Small Market Meetings February 2017

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Creative Fundraising Ideas Grand Rapids, Michigan Southern Meeting Guide F E B R U A R Y

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Meet the new us.

CONVENTION CENTER WINSTON - SALEM

N O RTH CAR O LINA

'-2='2; @3<8 '?6'$;!329W '-2='2; @3<8 1''2+W !@ âáàçW Contact Christian@VisitWinstonSalem.com or visit us online at ReinventYourMeeting.com.

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Courtesy Experience Grand Rapids

Volume 18

Issue 2

Febuary 2017

Creative Fundraising Ideas

16

16 19 26 30

Go beyond the silent auction with these modern fundraising techniques.

Adult Sports Destinations Consider these cities when planning tournaments for adult sports groups.

....

Get to Know Grand Rapids This western Michigan city is on the rise and hungry for group business.

...

Courtesy Visit Muskegon

The Gem of New England

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Newport, Rhode Island, brings a quaint, coastal feel to meetings.

...

The Lodge at Deadwood This resort property showcases the best of the Black Hills.

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Southern Meeting Guide Discover historic sites, waterfront venues and suburban destinations that are great for small meetings.

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Courtesy Visit Spokane

On the cover: Gorgeous homes overlooking the Atlantic Coast are a hallmark of Newport, Rhode Island. Photo by Denis Tangney, Jr.

SMALL MARKET MEETINGS is published monthly by Pioneer Publishing, Inc., 301 E. High St., Lexington, KY 40507, and is distributed free of charge to qualified meeting planners who plan meetings in small and medium size towns and cities. All other meeting industry suppliers, including hotels, conference centers, convention centers, destinations, transportation companies, restaurants and other meeting industry-related companies may subscribe by sending a check for $39 for one year to: Small Market Meetings, Circulation Department, 301 East High St., Lexington, KY 40507. Phone (866) 356-5128 (toll-free) or (859) 225-1452. Fax: (859) 253-0499. Copyright SMALL MARKET MEETINGS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of editorial or graphic content in any manner without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited.

For Sales Call

Kelly Tyner

MAC T. LACY PUBLISHER/PARTNER maclacy@grouptravelleader.com

BRIAN JEWELL EDITOR brianj@grouptravelleader.com

HERBERT SPARROW EXECUTIVE EDITOR/PARTNER hsparrow@grouptravelleader.com

DAVID BROWN ART DIRECTOR production@smallmarketmeetings.com

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

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866-356-5128 kelly@grouptravelleader.com

STACEY BOWMAN SAVANNAH OSBOURN ACCOUNT MANAGER STAFF WRITER sales@smallmarketmeetings.com CHRISTINE CLOUGH COPY EDITOR KELLY TYNER ACCOUNT MANAGER RENA BAER sales@smallmarketmeetings.com PROOFREADER

Hotel Venezia Ideal location for your next small meeting. Over 6000 square feet of flexible meeting space. Resort Style setting, no resort fees. Full service restaurant and lounge.

GIVE THEM A

PRESENTATION

941-308-7700 HotelVeneziaFL.com

TO REMEMBER.

Westin Sarasota The Westin Sarasota, opening in May 2017 is Sarasota’s newest jewel overlooking the Bay. With 26,000 square feet of beautiful and flexible meeting space, this is the perfect spot for your meeting or event.

941-706-1607 WestinSarasota.com

The Resort at Longboat Key Club Extraordinary meetings require an exceptional location.223 luxury suites, 45 holes of golf, tennis, 8 onsite restaurants & lounges, spa, fitness center, marina, 12,000 sq. ft of flexible meeting space.

941-387-1605 LongboatKeyClub.com

Zota Beach Resort Located on a breathtaking stretch of white sand beach in exclusive Longboat Key, you’ll find the luxurious, new Zota Beach Resort opening in Spring 2017.

Introductory meeting specials available.

941-387-1605 ZotaBeachResort.com

Sarasota Trolley Sarasota’s only vintage-inspired, true open-air chartered trolley service for meeting groups, parties, sports events, holiday lights tours, weddings and receptions and more.

941-346-3115 SarasotaTrolley.com

Florida’s Gulf Coast | Sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico. Brilliant white-sand beaches. Evenings of theater, concerts and nights on the town. The only thing

Orlando Tampa

better—the inspiration they’ll have for tomorrow’s meeting. Contact us to find Miami

out about exclusive meeting incentives.

L O N G B O AT K E Y | S T. A R M A N D S | L I D O K E Y | S I E S TA K E Y | C A S E Y K E Y | V E N I C E | M A N A S O TA K E Y | E N G L E W O O D | N O R T H P O R T

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Residence Inn Breckenridge Opens ing mountains, Residence Inn Breckenridge has an expansive feel yet enjoys a premier downtown location. Guests can explore a host of charming restaurants and eclectic boutiques on nearby historic Main Street and will find the community’s rich minCourtesy Residence Inn Breckenridge ing history and warm, vibrant culThe new Residence Inn Breckenridge includes meeting space for up to 150 people. ture on display. A two-minute walk from Residence Inn BRECKENRIDGE, Colorado — Breckenridge, Breckenridge brings outdoor enthusiasts to the Colorado’s magnificent setting is the backdrop slopes of famed Breckenridge Ski Resort, for Residence Inn Breckenridge, which opened where Peak 9 offers chairlifts and terrain that in late 2016. Designed for both business and appeal to both beginners and experts. The leisure, the new 129-room all-suites hotel transition to the slopes is eased by the hotel’s includes a 1,500-plus-square-foot ballroom complimentary on-site ski storage. that can accommodate gatherings of up to 150.

Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, and With peak-to-peak views of the surround-

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Industry News

a hot American breakfast is offered daily, both gratis for guests. Thanks to strategic partnerships, Residence Inn Breckenridge can assist guests in reserving ski rental equipment and airport transfers, and can organize a grocery shopping service on request.

The hotel’s wintertime debut capitalizes on the 300 days of sunshine and more than 300 inches of powder snow that typically blanket Breckenridge each year. Skiing and snowboarding are well-known winter attractions, yet travelers will find plenty of other pursuits, from kite skiing to tubing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and dogsledding.

Warmer weather makes Breckenridge equally appealing. As the snow melts, the mountain makes way for hiking, biking, ziplining and more. The Breck Summer Fun Park is a favorite for all ages, particularly the Alpine Slide. The Breckenridge Golf Club boasts a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed municipal course, and nearby Lake Dillon makes for great paddleboarding and kayaking.

Breckenridge’s own National Repertory Orchestra plays throughout the summer and is an extraordinary display of young talent.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Chattanooga’s Meetings Menu Grows CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — Several new hotel properties and other venues are adding to the menu of meeting possibilities in Chattanooga.

After a complete renovation, the Westin will open this summer in one of Chattanooga’s landmarks in the heart of downtown: the Gold Building. The new 10-story hotel will have 261 guest rooms, including 40 large suites; a sky bar with a terrace; and 6,800 square feet of convention and meeting space, with an additional 2,000 square feet outside.

The hotel is part of an $88 million project that will feature the high-end restaurant Shula’s Steak House, streetscaping, cobblestone streets for pedestrians, and festival and event space.

Another new property, opening this spring, the Edwin Hotel, will be an upscale, fivestory boutique hotel and restaurant downtown. The hotel name celebrates Edwin Thacher who, in 1891, led the development of the Walnut Street Bridge from downtown to today’s North Shore. The hotel will have 90 rooms, approximately 1,400 square feet of

SMALL MARKET MEETINGS DESERVE

BIG INCENTIVES

meeting space that can be divided into two rooms, upscale decor, local art, a rooftop bar, a restaurant and a two-level parking garage.

A midsize city, Chattanooga offers 2,200 downtown hotel rooms and a total of 9,000 in the greater metro area, and the compact downtown is filled Courtesy Chattanooga CVB with restaurants The coming Gold Building hotel in Chattanooga will feature more than 6,800 square feet of meeting space. and attractions.

The Chattanooga Convention Center is one of its new conservation institute this fall, makthe nation’s top 10 green convention centers. ing it the leading center in the world for The city is also popular with many faithfreshwater research and education. The city based organizations, and scientists, particualso offers free Wi-Fi speeds of up to 10 gigalarly those focused on freshwater conservabits per second citywide, the fastest internet tion, often meet at the world-renowned in the Western Hemisphere.

Tennessee Aquarium. The aquarium opened www.chattanoogafun.com

Located on the edge of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with direct access to Chicago Northwest. We have all the benefits of a big city in a relaxed, hassle-free setting.

It’s affordable sophistication that’s easily accessible to the world.

Contact Tina Gruman for all the big details.

847.278.3447 tgruman@chicagonorthwest.com ChicagoNorthwest.com/3000incentive

September 26-28, b 26 28 2017

Meetings Leaders: Louisville’s Cleo Battle

By Dan Dickson

W

hen it comes to the professional career of Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau executive vice president Cleo Battle, the track world’s loss has become the hospitaliCleo Battle ty industry’s gain.

Battle had no knowledge or interest whatsoever in the hospitality industry when he was a track athlete at the University of Colorado in Boulder in the early 1980s. When he was unexpectedly injured, and it was strongly suggested that he retire from the sport he loved, the young man was suddenly in need of direction.

“At the time, I was a little more focused on athletics than I was on my education,” said Battle. “But once I got hurt, it was time to get a little more focused on the future.”

Battle decided to transfer to Metropolitan State College in Denver, nearer to his home.

He huddled with a counselor who ran through a list of potential careers to see what he might be interested in. Nothing seemed to click. Then the counselor brought up hotel and motel management. “She said that it was a new curriculum, and she would put me in there until I figured out what I wanted to do,” said Battle. “The rest is history, so to speak.”

Battle took the required hospitality classes and thought he was progressing nicely until he realized that he needed 1,300 hours of work in hotels to graduate. Battle had imagined he’d get his degree first and then figure out the hotel part later. “No, it doesn’t work that way, and for me, I’m glad it didn’t work that way,” he said. He took a hotel job and began to learn on his own and from many others, and found that “I was a natural at this.”

