With a distinct culture and history, smooth musical styles and delicious Southern cuisine, there is much to adore about the cluster of states that make up the Mid-South and Southeast regions of the country. From the swanky and trendy to the historic and charming, each locale provides a distinct vibe. Whether it’s a bustling city like Charlotte or a more laidback one like Macon, the area offers traditional meeting spaces and some unconventional ones, too (Think: horse racing venues and sustainable farms). Chances are, you’ll find the South just as sweet as a tall glass of tea.

Charlotte, North Carolina

When it comes to meeting venues in the “Queen City,” the Charlotte Convention Center is often the first to be considered. This impressive space offers up more than 90,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a 35,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and a full-service, award-winning catering staff.

The light rail system in Charlotte

And when planning an event at the Charlotte Convention Center, or another location, the Visit Charlotte staff is an excellent resource. From the initial inquiry to lodging assistance to site visits, the knowledgeable team will ensure that your event is a success from start to finish. Visit Charlotte has access to a vast network of partners, comprised of vendors, hotels, restaurants, attractions and more, and is always on hand to provide any services you may need.

From housing enabled by Passkey software (a dynamic software allowing meeting attendees to make reservations quickly and efficiently via a link on the association’s website) to promotional material that generates attendee excitement to media relations assistance, Visit Charlotte offers a wide array of services to support any event.

Rock climbing at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, just outside Charlotte proper.

Take it from Keith Burden, executive secretary for the National Association of Free Will Baptists, who greatly appreciates such a dedicated staff. The association’s recent convention at the Charlotte Convention Center, he says, was one of the best to date due to the attentive Visit Charlotte staff members. “Meeting planning by its very nature can be a very stressful occupation. I can honestly, and happily, say our stress level was greatly reduced because we always knew the Visit Charlotte staff was there for us.” Just outside the convention center is a thriving city, alive with world-class museums, cultural offerings, contemporary entertainment and outstanding dining and nightlife spots. It also offers year-round spectator sports including the NFL, NBA and NASCAR. In other words, this city packs a whole lot of punch. To top it off, Visit Charlotte provides exceptional support for planning an event here.

Needless to say, there is a lot to explore in this vibrant city beyond the major meeting facilities. Consider a themed tour hitting the high notes of Charlotte’s foodie scene, NASCAR roots, artistic expressions or haunted history. Whether you choose a walking tour, zipping around on a Segway, or cruising in a horse-drawn carriage, Charlotte offers a plethora of activities. The city even has a free “Charlotte’s Got a Lot” app, which identifies your location then points out nearby restaurants, attractions and more.

Columbia, South Carolina

Set in the heart of the state, South Carolina’s largest city offers all the excitement of a thriving metropolis without any of the gridlock of a big city. Its famously sunny weather means an abundance of year-round attractions to explore.

Kayaking the upper Congaree River in Columbia

For starters, there’s a wildlife tour of the world at the Riverbanks Zoo, which is home to more than 3,000 animals. The Congaree National Park is located nearby, too. Or experience the local theatrical scene at the South Carolina Shakespeare Company. Altogether, Columbia boasts 537,449 square feet of meeting space with numerous conventional and unconventional venues for meeting planners to choose from. They range from upscale and elegant venues to charming historic homes and gardens. One of the cities most popular unconventional spaces is City Roots, an in-town sustainable farm. The beautiful property is comprised of a contemporary barn hall featuring high ceilings, exposed studs, poured concrete floors and ground-level windows, a front porch with ceiling fans and back porch outfitted with a porch swing.

Guests also have access to the surrounding 2.8 acres of farm grounds, outdoor fire circle and a portion of the greenhouse with an indoor tilapia pond (note: you can actually catch a fish and the chefs will prepare it come dinnertime). Best of all, treat the meeting goers to a guided farm tour, which exposes the benefits of locally grown food, composting and other environmentally friendly farming practices. Tracie Broom, partner at Flock and Rally, an event planning and communication company, says she likes City Roots because there “you can have a Lowcountry shrimp boil, a bluegrass band and a burn-barrel fire with a sky full of stars, or you can host an organic luncheon and educational seminar on aquaculture and vermicomposting. By design, City Roots affords planners the casual rusticity of a Southern family farm mixed with cutting edge sustainable technologies and green architecture, reflecting Columbia’s growing progressive scene.”

And it doesn’t end there, Columbia also offers top-notch facilities and natural settings for sporting events. The lakes and rivers are calm and warm year-round, there are ample green spaces perfect for mountain biking, cycling and running and the city has several state-of-the-art arenas and stadiums. It’s no surprise that it is quickly becoming one of the hottest locations for amateur sports marketing.

Huntsville, Alabama

Identified as one of Forbes’ top 20 leading metros for business, the “Rocket City” remains the center of rocket-propulsion research with many aerospace and defense contractors’ facilities located in the area. Beyond the innovative high-tech ventures, though, Huntsville offers Southern hospitality, a historical downtown area, a picturesque mountain-view setting and thriving social scene.

U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville

One of Huntsville’s most popular meetings facilities is the Jackson Center located in the heart of Cummings Research Park, the second largest technology center in the United States. This 22,400-sq.-ft. facility provides five meeting areas, all equipped with the latest audiovisual technology as well as complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the building. Dedicated to providing a distraction-free space for professional meetings, each meeting room houses comfortable ergonomic chairs, wide glare-free tables and windows featuring light-filtering and room-darkening shades.

No meeting itinerary is complete without a budget-friendly, yet delicious catering menu. The Jackson Center offers a wide range of catering options to fit any budget, and all menus are created with super-fresh ingredients. After the meeting, visit one of the nearby popular gathering spots like The Space and Rocket Center or the Bridge Street Town Centre featuring 70 upscale shops and restaurants, a movie theater and nightlife venues.

For breakfast meetings, company cookouts or an elaborate private reception, consider the Huntsville Museum of Art, North Alabama’s leading visual arts center. It has five exquisite areas to rent and is an ideal location to mix culture and business. Or rent a space at the historic Alabama Constitution Village, the gathering place of the 44 delegates of the constitutional convention who assembled on July 5, 1819, to organize Alabama as the 22nd state.

Louisville, Kentucky

Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville

Did you know that one-third of the world’s bourbon comes from Louisville? It is also known for the nation’s largest urban forest, produces the official bat of Major League Baseball, has more than 120 parks, produces 90 percent of the world’s disco balls and is home to the largest Victorian neighborhood in the U.S. It’s a foodie’s haven, too, with more than 2,500 restaurants, a history buff’s dream come true with the Muhammad Ali Center, and the ultimate shopping destination for those who like to splurge. Very impressive, indeed.

Home to the Kentucky State Fair, the National Farm Machinery Show and the North American International Livestock Exposition, The Kentucky Exposition Center is the seventh largest facility of its kind in the nation. It houses more than 1.2 million square feet of indoor space, meeting rooms and public areas including Freedom Hall, a 19,000-seat indoor arena. Recent events include the 2011 United Pentecostal Church International General Conference with nearly 12,000 attendees and approximately 5,000 participants for the Pentecostal Fire Youth Conference.

Churchill Downs in Louisville

The ample space available at the Kentucky Exposition Center is what keeps The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, the largest Christian music tour in the country, coming back each year.  “The event is highly anticipated, and this year was no exception,” says Shannon Habas, the show’s media relations director. “Freedom Hall was filled with more than 15,000 in attendance to see the unbelievable rock show and the message of Christ leading nearly 3,000 people to make a decision for the Lord. This is not just any concert; it is an experience.”

The area also plays host to The Kentucky International Convention Center, located in downtown Louisville, which has 300,000 square feet of space, a 30,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 52 meeting rooms. This location is supported by a dedicated and professional full-time staff, in-house catering and technical production specialists. For large events numbered in the thousands, these two facilities can accommodate.

For a more intimate setting, opt for the Holiday Inn, a 271-room full-service upscale hotel. The property features 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, teleconferencing and audio/visual equipment. Or choose the Ramada Plaza Louisville East with more than 300 guest rooms and 44,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. Both options have incredible staff ready to help with the planning of every detail to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Macon, Georgia

Known as the “Song and the Soul of the South,” Macon has a wealth of history, culture and heritage. Founded in 1823, the city of Macon grew largely due to the railroad and cotton industry, which flooded the city with wealth. Many neighborhoods still display the grandiose Gone-with-the-Wind-style homes and brick commerce buildings, which were established during that period. Possibly most famous for its musical past, Macon is home to some of the greatest musicians of all time including Little Richard, Lena Horne, soul legend Otis Redding, R.E.M. founding members Bill Barry and Mike Mills, rapper Young Jeezy and CMT Artist of the Year Jason Aldean. The modern-day Macon has rolled all of these influences into a city rich with activities and culture.

An antebellum home in Macon

The Macon City Auditorium sits within the historic district of downtown Macon and is listed as a historic landmark in the National Register of Historic Places. It sports a unique copper dome and a Doric-style limestone colonnade, which surrounds three sides of the building. On the inside, the Great Hall seats approximately 2,600. Its main attraction: a centerpiece mural over the stage by Don Carlos Dubois and Wilbur Kurtz depicting DeSoto’s visit to the area in 1540. This stage has seen the likes of headlining entertainers, local events and keynote speakers.

The Georgia Bridal Show has returned to Macon every February since 1996 for its annual show. The Macon City Auditorium is the perfect central location to assist middle Georgia brides-to-be, says Tommy Vaughan, the show’s producer. “We bring together 50 vendors from the Macon area to provide a one-stop resource when planning a wedding. With almost 10,000 attendees each year, the Georgia Bridal Show is the South’s most attended bridal show.” Not surprisingly, the city hosts a range of events every year, including the International Cherry Blossom Festival, a citywide festival with 10 days of events, concerts and exhibits against a backdrop of more than 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees, the most in the world. Each March the crowds enjoy activities such as authors’ luncheons, a street party and parade, a bed race, Cherry Blossom Gala and even an alligator show, just to name a few. Also, the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration is held in September and the Macon Film Festival in February.

“Attracting an average of 300,000 participants each year, this festival will feature over 500 events,” says Stacy Campbell, director of sales and marketing for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  “With so much to offer, including plenty of Southern hospitality, the entire town hums with excitement.”

New Orleans, Louisiana

A carriage ride in the historic French Quarter in New Orleans

Sometimes, bad things can create good opportunities for a city. Consider New Orleans, which has always been a popular destination for meetings and events because of its culture and diversity. But in 2005, disaster in the name of Hurricane Katrina struck, more or less crippling the city. But since the hurricane, New Orleans has undergone massive revitalization efforts with more than $500 million invested in hotel renovations, and that’s one reason why even after Katrina, tourism is still a $5 billion-plus industry for the Louisiana coastal city.

Another good to come from Katrina: ramped-up voluntourism efforts, which many churches and faith-based groups become involved with while meeting in the city. Attendees help rebuild homes and schools, donate and hand out canned goods to hungry families, and volunteer at local children’s organizations. A few of the resources planners can connect with for voluntourism opportunities include Habitat for Humanity, HandsOn New Orleans, Hike for KaTREEna and Rebuilding Together New Orleans.

The convention and visitors bureau estimates that about 75,000 attendees for faith-based events will travel to New Orleans this year, having a $76 million economic impact. From 2008 through the end of this year, almost 190,000 participants in faith-based events will have traveled to New Orleans. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Youth Gathering alone will bring 35,000 young people to the city in July. With more than 38,000 hotel rooms and a convention center with 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space, the city has the space to accommodate that group and any size group, really.

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center spans 10 city blocks, is the sixth largest facility of its kind in the country and will have New Orleans' largest ballroom when the 60,000-sq.-ft. Great Hall is complete next year.

Downtown New Orleans has more than 22,000 overnight rooms within a two-mile radius of one another. A mile south of the French Quarter riverfront, the sprawling Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is the country’s sixth largest convention center. Built the year after the 1984 World’s Fair and renovated in 2006, the convention center has 3.1 million square feet of total space. More than 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space is complemented by two ballrooms, a 4,000-seat theater and 140 key-card-access rooms. In January next year, The Great Hall, a 60,000-sq.-ft. ballroom, opens at the center. Also downtown, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (formerly the Louisiana Superdome) provides ample space for large-scale faith-based events.

The Hilton New Orleans Riverside, adjacent to the convention center, has 1,622 rooms and 122,000 square feet of function space. After a $275 million redesign and overall hotel upgrade in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans reopened recently. The hotel doubled its meeting space, now totaling more than 200,000 square feet. The 1,193-room property also has a new food and beverage program.

The Hyatt is now the largest meeting and convention hotel in the city with 80,000 square feet of exhibit space. It has five Meeting Planner Suites, which have oversized work areas with access to a printer, fax machine and copy machine. When in New Orleans, “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” or “Let the good times roll,” by scheduling receptions and other events at some of the city’s more distinctive venues, such as Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, where colorful floats are created for the annual Mardi Gras parade. The facility also rents out Grand Oaks Mansion, a replica of an antebellum mansion. Attendees can spend free time dining at a jazz brunch, cruising the Mississippi River on a paddle wheeler or just wandering the French Quarter.

Libby Hoppe contributed to this article.

The cliche is that everything is bigger in Texas. But is it? And what if small can have a big impact, too? Frisco, Irving, Laredo, Lewisville and Odessa don’t have the big footprints of a Dallas or San Antonio, but that hasn’t stopped them from creating thriving meeting and convention cultures on their own. These smaller towns complement big convention cities like Houston to create a state with vibrant, varied cultures. Take a look.

Austin

Deep in the heart of Texas, cowboys, musicians and state legislators all come together in strange harmony to “Keep Austin Weird,” an unofficial slogan promoted by the city’s small business alliance. It’s a town that hosts some of the coolest events in the country (SXSW music, film and tech conference; Austin City Limits music festival), but has remained under the radar as a major meetings city compared to some of its neighboring towns, says Steve Genovesi, the new senior vice president of sales for the Austin CVB. “Austin is a vibrant, cool, hip, livable city,” says Genovesi, but really sizeable events haven’t had the space they need, he adds. That’s about to change.

