a nonprofit restaurant in the heart of the city, serves delicious Southern cuisine as well as a huge helping of inspiration. Local celebrity chef Jim Noble opened the restaurant this year with a mission to employ those considered “unemployable” — from those coming out of prison and rehab to youth in danger of dropping out of school. He trains them to run a full-service restaurant and provides them with leadership and spiritual training. Profits go to feeding the hungry in Charlotte.

As home to Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway,  Hendrick Motorsports and Kannapolis, the hometown of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Cabarrus County calls itself “NASCAR country.” The county northeast of Charlotte also offers meeting planners Great Wolf Lodge. Kids (and adults) stay busy in the indoor waterpark or running around participating in the resort’s MagiQuest interactive hunt while meetings take place on the opposite side of the property in the conference center.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

On the water and surrounded by mountains, it’s no wonder that Chattanooga is committed to protecting its environment. Area businesses also promote the locavor movement. Local produce not only fills the menus of farm-to-table

restaurants, but the Chattanooga Convention Center serves it from its own kitchen whenever possible.

Keith Quatrano, the five-star chef behind catering at the convention center, embraces Southern cuisine while partnering with local growers to keep the menu as fresh and local as possible. The eco-friendly, 185,000-sq.-ft. convention center uses natural lighting, recycles and donates non-consumed food to the Chattanooga Food Bank’s Second Helpings program as part of its green initiative.

A free, zero-emission electric shuttle system, a revitalized downtown with green space, a wetlands preservation area and 25 miles of walking paths in the surrounding community encourage people to get out of their cars and get outside. Other city initiatives include a goal to have at least 20 LEED-certified buildings downtown by 2011 and to double the tree canopy in the central business district.

The First Tennessee Pavilion seats up to 4,000 attendees in the great outdoors when not occupied by concerts or the seasonal Chattanooga Market. Attendees can enjoy an outdoor break from meetings as well as local attractions ranging from the Chattanooga Nature Center and Chattanooga Aquarium to whitewater rafting, kayaking and hiking. Nearby, Ruby Falls and Rock City are popular natural attractions.

The Southern Belle has a gospel dinner cruise every Monday night in September and October, and all faiths will enjoy the Siskin Museum of Religious Artifacts, which contains more than 400 objects dating back to the 14th century.

The historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel can host a board meeting in a restored train car or a banquet for 500 in the Imperial Ballroom. A lecture hall, breakout rooms and 500-seat Centennial Theatre, which hosts free gospel shows on a regular basis, are also available in the hotel’s conference center.

Greenville, South Carolina

Carolina First Center is the largest convention center in the Southeast, from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., with more than 300,000 square feet of combined conference and exhibit space. Greenville also boasts a revitalized Main Street, bustling with restaurants, shopping and entertainment, three miles from the convention center.

“What’s great is that at 5 p.m., our sidewalks don’t roll up,” says Todd Bertka, vice president of sales at the Greenville CVB. The summer season brims with concerts on Thursday and Friday nights, outdoor dining and the arts scene. “There really isn’t a slow night from now until October,” Bertka says.

Whether it’s a Greenville Drive baseball game at Fluor Field or a concert at the Peace Center, attendees seem to take full advantage of what’s available to them in their off time. Bertka refers to the city as having a lot of surprising unknowns. Meeting venues range from the conventional — the First Center, which completed a $22 million renovation in 2008 — to the creative, such as Zen, a swanky 12,000-sq.-ft. flexible space on Greenville’s West End. The Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery also makes a greet venue with its collection of antiquities from Babylon, Egypt, Palestine and Rome.

Amidst the action, downtown is bookended by Falls Park and Heritage Green. Falls Park is a green space with nature trails, a pond, gardens and Liberty Bridge, a 355-foot bridge supported by a single suspension cable overlooking a waterfall. Four museums and a theater make up the arts and cultural campus of Heritage Green. Your group can visit the Greenville County Museum of Art, the Museum and Gallery at Heritage Green and The Children’s Museum, or you can host an event at the Greenville Little Theatre or the Upcountry History Museum.

Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city of complementary contrasts. Downtown has historic churches alongside areas with active shopping, dining and nightlife. And antebellum homes are just minutes from a moon rock.

Huntsville’s shining star, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is not only a must-see attraction, but a popular venue as well. The Davidson Center for Space Exploration, located on site, can seat 1,200 people.