Hurdles proved to be quite symbolic for the CVB executive. “I have the hurdles to thank for earning me a track scholarship to

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Conference Report

Photos courtesy Louisville CVB

Cleo Battle welcomes a group of robotics experts to a meeting in Louisville.

get me to college because my parents probably couldn’t afford it at the time, and I also have the hurdles to thank for getting me injured and leading me to the industry in which I work today,” said Battle.

Battle has devoted 30 years to the hospitality industry. Along the way, he has held various positions at properties within the Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn and Sheraton chains. He also earned an MBA degree from Averett College in Danville, Virginia. He is a Certified Destination Management Executive and a Certified Association Sales Executive.

His almost-accidental entry into the hospitality field led Battle to spend the early part of his career in various hotel management training programs learning the operations side of the business. One job was as a hotel assistant general manager in California, but he felt compelled to leave because “the woman I wanted to marry was way back in upstate New York,” he said with a smile.

Battle went to Syracuse to pursue her, and

the switch in cities also proved to be a good career move. He landed a hotel job as director of sales. Before that he had only been in hotel operations. Since he now had operations experience and was gaining knowledge in the sales arena, Battle drew the interest of the Richmond (Virginia) Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. He worked his way up at the CVB, spending 12 years in the front lines while rising to vice president of sales and services. Then Louisville called in 2013.

At the Louisville CVB, Battle concentrates on expanding industry relationships around the country while developing overall strategy for his organization’s departments. “Our job at the CVB is to bring visitors to Louisville. Those visitors all have different titles. Some are leisure visitors, some are corporate visitors, convention visitors or tour group visitors,” he said.

Battle was born in Omaha, Nebraska, but raised in the Denver area. Even though he has worked in the hospitality industry all over the country, Colorado still holds a spe-

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cial place in his heart. He enjoys sports in general but said all of his favorite professional teams operate in Colorado, meaning the Denver Broncos (NFL), the Denver Nuggets (NBA), the Colorado Rockies (MLB) and the Colorado Avalanche (NHL).

Being a Louisville resident, Battle also follows the University of Louisville Cardinals.

Another hobby is working out: “I am really a gym rat, a runner at heart, but very soon to become a cyclist because my knees won’t take much more of the running,” he said.

Executive Profile NAME Cleo Battle

TITLE Executive Vice President

ORGANIZATION Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau

LOCATION Louisville, Kentucky

BORN Omaha, Nebraska, but raised primarily in Colorado

EDUCATION B.A., Metropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado; M.B.A., Averett College, Danville, Virginia

CAREER HISTORY Spent 30 years in the hospitality industry. Began in hotel operations and later shifted to hotel sales at various lodgings in the Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn and Sheraton chains, which prepared him to become a hotel general manager. Later named vice president of sales and services at the Richmond, Virginia, CVB for 12 years before coming to the Louisville CVB.

FAMILY Married with two sons, ages 27 and 29

HOBBIES Self-described gym rat and sports fan who loves to root for Colorado’s pro teams in football, basketball, baseball and hockey

Meeting Tips from Cleo Battle 1. Learn the best practices and proven methods in advance from whatever CVB destination consultant you work with.

2. Let a destination consultant suggest logistics, venues, hotel packages or transportation options.

3. Smartly promote the meeting for potential attendees, and then provide “one-of-a-kind” authentic meeting experiences to satisfy them.

February 2017

9

Three ways to add fashion, fun and good health to your menus

By Vickie Mitchell

nyone who thinks meeting menus aren’t influenced by food trends hasn’t eaten a cupcake or a kale salad at a conference luncheon. Granted, like ponchos and gauchos, many food fads die before they ever go mainstream; but others, like sliders, find a permanent place on our plates because they are popular and easy to pull off.

Looking at what’s hot on America’s plates is just one aspect of menu planning. Most meeting professionals look at food trends with a skeptic’s eye, keeping the average attendee’s taste buds in mind.

They find simple ways to infuse a little fashion and excitement into their menus without overspending or offending those they are feeding.

Here are three ways you could make your attendees happier and healthier, save money and make your menus more fashionable.

A

• Heap more veggies, fruit and grains on the plate.

Eating your vegetables has never been more popular, especially since most chefs have dispensed with steamed broccoli and found tasty and healthy ways to serve vegetables, fruits and grains. Roasted root vegetables — especially in unexpected colors like purple — are usually hits. Fruits are showing up more, not just as fruit salads, but also in cocktails and desserts.

A whole lineup of little-known grains — including sorghum and teff — are appearing on plates and in bowls. Ask your catering manager to decrease protein — say to a 4- to 6-ounce serving of chicken, which is the daily amount of protein recommended for an adult by the USDA — and increase servings of vegetables, fruits and grains.

A diet heavy in plant-based foods reduces one’s chances of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and other chronic ailments. If you need some guidance about portions, check out the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate (choosemyplate.gov), which was developed to guide Americans toward healthier eating.

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MeetingPoint

• Extract the sweet tooth.

Books like Gary Taubes’ “The Case Against Sugar” have started a national discussion about the dangers of Americans’ addiction to sweeteners. His book makes a case for sugar’s role in widespread problems such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Chances are good that many of your attendees are afflicted with these health problems. A study in 2011-12 showed that half of adults in the United States had diabetes or prediabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of adults over 20 are overweight or obese. It might be time to do them and their health a favor by making changes in menus.

Instead of pastries and doughnuts for breakfasts, serve fresh fruit, unflavored yogurts, oatmeal and eggs. Steer clear of sodas, and offer coffee, tea and water that’s been snazzed up with slices of cucumber or citrus. Opt for desserts that employ fewer sweeteners and more naturally healthy ingredients like fresh fruit, dark chocolate or nuts.

Diabetic Magazine’s website —www.diabeticlivingonline. com — is a good source for ideas and inspiration.

• Take it to the street.

Add some international flair and fun to a reception, icebreaker or afternoon break by serving street foods. Every country has theirs, and most have qualities that make them perfect for standup sorts of affairs. Eaten on the run, street foods are “handy” foods. And, because they are sold on the street to average folk, they don’t involve expensive ingredients or complicated preparation.

Here are a few idea starters, and it’s likely a fun catering manager will have more: rice balls from Rome, pork satay from Bangkok, tacos from Mexico City, crepes from Paris, hot dogs and sausages from Chicago, souvlaki from Athens and scotch eggs from London.

Vickie Mitchell is the former editor of Small Market Meetings. If you have ideas for future columns, contact her at vickie@smallmarketmeetings.com.

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W H AT M A K E S U S U N I Q U E M A K E S YO U B E T T E R With a variety of managed Convention Centers, Spectra works with event planners to turn events into experiences with proven methods, innovative concepts, responsive customer service, and passionate industry professionals.

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Saint Charles, MO Total Meeting Space: 80,000 sq ft Exhibit Hall: 35,700 sq ft Grand Ballroom: 16,200 sq ft Meeting Rooms: 21 Hotel Rooms: 296 attached; 1,500 hotel rooms within five miles of the SCCC. Parking: 1,200 Complimentary Located 10min west of Lambert St. Louis International Airport. Easily accessible from all major highways.

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Des Moines, IA

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Innovative Fundraising

Boost charitable efforts at your next meeting with these creative ideas Courtesy Episcopal Retirement Services

By Savannah Osbourn hen it comes to organizing a creative fundraising event, there is no need for planners to reinvent the wheel. Often, all it takes is a compelling theme to expand your reach and make your event stand out from the typical raffle or silent auction.

For your next fundraising effort, borrow some of these ideas from various organizations and tweak them to work in the context of your conference or meeting.

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Peer-to-Peer One of the most common types of fundraising is peer-to-peer, where participants work independently to raise money for a cause. To raise money for low-income senior housing, Episcopal Retirement Services decided to combine an unusual theme with its mission: rappelling. The nonprofit partnered with a company called Over the Edge, which works with nonprofits all over the world to organize unique events, and set up a campaign titled Over the Edge for Elders.

As a peer-to-peer effort, community members received a link to set up their own fundraising page, and those who raised a minimum of $1,000 could rappel off a 10-story building in the historic Over-the-

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Managing Meetings

Top fundraisers in an Episcopal Retirement Services campaign rappel off a building in Cincinnati.

Rhine neighborhood. Over the Edge sent a nationally accredited rappelling team to inspect and rig the building as well as supervise the two-day event.

“We thought it was a great way to draw attention to the area, which we helped renovate, in addition to the cause,” said Maureen Gregory, donor relations manager at Episcopal Retirement Services.

The star of the show was 94-year-old Astar Daniels, who rappelled off the building with around 75 other “Edgers.”

Meeting planners can capitalize on this idea by scheduling the reward event to take place during the organization’s main gathering, giving the leading fundraisers visibility in front of their peers and potential clients.

Donate to Win Another fun way to get the community involved is through a donate-to-win campaign, often called a raffle, and there are many tempting prizes to offer beyond the typical iPad or gift certificate. In 2014, an organization called the Satellite Sentinel Project, which works to protect citizens in Sudan from potential threats, raffled off a date

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Courtesy Visit Muskegon

Meeting planners can use paddleboarding events in Muskegon County, Michigan, to raise money for their charities. with George Clooney for just $10 per entry. The winner was flown to New York City with a friend, hung out with Clooney backstage at the “Late Show with David Letterman” and later attended a movie premiere with the star.

There was an enormous response, with a reported $1.2 million ultimately raised. Of course, most planners cannot provide a celebrity date, but there are many other feasible options, such as customized artwork, local spa packages or signed memorabilia. Incorporating these giveaways into your conference or event will encourage attendees to participate in fundraising while they are together on-site, and you can use stage time during official event functions to encourage people to participate or to recognize winners.