Construction begins this year on a Marriott hotel in Austin. It will be the largest hotel in the city, located just blocks from the convention center. The hotel will have more than 103,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,003 guest rooms. “The new Marriott is going to parlay us into a whole new level of convention planners that will be looking at us for the first time,” says Genovesi. The hotel is expected to be complete by late 2015.

Austin Convention Center

The Austin Convention Center is a LEED Gold-certified facility that sits in a convenient location in the heart of downtown, right off I-35, near Lady Bird Lake and Sixth Street. The new Marriott will add to the already 6,000 hotel rooms near the center. Built from native Texas materials including limestone, the building is as close to sustainable as a building that stretches six city blocks can be. It has almost 881,400 square feet of space, including 246,097 square feet of exhibit space. In Austin, a town that’s proud of its local businesses, it’s no surprise that the convention center has an Austin original, Jo’s coffee, serving drinks, pastries and sandwiches to droopy-eyed convention goers. The funky little shop opened its first location on South Congress Avenue more than 10 years ago.

One of the best things about Austin as a meetings city is its safe nature and extremely walkable downtown. In some cities, the downtown area is a business center, but in Austin, downtown is where people work, live, shop, exercise, hear live music, go out to dinner and more. It’s also where meeting attendees feel safe and not overwhelmed. Downtown’s Warehouse District is filled with local eateries, and the burgeoning Second Street District has upscale shopping and al fresco, but comfortably approachable, cafes. Austin’s most famous downtown area, though, is Sixth Street, a historic district where restaurants, music venues, theaters and comedy clubs are open to visitors morning through night.

And among all that activity are a number of hotels that can accommodate groups, including the Hilton Austin, Four Seasons Hotel, Omni Hotel and Hyatt Regency. The Hyatt, a 448-room convention hotel that sits across the lake from downtown, between the Congress Avenue and First Street bridges, has impressive views of the downtown skyline from guest rooms and meeting rooms. In 2009, the hotel completed an $18 million renovation, updating its exterior, lobby, meeting space and restaurant. The AAA Four-Diamond hotel has 23,000 square feet of meeting space.

For something a little out of the ordinary, local hotelier Liz Lambert added two cool hotels to the fray. The small, boutique hotels are less large-scale and more VIP kinds of places. Hotel San Jose came first; located in the hip SoCo (South Congress) area near downtown, the once-seedy motor court was transformed into an uber-cool, bungalow-style hotel hidden behind ivy-covered stucco walls. The hotel’s courtyard could be an intimate setting for an evening event. Lambert’s other property, Hotel St. Cecilia, is just a few blocks away on a secluded estate. With rooms inspired by artists, poets and musicians, the property is an urban fantasia of style and originality.

Frisco

Bronze cattle drive sculptures in Frisco

Frisco was born as a tiny town along the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad 25 minutes north of Dallas. It has emerged as a powerhouse in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. It is a city loaded with activities for its 122,822 residents, as well as enough cultural and social activities to draw myriad conventions, sporting events and conferences.

Dr Pepper Arena is the home of the North American Hockey League’s Texas Tornadoes, Frisco’s minor league hockey franchise. The 6,000-seat arena is also the practice facility for the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars. Dr Pepper Ballpark is home to the Frisco RoughRiders, the Texas Rangers’ minor league affiliate baseball team. The ballpark has seating for 10,000 fans, as well as an upscale restaurant that can host banquets or large parties. Both the ballpark and the arena can be rented in whole or in part for meetings and events.

The city also has the 117-acre FC Dallas Stadium (formerly Pizza Hut Park), which has housed national and international major league and youth soccer games, in addition to concerts, high school football games and other events. For meeting planners, the stadium includes video displays on both corners of the north side of the stadium, a private 6,000-sq.-ft. stadium club area and 18 luxury suites. Shopping is plentiful in Frisco. There is the Stonebriar Center, an upscale mall and shopping area; an IKEA store, one of only three in Texas; and dozens of restaurants, shops and boutique shopping opportunities. Then there are the museums. The Frisco Discovery Center is a hands-on museum showcasing visual and performing arts, science, math and technology.

Heritage Museum grounds in Frisco

The Heritage Museum is a two-story, 18,000-sq.-ft. tribute to Frisco’s Old West past. The Texas Sculpture Garden at Hall Office Park features 40 large-scale public art pieces, and an additional 100 smaller pieces of artwork are on display throughout the open-air office park.

Holding a meeting or convention in Frisco doesn’t mean giving up all of the amenities found in a larger city. “We have one of the highest concentrations of retail and cultural events for a city of our size,” says Marla Roe, executive director of the Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And everything is pretty close to everything else, so we’re slowly getting the resemblance of somewhat of a cultural center.”

Large groups use the Embassy Suites Hotel and Frisco Conference Center, which features 1,479 guest rooms and 90,000 square feet of exhibit space. Other popular meeting hotels include the Westin Stonebriar, Sheraton Stonebriar, Comfort Suites at Frisco Square, and Hampton Inn and Suites. Convention attendees wanting a break from business or looking to close a deal amid the greens can tee off at one of four top-ranked golf courses. The city has dozens of golf courses, many of them open to the public or guests at various hotels and resorts. Three courses stand out: The Trails of Frisco, The Tom Fazio course at The Westin Stonebriar and Plantation Golf Club. The courses can often accommodate tee time requests with reservations.

Houston

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and public art designed by Robert A.M.Stern in Houston's Theater District

The fourth-largest city in the U.S. had rather humble beginnings as a settlement established along the banks of Buffalo Bayou in 1836, the year Texas gained independence from Mexico and became a republic. During the 1850s, Houston’s roots as a commercial center took hold as it grew into an important railroad hub.

This status was firmly implanted after the Galveston hurricane of 1900 necessitated the dredging of a deepwater inland shipping channel. With the fortuitous timing of the Spindletop oil discovery in Beaumont in 1901 and the already-established rail industry, the Port of Houston would quickly grow into its current ranking as the busiest port in the nation, and Houston would become an epicenter of the oil and gas industry.

The city’s reputation for its suburban sprawl and hot, humid climate precedes it, but there is an incredible upside that should not be overlooked by meeting planners. Houston has a rich cultural-arts scene and a racial diversity unmatched in Texas due to its large international community.

People from around the world come for the Texas Medical Center, the largest health-related district in the world, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where mission control is located. Throughout the city, but especially concentrated in the Museum District, are hundreds of art galleries and world-class museums such as the Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel.  Fine dining abounds, reflecting the city’s multicultural makeup and placing Houston squarely upon the map as a serious foodie destination. Downtown embodies the city’s ever-changing, vibrant spirit.

Once considered a place to avoid except for work, the district has transformed over the last couple decades into an exciting core of restaurants, shops, lodgings and entertainment, in addition to business.  Contributing to the work-play-live ethos are anchors such as the 12-acre Discovery Green park; the Toyota Center sports and entertainment facility, home of the NBA’s Rockets; Minute Maid Park, home of MLB’s Astros; and METRORail, which connects downtown with the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park.

Located directly across the street from the George R. Brown Convention Center is Discovery Green, a near 12-acre park with a lake, performance venues, gardens, jogging trail and more.

The latter complex contains Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Texans, and the Reliant Center, an event facility with more than 706,000 square feet of exhibit space and 61 meeting rooms. Downtown also has one of the largest conference/hotel facilities in the country:  The George R. Brown Convention Center and attached Hilton Americas-Houston combine for nearly 1.3 million square feet of meeting space and 1,200 guest rooms.

The Hilton recently completed an $11 million upgrade, adding high-definition TVs, Hilton Serenity beds, new artwork and furnishings to guest rooms. Bathrooms are now equipped with granite countertops and water-conserving showerheads.  The 19th floor executive lounge was also upgraded with new computers and meeting spaces, and the hotel’s 91,500 square feet of meeting and function areas has new  carpeting throughout.

Irving

The home page of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau is to-the-point: flight times from both Los Angeles and New York City to DFW are about three hours. The message is as clear as a blue sky: Irving is competing with the big boys.

Proof: The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, a state-of-the-art center that opened in 2011. The 275,000-sq.-ft. building has a 50,000-sq.-ft. column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 20,000 square feet of breakout meeting space.

"The Mustangs of Las Colinas," in Irving, is one of the largest equestrian sculptures in the world.

“We’re chasing after the same business as Dallas,” says Mara Gast, executive director of the Irving CVB. “It’s mainly about educating decision makers about an area they may not have heard of before. They have all heard of Dallas, but we would like them to consider Irving.”

Even with the size of the new convention center, Irving is still able to accommodate smaller groups and meetings. “We can find something within everyone’s budget. If it’s a group of 100, we can help them and put them in one of our smaller spaces and they’re not going to feel that they’re lost in the galaxy. We will still give them that personal attention,” Gast says. Irving also has a variety of accommodations. Luxury, full-service hotels include the Four Seasons, Wyndham, Omni, Embassy Suites, Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Westin and Doubletree. Limited-service budget hotels include Best Western, Drury, LaQuinta, Hilton Garden Inn and Days Inn. Most of the hotels have meeting space. For example, the Four Seasons has 32,000 square feet of available meeting space.

Laredo

Laredo was founded on the north bank of the Rio Grande River. The city is currently the largest inland port on the southern U.S. border, and the city’s rich Latin American heritage is on display throughout the town. In Laredo, seven flags fly over the city (the Flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande in addition to the six flags of Texas). They are symbolic of Laredo’s historic link to seven countries: France, Spain, Mexico, Republic of the Rio Grande, Texas, the Confederacy and the United States of America. Laredo was the capital of its own country for a short period of time (the Republic of the Rio Grande) from January 1840 to late fall of that same year. The capitol building still stands and serves as The Republic of the Rio Grande Museum.

The seven flags of Laredo are symbolic of Laredo's historic link to seven countries.

The city has undergone a downtown revitalization of sorts over the last several years, with new parking, increased retail and more restaurants cropping up. With a population of 215,000, Laredo isn’t exactly big for Texas, but it’s not small either.

It’s easily accessible: The city is served by Interstate Highway 35, U.S. Highways 59 and 83, and Texas Highway 359. Laredo International Airport is anchored by American Airlines, Continental and Allegiant Air, with daily connecting flights to Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Las Vegas.

In addition to the Laredo Civic Center, meeting planners also have Laredo Energy Arena as an option for planning events. The arena seats up to 10,000 and can be custom-tailored for events. Laredo Energy Arena also has 14 suites, two conference rooms, and a bar on the concourse that can host private parties and events.

Lewisville

Lewisville is one of the oldest cities in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Incorporated in 1925, the city is anchored by Lewisville Lake, a man-made reservoir that is immensely popular for water sports and outdoor recreation in the area. Lewisville Lake Park, a 622-acre park on the south shore of the lake, offers picnic areas, RV and tent camping and other amenities. The lake features world-class fishing.

Lewisville CVB specializes in hosting smaller meetings and conventions of 300 to 500 people. The city is fine with operating on a small scale, and in fact considers its small-meeting focus a unique selling proposition. “A meeting that size might get lost in the big city,” says James Kunke, director of community relations and tourism. “We’re seeing a lot more planners and smaller companies that want to be catered to and want the personal touch. We can provide that. Also, we’re just outside of Dallas. They land at DFW, and not too long after that they can be at our convention center. So, they still have access to Dallas. Just because you’re choosing one of the outlying cities doesn’t mean you’re giving up the culture and environment of the big city.”

In 2007, the city opened the Lewisville Convention Center, featuring 17,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space able to host up to 840 people. The CVB upgraded audio and visual services at the center, and made the venue non-smoking. There are 865 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center, including Hilton Garden Inn, which is attached to the center, with 155 rooms and 10 suites.

Kunke says the new facility has definitely helped with increased business. “Our challenge used to be getting people to understand that they can have an event here. We didn’t have the meeting space before. Now there are people who understand they have options.” For meeting planners considering day trips, a federal preserve is located just outside of town. The Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area is a 2,000-acre preserve featuring abundant wildlife, including bobcats, white-tailed deer and mink, as well as birds, wild turkeys, painted buntings and dozens of waterfowl species. The area also features four hiking trails, camping and fishing areas, paddling and canoeing and picnic areas. Entrance fees are $5 per person; children 5 and under are admitted free.

Odessa

Amid the pivoting oil derricks and beautiful sunsets, far west of the Texas Triangle and halfway between Fort Worth and El Paso, Odessa sits. The city is located in the Permian Basin, an oil and natural gas producing region that has become one of the key energy areas in the United States. The city offers a unique balance between the benefits of a small town, such as a moderate cost of living and a high quality of life and the benefits of a large community, including high-quality educational, cultural and health care facilities.

University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa

Today, Odessa is thriving. Although oil and gas still remain the city’s largest industry, other industries have relocated to the region, diversifying the economy. Odessa is quickly being recognized as a major health industry hub with three hospitals, a cancer center and several medical specialists in the area. Odessa is the 23rd largest city in Texas, and is home to three higher-education institutions, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and Odessa College. Odessa also has several former residents that have gone on to fame and fortune. Past residents include former United States Presidents George Bush and George W. Bush, country and western band The Gatlin Brothers, and Roy Williams, professional football player.

For fun, a visit to Odessa would not be complete without a visit to the rabbit. The city is home to what some have said is the “World’s Largest Jack Rabbit,” an eight-foot-tall rabbit sculpture that has become the symbol for the city. The rabbit was created in 1962 by former Attorney General John Ben Shepperd during his term as Odessa Chamber of Commerce president. In 1962, the statue was erected in the middle of town.

The Odessa CVB staff makes sure to reach out to meeting planners, enlisting local volunteers to help plan events as well as ensure that the city puts on the best face for visitors. According to the Odessa CVB, travel and tourism is a $206 million industry for the city, fueling 2,320 jobs and generating $4.4 million in local tax revenue.