Another venue, the Von Braun Center has 170,000 square feet of meeting space and is undergoing a $25 million makeover. The renovation, updating the 1,950-seat concert hall and 8,500-seat arena, is scheduled to be completed by spring 2011.

Adjacent to the center, construction has begun on the Constellation Development, a mixed-use facility. Two hotels are part of the project, including a 153-room Springhill Suites by Marriott that is set to open winter 2011.

Charleen Hobbs, a ministry assistant with the Alabama Baptist Convention State Board of Missions, says she was impressed with the city’s hospitality. And it’s easy to get around, she adds, bouncing from the Huntsville Botanical Garden to Burritt on the Mountain to the EarlyWorks Children’s Museum.

There’s also a downtown green space adorned with gifts from around the globe, including 60 cherry blossom trees from Japan, a 1929 fog bell from Norway and a park bench from Britain.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The 60-mile beachfront stretch, also known as “The Grand Strand,” of the Myrtle Beach area is swimming in

accolades: best beach, best hotel, best weekend getaway, best value. The sunny Southern spot, which includes 12 communities from Little River to Pawleys Island, has won it all. It’s known for its golf courses, shag dancing, Calabash

seafood and historic rice plantations, but it’s also a popular meetings destination.

A golfer’s paradise, the area has seven of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, as rated by Golf Digest. Attendees won’t be disappointed by the courses at Caledonia, Dunes, Grande Dunes, Heritage, Tidewater or Barefoot. For meetings that welcome the family to come along, more than 50 area courses allow kids to play free, says Steve Mays, senior director of marketing for Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. Better at putting than driving? Myrtle Beach is considered the “Miniature Golf Capital of the World.” In fact, more than 50 courses line the seaside stretch of the Grand Strand.

For those desiring some low-country cuisine (such as the Southern specialty shrimp and stone-ground grits), the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk, set in a historic fishing village, is brimming with restaurants serving up fresh seafood caught right off the dock. Big decks line a saltwater estuary, which serve as a backdrop for live bands that play nightly almost year-round.

Myrtle Beach added a new attraction to its beachside location this past spring: the Oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade, which stretches 1.2 miles along the coast, divided into three sections. The north section allows for a peaceful walk on a raised, wooden deck. The central section invokes a carnival atmosphere sporting cafes and souvenir shops. The south section is less developed, and has winding paths through natural sand dunes.

The international airport, 89,000 area rooms (including condos and beach cottages), and the Myrtle Beach Convention Center’s 250,000 square feet of flexible meeting space are major benefits for meeting planners. More than 20 of the area’s hotels and resorts offer meeting facilities for groups up to 2,000 people. The plethora of outdoor activities in the area also makes it ideal for team-building exercises. Test out Jet Ski races, deep-sea fishing trips or kayak excursions.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The historic, walkable city of New Orleans seems to defy every obstacle thrown its way. The city has come back stronger than ever from Hurricane Katrina, and it isn’t letting the oil spill hold it down either. Its one-of-a-kind culture, people, restaurants and nightlife keep visitors coming back for more.

Meetings and conventions almost pride themselves on meeting here to serve the beleaguered city. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) brought 36,000 students to New Orleans in 2009 and will return again in 2012 with the same size gathering. The National LCMS Youth Gathering (NYG) in New Orleans contributed approximately $42 million to local revenues this past July, according to figures released by the city’s CVB. The 11th triennial Gathering, which is The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod’s largest event, brought 24,000 visitors (young people, chaperones, volunteers, guests and staff) to the city.

“We love coming to New Orleans; it’s like coming home,” said Dr. Terry K. Dittmer, director for LCMS District and Congregational Services – Youth Ministry, the office that oversees the National LCMS Youth Gathering. “We are grateful to God for the opportunity to be of service to people of New Orleans.”

In addition to the inspiration groups find when coming to the city, the size and proximity of the venues certainly help when it comes to hosting a meeting.

The 1.1 million-sq.-ft. New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center sports a new, upbeat look. Its “Convention Center Blue” exterior debuted last year, replacing the once prominent brick-red stripe. “The new shade of deep blue appropriately reflects our relationship with one of the most famous bodies of water in the world, the Mississippi River,” declared Bob Johnson, the convention center’s president and general manager.