24-Hour Donation Campaign A 24-hour donation campaign is one of the simplest ways to raise money, especially with an engaging theme or message at its heart. In 2016, a nonprofit based in Tennessee called Blood:Water hosted a 24-hour online campaign called The Real Game of Thrones that focused on gathering enough funds to build 21 latrines in Rwanda.

February 2017

The organization works to fight the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa, and an extension of that is promoting sanitation and hygiene.

With the sweeping popularity of the “Game of Thrones” HBO show, the theme made the campaign more relevant to online viewers and opened discourse on a subject that people would normally avoid, as toilets.

“The campaign was a great way to use current pop culture to shed light on the importance of healthy habits, sanitation and hygiene in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Audrey Millicevic, relations specialist at the organization. With just 184 donations, the campaign raised nearly $15,000, and donors received updates on the progress of the latrines throughout construction.

At conferences and events that have large groups, a 24-hour push is a great way to motivate attendees to make a difference in a fundraising cause while they are all together. And the momentum built by participants watching a tally grow in real time at a group event can bring greater success than standard fundraising campaigns.

17

videos spread like wildfire across the internet, with celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey taking part.

So, what made it such a success? For one thing, humor is always a great incentive. Everyone loves a chance to do something amusing for a cause. The challenge also gave people a fun and easy way to make a difference.

Meeting planners can incorporate similar concepts into their events in a variety of ways. Encourage participants to create fundraising videos ahead of the conference, then play some of the best during the event. Or use the conference as an opportunity to launch a viral video campaign, showing the organization’s leaders taking part in a fun video to inspire other attendees to do the same.

Donate to Play Courtesy Blood:Water

Blood:Water hosted a 24-hour campaign, “The Real Game of Thrones,” to raise money for sanitation projects in Africa.

Viral Video Challenge Who can forget the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral in 2014?

The campaign demonstrated that fundraising does not have to be complicated or expensive to be a success, raising a reported $150 million for the ALS Association, which fights to cure a neurodegenerative illness commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The campaign was simple: Pour a bucket of ice over your head and challenge a friend or family member to do the same within 24 hours or donate $100 to charity, though many people chose to do both. The

One of the most consistently popular types of fundraisers is a sporting event, which can involve anything from a 5K run to a community basketball tournament. In Muskegon County, Michigan, the city took advantage of the region’s beautiful lakes to host a Stand Up for the Cure paddleboarding event. The registration fee helped support breast cancer programs and research led by the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

“We had women and men from all over west Michigan come to participate,” said Bob Lukens, community development director at Visit Muskegon. “Virtually everyone knows someone affected by breast cancer, so it’s an issue people care deeply about.”

During the event, people could enjoy paddleboarding lessons and races, as well as food and music. The local hospital stepped in to provide free cancer screenings. In addition to raising awareness, the fundraiser enabled people to try something new with their friends and families.

Photo credit: Bruno Vega

With more than 2.5 million travelers visiting Peru’s 11 World Heritage Sites each year, it comes as no surprise that the country’s $168 million annual tourism revenue is on the rise.

That’s why in 2011, Tourism Cares selected Peru for a sustainable tourism initiative that engaged peers from both the North American and Peruvian tourism industries to make an impact through volunteering and distributing $80,000 in grant funding.

THIS LLAMA IS VALUED AT $168 MILLION.

Join a growing roster of industry-leading companies committed to preserving the places we love and depend on.

Visit TourismCares.org to see how your company can help make global sustainable tourism a reality.

Adults at Play

These destinations make great sites for adult sporting events Courtesy Louisville CVB

By Savannah Osbourn

The USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championship took place in Louisville in 2016 and will return this year.

very year, thousands of adult sports groups travel for volleyball tournaments, pristine golf courses, marathons and more, making up one of the largest markets in the travel industry.

Choosing the right destination for an adult sporting event means finding a place with professional sports amenities, great hotels and relaxing evening attractions, so to help planners narrow their choices, here are five sports-centric cities with a reputation for excellence.

some of the best resources and facilities available.

One of the most notable new sports venues in the city is the stateof-the-art BMX track that opened in E.P. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tomâ&#x20AC;? Sawyer State Park last fall. Starting this year, the city will commence two annual BMX events: the Bluegrass Nationals and the Derby City Nationals.

Cycling is another major draw for active groups. The USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championship will take place in Louisville in 2017 for the second year running. In late fall, the Eva Bandman Park sets the stage for the Derby City Cup cyclocross event, which involves a combination of on-road and off-road bicycling, and draws serious competitors from around the world. The park is one of two venues in the country built specifically for cyclocross.

E

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is well known for its rich sports heritage, from the boxing legacy of Muhammad Ali to the iconic horse-racing track at Churchill Downs. As a result, the city prides itself on providing sports groups

February 2017

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Courtesy Maine Sports Commission

Maine’s Casco Bay attracts a lot of swimming competitions.

Though the Kentucky International Convention Center will be undergoing extensive renovations until 2018, the Kentucky Exposition Center can accommodate indoor sports events with 1.3 million square feet of space and a convenient location across from the airport. For the 10th time this spring, the facility will host the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.

In addition to its sports amenities, Louisville has a vibrant, local culture, featuring attractions like the Bourbon Trail, Churchill Downs, the Muhammad Ali Center, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, and the Louisville Mega Cavern.

“We have a ton of off-site venues for meeting planners to host after-hours events,” said Katie Kubitskey, marketing communications manager at the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau. www.gotolouisville.com

Portland, Maine With miles of rugged terrain among mountains, lakes and coastline, it is no wonder that Maine has an unusually active population. Boasting more than 200 inches of annual snowfall, the Pine Tree State is a premier destination for winter sports like

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Meeting Ideas

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Maine Sports Commission

The area around Portland, Maine, is frequently used for road races, swimming events and triathlons.

Courtesy Sarasota Co. Sports Comm.

Beach volleyball tournament organizers love the soft white sands of Sarasota.

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Kansas City Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.

VisitKansasCityKS.com

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Meeting Ideas

skiing, snowboarding and biathlons, and during the warmer months, golf teams can choose from one of the state’s 140 golf courses.

One of the state’s newest sports is pickleball, a racket sport similar to tennis and ping-pong.

“We are one of the fastest-growing states for pickleball,” said Sheila Brennan Nee, strategic director at the Maine Sports Commission.

Though the game emerged during the 1960s, its popularity has spread rapidly over the past few years. Players can set up a game at the Racket and Fitness Center in Portland, which is also where the Atlantic Regional Pickleball Tournament takes place each summer.

The landscape sets the perfect stage for cycling and racing events, such as the Casco Bay Islands SwimRun. Originating in Europe, the swimrun competition now claims Portland as its first North American destination. The event requires an immense amount of endurance, as participants alternately swim and run among several outlying islands in the Casco Bay region near Portland.

For an unconventional farm-to-table dining experience, cyclists cannot miss the Farm to Fork Fondo, a noncompetitive cycling event in which

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

nearly 500 cyclists ride through Maine’s rich farmland, stopping to enjoy local farm treats at aid stations along the way.

Nearby in Cape Elizabeth, the Beach to Beacon 10K race is a staple event in Maine, with registration typically filling up within 20 minutes, and follows a beautiful shoreline route to a lighthouse. Afterward, the city celebrates with a food festival. www.visitportland.com

Sarasota County, Florida When searching for a sports venue, it’s hard to beat a location with gorgeous coastal scenery and yearlong temperate weather. In Sarasota County, Florida, the sports commission enhances that natural setting with top-quality service to professional and amateur teams alike.

“We have a track record of success when it comes to hosting sports teams,” said Sarah Huffman, sports sales manager at the Sarasota County Sports Commission.

With its proximity to the water, Sarasota’s niche sport is aquatics, particularly rowing. Nathan Benderson Park is the only venue in North America officially approved by FISA, the international rowing federation, and will host the 2017 World Rowing Championship in September.

Benderson Park features a 2,000-meter course with 10 racing lanes as well as an athletic training center and a 5K track circling the venue.

In addition to rowing, the park hosts events for canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, dragon boats, triathlons, and 5k and 10k runs.

Sarasota is also proud it will host the World Sailing Annual Conference in 2018, which has never been held in the United States.

“The area is ideal because of our wonderful year-round weather,” said Huffman. “January through June, you can get on the course or in the pool, and the sun is always shining.”

Horse lovers might pay a visit to Fox Lea Farm nearby in Venice, a nationally recognized horse show facility, and lacrosse and soccer groups can take advantage of the 130 acres of playing fields at the Sarasota Polo Club. In the spring, softball and baseball groups often flock to Ed Smith Stadium, which serves as the training ground for the Baltimore Orioles. www.visitsarasota.org

E D E P CAR ENCE

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Colorado Springs, Colorado As home to one of three official Olympic Training Centers in the United States, Colorado Springs immediately sets itself apart as an excellent destination for sports groups.

“We have over 60 sports organizations headquartered here,” said Cheryl McCullough, director of sports and special events at Visit Colorado Springs.

Because of this, the area has some of the finest sports amenities in the world. At the Olympic Training Center, groups are welcome to tour the training complex, visit the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame or coordinate a reception on the property. Planners can also hire one of the local coaches or sports experts as a guest speaker at their meetings.

Adult hockey leagues and figure skaters gravitate toward the Broadmoor World Arena Ice Hall, which frequently hosts training programs, performances and tournaments.

Of course, no visit to Colorado Springs is complete without witnessing the breathtaking view from Pikes Peak. Though it may be famous as one of the highest summits in the Rocky Mountains, car racing enthusiasts know it as the site of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as the Race to the Clouds. Later in the year, runners from across the country put their training to the

February 2017

The status quo doesnít get to be extraordinary. But you do.

Centrally located and insanely affordable, Nebraskaís capital has the venue selection, entertainment value, small-town hospitality, and big-city amenities that planners and attendees come home raving about.

Plan for more at

lincoln.org/meet.