Meeting planners will find plenty of options in Odessa. The city has nearly 2,000 guest rooms, and the main convention center is the Ector County Coliseum Complex, which has 150,000 square feet of space in six different buildings.

SITE VISITS | Click on the images below for more information

RETREAT | Barton Creek Resort

EXPLORE | San Antonio's Riverwalk

Libby Hoppe contributed to this article.

Anaheim, California

Anaheim Convention Center

If theme-park icon Walt Disney were around today, he’d be impressed by how the home of Disneyland, his first venture, has evolved. Disneyland opened in the 1950s, and Anaheim has since blossomed into a self-contained, all-around group destination, home to a first-tier convention center and a series of major meeting properties, generously complemented by family-friendly amenities (e.g., shopping, dining, entertainment). It’s all available in this compact, accessible and very walkable city. “There really is a purpose to our design here. It’s really a campus now,” says Charles Ahlers, president and CEO of the Anaheim/Orange County CVB.

Ahlers is enthused about what lies ahead for his campus, notably the new Grand Plaza. “It’s a splendid idea,” he says of the $20 million project, which, when completed by January of 2013, will reroute Convention Way traffic to the rear of the Anaheim Convention Center and nearby hotels, turning what’s now the area’s main thoroughfare into a park-like pedestrian mall. “There will be cultural events conducted in this common area when it’s completed,” says Ahlers, adding that “a lot of the key shows that come here regularly will also be able to hold outdoor exhibits and concerts in this space as part of their programs.”

Upgrades, renovations and expansions are buzzwords elsewhere around Anaheim these days. John Wayne Airport is in the midst of a $543 million redo that includes a new 282,000-sq.-ft. third terminal, additional parking spaces, dining concessions and extensive retail set for completion any day. Area hotels also have kept busy upgrading, with the Hyatt Regency Orange County recently wrapping up a $25 million renovation and the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa finishing its own $6 million makeover. The Wyndham Orange County in Costa Mesa is about to launch a $14 million renovation, while Great Wolf Resorts plans a 2013 opening for its new resort in Garden Grove featuring a 600-room hotel, 30,000 square feet of meeting space and an attached water park.

Portland, Oregon

Oregon Convention Center

While Oregon did not invent the green movement, it certainly exemplifies it. In fact, the Beaver State and its largest city (population 570,000) have long been leaders in developing a cleaner, greener lifestyle, dating back more than 40 years to then-Governor Tom McCall’s campaign to clean up the Willamette River. Those early efforts bear fruit today at Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, a 1.5-mile stretch of green along the Willamette in downtown Portland that’s a favorite for group events and city festivals.

“We put sustainability as one of our major priority areas and Portland is a great match for us,” says Jan Sneegas, director general assembly and conference services for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Since Sneegas first brought her general assembly meeting to the Rose City in 2007, she has become a huge fan of how Portland works in sync with her needs. “They have an affordable range of housing that’s close to the convention center and their light rail system really works well—it’s both inexpensive and easily accessible,” she says. “And as a planner, you can draw on the entire city and all of its interesting green spaces.”

For Mike Smith, vice president of convention sales at Travel Portland, what ultimately makes his city a meetings winner is its overall value. “We’ve got everything that a planner looks for when they ask the question, ‘Will my attendees be happy meeting here?’” says Smith. “We have no sales tax and no food or beverage taxes, and our 12.5 percent room tax is well below the median level across the country.” At $125, the city’s average 2011 daily room rate remains a big draw among the many competitive West Coast destinations.

Outdoor enthusiasts also enjoy meeting here because of Portland’s natural assets. Besides its urban parks, greenways and area golf courses, the city is also a great jumping-off point for recreation and group day trips, lying within a few hours drive of Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon’s wine country and the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco's Moscone Center

First-time attendees can be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu here, as it’s likely due to San Francisco’s status as one of America’s venerable pop culture icons. The city’s landmarks—Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge (75 years young in 2012), Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and those cheery, ubiquitous cable cars among them—are legendary, as are its quirky neighborhoods (e.g., Haight-Ashbury, Union Square, Balboa Park, the Presidio), burned into our subconscious through films, TV shows and by the smoky intonations of Tony Bennett. Overlay this onto a first-rate hospitality system and it’s no surprise to find San Francisco ranked consistently high among planners and attendees as a favorite meeting spot.

While those inherent attendance-building factors have hooked many a delegate, planners have learned to rely on San Francisco for a hospitality infrastructure that supplies a wide range of hotel rooms (both in style and price points) and the city’s adaptable, 1.2 million-sq.-ft. Moscone Convention Center. If anything, the 30-year-old center continues to evolve along with the meeting groups that book business there. With a better meeting spot in mind, Moscone is working its way through an extensive $56 million renovation (the biggest in two decades) of its lobbies, meeting rooms, exhibit space, ballrooms and public restrooms that, when completed by late spring of 2012, should make the entire facility more environmentally friendly and sustainable in its operations.

The upgrade is also designed, per San Francisco Tourism Improvement District Chairman Dan Kelleher, to bring more of San Francisco’s delightful pop-culture persona into the actual center itself. “In its current state, Moscone Center gives meeting attendees very little sense that they are in San Francisco,” according to Kelleher. “A major part of this renovation is incorporating recognizable colors like the Golden Gate Bridge’s international orange and integrating the city’s iconic images into [Moscone’s] public spaces and meeting rooms.”

In that spirit, several city and area properties have spruced up as well, including the 489-room Oakland Marriott City Center, Sausalito’s Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa, and the boutique Hotel Diva on Geary Street. The historic Starlight Room lounge on the 21st floor of Kimpton’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel has reopened after a multimillion-dollar makeover, while the city’s newest cultural venue, the International Art Museum of America, opened its doors in October.

Tacoma, Washington

Tucked into the southern edge of scenic Puget Sound and flanked by a pair of equally picturesque national parks (Olympic to the west and Mt. Rainier heading east), Washington’s third-largest city often reminds visitors of home. That’s due in great part to Tacoma’s friendly attitude—always a plus for faith-based attendees—and a comfort factor that derives from being a big city with a smaller-town ambience.

While getting there is easy—20 minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on the I-5 corridor—holding a meeting in Tacoma is easier still. “We have a very walker-friendly destination,” says Shauna Lunde-Stewart, director of sales and marketing for the Tacoma Regional CVB. “The facilities are compact, you don’t need a car, and everything is right there in downtown for the attendees: great shopping, dining and museums. You check into your hotel and the convention center is right across the street.”

Indeed, the Great Tacoma Convention and Trade Center works nicely for both its central location (it’s also on the free Link Light Rail line) and green policies, using local, organic and sustainable cuisine in many of its menus. The center is also a short stroll from downtown’s trio of cool museums—the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum and the Museum of Glass—all of which feature creative meeting and elegant reception space.

Cheney Stadium in Tacoma

“There’s definitely a city life, but it’s not as expensive as being in a major city,” says Krista Fleming, president of KF Events in Shoreline, Wash. “The hospitality community also works really well together. You feel that as a community they’re coming together to work with you for a full-package experience.” And come June of 2012, the city will officially unveil its newest cultural “vehicle,” the snazzy LeMay—America’s Car Museum, with a cafe, meeting rooms, banquet hall, 3.5-acre show field and some 500 nifty cars, trucks and motorcycles on display.

Planners also can count on Tacoma to supply plenty of recreational options. Fresh from a $30 million renovation, Cheney Stadium, home of baseball’s AAA Tacoma Rainiers, provides a lively setting for group outings, team-building and pre/post family activities. Area golf courses prove challenging and rewarding for group play, and come with the built-in backdrop of snow-capped mountains and Puget Sound. For post-meeting fun, downtown Tacoma is renowned as a home for two attendee favorites: dine-arounds and pub crawls.

Tri-Valley, California

With its quaint downtowns, county fairs and golden rolling hillsides, this triangular swatch of Northern California could easily be mistaken for Northern Vermont or Virginia’s horse country. Instead, the scenic, laid-back Tri-Valley area, stitched together from the Amador, San Ramon and Livermore valleys, is centrally positioned just a short drive (via I-5, 580, 680 and 880) from the cities and airports of San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento. Not to mention, it’s in the heart of California’s hottest new wine country.

Tri-Valley's Livermore is California's oldest wine region

“We have over 50 wineries here, which are a huge draw,” says Tri-Valley CVB Executive Director Grant Raeside. “A lot of them are mom and pop operations, so chances are you’ll get to meet the owners who are also the winemakers. Attendees definitely want to come here and enjoy that experience as part of their overall itinerary.”

What attendees also want is value, an area in which Raeside says the Tri-Valley compares well to its competition. “We have over 4,500 hotel rooms in the area and are certainly priced right with top-of-the-line amenities,” he says. “If your group really wants to spread out, we also have the Alameda County Fairgrounds right smack in the middle of the area.”

Many Tri-Valley hotels and restaurants are either embarking on or in the midst of renovation and expansion projects to suit the needs of their growing meetings business. The 368-room San Ramon Marriott, for example, is wrapping up a $4 million redo of all its meeting space, including the property’s junior and grand ballrooms, part of a valley-wide effort to enhance meeting and function space for incoming groups. “We have a great number of special event venues throughout the Tri-Valley area,” says Marriott General Manager Tom David. “That means groups coming here can find a unique setting for their evening functions without taking on the travel and travel expenses of areas like Napa and Sonoma.”

Planners should also pencil in outdoor activities for their Tri-Valley meetings, as attendees can take advantage of the area’s accommodating climate with such group adventures as golf, cycling, farmers markets and year-round festivals.

SITE VISITS | Click on the image for more information

EXPERIENCE | Asilomar Conference Grounds

STAY | Fairmont San Jose Hotel

MEET | Palm Springs Convention Center

Fort Lauderdale

Plan a meeting in June in Fort Lauderdale and you’ll find sunshine and beaches. Plan a meeting in January in Fort Lauderdale and you’ll still find sunshine and beaches. Weather is rarely an issue in the city, which is located on the state’s eastern seaboard on the Atlantic Ocean. The weather’s a top selling point to get attendees interested in the destination, but it’s not the only one.

Fort Lauderdale coastline

Fort Lauderdale has the lowest tourism taxes of any city in the entire country, according to a 2011 Global Business Travel Association Foundation study. Sales taxes and travel-related taxes for items such as car rentals and hotels are considerably lower than many other meetings cities. “The rising cost of business travel, and especially meetings and events, is an area of deep concern when developing travel plans,” said Joe Bates, the foundation’s director of research, when the study came out. “If you are a travel manager planning a meeting, this is important information to take into consideration.”

In total, Fort Lauderdale has more than 33,000 guest rooms throughout the expanded metro area. More than 10,000 rooms are in close proximity (we’re talking within minutes) of the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Also near the airport is the 600,000-sq.-ft. Broward County Convention Center. The three-floor facility has exhibit space on the bottom floor, meeting rooms on the second floor and ballrooms on the top floor.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau created the Lauderdale Convention Collection, a cluster of six hotels near the convention center with meeting and accommodation space for groups. The hotels—an Embassy Suites, Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Marriott, Renaissance and Sheraton—have more than 2,700 guest rooms combined. No hotel is more than 1.5 miles to the convention center. Planners who book rooms at any of the six collection hotels receive free meeting and event space at the convention center, a one-hour welcome reception at the center, a board of directors reception, marketing assistance, and a 10 percent discount on convention services such as F&B, staffing, Internet or audiovisual.

Other large meetings properties include The Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood with 1,060 rooms (the largest in the city) and more than 217,000 square feet of space, W Fort Lauderdale with 517 rooms and 12,000 square feet of space, and Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center and Spa with 501 rooms and 50,000 square feet for meetings. Not all meetings have to take place at a hotel, however. Consider the Broward Center for the Performing Arts with river and downtown skyline views for an event, or plan an off-site reception at the Bonnet House, a 35-acre estate with a historic home and museum near the beach.

The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center is the third of its kind in the United States. Its main and children’s libraries have more black-history books and books written by blacks than any other facility in the country. A 300-seat theater provides a setting for lectures, and attendees can explore the more than 85,000 books, documents and artifacts between sessions.

Jacksonville

The port city of Jacksonville is popular as a visitor destination because of its variety.  From downtown, go one direction to find beachside meeting hotels, head in another direction and you’ll land in natural marsh areas, and a journey yet another direction puts you in the oldest city in the U.S. While there are plenty of incentives to head out on any of those routes, Jacksonville gives planners reason enough to set up shop in the city. Whether it’s for entertainment or business, the Downtown/Riverfront neighborhood provides plenty of options.

The Times Union Center for the Performing Arts is one of many cultural attractions along Jacksonville's St. Johns River

With the St. Johns River flowing through downtown, meeting venues overlooking the scenic river are easy to find. The 963-room Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront has 110,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 28,000-sq.-ft. ballroom, and the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront has 12,000 square feet of meeting space.

If your crowd is large, the 76,000-seat Everbank Field has plenty of room. The open-air stadium is home to NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and the region’s typically mild temperatures make it possible to host events year-round. Your group doesn’t have to be 76,000 strong though. The stadium has The Pavilion, a 30,000-sq.-ft. tent, and other exclusive tented areas accommodating 100 to 500 people in its reserved entertainment zone during games. Space can be reserved when the stadium isn’t in use by another event.

Colleges are always a great place to take advantage of classroom space, knowledgeable instructors and accommodations in the summer.  The University of North Florida takes its meetings offerings to another level. Its 95,000-sq.-ft. University Center is a full-service venue for meetings and events available year-round. It offers more than 43,000 square feet of meeting space and 35 meeting rooms, as well as in-house catering and audiovisual.

Jacksonville’s convention center is anything but typical. Converted from a southern railroad station, the 265,000-sq.-ft. Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center’s grandeur is seen from its architecture to its Grand Lobby, with 75-foot ceilings, marble walls, a grand fountain and expansive terminal columns. A 78,000-sq.-ft. divisible exhibit hall and 22 meeting rooms provide functionality as well.