The sixth largest convention center in the nation (and a consistent top 10 host of the largest number of conventions and trade shows annually), completed more than $20 million of additional interior and exterior improvements in 2009,
including an aesthetically enhanced main entrance, additional landscaping, new furniture pods and technology upgrades.

The Hyatt Regency New Orleans will reopen fall of 2011, reclaiming the spot as the largest hotel in the city. The 1,193-room hotel is located adjacent to the Louisiana Superdome; it closed to guests following Hurricane Katrina. The hotel will undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation, including its 200,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. “This property will play an integral role in continuing to attract business and leisure visitors to the city,” said Lee Neibart, global chief executive officer of AREA Property Partners, part of Poydras Properties Hotel Holdings, which acquired the property in 2007.

New Orleans launched a master plan for the city’s tourism industry aimed at creating added value for meeting planners, improving city infrastructure, increasing jobs and enhancing visitor experience. The city hopes to attract 13.7 million annual visitors by its 300th anniversary in 2018.

“Redoing a tourism section of a city doesn’t just make it a better place to visit,” Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans CVB, told fellow CVB executives at Destination Marketing Association International in July in reference to his city’s master plan. “But it makes it a better place to live. Nobody likes anything more than making the place they live cooler. Everyone responds to that.”

There’s plenty new to celebrate in New Orleans, but the historic city remains true to its bones. “The world of travel has become largely homogenous, but in New Orleans, you get an overwhelming sensory immersion in a place that is authentic, not gentrified,” says Perry. “The architecture enriches the eye, the smells and tastes are categorically different from any other cuisine … the jazz … the music … all the senses are stimulated. At the end of the day, your soul feels better, especially when you have contributed to the recovery of this treasure.”

Tampa, Florida

If being near the water will add to your meeting, Tampa is a destination to consider. Located on the west coast of Florida, the city sits on Tampa Bay, which leads to the Gulf of Mexico. The Tampa Convention Center has waterfront views and is accessible from hotels, shops and restaurants by an electric streetcar, water taxi or the Tampa Riverwalk.

Conference attendees have a number of hotels to choose from. More than 2,400 hotels rooms are within walking distance of the convention center, including the Embassy Suites Tampa-Downtown, connected to the convention center by SkyBridge. The hotel has 9,000 square feet of meeting space. Renaissance Tampa International Plaza and the InterContinental Tampa are within steps of shopping, dining and entertainment at Westhore Plaza and International Plaza and Bay Street. And the Mainsail Suites and Conference Center features a new 17,000-sq.-ft. conference facility.

“I fell in love with Tampa in 2003 when I was here with the Gospel Music Workshop of America,” says Joyce M. Walker-Tyson, who is planning an event in Tampa for the Church of the Living God. “Since my first visit, I’ve booked a meeting at the Grand Hyatt in 2010, and I’m placing another one there in 2012. I’m also looking at Tampa for a Women’s Retreat in 2012 and full convention in 2014. I’ve found that the staffs at Tampa Bay and Company as well as at the hotels go out of their way to make my life as a planner (and as a convention attendee) a lot easier. They’ve pretty much set the standard as far as I’m concerned.”

Professional sports fans will not be disappointed by Tampa’s choices. From MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays and spring training for the New York Yankees to NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, groups can plan large outings to games. If you’re more into culture than sports, Tampa has a full list of festivals throughout the year, from Historic Ybor City’s Fiesta Italiana to the annual Florida State Fair. Busch Gardens hosts Christian concert series each May. With nice weather almost year-round, outdoor festivals in this pedestrian-friendly city are always welcome.

Toledo Museum of Art

The honor roll of artists whose paintings, sculpture, photographs and crafts adorn the more than three dozen galleries at the Toledo Museum of Art is long and distinguished, from Cézanne, Calder and Degas to Matisse, Picasso and Rembrandt. The museum’s jewel, though, is its sleek, 74,000-sq.-ft. Glass Pavilion, home to special glass exhibits, artists’ studios and the posh GlasSalon, which holds 300 people for elegant receptions. Groups can also choose from more than a dozen other artsy museum event spaces, from intimate dinners in the Red and Yellow rooms to receptions of 300 in the airy Classic Court and Greek-inspired Peristyle Lobby.