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The mountains around Colorado Springs are prime territory for outdoor sports evnts.

test in the Pikes Peak Marathon, which is often called America’s Ultimate Challenge due to the rapid elevation of the course, with runners climbing 6,000 feet within the first 10 miles. www.visitcos.com

Spokane, Washington

Courtesy Visit Colorado Springs

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Meeting Ideas

The community of Spokane, Washington, holds a special passion for sports, and that energy feeds into every travel group’s experience. The area offers a range of venues, most notably the Spokane Convention Center, a 650,000-squarefoot, multipurpose facility that was recently upgraded to include a sky bridge that connects to the Davenport Hotel. It is in a thriving cultural hub along the Spokane River, with restaurants, shops and hotels all within walking distance.

“The best thing about Spokane is the walkable community,” said Kate Hudson, public relations manager at Visit Spokane.

In January, the convention center hosts the Spokane Sizzler Adult Volleyball Tournament.

Around 60 coed adult teams compete while enjoying music, contests and a courtside beer garden. Those looking for beach volleyball will find outdoor courts nearby in Spokane Valley.

Every year, in spring, the Nordic Ski Association closes out the season with the Spokane Nordic Challenge Loppet, a long-distance cross-country ski event that features 20-, 30- and 50-kilometer races. The event is a good opportunity for people of varying skill levels to come together and compete, or just enjoy the ride with a group of friends. Hot food and beverages are provided.

Another renowned competition in the city is the Lilac Bloomsday Run, which takes place annually on the first Sunday in May. An average of 50,000 runners, joggers and walkers show up each year, making it one of the largest timed road races in the country.

Later in summer, hundreds of groups gather in Spokane for the Hoop Fest, in which 7,000 teams contend in the world’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament. www.visitspokane.com

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Visit Spokane

About 50,000 athletes participate in the Lilac Bloomsday Run in Spokane each May.

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GREAT IDEAS IN GRAND RAPIDS as Th TThis h is a ascendant sce n da n t ich iga n c ity Michigan M cit ffeers rs a rrrra y ooff ooffers ann a array ee ttin in ggs m io n s mee s oopp ttions

By Dan Dickson

Groups can hold meetings in the Bissell Tree House at Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids.

“We can offer them everything they need for a conference, just like in any other large city, but what sets us apart is how clean, safe, walkable and friendly our city is.”

M

ost city planners try not to eliminate the key natural feaGrand Rapids is experiencing a bit of an identity crisis. tures of their areas. But nearly 200 years ago, business and “Our struggle with our city is that people don’t have a perception of commercial interests in Grand Rapids, Michigan. began us just yet,” said Steele, “so we are letting people know that we exist removing the namesake rapids from the Grand River, which flowed and what a great destination we are and why.” through the city’s downtown, to make the river easier to navigate. Now, city leaders are looking to undo that decision.

Convention Center Plans are in the works to restore the rapids to a DeVos Place convention center is a LEEDportion of the river to create new riverfront and certified facility built in 2004 right on the Grand recreational opportunities for Michigan’s secRiver in the heart of downtown. It features a ond-largest city. The investment is expected to 162,000-square-foot, column-free exhibit hall; a be $34 million.

40,000-square-foot ballroom; and 26 individual “The river was used for logging back in the days meeting rooms that total 32,000 square feet. For when we were known as Furniture City,” said bigger events, planners should note there are 12 Nichole Steele, national sales director for spacious loading docks available.

Experience Grand Rapids. “Then they took the The south side of the building features the rapids out. Now we are putting them back in so DeVos Performance Hall, which includes a we can utilize the river for such things as white2,400-seat theater that is home to the Grand water rafting [and] kayaking, and to make it an Rapids Symphony and Broadway Grand Rapids. attraction again. Our three main convention hotel Many smaller concerts and other types of shows properties downtown overlook the Grand River, are staged there. But meeting planners can also so everyone will get to enjoy the restoration.” utilize the space for a general-session kickoff or Grand Rapids is in western Michigan, 30 miles a keynote address. east of Lake Michigan, and boasts a growing DeVos Place population of about 195,000. For those flying in, Distinctive Venues the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, located There are several other unusual meeting venAll photos courtesy Grand Rapids p p y Experience p about 13 miles southeast of Grand Rapids, is ues in Grand Rapids. Downtown Market is one served by a number of airlines. Interstates 96, 196 of them. It is a combination produce market, and 296 and U.S. 131 make the city easy to reach bakery and butchery and features various resLOCATION by auto, and Amtrak offers rail service to taurants, a commercial kitchen and cooking Western Michigan, 30 miles east of Chicago and Detroit and to other Michigan cities. school, a rooftop greenhouse and a perforLake Michigan Experience Grand Rapids is putting out the mance hall. It has 24 retail shops and 25,000 welcome mat to planners who want a more square feet of market space and is open yearACCESS affordable meeting destination aside from the round. Visitors can enjoy freshly picked fruits Gerald R. Ford International Airport; Amtrak; much larger metropolitan areas in the region. and vegetables in season or sample artisan or interstates 96, 196 and 296 “We can offer them everything they need for ethnic dishes prepared on-site. There is banquet a conference, just like in any other large city, hall space that can be rented, too.

MAJOR MEETING SPACES but what sets us apart is how clean, safe, walkHow about meeting in a tree house? Believe DeVos Place Convention Center, Amway able and friendly our city is,” said Steele.

Grand Plaza, J.W. Marriott, Courtyard Grand it or not, you can do that at the Bissell Tree Meetings held in Grand Rapids attract a little House at the Ball Zoo, about two miles from Rapids, CityFlatsHotel, Downtown Market bit of every sector but fall mostly into the catedowntown Grand Rapids. Located at one of the HOTEL ROOMS gories of Michigan associations, statewide busicity’s highest points, the elegant space hovers in 1,100 combined at the three nesses and government, and corporate and the treetops and offers a sweeping view of the largest downtown hotels environmental groups. Grand Rapids also has downtown area below. There is a large ballroom what it calls the Medical Mile, which comprises and a catering kitchen. Seated meals for a group OFFSITE VENUES a wide variety of medical and health facilities. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Bissell can be arranged, or you can host a cocktail Staff members and visitors to those campuses party on the wrap-around deck.

Tree House, Grand Rapids Public Museum are always holding meetings around the city.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is another CONTACT INFO Spectrum Health is the largest employer in westspecial meeting site. It is the city’s oldest museExperience Grand Rapids ern Michigan, with 23,900 staff members, and um and the second largest in Michigan. It 800-678-9859 Grand Rapids has a good percentage of them. houses a planetarium and a diverse collection www.experiencegr.com Like many second-tier cities in America, of 250,000 artifacts and specimens. The property

Grand Rapids, Michigan

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The ballroom at CityFlatsHotel features unique finishes and oversized windows. also houses a 1928 carved wooden Spillman carousel, which sits in a pavilion over the Grand River. It can be rented for events.

“It has a little bit of everything and is the largest of our three museums,” said Steele. “It can best accommodate meetings because it has three different levels, and we can host more than 1,000 people there.”

Hotel Convenience There are several hotels in the downtown core that can host hundreds of guests each and provide meeting spaces as well. These hotel properties are owned and managed by only one company, which can make planning a downtown meeting and accommodations seamless.

The three hotels are the Amway Grand Plaza, part of the Hilton Collection, with 682 guest rooms and 47,000 square feet of meeting space; the J.W. Marriott Grand Rapids, with 337 guest rooms and 15,000 square feet of meeting space; and the Courtyard Grand Rapids Downtown by Marriott, which offers 214 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

“You have three choices, but you only have to work with one salesperson who represents all three,” said Steele. For example, if your large group needs multiple hotels, you don’t have to deal with a multitude of salespeople. “There are sales reps at each of the three properties, but

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Destination Showcase

each one of them can sell meeting space or guest rooms at any of the three properties. Now that is convenience.”

The three hotels have a combined 1,100 guest rooms. All three have climate-controlled skywalks that feed into the DeVos Place convention center and Van Andel Arena. The arena seats 12,000 and hosts sports events, bigger concerts and other large traveling shows.

There are also some out-of-the-ordinary hotels downtown. One of them is CityFlatsHotel, a boutique property that is extremely environmentally friendly. It is a LEED Gold-certified building and offers such luxuries as bamboo linens, cork flooring, locally crafted furniture and oversized windows. There are 48 guest rooms at CityFlatsHotel and comfortable meeting spaces, a nice ballroom, and an outstanding restaurant and lounge.

Homewood Suites by Hilton is an extended-stay, all-suites hotel located in a restored 1898 building, but it is very modern inside. The hotel has 110 guest rooms and has the only rooftop bar in Grand Rapids.

Destination Appeal There are 150 shops, restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques and coffee shops within walking distance of the downtown area. Steele said Grand Rapids is becoming known as Beer City.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Every event has a story ...

SPARTANNASH FOOD SHOW

Let’s write yours.

Guests enjoy an antique carousel at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

“We have six breweries that are within walking distance of the convention center,” she said. “We have about 50 all together in the area.

The group may want to visit a beer brewery and then have a food pairing, which has been very popular here.” There is also a lot of complimentary music offered outdoors in good weather during the spring, summer and fall.

For history fans, Grand Rapids is home to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, not to be confused with the Presidential Library, 130 miles away in Ann Arbor. The Ford Presidential Museum is the presidential museum and final resting place of the 38th president, who served from 1974 to 1977, and his wife, Betty.

Sports enthusiasts can get their fix when any of the following local professional teams play at home: the Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team; baseball’s West Michigan Whitecaps; and the Grand Rapids Drive basketball team, which plays in the NBA Development League.

A mere 30 minutes away from Grand Rapids is beautiful Lake Michigan, whose expansive shoreline has been rated one of the best in the country. Visitors to the region can spend the day at the shore, with its gorgeous sand dunes and then spend the evening enjoying the nightlife of Grand Rapids.