Special events can be held in a number of venues that provide nontraditional settings. Wow attendees with a concert at The Landing with its own stage surrounded by restaurants and retail, or take advantage of creative and performing arts venues with reception space including the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Ritz Theatre and La Villa Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, or the Museum of Science and History.

Kissimmee

Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center

Once known mostly for its proximity to Orlando, Kissimmee is a full-fledged meetings destination in its own right. For one thing, the central Florida city is home to the largest in-hotel exhibition facility in the state at Gaylord Palms and a Four-Diamond experience at Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Already the region’s largest meetings properties, both resorts are expanding as a result of an agreement that was signed before the recession between Osceola County, Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, and Rida Associates, property owners of the development that is home to Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.

The Gaylord recently completed renovation of its 1,400 guest rooms, and has concrete plans for 2012. One of two new pools slated for a spring opening at the resort is a DreamWorks-themed experience with waterslides, a multi-level water playground, an active lagoon, a plunge pool, “dive-in” movies and other adventures. Wreckers Sports Bar and a 10,000-sq.-ft. outdoor event space are also in the works for this year.

In line with the Gaylord brand, the Palms puts a high priority on meetings placing everything a planner needs under one roof. Its 400,000 square feet of convention space includes 178,500 square feet of exhibition. A signature Gaylord atrium is at the heart of it all, and a Florida theme is carried throughout. Multiple dining options keep attendees close, and planners can gather the team for bocce, volleyball, golf or pool games between sessions. News on a meeting space expansion at the resort is expected late January.

Construction begins on Omni renovations this month. The meeting space expansion is scheduled for a January 2013 completion, adding more than 46,000 square feet. A 28,800-sq.-ft. ballroom, eight meeting rooms and an open pre-function area are part of the plans, as are an event lawn and advanced communications and computer technology.

The city doesn’t rely on Orlando to draw meeting attendance, but its proximity to the entertainment center is an advantage. An excursion to Disney World, SeaWorld or Universal Studios is commonplace for attendees, especially if the family comes along. But the Mouse isn’t the only show in town. Kissimmee attractions worth a visit include Gator Land with its thousands of alligators, crocodiles and wildlife; Old Town amusement park; and the Kissimmee Air Museum where visitors can fly a WWII airplane.

Orlando

No matter the size of your group, you’ll find the space you need in Orlando. The city has almost 116,000 hotel rooms and the Orange County Convention Center, which has 2.1 million square feet of meeting space and 74 meeting rooms. Plenty of planners (as well as parents, honeymooners, vacationers and international travelers) have already discovered Orlando: In 2010, the city welcomed 51.4 million visitors, the first destination in the United States to break the 50 million mark. Business and meeting attendees accounted for 9.5 million of those visitors.

Characters in Flight attraction at Downtown Disney

Brian Martin, Visit Orlando’s corporate communications director, said the state expects about 53.5 million visitors for 2011. Mickey Mouse does his part to attract some of those visitors to the city, but he can only do so much. The rest of the rise in visitor numbers can be attributed in part to continued investment and development in Orlando—in meeting properties, venues and visitor attractions. Wyndham Hotels opened its newest property, the upscale Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek, late last year. The 400-room resort has 25,000 square feet of meeting space and is located inside Walt Disney World Resort. Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld completed a five-year, $35-million renovation, redeveloping the second-floor meeting space to have 23 breakout rooms, giving the resort 65 total breakout rooms and 185,000 square feet of space. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts sees an opportunity in the Central Florida city. A $360 million Four Seasons property is planned for Walt Disney World Resort. The 444-room hotel will have 37,000 square feet meeting space with a projected opening date of mid-to-late 2014.

Orlando draws faith-based events of all sizes for its family-friendly reputation. In April, the Black Adventist Youth Directors Association’s United Youth Congress brought 10,000 attendees for its first trip to the city. It isn’t uncommon for groups to break attendance records when Orlando is host. The Church of God’s Biennial General Assembly set a record in 2010 with 28,000 attendees and is returning this year. Potter’s House, The Pastors and Leadership Conference broke its Orlando attendance record by 50 percent, drawing 6,000 participants in March, and the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2010 Annual Convention broke a record with 18,000 attendees.

Events of size generally opt for the Orange County Convention Center, but smaller groups find a number of sizeable hotels near the convention center in the I-Drive District (short for International Drive, the street upon which most of the hotels sit). One of those hotels is The Peabody Orlando, which unveiled a major expansion recently. The hotel now has 30,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,641 rooms after the $450 million upgrade.

There is more venue development and advancement in town, namely the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Construction began last year in downtown Orlando on the venue, which will have a 2,700-seat theater, a public performance plaza for 3,000 people and a 10,000-sq.-ft. education facility with classrooms. The center is expected to open in the fall of 2014. The $480 million Amway Center, home of NBA’s Orlando Magic, opened in 2010 and recently earned Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the first NBA arena to do so.

“Despite the challenging economic times, the Orlando tourism and meetings community continued to invest in new hotels and attractions,” said Gary Sain, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, during a ceremony marking the state’s record visitor numbers. “The fact that Orlando bounced back in 2010 with the most visitation in not only Orlando’s history, but the most of any U.S. destination, shows our aggressive marketing strategies worked and our message resonated with travelers,” he added.

Panama City Beach

If there’s a message Panama City Beach touts, it’s fun and family. The Northwest Florida destination has always been a popular drive-in destination for Southeastern attendees, and the opening of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in 2010 gave the world better access to the 27 miles of gorgeous gulf beaches and multiple meeting facilities.

The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach has many options for planners among its six hotel and resort properties

As a result, more national conventions are drawn to the more than 160,000 square feet of space and 1,800 rooms in conference hotels in Panama City. Among the meeting facilities are The Holiday Inn Resort SeaWatch Conference and Entertainment Center with 4,000 square feet of meeting space, staterooms and kids’ suites, and a water playground. The Boardwalk Beach Resort has a 35,000-sq.-ft. convention center complex and 9,000-sq.-ft. Sunset Pavilion overlooking the gulf to complement its 254 condominiums. The Wyndham Bay Point Resort has 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and 355 guest rooms. Situated on a 1,100-acre wildlife preserve on a private peninsula, the resort also has two 18-hole PGA Championship golf courses, including the only Nicklaus-designed course in Northwest Florida.

New to the region is the 2,900-acre Conservation Park with boardwalks and 24 miles of dirt trails. The park, which has an innovative system that rehydrates the region’s protected wetlands with the city’s reclaimed water, is filled with native wildlife, and offers public restrooms, picnic areas and pavilions, as well as an outdoor classroom.

Planners looking to amp up the energy can send attendees to Pier Park, the largest outdoor entertainment venue in Northwest Florida. There are 1 million square feet of shops, restaurants and entertainment, including old-time rides like a carousel and tilt-a-whirl on the Miracle Strip.

Sarasota

Hyatt Regency Sarasota

In 1886, the Scottish-born John Hamilton Gillespie arrived in America to what is now known as Sarasota, a warm beach town on the Gulf of Mexico. He became the city’s first official mayor in 1902 and is credited as creating America’s first golf course. Golf remains a popular activity in Sarasota and the surrounding area; Sarasota County has more than 1,000 public or semi-private golf holes.

Golfing is great for teambuilding, but meeting attendees need a place to meet. The Sarasota Bradenton International Convention Center is the obvious place to start. It has 97,000 square feet of meeting space and five meeting rooms. For meetings hotels, the largest property available is the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, a full-service property on the Boulevard of the Arts. It has 294 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel recently completed a $22 million renovation, giving the property a clean, crisp and sophisticated design inspired by fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer, know for her bright, colorful style. The hotel’s 294 guest rooms and meeting space now have a contemporary Florida feel. The 10,000-sq.-ft. ballroom has new carpeting and fixtures to reflect the new style, and the Boathouse, an on-the-water event space, is a more vintage, rustic version of Pulitzer’s design style.

Another upscale meeting hotel is the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, which has 18,000 square feet of meeting space and 266 guest rooms. Longboat Key, located across the bay from downtown Sarasota, has a number of beachside meetings properties including the Longboat Key Club and Resort and the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort.

Off-site venues in Sarasota provide attendees with something different to explore, such as the impressive collection of art from circus tycoon John Ringling at the John and Mable Ringling Museum. The property also has circus museums that chronicle the history of the American circus, as well as beautiful gardens that can host outdoor events. The Van Wezel Performing Arts Halls also provides another space for events. The Roskamp Auditorium, Grand Foyer or Bayfront Lawn offer space and expansive views of Sarasota Bay.

St. Augustine

At some point, meetings cities can begin to look the same. Airports begin to blend together. Convention hotels have that same familiar sound and smell to them. But St. Augustine, located south of Jacksonville on Florida’s northeast coast, is different. It looks different, like an old Spanish colonial city. It sounds different, especially along St. George Street where there are no vehicles, just shops and restaurants that visitors meander in and out of. And it smells different, as sea-salt laden air drifts inland from the Atlantic Ocean.

Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine

St. Augustine is still Florida, but it’s an altogether different part of Florida. Meetings in St. Augustine are different, too, especially in the historic downtown area. They’re smaller, as the town’s meeting facilities can accommodate small to mid-size groups. The historic Casa Monica Hotel, built in 1888, is an ideal property for special events. The beautiful, Moroccan-style hotel has 138 fashionable guest rooms and 12,000 square feet of meeting space. The 3,000-sq.-ft. Casa Monica Ballroom accommodates groups for sit-down dinners, and the Sultan’s Pavilion event space overlooks the pool and gardens.

Another small hotel in the historic district is the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront, which has 72 rooms and more than 2,000 square feet of meeting space. But planners who need more space find it outside of St. Augustine’s historic downtown. The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center is located northwest of old St. Augustine off I-95. The resort, which recently completed a $10 million upgrade to its 301 guest rooms, sits on 6,300 acres and is located next to the St. John’s Convention Center, which has 40,000 square feet of meeting space. The combined hotel and convention center have 86,000 square feet of meeting space. The resort also is located next to the World Golf Hall of Fame and has two championship golf courses on-site: King and Bear, the only course ever co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and Slammer and Squire, created by Slammin’ Sammy Sneed and Gene “The Squire” Sarazen. The resort offers free transportation to and from the Jacksonville International Airport for meeting attendees.

Planners can provide attendees with the opportunity to learn the history of this historic town. AdLib Tours organizes walking and driving tours through St. Augustine describing historic venues and sites such as the Lightner Museum, the Government House Museum and Castillo de San Marcos fort. For a teambuilding exercise, the tour company has created The Oldest Amazing Race, inspired by the popular television show. Groups are split up into teams and have to solve puzzles from clues accumulated at different sites across the city.

 — Jennifer Garrett and Libby Hoppe

SITE VISITS | Click on the image for more information.

PLAY | Maritime Park

EXPLORE | Holy Land Experience

ESCAPE | Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort

Amarillo, Texas

“We have everything a big city offers but with a small town feel,” says Emilea White, convention sales manager at the Amarillo CVC. Granted, while that’s a claim heard from more than a few mid-tier destinations, in this Panhandle city it rings decidedly true. For example, while Texas’ overall population boomed by more than 20 percent in the last decade, Amarillo’s, at 190,000, grew less than 10 percent. As a result, says White, “It only takes about 15 minutes to get anywhere.”

That said, where Amarillo is growing is into a more accessible, user-friendly meeting spot. In the past year, Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport debuted a spiffy passenger concourse following a $52.2 million renovation, and the city also welcomed a 151-room Holiday Inn West with 8,500 square feet of meeting space and a 107-room Courtyard by Marriott in downtown’s historic Fisk Building. And 2012 promises to be equally productive, with the opening of Mack Dick Group Pavilion, a 5,200-sq.-ft.  meeting facility at Palo Duro Canyon State Park, and construction of a new 300-room hotel with 20,000 square feet of meeting space across from the Amarillo Civic Center and a new 5,000-seat, multi-use event venue just south of Amarillo City Hall.

Amarillo’s small-town appeal extends to the idea of keeping costs down for all. “We’re great for anyone’s budget and will find some way to make things work,” says White, who emphasizes downtown’s compact convenience. “With religious groups, they can do their main meetings at the Civic Center, then walk right across the street to the performing arts center for their entertainment.” That combo of convenience and cost-savings worked well for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which brought 1,500 attendees to Amarillo last fall for its annual meeting.

“The CVC contacted us and offered us the Civic Center at no charge with free shuttles from the hotels,” says meetings manager Patti Kriss. “We also had our meal functions at the Civic Center and they allowed us to choose our own caterer, which proved to be very frugal.”

Austin, Texas

No doubt the Lone Star State’s capital comes chock full of the amenities that many major meeting spots claim: great hotels, a smartly designed convention center and a downtown that attendees find safe and easy to navigate. But few can compete with Austin’s two main draws: 1 million bats and a plethora of live music clubs.

Downtown Austin, Texas

Of the latter, it only takes one visit and an enthusiastic group of attendees to forge a memorable evening. “We are the live music capital of the country,” Steve Genovesi, senior VP of sales at the Austin CVB. “One of the things we deliver is seven blocks of back-to back live music venues just steps from the convention center and our hotels.”

While great for post-meeting bonding and dine-arounds, the downtown music and dining scene isn’t the only thing Austin offers. “Our convention center certainly delivers in terms of its technology, thanks in great part to the South by Southwest convention,” says Genovesi, noting the well-known music, film and interactive conference and festival held in the city annually. He adds that some 7,000 attendees can use Wi-Fi simultaneously there.

The convention center’s tech-advantage, Genovesi says, also helps drive its convention attendance, especially among the sought-after 35-and-under crowd and its twittering sea of iPads, iPods and iPhones. Credit for filling that younger niche also goes to the city’s eclectic local flavor, fueled by the bookending neighborhoods of South Congress (a.k.a., SoCo, or Austin’s Greenwich Village) and the University of Texas, the state’s major college campus that’s set right on the edge of downtown. The university also provides a great source for networking and special event venues.

