DESTINATION ANN ARBOR
Rackham Auditorium
PLANNING ON ANN ARBOR
College vibes and natural attractions combine for a hybrid meeting locale.
For nearly 200 years, Ann Arbor has offered rest and refreshment to curious and adventurebound travelers. Looking back to its founding in 1824, this verdant land offered its towering burr oaks as respite for Virginian John Allen and New Yorker Elisha Walker Rumsey, who had lofty goals of establishing flour and grist mills along the Huron River. The town was named in honor of their wives, Ann and Mary Ann, and an arbor of grapevines that the settlers built. Mary Ann’s good cooking and pleasant personality helped Ann Arbor gain renown. That reputation for warm hospitality, great food and being a natural oasis remains today, continually turning the heads of meeting and event planners across the nation. “A great place to have a meeting is the same as a great place to go on vacation,” says Margaret Wyzlic, director of communications
and public relations for Destination Ann Arbor. “Ann Arbor is a wonderful place to visit, even if you aren’t going to a meeting.” In 2018, Washtenaw County—Ann Arbor is the county seat—welcomed 3.9 million visitors, generating $832 million in visitor spending. “Ann Arbor is this unique hybrid of college scene, tech start-up and outdoor recreation haven,” says Wyzlic. A quintessential college town thanks to the University of Michigan’s ubiquitous presence, the atmosphere is eternally youthful and fresh, with an eager sense of wonder and curiosity. It’s as if the call of hope and promise that drew the first settlers still calls to today’s pioneers. The University of Michigan was the first public university in the Northwest Territories. It enrolled five students its first year, with just one residence/classroom building. Today,
it’s one of the most distinguished universities in the world, with a sprawling campus. “There are several venues on campus available to groups,” says Nancy Harper, national sales account executive for Destination Ann Arbor. “They range from small meeting rooms for 10 people to an arena with capacity to hold 12,707.” Some of the most popular spaces include Rackham Auditorium, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Hill Auditorium and the Michigan Athletics facilities. Apart from these highly regarded event spaces, the campus is also a draw for many event planners looking to infuse some fun and excitement into their meeting or conference. “Central campus has a vibrant vibe and a life of its own, yet just a few blocks away people
P H OTO S : AU S T I N T H O M A S O N
B Y K E L L Y S K A R R I T T- W I L L I A M S
22 MIM+E | SPRING 2020
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