February 2017

Marcy McKinley Director of Sales

Babette Record Event Manager

Your experience here will set a new standard: • Divisible, carpeted, fully-equipped event spaces • On-site, full service masters in Event Management, AV, and Catering • Up to 4,500 theater; 3100 banquet; 2900 classroom • 500 attached guest rooms and covered parking • Free high performance WiFi and Room setup Create some buzz in downtown Fort Wayne, IN

Jeremy Bugge AV Technician

grandwayne.com 260.426.4100

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The Pride of Rhode Island

Above: Belle Mer offers seven acres of meeting space overlooking Narragansett Bay. Courtesy the Chanler at Cliff Walk

By Mark Rowh

N E W P O R T , RHODE ISL A ND LOCATION Coastal Rhode Island ACCESS TF Green Airport (Warwick); Logan Airport, Boston; Amtrak; Interstate 95 MAJOR MEETING SPACES Newport Marriott, Hotel Viking, Harbor Hotel and Marina Newport HOTEL ROOMS 900 OFF-SITE VENUES Belle Mer, the Chanler at Cliff Walk, Newport Storm Brewery, Newport Art Museum, Fort Adams, International Tennis Hall of Fame CONTACT INFO Discover Newport 800-326-6030 www.discovernewport.org

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Destination Showcase

Left: Historic properties in Newport, such as the Chanler at Cliff Walk, offer a variety fo small meeting spaces. or a great Northeastern meeting location, Newport, Rhode Island, stands out.

Along with appealing coastal scenery and waterfront attractions, Newport offers a distinctive combination of historic and contemporary architecture, not to mention diverse meeting venues.

The downtown area has more than 900 hotel rooms in several convention properties with 70,000 square feet of meeting space.

Newport offers an unusual combination of features, said Andrea McHugh, marketing communications manager of Discover Newport.

“It’s a historic seaport city that’s also forward thinking,” she said. “Visitors enjoy great hotel and meeting experiences, and many conference participants also add pre- and post- activities.”

Newport has been called the Charleston of the North. The city’s heritage goes back to Colonial times, and today it holds the reputation as the sailing capital of the world. Founded in 1639, it has maintained its small-town appeal over the years, with a current population of less than 25,000. As a vacation spot the city has attracted famous figures including Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. It’s also home to the U.S. Naval War College.

“It’s a very cool Norman Rockwell kind of place,” McHugh said. “The city has changed with the times while keeping its historic footprint.”

She added that Newport’s location, three hours north of New York and 90 minutes south of Boston, is a plus and that getting there can mean a convenient train ride or car ride.

Once there, visitors find it easy to get around town.

“A number of attractions are within easy walking distance,” McHugh said. “It’s a very walkable city,” Locals tout Newport as a year-round destination. Though summer is the most visited season, visitors also find the other seasons appealing. Popular activities include exploring the city’s historic mansions, taking a trolley ride or a walking tour through the downtown area, or checking out the multifaceted boating scene. Frequently visited attractions include the scenic Ocean Drive, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the nation’s largest coastal fortification, Fort Adams. Also attractive is the well-known Cliff Walk, a three-and-a-half-mile path along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean with views of the city’s most interesting architecture.

F

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Belle Mer

Hotel Options

Off-Site Venues

Hotels include the Newport Marriott, with 319 guest rooms and 16 meeting rooms totaling 24,500 square feet. The largest event facility, a grand ballroom, offers 7,686 square feet of space with a capacity of 1,100. The Hotel Viking has 10 meeting rooms and 14,400 square feet of event space. Two ballrooms cover 5,880 and 4,032 square feet, respectively, and a total of 208 guest rooms are available. Along with its 133 sleeping rooms, the Harbor Hotel and Marina Newport offers 6,500 square feet of meeting space. The seven meeting rooms include a ballroom and a smaller room with an adjacent deck.

Located on seven acres at the edge of Narragansett Bay, Belle Mer offers a glamorous outdoor experience as well as indoor event space.

The elegant Water Salon handles 1,000 guests for receptions or 520 with dinner seating, and two other facilities accommodate 40 to 250 for meetings. The historic Chanler at Cliff Walk, a former mansion, offers a selection of meeting venues for small or mid-sized groups. The ocean-view Cliff Walk Terrace accommodates 120, and the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant seats up to 200 guests. Along with tours and tastings, the Newport Storm Brewery hosts corporate team-building events for up to 80 people.

Local Fun

Historic Venues and More

Harbor tours offer a refreshing break or postconference experience.

Options include getting an up-close look at busy Newport Harbor aboard a yacht, a schooner, a sailboat, an authentic lobster boat or even a Prohibition-era hooch smuggler. Longer cruises and group charters are also available. Newport Vineyards, which comprises 60 acres, has a restaurant, a cafe, a marketplace and a tasting room. Guests may enjoy tours and live music. A tour of the grand Marble House offers a look at how the wealthy lived in the 19th century. Constructed from 500,000 cubic feet of marble, the mansion includes a Chinese teahouse built on the seaside cliffs.

February 2017

Fort Adams, with its long-standing role as a major fortress, will appeal to any history buff with its guided tours and exhibits.

Several indoor spaces are available for groups of 10 to 350 people, with outdoor space that handles up to 600. Visitors will enjoy the Newport Art Museum, which has an attractive collection and can be used for meetings. The museum grounds, its second-floor galleries and the historic Griswold House accommodate groups of from 10 to 350 guests. Along with informative displays, the International Tennis Hall of Fame hosts corporate functions from April through November in two open-air 1,000 square-foot interior spaces.

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Luxury in the Black Hills

By Kristy Alpert

B

efore the wild days of gun-slinging residents like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, Deadwood was simply a quiet refuge in the heart of the Lakota Sioux nation. The peaceful whisper of the trees swaying in the South Dakota breeze and the gentle babble of the creek were the only soundtrack along that majestic stretch of the Black Hills until 1874, when the discovery of gold forever changed the landscape. Deadwood was born seemingly overnight after that shining discovery, quickly becoming a hot spot for gamblers and gold seekers hoping to strike it rich.

Although the cowboys and outlaws are a distant memory of modern-day Deadwood, that pioneering Wild West spirit lives on in the heart of the Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort. The resort sits just north of where the first nugget of gold was found years before where, now, striking it rich in the Black Hills is as easy as checking into one of the resort’s 140 rooms and suites.

The Lodge at Deadwood is one of the newest and most

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Hospitality Showcase

Photos courtesy the Lodge at Deadwood

luxurious hotels in Deadwood, and features panoramic views of the Black Hills. Along with two award-winning restaurants, an indoor water park and a Las Vegas-style casino, the resort is home to the largest convention center in the region, with more than 16,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.

The modern and sophisticated design of the convention center’s main ballroom makes it a great spot for hosting a range of events, from casual business seminars to elegant wedding receptions, and the four smaller conference rooms and boardroom are a good fit for small meetings and breakout sessions. Previous guests rave about the scrumptious banquet menus offered by the on-site catering department, and every detail is handled by a professional meeting planner.

The Lodge at Deadwood puts a contemporary finish on the area’s wild and rugged past by offering a place where meeting and event guests can enjoy that same gold-rush excitement in a setting that is all at once comfortable and couture.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort Meeting Spaces The Lodge at Deadwood is set up to accommodate groups ranging in size from 10 to 1,700. The Pine Crest Ballroom is the largest space, with 14-foot ceilings and an open floorplan for hosting receptions and large meetings of up to 1,700 guests. The resort offers four smaller conference rooms: the Cody, for up to 50 guests; the Russell Bullock, for up to 50; the Roosevelt, for up to 50; and the Pine Crest Sections, for up to 360.

For smaller corporate meetings, the resort’s Boardroom offers space for up to 10 meeting guests seated in a conference-style arrangement.

Before and After The lodge is just minutes from the Days of ’76 Museum and the Adams Museum, and is near the Broken Boot Gold Mine and the Homestake Gold Mine. However, meeting guests don’t have to travel far for world-class entertainment, as the hotel is home to an indoor water playland, as well as an award-winning casino that features more than 280 slot machines, 11 table games and daily tournaments in the highly sought-after Rounders Poker Room. The resort also features a 24-hour fitness center and an on-site gift shop where guests can purchase memorable souvenirs, Deadwood memorabilia and homemade treats from the hills of South Dakota.

February 2017

Location Deadwood, South Dakota Size 140 rooms Meeting Space 16,000 square feet of flexible space Access Highway 85, eight miles from exit 17 on Interstate 90 Contact Info 888-605-0796 www.deadwoodlodge.com

Left: Guests can socialize after hours at the lodge’s wellstocked bar.

Right: The Pine Crest Ballroom can accommodate up to 1,700 guests.

Opposite page: Rustic architecture welcomes visitors to the Lodge at Deadwood in South Dakota.

Catering The resort’s on-site catering team has a range of menus from which event planners can choose but can also create custom menus and meals for groups upon request. Breakfast menu options include a range of continental breakfast buffets, signature breakfast buffets and plated breakfasts like steak and eggs. The team offers a variety of break and snack menus, and their lunches are served plated, buffet or brown-bag style. Dinner and hors d’oeuvres are served with beautiful presentation, whether it’s the Mediterranean antipasto display or the filet Oscar topped with lump crab and veloute sauce. Alcohol is available.

Extras All the meeting and event spaces at the Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort come with free wireless high-speed internet, and additional audiovisual equipment is available upon request. The Pine Crest Ballroom and all four conference rooms feature automated wall screens, and the smaller conference rooms and boardroom feature whiteboards for guests to use during their time there. The resort’s team of meeting planners is available to help plan any number of activities for groups before, during and after events, and the resort offers a complimentary shuttle for hotel guests to easily get around the expansive property.

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Meet Me at

By Kristy Alpert ith a grand dame reputation for Southern hospitality, Oak Alley Plantation makes memories as sweet as the sugarcane fields that once surrounded this stately destination. The story of Oak Valley Plantation starts in the early 1700s, long before the first brick was laid, when the first oak tree was planted in its Louisiana soil.