Hilbert Circle Theatre

When the Hilbert Circle Theatre opened in 1916, it served as a showpiece for Indiana’s capital and America’s burgeoning film industry. Almost a century later, this elegantly renovated gem still draws a crowd as the home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The 1,786-seat Grand Auditorium proves ideal for meetings and seminars, while the stage itself holds up to 80 for sit-down meals. The theater’s intimate Penthouse works nicely for banquets of 60, while the Wood Room, with beautiful views of Monument Circle, fits 100 for banquets and 200 for receptions. The snazzy Main Lobby, framed by a sleek oval balcony, remains a favorite for chic receptions of up to 700.

MiIlwaukee Art Museum

Downtown’s Milwaukee Art Museum, which overlooks Lake Michigan, holds more than 20,000 works of art, specializing in European and American pieces from the past few centuries, and features exhibits on American folk and decorative arts. The museum’s soaring, Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion, highlighted by its movable winged walls, is an artistic masterpiece on its own and accommodates up to 1,000. Windhover Hall, with a 90-foot-tall glass atrium and stunning lake views, holds 1,500 for receptions and 500 for banquets. The Lubar Auditorium works well for lectures and seminars of up to 265.

St. Louis Arch

To truly appreciate the benefits of meeting in America’s heartland, one has to look beyond the impressive big picture of Great Lakes and Midwest states (totaling more than half a million square miles and 60 million people) to the area’s charming details, most notably its mid-size and smaller destinations that work well for faith-based groups.

“We’re on a rotation — East, West, Midwest — and our attendance usually goes up when we’re in the Midwest,” says Janiece Sneegas, Ph.D., director of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA) General Assembly and Conference Services. The association is based in Boston, and Sneegas says she appreciates the variety, practicality and basic value that Midwest destinations offer. “In general, we have very good meetings there,” says Sneegas, who recently brought 3,800 UUA attendees to Minneapolis for the group’s annual business meeting. “It’s a centralized location, which is important for us, and the people are always very welcoming. We appreciate the work that the cities, their hotels partners and convention centers do with us as well.”

Quality of life also plays an important role for planners organizing events from Minnesota to Indiana, from Michigan to Missouri. Faith-based attendees often appreciate the same values in their meetings destinations that they cherish in their hometowns. “Midwest cities in general are well cared-for and kept,” says Laurie Seay, meeting coordinator for the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). “There’s a genuine hospitality and kindness there, and a lot could be said for the pace of life as well.”

Faith-based attendees are growing more interested in green efforts and sustainability practices at meetings. A number of Midwest and Great Lakes destinations feature a growing number of LEED-certified facilities, as well as parks, wetlands, wilderness areas and other protected public spaces. Another plus about a Midwest meeting: fun things for the entire family to see and do, be it an opening party or reception at a waterpark or a closing night gala at a ballpark.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

For some attendees, a meeting in Michigan, Minnesota or Wisconsin can evoke sweet memories: a church picnic, a family canoe trip or an afternoon of bicycling. This trio of northern states values and utilizes its natural treasures. Michigan features 97 state parks, refuges, gardens and arboretums, while Wisconsin offers more than 60 state parks and forests covering more than 60,000 square acres. Minnesota, meanwhile, just added 188,000 square acres to its own cache of protected forests and wetlands.

For groups, that means an enormous trove of recreational options, from volleyball games, biking, hiking and fishing to any number of outdoor team-building activities. Attendees don’t have to travel far to get outside, either. Grand Rapids’ snazzy downtown DeVos Place, which has close to 250,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, lies just minutes from urban hiking and cycling trails and Rosa Parks Circle, an ice skating site November through March.

Detroit is home to the Lansing Center, which has 175,000 square feet of flexible space and sits on the banks of the Grand River. The center is attached to the Radisson Hotel by a covered sky bridge that stretches across the river. The capital city’s downtown district offers groups a kaleidoscope of culture, arts, history, sports and entertainment at Greektown, Institute of Arts, Fox Theatre, Detroit Science Center, Comerica Park, Motown Historical Museum and a number of other Motor City venues.

In Wisconsin, Milwaukee’s urban revitalization continues to keep planners and attendees abuzz. The new $2.6 million Daniel M. Soref Planetarium caps an already vibrant Museum Center Complex, while the chic, new Aloft Milwaukee Downtown, with 160 guest rooms and four meeting rooms, sits just a short stroll from the Bradley Center entertainment venues, the city’s famous brewpubs, and shopping and dining along the scenic RiverWalk.