Austin also provides a great jumping off point for day excursions to Texas’ famed Hill Country, as well as golf, cycling, boat trips on Lady Bird Johnson Lake, and the requisite group/family outing to Schlitterbahn Waterpark in nearby New Braunfels. Spring and summer is also peak time for bat watching, and yes, there are a million of them that depart from underneath the Congress Street Bridge each night at sunset, creating a group event that’s free, phenomenal and the ultimate photo op.

Boise, Idaho

In the simplest terms, this scenic, accessible, visitor-friendly city of just over 200,000 provides a big stage for faith-based groups to hold their conventions. “It’s a very clean, safe community and it’s clear that group business really matters to us,” says Bobbie Patterson, executive director of the Boise CVB.

To that end, Patterson points to how both planners and attendees, once in town, often form a bond with the Idaho state capital. “They get press coverage here that they might not receive in a bigger city,” she says. “You don’t have the noise and clutter of many urban areas, either, but we do have a certain level of affluence and culture.” Boise’s dry climate also means that in warmer weather a group’s “big stage” can be arranged outdoors, a plus in such a naturally green destination. Patterson also points to how the local faith-based community is available when visitors need a tie-in for their events. “It’s a very personal connection and that always works well for religious groups,” she says.

Basque Center in Boise, Idaho

Another cause for planner cheer: the possibility of a bigger, even better convention facility. “We have a very good facility already with the Boise Centre, but what we can’t do right now is have space for 150 exhibit booths and feed 600 people under the same roof,” says Patterson. “The Greater Boise Auditorium District is giving serious consideration and review to reactivate the effort to expand the local convention center on a two-block site nearby. Ideally, in three to four years we would have a project we could begin to market.”

Meanwhile, word is out about JUMP (Jack’s Urban Meeting Place), Boise’s newest group venue, which will house five studios, meeting space, an urban park and an amphitheater. The new, privately owned facility will open near the Boise Centre and Grove Plaza, and will be within close proximity to more than 1,000 hotel rooms, as well as downtown’s shops, restaurants and museums. Attendees needn’t travel far to enjoy Boise’s great outdoors, either, with such group favorites as golf, rafting, jogging, skiing, and cycling easily available in and just outside of town.

Las Cruces, New Mexico

For a quick read on this southern New Mexico city’s weather and its outlook on life, look no further than the CVB’s new motto: Stay sunny. “That kind of wraps up the best things about our city into one statement—great weather, but it’s also about the attitude and culture here in town,” says Rochelle Miller-Hernandez, convention sales manager at the Las Cruces CVB. “And for meeting planners, they can get all these great things at a great price.”

Beyond its sunny skies and disposition, Las Cruces also features a year-old, LEED Gold-certified convention center that’s earned kudos for its practical amenities and a comfortable ambience. “When you go into some convention centers you get a warehouse feel, which can leave smaller groups feeling lost or overwhelmed,” says Miller-Hernandez. “Our center is warm, intimate and has those Southwest colors.” And in light of Las Cruces’ often amenable weather, it’s also worth mentioning the center’s 5,000 square feet of outdoor space, ideal for year-round events.

Las Cruces’ revitalized downtown is especially appealing to Daniel Martin, who’s bringing the Christian Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses (and about 6,000 attendees) into town for meetings this summer. “It’s a really nice city and a great location for people to get to,” says Martin. “They’ve built a lot of nice hotels in the past 10 years and that’s no longer a problem for the size of our group.”

The historic town of Mesilla, located south of Las Cruces, is anchored by the Basilica of San Albino, which was built in 1855 and continues to offer masses in English and Spanish.

Faith-based attendees are also encouraged to bring along their families and take advantage of the area’s exceptional recreational options, from the local farmers market to the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, with a 14,000-sq.-ft. courtyard and new meeting room. White Sands State Park, 45 minutes away, proves particularly popular (and affordable). Kids love sliding on the dunes and the entire family can enjoy the park’s special events.

Adjacent to Las Cruces, Historic Mesilla is a preserved and restored 1800s border town sporting a famed courthouse (Billy the Kid once stood trial here), shops and restaurants. Spaceport America, the country’s first commercially built space facility, is about 90 minutes away and open for limited tours.

Phoenix, Arizona

Mention Phoenix and, understandably, people think “sunshine and warmth” not to mention all of the attendant group benefits (e.g., golf, team building, outdoor sunset receptions) that come with meeting in such a pleasant climate. But for faith-based groups, there’s more to the Valley of the Sun than just its 300-plus annual days of sun.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Phoenix

“Most religious groups are budget-conscious and draw heavily on their drive market,” says Sally Forrest, director of national accounts for the Greater Phoenix CVB. “We have great affordability and accessibility, meaning a terrific airport and easy highways for getting to and around the area.”  Better still, says Forrest, is the wealth of options for group activities and recreation. Indeed, there’s plenty for family members to do here, from visiting Phoenix’s famed botanical gardens and museums (covering everything from art and firefighting to Native American heritage) to taking day tours of the surrounding desert and spectacular Grand Canyon. The area’s multi-cultural flavor also works nicely for faith-based events. “We have very strong Spanish-American and Native-American communities here and that’s celebrated,” Forrest says. “Many religious groups like to tap into these cultures because of what they do and the nature of their missions.”

It helps as well that whatever the reason behind a faith-based meeting, Phoenix can provide the infrastructure to make it successful. The city’s convention center brings both bountiful, efficient space and a stylish Southwestern design to a planner’s table, all set conveniently in the heart of downtown. The city’s center also has seen a major urban renewal in the past decade, spurred on by a new light rail system, new hotels (a new 280-room urban-styled Courtyard by Marriott and a 242-room Westin with 11,000 square feet of meeting space), an influx of higher education and research facilities, and the return of retail, residences and restaurants to the city core.

All of those factors proved successful for the Southern Baptist Convention, which had more than 11,000 attendees in Phoenix this past June for its annual meeting. “We need a western rotation about every few years and Phoenix always seems to have open dates when we need them in June,” says assistant convention manager Don Magee. “The hotel rates, which are the biggest cost to our people, are excellent then and that means higher attendance. We were also able to have our meal functions at the convention center, which means people stay in the building and our sessions are attended.”

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With favorable year-round weather and a huge dose of hospitality, the country’s Southeastern states greet visitors with a sweet embrace. Here, you can stroll through 100-year-old oak groves, or take a boat ride in swampland, on a lake, in the Gulf of Mexico or on the Atlantic Ocean. Whether you are looking for an action-packed destination like Kissimmee, Fla., or a city filled with history like Charlotte, N.C., you can find it when you head south.

Atlanta, Georgia

Known as the capital of the South, Atlanta, already home to 5 million residents, continues to grow. Likewise, when it comes to attractions, there’s always something new in town. Of course, there’s the famous Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, but there’s more on the way. The aquarium opened a $110 million dolphin exhibit in April; Legoland Discovery Center opens in 2012; and the College Football Hall of Fame relocates to Atlanta in 2013.

“If you haven’t been to Atlanta and its surrounding areas in the past five years, you haven’t seen Atlanta,” says Rachel Rosenberg, public relations manager for the Atlanta CVB. Another big advantage for the city: It’s easy to get to. “The city is the hub of the Southeast with three major interstates running through downtown,” Rosenberg says. “It is a four-hour drive for most visitors in the Southeast, and 80 percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour flight of Atlanta.” Those passengers fly into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, which has two convenient train lines running to the downtown, Midtown and Buckhead business and meeting districts.

Downtown has its own collection of meeting hotels near the Georgia World Congress Center and AmericasMart, two of the city’s large conference facilities. (Atlanta has four facilities with more than 140,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Congress Center topping all of them with 1.4 million.) All the major hotel chains are represented downtown: Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton and Westin.

In fact, once attendees arrive, they’ll have a wide variety of accommodation options to fit any budget with more than 94,000 hotel rooms located in the metro-Atlanta area. Six new boutique hotels have opened since 2008, providing more choices for travelers looking for a place to stay. With so many hotels within walking distance, planners can also cut down on transportation costs, making Atlanta an even better value.

The convention center is accessible by foot from 12,000 of the city’s hotel rooms. Add to that the number of attractions in Centennial Olympic Park and convention attendees will never need to leave downtown, unless they want to explore some of the city’s distinct areas just outside of the city, including Sandy Springs, Alpharetta Dunwoody and Duluth.

Sandy Springs, Georgia’s sixth largest city, has more than 20 miles of shoreline along the Chattahoochee River, 11 parks, a dynamic economy and a strong sense of community. Alpharetta, about 20 miles from Atlanta, is gaining in popularity, too. The charming city has 150 dining options, upscale boutique hotels and is quickly becoming known as a meetings destination.

Duluth, another popular suburb, is where the Catalyst conference has been held since 2003. Each October it gathers more than 13,000 Christian leaders age 40 and younger in Duluth. The massive gathering is held at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, which “has been a fantastic home base for Catalyst through the years,” says Ansley Lawhead, public relations representative for Catalyst. “This venue allows for growth and creativity. We highly recommend its utilization to other event planners.”

The Dunwoody CVB, the newest bureau in the metro area, has plenty to brag about. The city, which incorporated in 2008, is home to the second largest mall in the Southeast, excellent restaurants and five hotels that host meetings for groups from 15 to 1,500.

Augusta, Georgia

Augusta, Ga., is known worldwide for one thing: golf. Each spring thousands flock to the Southern riverfront city for the storied Masters golf tournament. However, the city has more to offer than gorgeous azaleas and men in green sports coats.

History, scenic gardens and Southern hospitality draw a wide variety of meetings and conventions to the Georgia-South Carolina border on the Savannah River. Faith-based meetings like the annual leadership and ministry congress of Georgia’s African Methodist Episcopal Church easily find common ground in Augusta’s roots.  It’s the founding location for the Southern Baptist Convention and Morehouse College and home to the oldest independently formed African-American congregation still meeting on its original site and the third oldest Episcopal church in Georgia. But today, it’s what’s new in August that’s bringing more meetings to town.

The aptly named TEE (Trade, Exhibit and Event) Center is under construction and set to open spring 2012. Its 38,000 square feet of exhibit space and 29,000 square feet of pre-function space will connect to 49,000 square feet of existing space in the Augusta Convention Center. Also attached is the 372-room Augusta Marriott Hotel and Suites, the largest meeting hotel in the city with 49,000 square feet of meeting space.

An up-and-coming downtown with trendy restaurants and galleries hosts a lively, family-friendly evening of local arts and music the first Friday of the summer months, and a riverfront amphitheater is a popular site for concerts and special events. The Morris Museum of Art and the downtown Imperial Theater are also important to the local arts community and provide alternative settings for off-site events.

Groups looking for an inspirational setting can take advantage of the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, a former Catholic church with all the grandeur expected from its previous tenant. The restored 1898 Romanesque Revival church on the National Register of Historic Places hosts cultural events and performances, and its 7,000-sq.-ft. Great Hall can be situated theater- or banquet-style for a variety of events.

Southern tradition pulses through the town from the mansions on The Hill to a hard-to-resist dining experience at Sconyers Barbecue. The hickory, pit-cooked barbecue that’s good enough for the White House lawn caters events, but the large log-cabin style restaurant can accommodate large groups, too.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotteans say you only need to visit the Queen City once. Why? Because, as the story goes, you’ll end up moving there after. It’s that charming. Thriving intersections are blocks away from green spaces. Skyscrapers tower above tranquil neighborhoods. Guests and locals eat at the same restaurants and walk the same streets in a city that blends a fast-paced business atmosphere with Southern charm.

Charlotte’s full of special venues that appeal to meeting planners like Wonderland Dawson, director of meetings and events for 3D Hospitality, an event management company that coordinated University Park Church’s Entrepreneurs Ministry’s Network mixer a few years ago and is now organizing the True Women event meeting in Charlotte in November.

Dawson says she likes the Carole A. Hoefener Community Services Center for it’s central location in Uptown Charlotte, free on-site parking, flexible rates for faith-based organizations and great amenities (including a full kitchen, audiovisual equipment, break-out classrooms and on-site management).

“For smaller events, I like The Van Landingham Estate Inn and Conference Center, The Morehead Inn, The Great Aunt Stella Center, The Palmer Building and The Wadsworth Estate,” Dawson says. “For larger events, I like The Zion Renaissance Complex and The Park Expo and Conference Center.”

They are hidden gems within the Queen City, she says, well-suited for retreats, bible studies, ministry teambuilding, creative-thinking activities, leadership training seminars, luncheons and socials. And attendees have easy access to entertainment hotspots like The Levine Center for the Arts, the James L. Knight Theater and the Mint Museum.

Ronda Caldwell, president of The Main Event Inc., a company that plans corporate, social and faith-based events, schedules conferences in Charlotte because the thriving uptown area gives guests access to entertainment, food and fun all within walking distance of one another—no car needed.

Not to mention, the Charlotte Convention Center has 46 meeting rooms and a spacious 35,000-sq.-ft. ballroom that seats 1,800. The 280,000 square feet of exhibit space can accommodate up to 1,250 exhibit booths. In addition, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opened more than a year ago, boasts a 40,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and connects to the convention center via an above-the-street walkway.

As for accommodations, the 700-room Westin Charlotte and the recently revamped Hilton Charlotte Center City flank each side of the convention center. A few blocks away, the Hampton Inn and the Hilton Garden Inn can accommodate overflow guests.

Fort Lauderdale

This year, Fort Lauderdale turns 100, and the coastal community is starting to show its age—in a good way. The city, which became known as a spring break hotspot thanks to the 1960 movie “Where the Boys Are,” is growing up and, turning into a respected beach destination with large-scale resorts and award-winning restaurants. The city hasn’t completely turned its back on bikini-clad spring breakers, but it has given faith-based meeting planners more than one reason to look twice.