The oak trees were more than a century old by the time wealthy businessman Jacques Telesphore Roman built his celebrated mansion on the site. In 1839, the mansion was christened Bon Séjour, meaning “pleasant sojourn,” but the name didn’t last long, as steamboat travelers passing by the property nicknamed it “Oak Alley” due to the 28 giant live oak trees that lead up to the home. The nickname stuck, and the Greek Revival style mansion became known as Oak Alley Plantation.

Over the years, the plantation has been the site of extreme fortune and extreme loss. But despite its varied history, it has never lost its sense of decorum and grandeur, and today it stands as a gentle reminder of a bygone era. The 28 oak trees still line the 800-foot roadway in two stately rows leading up to the mansion, but instead of passing between any of the 28 stunning white columns to enter a private residence, today’s guests find a preserved portrait of what life would have been like on a working sugar plantation.

The plantation is open to the public for individual or group tours, and has become a famous backdrop over the years for bridal portraits, weddings, events and even music videos. It was here that Beyoncé

W

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Venue Showcase

Photos courtesy Oak Alley Plantation

Above: Oak Alley Plantation is a favorite Louisiana venue for weddings and other elegant events.

Left: Oak Alley’s in-house catering team provides food for events in the West Pavilion banquet facility.

filmed her music video “Déjà Vu” and NBC filmed segments for the daytime drama “Days of Our Lives”; major films like “Interview With a Vampire” and “Primary Colors” also feature scenes shot at the plantation.

But more than a backdrop for film and music, the plantation acts as a grand setting for hosting impressive events, from casual business meetings held in historic quarters to fairytale weddings set beneath canopies of ancient oaks.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Meeting Space

Oak Alley

Oak Alley Plantation is available for both daytime and nighttime events, with space for hosting up to 144 guests for a meeting or up to 125 for a wedding. The West Pavilion banquet facility is available for larger groups looking to meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with an additional hourly rate for early entry or later departures, and is generally reserved

for corporate meetings, retreats, casual lunches and wedding receptions. The avenue of 300-year-old live oak trees that lead from the river to the mansion is a great spot for a wedding, with room for up to 125 guests for an evening wedding beginning after 6:30 and up to 20 guests for a daytime wedding.

Catering The Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant provides exclusive catering for all events taking place at the West Pavilion Banquet Facility. The restaurant aims to please cultured palates with menus to fit a variety of events. Shower, luncheon and group menus are available for groups of 25 or more in the West Pavilion Banquet Facility; groups of 25 or fewer have the option to

reserve a table in the Oak Alley Restaurant. Dinner guests can experience any number of the plantationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature buffet menus, including the most popular, the Roman Package, which features items like mini muffulettas, crawfish etouffee, bread pudding and a lemon julep welcome drink upon arrival. Alcohol is available.

Things to Do

Oak Alley Plantation

Although the plantation does not offer room blocks for weddings or events, it does offer overnight accommodations through its regular booking service. The accommodations are located within walking distance to all the event spaces in luxury cottages scattered across parts of the old plantation. Before and after

events, groups can tour the grounds and the mansion, with discounted admissions to the historic grounds for groups of 20 or more. The gift shop is open during normal business hours, and the Plantation Cafe is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. serving coffee and, of course, the plantationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature mint julep.

LOCATION Vacherie, Louisiana

TYPE OF VENUE Off-site, plantation

CAPACITY 144

NEARBY ACCOMMODATIONS Oak Alley Plantation Cottages

CONTACT INFO 225-265-2151 www.oakalleyplantation.com

February 2017

Extras For events held in the West Pavilion Banquet Facility at the Oak Alley Plantation, audiovisual equipment is available for an additional price. The plantation offers three LCD high-definition home theater projectors, a 106-inch projector screen, a media cart and an assortment of other AV equipment available upon request. Wedding ceremonies come with a dedicated

event manager, a complimentary bridal portrait photo session and rehearsal ceremony before the wedding day, access to the historic grounds two hours before the ceremony, a bridal suite on the day of the ceremony, setup of white padded chairs in the alley of oaks, and private use of the mansion and surrounding grounds for an hour and a half.

35

The Waterfront South

By Rachel Carter

Courtesy Westin Savannah Harbor

The Westin Savannah Harbor is adjacent to the city’s convention center on the banks of the Savannah River.

T

here’s some t h i n g about being on the water that is almost universally appealing.

For whatever reason, people respond to looking out over rippling rivers, listening to crashing waves and smelling salt air.

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Waterfront real estate is always at a premium, and similarly, planners know that putting people on or near the water is always a smart move for meetings. History museums, lavish resorts or municipal parks: Any kind of venue can be waterfront, and in the South, being near the water usually means fun leisure activities for groups as well.

Stonewall Resort Roanoke, West Virginia Stonewall Resort sits on a crescent-moon-shaped peninsula that juts out into the waters of Stonewall Jackson Lake, a man-made lake on the West Fork River.

The resort is in Stonewall Jackson State Park near the town of Roanoke, West Virginia, nearly equidistant from Morgantown and Charleston. With 2,000 acres of state park land and a marina, the resort is an outdoorlover’s paradise that also offers a 15,000-square-foot conference center.

“The tranquility of being on the lake, it transports you to a different world,” said sales manager Robin Poling. Because it is nearly surrounded by water, “really all of our rooms are lake view.”

The conference center is IACC-certified, so many of

Southern Meeting Guide

the meeting spaces are interior, including the nearly 4,200-square-foot divisible ballroom, but the 760-square-foot Oak Boardroom has “wonderful windows and views of the lake,” Poling said. Outdoor space includes patios, event lawns and a fire pit where guests can make s’mores.

At the resort’s marina, groups can rent canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, paddleboards and aqua cycles to get on the water. The resort also has an excursion boat that goes out for an hourlong scenic cruise every evening from April through October. Meeting attendees can hop on the evening cruise to enjoy the scenery, or planners can reserve the boat for private cruises and receptions for up to 100 people.

Resort staff also take advantage of the outdoors for team building. The Build a Boat challenge is a popular activity that uses the lake; teams must build a boat out of cardboard and hope it floats. Vendors can also set up obstacle courses or do corporate Olympics at the resort.

A staff naturalist will lead group hikes along the resort’s 16 miles of hiking and biking trails, including a walk along the lakeshore trail or a full-moon hike. www.stonewallresort.com

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa Savannah, Georgia Sitting by the pool or mingling on the lawn, guests at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa have one of the best views in Savannah, Georgia: They can watch massive ships passing on the Savannah River and look across to the downtown skyline, where the dome of city hall gleams with real Georgia gold.

The resort sits on the banks of the river next to the 330,000-square-foot Savannah International Trade and Convention Center, which is connected to the 403-room hotel via a covered causeway. The Westin can sell directly into designated space at the convention center through one contract, making it a seamless process for the planner, said David Moses, director of public relations and communications for the resort. They call that designated space the Savannah Harbor Conference Center; the facility includes 13 meetings rooms, the largest of which is almost 4,200 square feet, as well as a 350-person auditorium.

At the resort, another 34,000 square feet of event space offers 15 meeting rooms, including an 11,500-square-foot ballroom. Two event

lawns and the Riverfront Esplanade face the river, where a free water taxi ferries guests to and from downtown. The River Lawn is the site of the resort’s monthly First Friday oyster roast, an evening event that planners often arrange for their own groups. The 3,300-square-foot Harbor Ballroom is attached to the Harbor Lawn, which offers another 9,000 square feet, a central gazebo and river views.

The resort has an on-site marina and can arrange for guests to walk out of the hotel and board a riverboat for a scenic cruise. For smaller groups, the Westin partners with the Bloody Point Golf Club and Resort to take guests on a 30-minute boat ride to Daufuskie Island for a beach excursion on “10 miles of basically private beaches,” Moses said.

“If Savannah is a place where time slows down, it stops on Daufuskie Island,” he said. www.westinsavannah.com

Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park Mount Pleasant, South Carolina It’s one of the most iconic landmarks in South Carolina: The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

The striking bridge, with its elegantly splayed-out cables, spans the Cooper River, connecting downtown Charleston on the west to the town of Mount Pleasant on the east. At

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the east base of the bridge sits the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park, which touts its “$14 million view” and a variety of event spaces.

Inside the Mount Pleasant Visitor Center, the Cooper River Room is nearly 1,840 square feet and can seat up to 150 guests for banquets. The space boasts a seven-foot-high gas fireplace, hand-forged iron chandeliers and sconces, murals depicting low country life and an attached catering kitchen.

Groups can also put up tents on the adjacent Crescent Lawn using the existing tent stakes.

A short path leads visitors through a garden courtyard to Sweetgrass Pavilion, a room that accommodates 50 guests and has sliding barn doors that open to a covered porch with ceiling fans and rocking chairs. The pavilion also has a large adjacent paved patio area.

Because the center is located at the park, guests can sit on the large public lawn or stroll to the end of the 1,250-foot-long pedestrian pier that runs parallel to the bridge. Attendees can enjoy softserve ice cream from the River Watch Café or sit on bench swings to watch the sun set beneath the bridge over downtown Charleston. www.cooperriverroom.com

Courtesy Tampa Bay History Center

The Tampa Bay History Center offers meeting space in a beautiful waterfront location.

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Southern Meeting Guide

Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center Norfolk, Virginia The Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center sits on the Elizabeth River waterfront in downtown Norfolk, part of a complex that includes Nauticus, a maritime-themed museum and science center, and the permanently docked Battleship Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships the U.S. Navy ever built.

The waterfront location and the neighboring attractions make the Half Moone center a popular venue for meetings and receptions. In the center, the 4,200-square-foot Grand Rotunda is a circular space with a soaring, curving wall of windows that floods the room with water views, and the adjacent 3,400-square-foot Promenade Deck also overlooks the river. With 13,500 square feet, the Vista is the largest space where guests can watch the sun set over the river. Attendees can also take in sunsets or views of the downtown skyline on the 9,600-squarefoot Lido Deck. The center also has two smaller conference rooms: The Virginia Room can seat about 70, and the Bermuda Room can seat up to 40.