Milwaukee’s largest convention hotel, the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, has a new look after a multimillion-dollar renovation to help restore the hotel to its 1920s style. Guests will notice prominent chandeliers, detailed woodwork, marble floors and period-inspired furnishings. The property has 34,000 square feet of event space, five ballrooms and 18 meeting rooms. It’s connected by skywalk to the 280,000-sq.-ft. Midwest Airlines Center. The city is also home to nearly 15,000 acres of parkland and year-round recreational venues, including 16 outdoor and indoor pools, 122 tennis courts, two family aquatic centers and more than 200 athletic fields.

Madison’s got more than 8,000 guest rooms to choose from and is home to University of Wisconsin’s main campus, a big networking plus for youth and educational events. Wisconsin Dells, meanwhile, continues to draw faith-based groups for its combination of spacious meeting resorts and a host of family-oriented, aquatic theme parks.

While a medium-size city, Minnesota’s Saint Paul draws some big-name medical groups, thanks to its clout as the state capital and its snazzy RiverCentre (nearly 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 15 meeting rooms), which is in proximity to a slew of high-profile health care facilities. Minneapolis, home to spiffy new stadiums for both the University of Minnesota and baseball’s Minnesota Twins, recently added a pair of feathers to its meetings cap. The city, which is the state’s largest, was named a finalist for the 2012 Democratic Convention, while the Minneapolis Convention Center received a $2 million grant from Xcel Energy’s
Renewable Development Fund to construct a solar panel array to directly power its internal electrical system.

“We’ve made a conscious decision to court the faith-based market,” says Leslie Wright, senior vice president of sales and services for Meet Minneapolis, the official CVA. “We have a great variety of faith-based denominations in the city and can service these groups accordingly, within our community, while meeting their price points and placing them in the right facilities and hotels.”

MIDDLE GROUND

What stands out in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois is how the states balance urban sophistication with rural beauty. Groups seeking big-city excitement won’t be disappointed with cities like Chicago, Indianapolis and Cleveland matched nicely by smaller, welcoming destinations.

Faith-based groups with an eye on
family recreation appreciate Indiana for its sports culture (NCAA basketball, NFL’s Colts football and Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and its community commitment to religious outreach programs. Indianapolis, the state’s capital and largest city, is a destination designed for meetings, with a new, easy-to-navigate airport and a large, downtown convention center using skywalks that connect to a four-story urban mall and some 4,700 guestrooms, including a new, 1,005-room JW Marriott, which opens in February as part of the partially opened, 2,200-room, four-hotel Marriott Place complex.

Planners like Ohio for its easy access and user-friendly cities. In Cleveland, plans call for a new $450 million convention center and medical mart near Tower City Center, complementing the Cleveland Convention Center (21 meeting rooms and 375,000 square feet of exhibit space) and the International Exposition Center. The Greater Columbus Convention Center, meanwhile, unveiled its new $40 million Battelle Hall as work continues on a 500-room convention center hotel, expected to open in 2012.

“We chose Columbus because it’s an accessible city to drive and fly to,” says the EFCA’s Laurie Seay, who recently planned two major meetings in the Ohio capital. “The downtown is very conducive for holding events. All our hotels were within walking distance of the convention center, and that’s important, especially for our [youth] challenge event.” Seay was also grateful to the CVB for supporting her ministry outreach efforts. “The CVB was very proactive and tried to think ahead about what some of our needs might be,” she says. “I really feel like they were partners with us in the event.”

Chicago continues to be a Midwest meetings leader — witness McCormick Place’s new cost-saving measures that allow exhibitors and show management to complete work that previously required hiring union labor. Groups are also discovering a slew of new meeting sites surrounding the Windy City, with CVBs rolling out the welcome mats in the 62 communities of Chicago Southland, neighboring DuPage County, the North Shore (Evanston, Wilmette and Northbrook, among others), the northern suburb of Prospect Heights, rural and recreation-rich Lake and McHenry counties, and St. Charles in Fox
Valley. St. Charles has two event venues with more than 100,000 square feet of convention space each: Pheasant Run Resort with 473 guest rooms and the
Q Center, which has 1,042 rooms.

Beyond Chicago and its suburbs, Illinois spreads out into pastoral farmland dotted with smaller destinations that bring their own perspectives to group business. “We offer great hotel rooms, restaurants and activities and the largest downstate convention property for less than it would cost in a major city,” says Teri Hammel, director of sales and finance for the Decatur Area CVB, referring to the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel. “And with our nearby highways, we’re a perfect fit for groups that like to drive.”

The Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Quad Cities and Champaign areas also offer groups Central Illinois locations close to major interstates, community bases influenced by higher education and corporate headquarters, and plenty of family-oriented outdoor activities.
Springfield, the Illinois capital, brings the added dimension of government networking to its meetings, as well as a wealth of state and national culture and history.

COUNTRY COUSINS

Many Americans only think about Iowa during the presidential primary season, but there’s much more to see in this patch of gently rolling farmland than politicians kissing babies. “People who’ve never been to Iowa and Des Moines are always impressed,” says Greg Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines CVB. That’s due in part to Des Moines’ size (just over half a million residents), stature (it’s the state capital and headquarters to major corporations) and enthusiasm for meetings (the city’s major convention facilities are undergoing a $42 million expansion and renovation).

Iowa also helps planners and attendees meet that all-important bottom line. “People are more budget-conscious than ever these days,” says Edwards. “Our cost of living is more under control here, so they’ll find better deals. We can be very competitive on rental rates, whether at a hotel or convention center, and we have very affordable guest rooms.” And then there’s that Midwest hospitality. “It’s a big deal when we have a large group come here,” says Amanda Snoozy, director of sales at the Hilton Garden Inn Sioux City Riverfront. “We have that contact base with everyone else in town who works in the industry, and we all try our best to make the attendees feel right at home.”

That hospitable attitude extends south to Missouri as well. St. Louis, hugging the Mississippi River on Missouri’s eastern edge, features a skyline made distinct by its 630-foot Gateway Arch and 900 churches citywide, a plus for community networking. Kansas City, the state’s largest city and western anchor on the Missouri River, gains kudos for its world-famous barbecue, freshly renovated convention center and downtown’s new Power & Light District for entertainment.

Joplin, a southwestern Missouri city of about 47,000, owes its “crossroads of America” moniker to a nearly dead-center U.S. location. Midwestern charm and practicality are plentiful here. More than a dozen venues can accommodate groups of 50 to 4,000, including Ozark Christian College, Holiday Inn Joplin convention center hotel (with 42,000 square feet of space) and the youth-focused Bridge entertainment complex, home to the 7,000-sq.-ft. Foundry music and youth event center.

Meetings and entertainment make Branson one of the hottest group destinations in America. Along with its marquee shows and star performers, the area has blossomed into a major faith-based conference spot, with more than 240 restaurants, 18,000 guest rooms (including new Hampton Inn and Baymont Inn and Suites properties) and a new convention center with 220,000 square feet of meeting space.

— Marc Boisclair

The walk-through presentation showcases Graham’s life from tent crusades to his time behind the Iron Curtain, with video, memorabilia and personal testimonies. The library is located in a recreated dairy farm barn and focuses on Graham’s message more so than on him, per his request. There are frequent reminders of his humble beginnings, a tribute to his wife Ruth, and evidence throughout of his worldwide impact.

“It’s an inspirational place regardless of religious background,” says Diane Wise, promotions manager for the library. “This man, who was born in Charlotte as a dairy farmer’s son … God moved in his life and you see what happened.” The restored Graham family homeplace, a 32-foot mural by artist Thomas Kinkade and the Prayer Garden where Ruth Bell Graham is buried are also highlights.

Admission is free. Group reservations are required, and up to 200 can be accommodated on site. billygraham.org

It might be too late. Between the newly renovated Battelle Grand multi-functional room in the Greater Columbus Convention Center and news of the $140 million Hilton Convention Hotel planned for completion by fall of 2012, the Midwestern city is already on the meetings map.

The city’s special touches for groups and meeting attendees come in the form of “experiences.” Experience Columbus, the city’s CVB, has partnered with hand-picked community businesses to package hands-on, interactive activities, which planners can mix and match to satisfy groups of any size, age and interest. They range from hands-on seminars with the Columbus Zoo to culinary delights at the North Market.

Meeting Facilities:

Battelle Grand

• Greater Columbus Convention Center: 410,000 square feet of exhibit space, three ballrooms and 65 meeting rooms

• Nationwide Arena: 18,000-seat arena

• Ohio Expo Center: 1 million square feet, 360-acre multi-use complex

• Veterans Memorial: 110,000 square feet of exhibit space