In June, Fort Lauderdale hosted the 105th annual National Baptist Congress, bringing between 8,000 and 10,000 people to the city from all over the country, including a number of young Baptists who take part in the event’s Youth Congress, aimed at people ages 4 to 24. “One of the highlights of the congress is the drill teams,” Rev. Anthony Burrell, pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Pompano Beach and host pastor, told the Sun Sentinel. “They perform synchronized routines. It’s just a great activity to see young people who are leading positive and productive lives.”

The almost weeklong event featured ministry sessions, performances by gospel artists such as Dorothy Norwood and Beverly Crawford, and keynote speeches, including one by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Obama’s pastor from Trinity Church of Christ in Chicago. The National Baptist Congress last came to Florida more than
10 years ago. “For a lot of people this is a family tradition; this is the kind of thing you plan your family vacation around,” Burrell said. “Some of the people on stage today have mentioned they had been coming to this since they were children.”

Most of the Congress’ events took place at the Broward County Convention Center, a 600,000-sq.-ft. facility situated between the hotels located on Fort Lauderdale Beach and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The three-story center has a large wall of glass that runs along the eastern side of the building overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. The building has four exhibit halls, two ballrooms and 31 meeting rooms.

The CVB established the Lauderdale Convention Collection, a set of six hotels located within a mile and a half of the convention center. The hotels are Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Port Everglades, Sheraton Fort Lauderdale, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Harbor Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, and Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale. They have a total of 2,700 rooms.

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Each year, more than 2.5 million visitors head to Hilton Head, which anchors South Carolina’s southern coast. With its subtropical climate, leisurely activities and some of the Southeast’s finest saltwater fishing, that comes as no surprise. This laid-back yet sophisticated island is a place where flip-flops and khakis are wardrobe staples.

“Hilton Head Island is a great destination because the atmosphere is so inviting,” says Jessica Gardo, manager of marketing and public relations for the Hilton Head Island Visitor and Convention Bureau. “We were green before sustainability even became a buzzword.” Hilton Head was the first eco-planned resort destination in the country, she says, and prides itself on having a carefully preserved, natural environment with protected saltwater marshes, loggerhead sea turtles and tree canopies.

There aren’t any streetlights along the roadways or flashy neon signs in town either. “All of this combines for a relaxing, rejuvenating island vibe that really sets the stage for any meeting, putting attendees in the right mindset to get the most out of their stay,” Gardo says.

Meeting planners especially love the Hilton Head Island Difference program. The program gives groups the opportunity to take part in social responsibility projects organized by the VCB. Two-hour, half-day and full-day programs are available. The activities, such as kayak marsh clean-ups or maintenance of facilities like the Coastal Discovery Museum, encourage teamwork and add an environmental and historical education component to events. Gardo offers a tip for planners: “Meetings on Hilton Head Island are a great value during our shoulder and off-seasons (October through March) when rates are better and the summer family crowds are back in school,” she says. “The weather is temperate year-round and enjoying the beach or being on the golf course is pleasant any time of year. Functions such as a Low Country boil or oyster roast are great outdoor dining experiences that only happen during these months.”

There are five oceanfront hotels that accommodate groups, ranging from executive retreats to groups up to 2,000. The island has two boutique inns for smaller conferences. The largest ballroom accommodates 2,000 people at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa. There are several select-service properties as well, such as the Hilton Garden Inn, which can accommodate overflow from the larger hotel properties.

Kissimmee, Florida

The Kissimmee area, just outside of Orlando, isn’t all rollercoasters and pixie dust. In addition to the wide range of entertainment and attractions, Kissimmee has more than 47,000 guest rooms, including brand-name hotels, resorts, vacation homes and villas with everything from large meeting space to small boardrooms suited for team planning or strategy sessions.

Rev. Randy Bryant should know. As the executive director of Florida State Association of Free Will Baptists, he’s chosen Kissimmee as the place to host his Seniors’ Summit at the Radisson Resort in October.

The goal of the event is three-fold: edification, fellowship and providing seniors with wholesome, beneficial activities. “Anyone is welcome to participate, but it is promoted among the Free Will Baptist churches in Florida. The attendees come from various churches in various parts of the state. Many of those who attend have come year after year,” says Bryant.

The retreat includes worship services and off-site excursions to theme parks or state parks. As part of the event, seniors will attend Arabian Nights, a popular dinner show in Orlando. Bryant chose the Radisson Resort for this year’s event because of its proximity to entertainment and the golf course on hotel property.

“Kissimmee is a great option because of its location, the number of activities available, great rates and good people to work with,” he says. Beyond the three big theme parks—Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld—new nearby attractions include Fantasy Surf, a 14,000-sq.-ft. indoor aquatic recreation attraction that gives visitors the chance to hop on a body board and ride the waves indoors; Alligator Alley Country Bar, which is built inside of a stone castle; and the Screamin’ Gator zip line at Gatorland, opening this summer, which takes riders along 1,200 feet of high-flying adventure over alligators and jumping crocs.

Mississippi Gulf Coast

When it comes to rich culture and heritage, the Magnolia State has plenty, from antebellum homes to Civil War sites. At the turn of the 19th century, the Mississippi Delta was the birthplace of the blues. In 1935, Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo. The list goes on and on.

Equally appealing are the state’s other amenities like noteworthy art museums and popular annual festivals. Take your pick from the Gulfport Music Festival or Kite Fest in May, St. Paul’s Seafood Festival or Schooner Races in June, Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo in July and the Long Beach Fest in August.

It’s a well-rounded destination, and convenient, too. “The state offers great meeting space like the Mississippi Coast Convention Center, which has more than 410,000 square feet of meeting space,” says Taryn Pratt Sammons, social media/media relations specialist at the Mississippi Gulf Coast CVB.

Recent faith-based events include the Sacred Heart Art Festival, Pass Christian Mardi Gras Parade and the annual Gulf Coast Blessing of the Bikes.

The region has a current room inventory of more than 12,500 rooms. The area has fishing, history and cultural sites including the Beauvoir, the last home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum. The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Walter Anderson Museum of Art and water-based attractions such as the Biloxi Shrimping Trip or Ship Island Excursions are other popular sites for activities or events.

Palm Beaches, Florida

Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, located about 65 miles north of Miami, hug Florida’s Atlantic coast and have long attracted a well-to-do crowd with their resorts, sparkling waterways, and crowd pleasers such as the Norton Museum of Art and Henry Morrison Flagler. But sprinkled in with high-end resorts are also a collection of full-service meeting properties in the Palm Beaches’ 38 cities and towns and 200 hotels. The area’s convention and entertainment district brings together the 350,000-sq.-ft. convention center, a world-class performing arts center and CityPlace, a shopping, dining and entertainment district. Conference hotels include the Boca Raton Resort and Club, a Waldorf-Astoria resort, with more than 1,000 guest rooms; the 352-room West Palm Beach Marriott, within walking distance of CityPlace and the convention center; and PGA National Resort and Spa, located about 15 minutes from the airport, with 339 guest rooms and 33,900 square feet of meeting space.

Last year marked the completion of a $30 million renovation of West Palm Beaches’ downtown waterfront. Completed in February, the 4.5-acre restoration features a $250,000 lighting system for nightly light shows; green space with swings and seating along its perimeter; a 400-sq.-ft. visitor center; a 4,000-square-foot pavilion for public events and private parties; and a half an acre of sandy beach. The development is the perfect venue for new year-round events and programming for the area and hosts long-established major events like SunFest and the annual Palm Beach International Boat Show.

The additions don’t end there. “We just received a new water taxi service in the north part of the county and are anticipating a new artificial reef and scuba diving park along the Jupiter inlet in the near future,” says Carli Smith, director of public relations and communications for the Palm Beach County CVB. Alos, it was recently announced that the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center will undergo $80 million in expansions and improvements.

Beaumont

Located on the Gulf Coast near the Louisiana border, Beaumont has a history linked to bayous and oil. In 1901 in nearby Spindletop, one of the world’s great oil discoveries transformed Beaumont from a small-but-significant timber and rice town into a boomtown that led the way for petroleum production in Texas. The legacy of that oil prosperity can be seen today in such grand structures as the Neoclassical McFaddin-Ward House or the historic structures that comprise the Crockett Street entertainment district.

A mid-sized city of about 100,000, Beaumont is experiencing a cultural boom again. Visitors come for its historic architecture, fine dining, lively nightlife and high concentration of quality museums—including the Texas Energy Museum, Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, Fire Museum of Texas and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. Cajun culture entices with spicy cuisine, high-energy Zydeco music and colorful festivals, while the great outdoors provides ample water-recreation adventures in gator country.

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Beaumont’s largest conference facility is the Ford Park Event Center, which, on May 5, will be the site of the fourth annual LiveWell Women’s Conference sponsored by local Christus Hospital. The one-day conference attracts about 2,000 women, mostly from the region, though it now attracts people from Houston, Louisiana and beyond. That is sure to be the case this year with Hilary Swank as the keynote speaker and about 25 breakout sessions on topics ranging from leadership to health to financial management, spirituality and fashion. There will also be cooking demonstrations and a fitness arena with classes throughout the day.

Marketing and Events Coordinator Becky Howard has seen the conference grow from the start. The first year, the event was at the MCM Eleganté, which is still the host hotel. “Max attendance was going to be 500, but 600 attendees packed in,” Howard recalls. “The next year it was at the Beaumont Civic Center Complex and, again, we sold out in 10 days. We moved to Ford Park, and we’re excited this year that we should be able to stay at the same place for a while.”

The Ford Park Event Center has a 48,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall, eight meeting rooms, a 9,500-seat arena and a VIP lounge. Combined with the arena, there’s 95,000 square feet of floor space. “We have plenty of parking and a Houston pedicab company that escorts people on bicycle rickshaws from their cars,” says Howard. “As it’s getting bigger, it became important to have nearby hotels, and the Ford Park is not even two miles from what we call hotel alley,” an area of town with a number of hotels.

El Paso

In its early days, El Paso’s reputation was staked as a Wild West border town. People have always been drawn to the dusty outpost in the northern Chihuahuan Desert as a gateway to its Mexican sister city, Ciudad Juarez. But people don’t head south to Mexico anymore. El Paso has redefined itself as a growing destination with massive scale of construction projects throughout the city. Fueling the boom are the expansions of U.S. Army base Fort Bliss and the Texas Tech University medical school, as well as the new El Paso Children’s Hospital and the revitalization of the historic downtown. The population is rapidly approaching 800,000.

The buzz throughout the city is palpable. Residents are excited and hopeful about the upswing in business, while visitors continue to be drawn by long-time favorites like the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Mission Trail, sun-drenched recreation at Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks state parks and the city’s famed rendition of the Mexican dish, “chile relleno,” or stuffed chile pepper.

“Downtown El Paso has undergone a drastic change,” says Brooke Underwood, Director of Convention Development for the El Paso CVB. “A couple years ago, after 5 p.m. it would have turned into a ghost town, but now it really comes alive.” Some of the projects contributing to that makeover include the new El Paso Museum of History, new downtown public library, the historic restoration of a few 1930s–40s office buildings, the renovation of the 1930 Plaza Theatre and the new Doubletree Hotel, which has 200 guest rooms and seven meeting rooms.

Sister Kateri Mitchell, executive director of the National Tekakwitha Conference, visited El Paso in February in advance of her organization’s annual conference to be held in July 2013. She noticed a dramatic change in the city since the event was last held there in 2004: “It has grown tremendously. I found the downtown area to have changed so much because of development. The whole city is much, much larger.”

The National Tekakwitha Conference is an organization for Native American Catholics based upon the teachings of patroness Kateri Tekakwitha, a 17th

century woman who was beatified in 1980. The organization is based around Kateri Circles, or local prayer and study groups comprised of Native Americans from various tribes. Each year, they hold an annual conference that rotates around the country with the goal of bringing members together to share their Catholic faith and study the diverse cultures from the 156 tribes represented.

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“We’re going to El Paso in July 2013 because there is a Kateri Circle there,” Mitchell says, “and the process is to have a local group to work with to help plan this annual event with the national office.” As the national representative, she meets with the local membership, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso and the CVB to choose host hotels and the conference location.

As in 2004, the conference will be held at the Judson F. Williams Convention Center. Located downtown, the 133,000-sq.-ft. facility includes 80,000 square feet of exhibit space, 17 breakout meeting rooms, three halls and an additional 15,000 square feet of meeting space. Last year, a striking new outdoor shade canopy was constructed, which can be booked for outdoor receptions of a few hundred people.

Directly behind the convention center is the popular Union Plaza Entertainment District. Formerly an industrial warehouse park, the area has been reshaped as a hip dining and nightlife district, including notable restaurant, The Garden. And despite its thriving business climate, spicy culture and

year-round sunny weather, El Paso remains surprisingly affordable. “To combat the travel expenses of a delegate coming into El Paso, we can close that gap with much more affordable meeting accommodations,” Underwood says. “As far as parking, meals, lodging, accommodations and the actual meeting, it won’t break the bank.”

The other perception she wishes were commonplace regards safety. “Despite what people are hearing in the national media, El Paso is the safest city in America with a population of more than 500,000,” Underwood says. “The things that are happening on the other side of the border are not spilling over. If people want that international experience, they can still experience it by coming to El Paso. All that flavor, culture and cuisine is now on this side of the border.”

Galveston

Few places embody the spirit of Texas tenacity like Galveston. It rose to national prominence in the 19th century, at one time becoming the largest city in Texas due to its port, where cotton shipped out and immigrants poured in. But all that changed with the Great Storm of 1900. The city was submerged and more than 6,000 people were killed by a hurricane, the worst natural disaster the U.S. had faced. In the aftermath, the Houston ship channel was constructed, and that inland city became the state’s major commercial center.