At Nauticus, groups can explore a variety of maritime science exhibits to learn about sea life, marine sanctuaries and maritime commerce.

Visitors can experience hurricane-force winds in the hurricane simulator, touch horseshoe crabs in a replica tide pool or learn about the ships sailing past Nauticus at that moment.

At the Battleship Wisconsin, which launched

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Stonewall Resort

Guests meeting at Stonewall Resort in West Virginia can take scenic cruises through Stonewall Jackson State Park.

December 7, 1943, a variety of guided tours take groups through the ship’s main areas or previously sealed-off portions, such as the captain’s and admiral’s cabins, the flag bridge, the navigation bridge and the combat engagement center. During the Life in the Engine Room guided tour, visitors go seven decks down into the belly of the battleship to learn how the massive ship was powered. www.nauticus.org

Tampa Bay History Center Tampa, Florida The Tampa Bay History Center in Tampa, Florida, is in the heart of the city’s downtown Channel District, so “no matter what space you’re in, you’re never too far from the water,” said director of marketing Manny Leto.

And in the bustling waterfront district, you’re never too far from restaurants, bars and attractions, including the Florida Aquarium, Amalie Arena, the Tampa Convention Center, the Port of Tampa and the American Victory Ship museum. An Embassy Suites and a Marriott are among a few hotels within walking distance.

Inside, the south wall of the 2,700-square-foot TECO Hall is essentially “a picture window” that overlooks the waterfront and river walk. Lykes Atrium offers another 2,500 square feet of event space, and a 1,500-square-foot terrace on the second floor overlooks the channel and Harbor Island. The center recently added a louvered cover on the terrace so it can be open to the sun or closed from the rain.

Reserving the history center for an event also includes admission to its galleries, so attendees can explore the museum and learn about the area’s native people, European explorers and the city’s cigar industry history. Groups can also arrange docent-led tours.

The center is launching an 8,500-square-foot expansion, slated to be complete this fall, that will include a new gallery with an exhibit about conquistadors, pirates and shipwrecks; a new map library and cartographic education center; and another small event space.

The “crow’s nest” room will overlook Port Tampa Bay, giving a “really unique vantage point” for retreats or meetings for groups of up to 50 people, Leto said. www.tampabayhistorycenter.org

New & expanded downtown hotels

GreaterRome convention & visitors bureau

February 2017

Downtown tours

The Historic South

By Rachel Carter

Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine features both historic areas and modern meeting facilities.

H

istor ic destinations embody centuries of heritage.

They tell the stories of the people who lived, worked and gathered there.

And they’re often physical testaments of the community effort put into saving them. So holding a meeting in a historic venue means “you’re not just coming to an event here; you’re coming to an event in a building that has meaning,” said Caroline Ponder, event coordinator for the restored 1926 Florentine Building in Birmingham, Alabama.

Whether it’s in a mansion on a former sugarcane plantation or in a former convent for Catholic nuns, the South’s long and rich history offers planners countless historic venues for their meetings and events.

Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth St. Augustine, Florida Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Park in St. Augustine, Florida, has an interesting story, one that seems a little backward. What started as a roadside attraction based around a legend later turned out to be an authentic historical site and archaeological goldmine.

H.H. Williams purchased the land in 1868 and was the first to start selling sips of water from the spring on his property, aka the Fountain of Youth for which Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León went searching in 1513, said Kit Keating, public relations director.

The park has been in the Fraser family since 1927, and it was Walter Fraser’s love of the legend that led him to preserve the 15-acre site on the banks of the Matanzas

40

Southern Meeting Guide

River and St. Augustine Inlet. Because Fraser made the property into a tourist attraction, “it was never developed into real estate,” Keating said.

The accidental unearthing of a skull in 1934 led to the discovery that the park was both the location of the Timucuan village of Seloy and the site of Pedro Menendez de Aviles’ original St. Augustine settlement in 1565. Researchers also discovered that the property was the location of the first Franciscan Mission Church in the United States, which dates to 1587.

Today, visitors can still take sips of water from the “Fountain of Youth,” explore the replica Timucua village and mission church, climb to the top of the watchtower, visit the working blacksmith shop and watch as a period cannon is fired on the hour. The planetarium also offers an 11-minute show about celestial navigation of the 1500s.

Groups can gather in the event pavilion, which is being expanded to accommodate up to 150 guests seated at tables or 300 for receptions. The Front Lawn can hold about 100 chairs, and the nearby Wisteria Arbor is available for smaller groups. www.fountainofyouthflorida.com

Florentine Building Birmingham, Alabama The year was 1926, but architect Henry Upton Sims didn’t design his building on the downtown

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Birmingham, Alabama, corner in the popular Art Deco style of the time. The dramatic Italian-style architecture of the Florentine Building features rows of arching windows lining the facade of the two-story structure.

The 90-year-old building had been vacant for several years before Corretti Catering bought it and launched a multimillion-dollar renovation that restored and preserved the structure, which reopened in January 2015.

“I definitely think the fact we’re a historic building is one of our best selling points,” Ponder said. “People want something different, and especially in Birmingham, there’s a revitalization happening in downtown.”

The ground floor has housed everything from financial offices to a hot dog stand, she said. Today, the catering kitchen is in the back, and in front, the Café has a lunch counter and arched floor-to-ceiling windows and can seat about 100 people. The space is intended to be a restaurant one day, Ponder said.

But the crown jewel is the upstairs ballroom, where rows of arched windows line the walls and chandeliers hang from the elaborate barrel-coved ceiling. Although it was restored to its original architecture, the space now includes modern audiovisual components such as built-in sound and a projector screen. Groups often use both spaces, such as starting with a cocktail hour in the Café before moving upstairs for a meal in the ballroom, which can seat a little more than 300 guests. www.florentinebuilding.com

Nottoway Plantation Resort White Castle, Louisiana

Courtesy Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth

The “white castle” of White Castle, Louisiana, may very well be Nottoway Plantation, a striking white mansion that was completed in 1859. Sitting on more than 30 acres between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the 53,000-square-foot plantation home stuns visitors with its 64 rooms, 12 Italian marble fireplaces, 15-foot-high ceilings and countless other extravagant details.

It’s more than a place on a map.

It’s a vibe all its own. Book your meeting today at VisitMacon.org or contact Kristen Grissom at 800.768.3401.

Only in Macon: Ocmulgee National Monument Native American Tribal Earth Lodge over 1,000 years old.

Tubman Museum Largest collection in the Southeast of African American Art, History and Culture.

The Big House Museum Home of the Allman Brothers Band while on their journey to stardom.

Hay House Italian Renaissance Revival style mansion known as the “Palace of the South.”

AMERICAN~HISTORY Mississippi Music ~ Southern Charm

Contact Ashley Gatian, Sales Manager for planning assistance.

800-221-3536 ï ashley@visitvicksburg.com

VisitVicksburg.com /VisitVicksburg

Scan this QR to visit our mobile site and get your keys to Vicksburg.

Courtesy Nottoway Plantation Resort

Guests can relax in 1850s comfort at the Nottoway Plantation Resort in Louisiana.

Today, the Mississippi River-front resort is a destination for meetings and a retreat for attendees.

Randolph’s Ballroom offers 4,600 square feet of space and shares a courtyard with the 3,600-square-foot Grand Pavilion tent; the two can be combined for larger events. The 2,500-square-foot Cypress Ballroom can be split into three smaller spaces. The White Ballroom is a lavish, oval-shaped, snow-white ballroom on the main floor of the original mansion that has been the setting of countless balls and celebrations since the 1860s. The Mansion Restaurant on the first floor of the mansion house offers a private group dining room.

“We really advertise for the retreat aspect because we’re in the middle of a sugarcane field; there’s nothing around us,” said senior sales manager Marie Stagg. “We’re out of New Orleans, so planners won’t lose their attendees to the excitement of New Orleans.”

That’s not to say Nottoway doesn’t offer activities. Guests can play a game of tennis on the resort’s courts or rent bikes and ride them along the levee. Groups can join one of the regular daily tours led by staff members in period costume or arrange for a private guided tour of the mansion. The resort also offers a murder-mystery dinner whose play was written specifically for Nottoway.

“It’s a fictional story, but it’s based on the original owners and their friends,” Stagg said. “[Guests] learn about the plantation, and it’s very interactive.” www.nottoway.com

Southern Cultural Heritage Center Vicksburg, Mississippi In Vicksburg, Mississippi, groups can gather in a historic five-building complex, a former convent and Catholic school that is now collectively known as the Southern Cultural Heritage Center.

The oldest building on the property is the 1830 Cobb House, which has been restored and furnished with period pieces. The Sisters of Mercy nuns built their convent in 1868. Although it’s not currently being rented while crews reconstruct a wall that collapsed — a project that should be done this summer — the convent offers a chapel that can seat up to 100, and two large parlors can accommodate about 150 guests.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

The auditorium was built in 1885, and “it’s beautiful,” said Stacey Massey, executive director of the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, which owns and manages the property. The Sisters of Mercy went to Chicago to tour various auditoriums and theaters before having plans drawn up, she said. The auditorium often hosts concerts and fundraising events, and was the film location for the scene in “O Brother, Where Art Thou” in which George Clooney and the Soggy Bottom Boys perform during the Homer Stokes Hoedown. The space can accommodate about 250 guests at tables or 400 in theater-style seating, and classrooms upstairs offer more breakout space.

The 1937 Academy Building once housed a Catholic school, and several of its classrooms serve as community space for cooking classes, painting workshops, afterschool programs, and meeting rooms or breakout space for conferences. The 1955 gymnasium is leased out for wrestling and fitness classes, so it’s not available to groups, but the buildings surround a central courtyard with big trees that’s popular for live music and receptions. www.southernculture.org

Main Street Station Richmond, Virginia The Main Street Station in downtown Richmond, Virginia, is hard to miss. With an ornate domed clock tower and little turrets jutting up from its red-tile roof,

February 2017

the historic red-brick building is both a city landmark and an architectural icon. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style and originally opened in 1901, the train station served two major railroads: the north-south Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the east-west Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railroad line.