Galveston residents raised the entire city by eight feet and constructed a 17-foot seawall to protect against future storms. During Prohibition, Galveston experienced a comeback as a lawless hub for drinking, gambling and prostitution. That mini-boom lasted until the mid-1950s, when the Texas Rangers finally put an end to those activities. Since the 1980s, Galveston has focused on tourism, capitalizing on its colorful history, grand architecture and beaches.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike flooded Galveston again. More than two years later, it’s estimated that at least 20 percent of the population of 58,000 did not return. Some historic buildings were seriously damaged or destroyed, and saltwater killed about 40,000 trees. The city has mostly rebuilt and recovered, and its major attractions—including the Strand Historic District, the 1859 Ashton Villa, 1892 Bishop’s Palace, tall ship Elissa, Moody Gardens tourist complex and Schlitterbahn waterpark—are open for business.

As a former Floridian who lives in Plano, Phyllis McCully enjoys Galveston for its beach and seafood. But as a meeting planner, the associate director of the South-Central Region of the Association of Christian Schools International appreciates Moody Gardens as the yearly setting of ACSI’s regional educators’ convention. “I’ve been involved in planning at a lot of different venues, and Moody Gardens is my favorite venue to attend both because of their wonderful facilities and the people to work with,” she says.

Moody Gardens Convention Center has more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 60,000-sq.-ft. flexible space for a ballroom or expo hall. Most rooms can be divided into smaller rooms for breakout sessions, receptions or other events. The attached garage can accommodate 1,000 cars, and adjacent Moody Gardens Resort has 428 guest rooms. The resort and convention center are part of the 242-acre Moody Gardens tourist complex, one of Texas’ top attractions, which draws more than two million visitors a year and features three glass pyramids housing an aquarium, recreated rainforest and science exhibits.

ACSI uses the convention center for exhibits and general sessions, and has breakout sessions at both the hotel and convention center. “They have some rooms that can be divided into two spaces or opened up,” McCully says. “Depending upon what our needs are—whether we want them set classroom-style or whether we want them set theater-style—they are always very good about working with us.
McCully praises Moody Gardens’ staff for always exceeding expectations: “Even when the hurricane came through, they called us right away to let us know they had minimal damage and there wouldn’t be any problem with holding our convention…There is always a lot of communication back and forth about what our needs will be. The whole staff just seems to really go out of their way to work with us.”

Plano

In the late 1970s and ’80s, the popular television series “Dallas” reinforced the stereotypes of Texans the world over. Right or wrong, J.R. Ewing et al came to represent the popular notion of Texas excess—big oil and ranching money, brash attitudes and outsized personalities. The setting for this melodrama took place at Plano’s real-life Southfork Ranch.

The reality of Plano is much more ordinary. The Dallas suburb began as a rural agricultural community with origins dating back to the 1840s. In 1960, the population was less than 4,000, but it exploded in subsequent decades as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex expanded. Plano’s population is currently estimated at around 300,000, making it the ninth-largest city in the state. It is now known for outstanding shopping and dining establishments, a hot air balloon festival and a penchant for ending up on best-places-to-live lists. But small-town agricultural roots are still evident in the historic downtown and the Heritage Farmstead Museum—a living history property that features an 1891 Victorian farmhouse.

Special Places: Click here to learn about the Texas Independence Trail.

In April 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America held its 22nd Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod Assembly at the Plano Centre. The annual meeting of the church rotates around the region, coming back to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex every few years. With more than 86,000 square feet of meeting space, 18 breakout rooms and more than 21,000 square feet of exhibit space, meeting planner Becky Brakke recalls the Plano Centre meeting the synod’s needs.

“It is just an absolutely lovely space,” she says. “It sits on a nice, expansive country lot. You have plenty of parking and even some hook-ups for campers.” Those are important assets for a planner whose delegates tend to drive and bring RVs. “We’ve used two hotels that are about a mile or two away, so there is some travel,” she says.

The synod used all the breakout rooms, as well as hallways for displays and the assembly space for worship. Church youth also attend, and Brakke says their own meetings were conducted in rooms set off specifically for them. “We found the staff to be very accommodating, and it has one of the best in-house caterers we have ever worked with,” she says. “I would rank the Centre at the top of the list.”

San Antonio

San Antonio is one of America’s cultural gems, world-renowned for its Spanish Colonial architecture, hallowed history, vibrant traditions and top-tier attractions like the Alamo and the River Walk. This year, Texans celebrate the 175th anniversary of independence from Mexico and the fight for freedom that took center stage at the Alamo on March 6, 1836. The tragic events of that day rallied the Texas revolutionaries and helped shape the state’s resolute destiny and character, commemorated this year in anniversary events across the state and city.

Another reason to visit San Antonio soon is to experience the new expansion of the River Walk. The Museum Reach section opened in 2009 and extends the walking trail about a mile and a half north of downtown to the San Antonio Museum of Art, Pearl Brewery complex, Brackenridge Park and the Witte Museum. This noncommercial stretch is beautifully landscaped with native plants and public art installations, offering visitors and residents alike a tranquil alternative to the bustling tourist restaurants and nightlife of the old River Walk. In late 2010, the first part of the Mission Reach section opened, which will eventually be a hike-and-bike trail connecting four historic Spanish missions south of downtown with the city center. The entire River Walk will stretch 15 miles by 2014.

In addition to attractions, meeting professionals love San Antonio for its unique combination of culture, convenience and compactness. From humble beginnings as a Spanish colony founded in 1718, San Antonio now has a population of about 1.4 million, making it the second-largest city in Texas and seventh-largest in the country. Downtown contains more than 12,700 guest rooms within walking distance of the Alamo, River Walk, Market Square, Main Plaza, Mexican restaurants and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, which has 630,000 square feet of meeting space and almost 440,000 square feet of exhibit space. Three ballrooms are available, as well as the 2,400-seat Lila Cockrell Theatre and 63 breakout rooms.

One prestigious downtown property is The St. Anthony Hotel, a National Historic Landmark that was built in 1909 by cattle barons. Known for its grand history and opulence, The St. Anthony delivers for meeting planners with 352 guest rooms, more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space, 22 meeting rooms, two ballrooms and a rooftop reception area called the Starlight Terrace, providing stellar views of downtown.

For Kristen Cress, it was all about location. The coordinator of member services for United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries organized the 71st UMA National Convention at the St. Anthony March 2–4. The annual event rotates around the five jurisdictions of the United Methodist Church, and Cress says, “We were looking for something centrally located that would appeal to our members and hopefully encourage them to stay before and after for vacation.”

“We always look for a one-stop place,” she adds. “We’d be lost in a convention center, plus there’s added cost for meeting space. If we do it at a hotel large enough for us and we meet our room blocks, then they throw in meeting space for free.” It also helped that The St. Anthony is located right next to Travis Park United Methodist Church, which served as the only off-site event location by providing a space for worship. “Because Travis Park is right next door, and it actually has history to one of our homes [Methodist Mission Home] in the community we thought it was important to do worship there,” Cress says.

Click here for Texas tips, at-a-glance facts and more venue information.

Billings, Montana

While the Big Sky Country concept might seem odd for those who’ve yet to meet in Montana’s largest city (population 101,000), the idea makes sense on arrival. On a clear day (of which there are many, thanks to clean air and low humidity), the 360-degree views are impressive, from Billings’ famed Rimrocks, which are beautiful sandstone cliffs and rock formations, to the half-dozen rugged mountain ranges surrounding town.

Special Places: Click here to learn about ZooMontana

“We get every type of group coming here because there are so many things to see and do,” says Tom Krause, sales manager for the Billings CVB. “We tout ourselves as the ‘come early, stay late city.’ In winter we’ve got skiing, snowmobiling and ice climbing; in summer, there’s rafting and fishing. The Yellowstone River runs right through the city, and we’re very close [2.5 hours] to Yellowstone National Park itself.”

While Krause’s job is made easier by Billings’ natural assets, the city also features plenty of the selling points that work in favor of a planner. Billings has some 4,300 guest rooms distributed among more than two dozen hotels in a range of price points, many with ample meeting and exhibit space. Downtown in particular is a hit with groups because attendees can easily walk among the shops, restaurants, museums and nightspots making up the city’s core.

When the National Association of Counties met here in May 2010, Amanda Clark, CMP, manager of conference and meetings, was confident her group would bond with Billings. “It’s an easy destination to reach, whether driving or flying, and reasonably priced,” Clark says. “Our folks like to be able to walk to places, and I was pleased with how much there was to do in and around downtown.” To wit, Clark cites a pair of special events that enhanced the experience: a large get-together at Billings’ MetraPark fairgrounds and a more intimate board function at the Yellowstone Art Museum, originally built as the county jail.

Boise, Idaho

If Idaho’s largest city leaves new visitors with anything, it’s usually a terrific first impression. “We constantly surprise people,” says Terry Kopp, Boise CVB’s director of sales. She says visitors like the state capital for its consistent, high-plains climate (dry, and warmer than the Midwest and Northeast) and quality of life. “We have a lot of corporate headquarters here, and that brings lots of nice amenities: major airlines and good flights, good restaurants, a great arts community, and the Greenbelt, a 25-mile path that runs right through the city along the Boise River,” she says. “People come here and say, ‘Gee I think I could live here,’ and that kind of sums up why people want to meet here as well.”

Special Places: Click here to learn about Boise's Basque Block.

Kopp points to one attendee she met in town for the recent Go West Summit of international tour operators. “This woman said, ‘Boise is such a surprise to me, not at all what I expected, really pleasant,’” Kopp says. “Our biggest challenge, then, is getting planners to come for a site visit. Once they do, the city sells itself.”

A good starting point: the Boise Centre, downtown’s meeting centerpiece abutting Grove Plaza, within a short stroll of 1,000 hotel rooms and highlighted by a 25,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 375-seat auditorium. “It’s a fabulous facility,” says Pat Thomas, events coordinator for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, who’s planning the international Diocesan Information Systems Conference at the center this May. “It’s downtown, has the appropriate space, good breakout rooms and works well for our vendors,” Thomas says.

Boise is also home to a wide spectrum of museums, where the focuses range from sports, Basque culture and black history to human rights and birds of prey, and where groups can often do both tours and special events.

The city’s efforts at sustainability also go hand-in-hand with its emphasis on the outdoors and recreation. Golf begins in March, with the whitewater rafting season (on the Payette River) following shortly thereafter. Leisurely pursuits like jogging, cycling along the Greenbelt or floating along the Boise River, can be done in the center of town.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

For anyone wondering why Colorado’s second-largest city might work for faith-based groups, Kathy Reak provides some nuts and bolts. “We have all the amenities of a first-tier destination but with second-tier pricing, and that makes us very affordable,” says Reak, director of convention sales for the Colorado Springs CVB. Another plus: “A very relaxed and beautiful setting—the scenery here is phenomenal,” she says. Indeed, there’s a lot to like about meeting in the heart of the state’s Pikes Peak region, awash in both natural beauty (e.g., Manitou Mineral Springs, the Cave of the Winds, and 14,110-ft. Pikes Peak) and colorful history. Colorado’s gold rush began here in 1858 and nearby Cripple Creek, once home to the region’s biggest mine, is now a National Historic Landmark.

Given the critical role local church groups often play in their denominations’ national meetings, Reak points to another reason why religious conference planners flock to her town. “There are over 100 ministries headquartered in the Colorado Springs area, plus Focus on the Family, which draws a lot of attention to faith-based groups,” says Reak. “Those national associations will often look for a local connection to help out with some of their events.
“We have over 50 attractions, and the neat thing is that many of these activities are free,” she adds. The list is long and led by the Air Force Academy, U.S. Olympic Training Center and Colorado Springs’ famed Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, also a terrific special event venue.

Planners can count on easy access via Colorado Springs Airport and a wide choice of meeting sites, which include familiar mid-level hotels (the newest, Wyndham Grand’s 135-room Mining Exchange Hotel, is set to open this summer). There’s also properties such as the 740-room Broadmoor Hotel and new 300-room Renaissance Colorado Springs Hotel, Spa and Conference Center, with 185,000 and 50,000 square feet of meeting space, respectively.

For the Minnesota-based Evangelical Press Association, local members who can serve on host committees is a major plus when choosing a meeting site. Colorado Springs fits the bill nicely, says Executive Director Doug Trouten, who’s booked his group of about 300 there for its 2012 annual convention. “[They] have a large pool of volunteers to draw on, and meeting in a city where we have a lot of members creates opportunities for local members to attend the convention without having to spend money on travel and lodging,” he says. A favorite off-site event: The Flying W Ranch for an evening meal and performance by the Flying W Wranglers. “That’s always a big hit,” he says.

Denver, Colorado

In keeping with its history as a crossroad of the American West, Colorado’s capital city continues to bring a vibrant mix of people, places and activities to the meetings table.

“Meeting planner surveys tell us that accessibility, facilities and affordability rank as their top concerns, and we really excel in those areas,” says Richard Scharf, president and CEO at the Denver Metro CVB. That mix is enhanced further, he says, by Denver’s customer service and destination appeal, as well as the steps his city has taken in terms of development and sustainability. “We have the fourth-busiest airport in the U.S. and are adding a new component to it—our light rail system from downtown—by the end of 2015,” he says.

Scharf also points to the city’s hospitality boom and downtown’s more than 8,400 hotel rooms. Large properties downtown include the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center with 1,100 rooms and more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space; Four Seasons Hotel Denver, an upscale urban hotel with 239 rooms and a 5,200-sq.-ft. grand ballroom; and Hilton Garden Inn Denver Downtown, with 6,800 square feet of event and meeting space, and a high-tech audiovisual system.

Denver’s fast-growing urban core also has affected how visiting groups view their time in town. Witness downtown’s free-spirited 16th Street Mall, an attendee favorite for its cafes, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, all of which are walkable from the convention center. “We’ve got a lot of offerings right here in the city that are easy to get to—great restaurants, museums and sports facilities—and have gotten the word out about them,” Scharf says. From Denver it’s also just a quick trip to the nearby college town of Boulder and all the outdoor group adventures (e.g., skiing, hiking, fishing, horseback riding and rafting) that await in Colorado’s high country.

That sense of convenience and security was a critical decision factor for Andy Stephenson, who will be bringing the Church of God Ministries’ International Youth Conference to Denver in July 2012. “We’ll have a group of 5,000 to 6,000 teenagers in the city, so safety and accessibility from the hotels is really important for us,” says Stephenson, the leader of the Youth Ministries team. “The convention center is great, and the mall area is close to the hotel and super safe for kids to go out to at night,” says Stephenson. He isn’t alone in his love for the city. Denver experienced its second-best convention and meetings year in history in 2010, when it hosted 75 conventions, 423 meetings and more than 370,000 delegates who made an economic impact of $653 million.

Salt Lake City, Utah

It’s always satisfying to find a destination where attendees can meet productively while their families take in the sights—without breaking the bank. Welcome to Utah’s capital, founded by the Mormons some 150 years ago, where the price of admission can fit many attendee budgets.

“We have so many free historical and cultural attractions that provide a full day’s worth of activities,” says Mark H. White, vice president of sales for the Salt Lake City CVB. There are museums chronicling Utah’s first settlers (the Beehive House and the Daughters of the Pioneers and Social Hall museums), military history (Fort Douglas), folk crafts (the Chase Home) and art (the Phillips Gallery, Museum of Church History and Art, Salt Lake Art Center). And many of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s rehearsals are also free.

Cost control is critical for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations—a big reason why the Boston-based group likes Salt Lake City. “Their CVB staff is helpful and professional, and the package they offer us is very affordable,” says Jan Sneegas, director of general assembly and conference services. “We’re also very interested in sustainability, and their hotels are within walking distance of the convention center so we don’t need to use shuttles.”

A vibrant, walkable city core also helps planners when it comes to post-meeting options. “We’ve doubled the number of restaurants and nightspots in downtown in the last few years,” says White, adding that the city is now “big enough to have good restaurants and museums but still small enough to be safe and clean.” That balance of being a big city with a small-town feel goes to the heart of what the CVB and Salt Lake’s hospitality community share as goals. “We try to focus on those groups that we know that we can accommodate,” White says.

That said, space is certainly plentiful in Salt Lake. The Salt Palace Convention Center anchors the city’s reinvigorated downtown with the EnergySolutions Arena, which seats 20,500, and several meetings properties close by. The South Towne Exposition Center, with nine meeting rooms and 243,000 square feet of exhibit space, offers an alternative meeting option set 16 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport. Utah Olympic Park is an easy day trip and ideal for teambuilding and picnics. A trip to Utah’s spectacular National Parks—Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches among them—is also an option for daytime off-site trips.

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Tips

Explore the Past: Few destinations are as rooted in and dedicated to their past as Salt Lake City, which has several major attractions revolving around the history of the Mormon Church and its research into genealogy. The church’s FamilySearch Center and Family History Library are free to the public, and attendees would be wise to build in extra pre- and post-meeting time to spend at the venues. familysearch.org

Take Time to Adjust: Destinations like Denver and Colorado Springs sit up a mile or higher. Remind attendees that sea-level constitutions need time to adjust. Keep strenuous exercise and alcohol at a minimum (at least for the first day); and drink plenty of water and wear ample sunscreen.

The Mid-Atlantic region is appealing due to its vast natural resources from West Virginia’s mountains to the beaches of the coastal quartet of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Its cities and towns are a blend of old and new: centuries-old architecture and state-of-the-art facilities, world-class museums and new attractions. It has all the right ingredients to host a successful meeting, and planners will find that what the region promises, it delivers.

Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia’s capital city, has small-town charm but the amenities of a larger metropolis. Located within 500 miles of half the U.S. population, it prides itself on being safe, affordable and accessible. Add to that a number of first-class meeting and event facilities, inspiring cultural museums and a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities, and it’s easy to see why this city is a favorite with faith-based planners.

Edgar Sutton, director of meeting arrangements for the American Baptist Association, found that the city had everything he required for the annual Messenger Assembly last June.

“Charleston worked for 12 years to get our meeting, and I can recommend it as a great meeting city for faith-based meetings,” Sutton says. “The hotel rates and meal functions were affordable, and many restaurants were just a few steps away. The city had the advantages of a much larger city with the ease of getting around.”
The Charleston Marriott Town Center, which has 17,500 square feet of flexible meeting space, served as the group’s headquarters. The hotel is currently undergoing an $8 million renovation of its lobby and 352 guest rooms to be completed by fall 2012.

Special Places: Click here to learn about zip lining across West Virginia's New River Gorge.

Sutton also booked the Charleston Civic Center with its 13,500-seat Coliseum, located within walking distance of several hotels, the Charleston Town Center Mall (largest urban indoor shopping mall in the East) and the stunning Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences. Home to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the center offers rental space for receptions, dinners and other events.

Jonathan Dow, executive director of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries, chose the same two venues for his first convention in Charleston last July. Aldersgate 2010 attracted 1,400 participants.

“Each annual conference we host varies in both schedule and in programming,” he says. “Facilities in Charleston allowed us the flexibility to be creative in our planning because we knew there were multiple unique venues to work with. 2010 was our first time. We are currently in negotiations for a future year.”

The West Virginia State Capitol Complex and the $17 million newly renovated West Virginia State Museum at the Culture Center serve up slices of the state’s rich history while the entire area has opportunities for outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking and whitewater rafting. In summer, groups can catch a baseball game at Appalachian Power Park, home stadium of the West Virginia Power. The park also rents space for group gatherings.

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is nicely positioned on the Interstate 95 Capital Corridor connecting Richmond, Virginia’s capital, to the nation’s capital. It has ties to George Washington (Ferry Farm was his boyhood home) and the Civil War. Its reasonably priced hotels and meeting venues and proximity to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., are major draws.

The Southside Women’s Conference values Fredericksburg as a meeting destination. This October it returns for the eighth consecutive year, says Conference Director Missy Bingaman.

“The location is great for getting away but only an hour away from our church [Southside Church] in Chesterfield, Va. Kimberly Herbert at the Fredericksburg Department of Economic Development and Tourism has been an integral part of our planning each year by providing current information on Fredericksburg’s meeting spaces and activities.”

The variety of activities, including shopping, bowling and restaurants, keeps the group coming back, as does the affordability. “Some of the hotels are willing to extend a nonprofit discount and work with us to provide catering that fits within our budget,” Bingaman says.

Planners can choose from several meeting venues including the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center, which has 80,000 square feet of versatile exhibit space and 15,000 square feet of designated meeting space. It’s part of the Celebrate Virginia complex, which includes the 148-room Hilton Garden Inn Fredericksburg with 2,700 square feet of meeting space, a Hampton Inn, Hyatt Place and Homewood Suites.

One of the city’s newest hotels, the Residence Inn Fredericksburg recently added a full-service conference facility with 2,600 square feet for meetings. Its proximity to the Spotsylvania Town Centre provides meeting-goers with dining, shopping and meeting options in one location. Many groups also book the 196-room Fredericksburg Hospitality House Hotel and Conference Center, which has 18,000 square feet of newly renovated meeting space and can accommodate functions of up to 750 people.

For more unusual meeting venues, the Inn at Fredericksburg Square, a circa-1854 mansion in Old Town Fredericksburg, features two ballrooms and a full-service kitchen for banquet service for up to 250 people. The 1790s Georgian home and studio of American impressionist painter Gari Melchers at Belmont accommodates up to 150 people for meetings, 100 for banquet seating.

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News can trace its origins almost as far back as the first settlement in nearby Jamestown and is home to several one-of-a-kind museums including North America’s largest maritime museum. But it’s the city’s accessibility—not solely its history and attractions—that appeals to meeting planners like Ken Lupp. He’s worked with faith-based groups in the Hampton Roads, Va., area for more than 20 years, currently as an independent meeting planner and owner of KAL Meeting Resources.

“I really never gave much thought to Newport News,” Lupp admits, “until about a year ago when I did a Sunday afternoon drive through the area and realized the value this city has to offer.” He cites the miles of waterfront and the proximity to airports and Amtrak among the reasons to consider this southeastern Virginia city.

A site visit was all it took for the Church of God Militant Pillar and Ground of the Truth, one of Lupp’s groups, to decide to convene at the 256-room Newport News Marriott at City Center in 2012. The hotel’s 25,000 square feet of meeting space, the most in the city, is part of City Center at Oyster Point, a 52-acre mixed-use urban village. With more than 40 shops and restaurants, it offers everything in one compact, walkable location. Three full-service properties with an additional 454 rooms are located within a five-minute drive of City Center, including the Omni Newport News Hotel, which recently underwent a nearly $1 million makeover. The 181-room hotel features 10,000 square feet of function space.

Many of the city’s major attractions are within a 10-minute drive of City Center including the Virginia Living Museum and the Mariners’ Museum with its full-scale replica of the USS Monitor. The museum is available for receptions and meetings. The Ferguson Center for the Arts located on the nearby Christopher Newport University campus, also rents space to meeting planners interested in combining a musical performance or other social event with an on-site reception.
With the Civil War’s Sesquicentennial next year, the city’s rich military history will make it a popular choice for meeting planners. In addition to the USS Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum, groups can tour historic homes in the area, including one that briefly served as a Confederate hospital.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., needs no introduction for meeting planners. This vibrant city has more than 100 hotel properties, a range of meeting venues, including one of the country’s 10 largest convention centers, and a number of world-class museums and other attractions to explore when it’s time to relax.

“Faith-based planners should consider Washington, D.C., because of the premier facilities it offers for meetings from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to the Verizon Center,” says Ronnie Burt, Destination DC’s vice president of sales and services. “D.C. offers a diverse portfolio of hotel brands and products and an array of choices for family entertainment from visiting the museums, monuments or local attractions like the National Zoo.”

The 2.3 million-sq.-ft. Walter E. Washington Convention Center covers six city blocks, making it the largest building in the capital and a top choice for large conventions. Planners also might consider the 1,071-room Washington Hilton, which completed a $150 million renovation less than a year ago. Its 110,000 square feet of meeting space includes 42 meeting rooms as well as the largest ballroom within any hotel in the city.

Special Places: Click here for information about the Marine Corps Museum.

What sets D.C. apart from many other cities is the sheer number of unique off-site venues for meetings and social functions including the Library of Congress and the National Building Museum. The city also scores points with convention-goers for its walkability and excellent public transportation including an impressive metro system with a dedicated stop at the convention center and other convenient locations. Two of the five routes of the DC Circulator, a red bus for visitors, travel past the convention center at a cost of only $1 per ride.

Several attractions are less than a 15-minute walk from the convention center including the White House, International Spy Museum, the Newseum and the National Gallery of Art. Meeting attendees can stay a few extra days to visit Capitol Hill and other iconic landmarks including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the Smithsonian Institution, which includes the National Zoological Park and 19 museums, most of them free.

Wilmington, Delaware

When the New York-Washington Region Christian Methodist Episcopal Church chose Wilmington for its 2009 annual conference, one requirement was a facility with concert-like sound production for choirs as well as technical sound support and the capability to produce a quality live recording.

That’s where Azeez Weeks, site supervisor for the New Destiny Fellowship Church in Wilmington, stepped in to work with the Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“We were able to meet those technical requirements, but we’re also only one of three places in the city able to accommodate more than 1,000 people,” he says, referring to the church. “Our 23,000-sq.-ft. facility can hold up to 1,700 to 1,800 people.”

More than 1,000 people attended the conference, although, Weeks says, “our ability to stream live on the Web filled hundreds of seats in cyberspace.” The convention also utilized the Doubletree Hotel Downtown Wilmington, which has 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including a grand ballroom that seats 1,080.

Special Places: Click here to learn about Geppi's Museum in Baltimore, Md.

The Chase Center on the Riverfront, Wilmington’s largest convention venue, has 87,000 square feet of space including 33,000 square feet of dedicated exhibit space. Smaller groups may prefer the more intimate setting of the historic Hotel du Pont, the Delaware Art Museum, or Winterthur Garden and Library with its impressive collection of decorative arts. The DuPont Environmental Education Center at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge on the Wilmington Riverfront accommodates up to 80 people.

Wilmington is the gateway to the scenic Brandywine Valley and easy to reach via all modes of transportation including air service from the Philadelphia International Airport only 30 miles away. Equally appealing is that the city has no sales tax on food, beverage, entertainment, shopping or meeting rooms, and a lower lodging tax than surrounding areas, which helps stretch planning budgets.

Planners interested in local history might consider including a tour of the New Sweden Centre, the replica sailing ship Kalmar Nyckel and the Old Swedes Church, all of which help tell the story of the first Swedish settlement there in 1638. The church, built in 1698, is the oldest religious institution still used for its original purpose in the country.

Another option is to book a meeting in August when the August Quarterly is held. The country’s oldest continuously celebrated African American Festival commemorates the origins of the nation’s first black-led church through gospel, preaching and stage performances.

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Tips

Travel Green: A fleet of hybrid electric Charm City Circulator buses provide free, eco-friendly public transportation for sightseeing or getting around Baltimore. Passengers can sign up for mobile alerts for instant notification of service updates or check out the online Next Bus feature to obtain GPS-based arrival times for the next few buses.

Free in D.C.: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., hosts free performances at 6 p.m. daily on its Millennium Stage. Symphony orchestras, military bands, dance troupes, poets, singers and others entertain visitors. Although tickets are not required, popular performers fill seats fast, so arrive early to avoid disappointment.

See George’s Estate: Beginning April 2, Mount Vernon, the plantation home and estate of President George Washington, begins a new walking tour. Mount Vernon in the Civil War tour marks the sesquicentennial of the start of the war and is offered on Saturdays and Sundays. The estate also reopens George Washington’s Upper Garden on May 20 with a new design that reflects what it likely looked like in 1799 when Washington lived there. Special tours for groups of 20 or more are available. mountvernon.org