A decline in passenger service and severe damage from hurricane flooding eventually led to the station’s closure in 1975. But a full renovation restored the cityowned property to its original elegance, and Amtrak restored passenger rail service to the station in December 2003. Plans call for it to serve as the northernmost stop for a high-speed rail corridor and as an intermodal station for city bus service.

The striking landmark is hugely popular for events.

Giant, arching windows sit above the wooden entrance doors, and on the concourse, columns soar to ornate tray ceiling panels and globed chandeliers. The station can accommodate events for up to 730 people, but setups that include dancing or tables usually mean a maximum of 400 guests. On the second level, small groups of about 20 can use the Old Dining Room or the Old Retiring Room, which includes a working fireplace.

Crews are now renovating the station’s adjacent 100,000-square-foot train shed. When the nearly $90 million project is complete this spring, the building will include event space, retail shops, a welcome center and infrastructure for high-speed rail. www.ci.richmond.va.us/MainStreetStation/index.aspx

43

The Suburban South

By Rachel Carter

Groups can meet at the 1815 Oaklands Mansion in Murfreesboro near Nashville.

P

lanners would be wise to look beyond the bright lights of major metropolitan cities to their suburbs.

44

These smaller communities often deliver similar cosmopolitan appeal but with better prices, more parking and less traffic — all within easy access of the big-city attractions.

In the South, suburbs range from quaint historic towns to bustling college communities, each with their own personality and appeal for meeting planners.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Nashville has gotten a lot of attention in recent years as the newest “it” city, but that hasn’t affected the smalltown feel and friendliness visitors enjoy in the neighboring city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The city of 125,000 is part of the Nashville metropolitan area and home to Middle Tennessee State University. The conference center at the 283-room Embassy Suites is the city’s largest meeting facility, with 42,000 square feet of flexible event space. The Mirabella Grand Ballroom offers 28,800 square feet that can be set up in as many as 10 separate rooms, and the 7,200-square-foot Oakleigh Junior Ballroom can be split into three spaces. Several nearby overflow hotels almost make “a Hotel Row right off Interstate 76,” said Wendy Bryant, director of communications for the

Southern Meeting Guide

Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Murfreesboro offers another 4,000 square feet of function space.

When in town, groups often visit Stones River National Battlefield, where one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles — the Battle of Stones River — began on December 31, 1862. Rangers will lead tours or do special walk-and-talk programs with groups, such as demonstrating how to fire a cannon, and a small classroom in the visitor center can be used for luncheons.

Groups can also gather at Oaklands Mansion, a plantation home that began as a two-room brick house in 1815 and was added on to throughout the years leading up to the Civil War, culminating in the construction of an elaborate Italianate-style, two-story front addition in 1860. Groups can use the grounds for a tented reception for up to 300 guests or reserve the 1,750-squarefoot Maney Hall for seated meals for up to 150 people. www.readysetrutherford.com

Shelbyville, Kentucky Not only is Shelbyville, Kentucky, the “American Saddlebred Capital of the World,” it is also home to Claudia Sanders Dinner House; Claudia is the wife of

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.

The city of 15,000 residents sits about 30 miles east of Louisville in the rolling green hills of Kentucky Bluegrass horse country. More than 80 saddlebred horse farms operate in the area, and some offer group tours. The ShelbyKY Tourism Commission and Visitors Bureau can also arrange for groups to meet or dine at three private horse farms: Kismet Farms, Undulata Farm and Léttleiki Icelandics, which breeds Icelandic horses.

Downtown is a historic district where ornate, Victorian-era buildings line the streets. The Brick Room on Main Street is an event venue with exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and a small stage that can host groups of up to 125.

Col. Harland Sanders and his wife, Claudia, moved to Shelbyville from southeastern Kentucky in 1959. It’s from their Shelbyville home that the Sanders couple grew Kentucky Fried Chicken into a global organization before selling the company in 1964.

But soon after, they opened Claudia Sanders Dinner House next door to their home, serving up plentiful portions of Southern cooking and Southern hospitality. And yes, the chicken is just as good as the Colonel’s original recipe — some say even better. The Dinner House mostly burned down in 1999 but reopened better than ever with several group dining rooms. The Colonel’s Quarters is the largest banquet room and can seat up to 450, or it can be divided for smaller events. The Kentucky Room can accommodate 150 for meals, and the Thoroughbred and Saddlebred rooms each comfortably seat up to 55.

About four miles away, the Jeptha Creed Distillery opened two months ago just off Interstate 64. The distillery specializes in modern takes on old-fashioned spirits such as flavored moonshine and vodka, as well as bourbon. Groups can tour the distillery, have a tasting, and reserve either the 1,760-square-foot indoor space or the 5,000-square-foot outdoor area. www.visitshelbyky.com Courtesy Rutherford Co. COC

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Courtesy Chapel Hill/Orange Co. VB

Visitors enjoy an oversized chess board at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

The cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill form North Carolina’s Research Triangle, but “we are our own town,” said Marlene Barbera, director of sales for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau.

“It’s a quintessential college town,” she said. “We have a vibrant downtown; it’s walkable and superfriendly. We have everything you could want but in a small town.”

Chapel Hill is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which is the nation’s first and, therefore, oldest public university. The university offers plenty of meeting venues, including the William and Ida Friday Center where planners will find 25 meeting rooms surrounding a central, sunlight-flooded atrium. There, Grumman Auditorium can seat 400, and the Trillium Room can accommodate up to 450 people for seated meals.

Adjacent to campus, the historic Carolina Inn has 185 guest rooms and 14,000 square feet of function space, including four ballrooms. Just three miles from the main campus, UNC’s Rizzo Center sits on 28 acres with the historic DuBose house as its centerpiece. Most of the IACCcertified center’s 30,000 square feet of flexible space is in Loudermilk Hall. A recent expansion gave McLean Hall 183 guest rooms and 14,500 square feet of meeting space, as well a new courtyard with a pool. The 16,000-square-foot DuBose house was built in 1933 and serves as the center’s dining and social hub, and the DuBose family’s four-acre, brick-walled garden offers attendees pergolas, benches and a reflecting pool.

Another university-owned facility is the North Carolina Botanical Gardens, where the James and Delight Allen Education Center offers classrooms, seminar rooms and an auditorium for meetings. www.visitchapelhill.org

Alpharetta, Georgia Alpharetta, Georgia, is a well-to-do city of 63,000 residents nestled between the North Georgia Mountains and downtown Atlanta. The big news in the upscale suburb 30 miles outside of Atlanta is the new conference center slated to open in 2018.

The Alpharetta Conference Center will be in the mixed-use community of Avalon, which boasts residential and retail, office and entertainment space. The conference center will have 44,000 square feet of flexible meeting space that can accommodate groups of up to 1,400 people. Plans also call for a 330-room Marriott hotel, all within walking distance of Avalon’s restaurants, boutiques and entertainment. In addition to the hotel and conference center, future development will include another 90,000 square feet of retail and restaurant

46

Southern Meeting Guide

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

space. The development will also feature a central plaza where visitors can enjoy free concerts and movies in the spring and summer or go ice skating in the winter, said Caitlyn Blizzard, director of communications for the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau.

At the Metropolitan Club, groups of 400 can sit down to dinner in the ballroom, or up to 800 people can mingle during receptions. The area is also home to several golf and country clubs, and in Alpharetta, the Echelon Golf Club has a pavilion that can accommodate events for up to 100 people or up to 400 with a tent. The Golf Club of Georgia offers the Lodge, a space for up to 250 people with a balcony overlooking the course, as well as two smaller meeting rooms and a boardroom.

The Alpharetta Marriott is a full-service hotel with nearly 10,200 square feet of event space in 13 meeting rooms, including the 7,680-square-foot Magnolia Ballroom that can be split into eight smaller sections.

Alpharetta recently started a bike-share program, Blizzard said, and visitors can ride along the Big Creek Greenway trail. www.awesomealpharetta.com

Jacksonville, Arkansas People may not expect someone to describe the Little Rock suburb of Jacksonville, Arkansas, as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;melting pot.â&#x20AC;?

But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how Amy Mattison, director of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, explains the city of 30,000.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have so many different people who are here because we have the Little Rock Air Force Base, and we have international students here who train at the Air Force base,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would call it a melting pot.â&#x20AC;?

On base, the Walters Community Support Center has a 200-person-capacity ballroom, a conference room for up to 60 and a party room for up to 40 people. Groups of 15 to 50 people can also request base tours, which are offered one Thursday a month, or can arrange guest speakers from the base for events and ceremonies.

The Jacksonville Community Center can be described as a recreation-center-meets-civic-center. With a pool, gymnasium and racquetball courts, the center offers recreation activities to the community, but its 5,500-square-foot banquet room with a stage and a 1,500-square-foot meeting room with a kitchen offer groups options for meetings and events.

The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest facility is a public shooting range with 14 trap fields, three skeet overlays, three lit fields, two pavilions, a lake and the 5,100-square-foot Witt Stephens Jr. Clubhouse that includes a classroom.

Groups can reserve the classroom or pavilions and try their hand at skeet shooting.

Meeting attendees can also visit the Jacksonville Museum of Military History or Reedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bridge Battlefield Heritage Park, where theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find a replica 1860s homestead and a walking trail with historical markers. www.cityofjacksonville.net

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:DOQXW 6W ĂĄ * DGVGHQ $/ ĂĄ JUHDWHUJDGVGHQ FRP

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February 2017

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12:23 pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Site Visit at Stearman Sky Tours

THe moment AlLEn CHOSE wichita for his next big event.

Authentic and unique off-site venues for event attendees

Brick-lined Old Town entertainment district

Headquarter hotel attached d to convent ion convention center

800.288.9424 VisitWichita.com