Small Market Meetings March 2017

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Courtesy Visit Fairfax

Volume 18

Issue 3

March 2017

11 14 18 24

Planning Executive Meetings

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VIPs require very special touches.

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Fall Meeting Destinations Crisp air and beautiful scenery makes these destinations ideal for autumn retreats.

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Get to Know Peoria This central Illinois city is well situated for small meetings.

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Courtesy Discover Lehigh Valley

Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort

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The newest major meeting venue in the Smoky Mountains started as a country girl’s dream.

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The Jewel of Columbia The Missouri Theatre is a longtime staple of Columbia, Missouri.

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Ohio Meeting Guide Ohio’s suburbs and after-hours venues present great opportunities for meeting planners.

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Courtesy City of Dublin

On the cover: A Japanese maple leaf rests on a pond in the Ozark mountains near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Photo by Alejandro Photography

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

Wyndham Grand Comes Ashore in Clearwater Beach from Pier 60 and Clearwater Beach.

It offers direct Gulf Coast views, signature dining, contemporary decor and more than 22,000 square feet of event space, including the Dunes Ballroom, the largest in Pinellas County.

The resort, locatCourtesy Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach ed within 30 minThe Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach brings 22,000 square feet of new event space to central Florida’s utes of the area’s west coast. two international airports, offers 12 meeting rooms — including the nearly CLEARWATER BEACH, Florida — The 11,000-square-foot Dunes Ballroom, which Wyndham Hotel Group has opened its latest can accommodate up to 800 people — comresort destination, the new-construction, plete with terraces, outdoor function space, 343-room Wyndham Grand Clearwater free Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art technology Beach. like programmable chandeliers that can The two-tower resort, owned by Florida change colors and light patterns at the touch philanthropist Kiran Patel and managed by of a button. With each event at the Wyndham the Wyndham Hotel Group, sits steps away

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Industry News

Grand Clearwater Beach, professional and novice planners can earn loyalty points with Go Meet, the first formal rewards program of its kind for meeting planners. Planners who are members of the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program can earn one point for every dollar spent on qualifying revenue, regardless of billing method, with no minimum spend requirement and no maximum point limit.

Each contemporary guest room at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach faces the ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway and features water-inspired decor and floor-to-ceiling windows, plus most rooms offer balconies.

Guests can dine and imbibe at DocK’s, the pool bar and grill; eSKPades, the barista and lobby bar; or Ocean Hai, the resort’s signature dining experience and the only Asian Fusion restaurant in Clearwater Beach. Additional services and amenities include an open-air lobby, a pool overlooking the beach, the fullservice Spa Pallavi and a 24-hour fitness center. www.wyndhamgrandclearwater.com

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Fairfield Inn and Suites Hotel Opens in Rock Hill, South Carolina ROCK HILL, South Carolina — A 108room Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott has opened in Rock Hill, South Carolina, with 1,263 square feet of space to accommodate functions of up to 80 people.

Rock Hill’s modern, bright new design features an updated exterior with a signature tower, a curved porte-cochere and a glass entrance that ushers guests into the hotel.

Inside, the hotel’s open public space lets in natural light and offers views throughout the lobby to connect the indoors with the outdoors.

In the lobby area, guests can be productive, relax or enjoy breakfast or a snack in a modern and flexible environment with a vibrant, natural color palette of greens, blues and oranges. The spacious lobby gives guests ample connectivity options, as well as a “connect and print” area that offers both standing and seated internet stations. Guests can also unwind in the lobby’s welcoming living area, or they can grab a drink or a snack item from the 24/7 Corner Market.

Additional hotel amenities include an out-

SMALL MARKET MEETINGS DESERVE

BIG INCENTIVES

Courtesy Fairfield Inn and Suites

Rock Hill’s new Fairfield Inn and Suites features a spacious fitness center and more than 1,200 square feet of meeting space. door swimming pool with a fire pit and grilling area, an exercise room, a valet laundry service, complimentary Wi-Fi, and fax and copy services.

Guests who are traveling for business or pleasure will enjoy convenient access to the Galleria Mall, the Novant Health BMX

Supercross Track and the Giordana Velodrome Track. Plans for the future nearby Catawba Studio, a $350 million film and production studio, include sound stages, a new Catawba Cultural Center, a magnet school for film and music, and retail and office space on up to 124 acres of tribal land.

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

March 2017

7

b 26 28 2017 September 26-28,

Meeting Leaders: Columbus’ Leah Zender

By Rachel Carter

L

eah Zender was born in Lima, a city of about 38,000 people in northwest Ohio, but she grew up in an even smaller town about 30 minutes away.

“No hotels, no tourLeah Zender ism, none of that — and there was no one in my life that was in the hospitality industry,” she said. So, like many things in life, she got into it “by chance.”

“It’s amazing where life takes you,” Zender said. “I always wanted to help people, and I love making people happy, and I didn’t realize hospitality was the perfect industry to do that.”

Zender, who has been sales manager for Experience Columbus for a little over a year, moved to the city to attend Ohio State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. It was there she saw a posting on a job board for an internship at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium working in group sales and thought “that sounded like so much fun.” Her time there proved to her it was; she spent nearly a year planning and overseeing events for corporations, small businesses and nonprofits.

After she left the zoo, Experience Columbus hired Zender as the membership manager who was in charge of “selling our organization to the community.” She went to restaurants, hotels and attractions, and met with owners, managers and stakeholders to explain Experience Columbus’ mission and why they should be on board with tourism.

“I got to go to all these places and get a sense of the city, meet the owners and hear their stories,” she said. “As a young person, I was so grateful to be in front of people who have built our city.”

Two years in that position gave her the per-

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Conference Report

Photos courtesy Experience Columbus

Zender welcomes a group meeting at Columbus’ Hollywood Casino.

fect platform from which to jump into her new role as sales manager. She went from recruiting members to attracting meetings, and she could take those stories from community members “to share with the world.” Because Zender came from a small community to a big city, one of the things that appealed to her about Columbus was how welcoming it was to “fresh ideas and fresh people.”

“It’s a very open and smart city,” she said.

The city’s convention center is in the final stretch of a 22-month, $125 million renovation slated to wrap up this summer. When complete, the Greater Columbus Convention Center will grow from 1.7 million to 1.8 million square feet, and the additional 100,000 square feet will include 37,000 square feet of new exhibit space, for a total of 373,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. The project will also add 10,000 square feet of meeting space in 10 new rooms, as well as a new two-story, open atrium entrance.

More than 2,100 guest rooms are connected or adjacent to the convention center, and there are 4,000 total in downtown. Attendees will find more than 100 restaurants within walking distance of the convention center, but if they want to venture farther, they can explore the city’s five entertainment districts: the college vibe of the University District sur-

rounding Ohio State, the fun and funky flair of the Short North Arts District, sporting events and concerts in the Arena District, museums and historic sites in downtown, and the cobblestone streets of German Village.

In addition to showcasing the city to planners, Zender enjoys helping to customize groups’ experiences when they come to town.

One group that brings a conference to Columbus every year has a signature color: pink. So at shops and restaurants throughout the city, attendees saw pink balloons bobbing in the breeze, and the CVB put the company’s name up at a major intersection.

One experience that resonated with her was when she worked with a local contact to help bring an association to the city. After the initial sales call with the organization, Zender asked if she could connect with the local contact. The group said that was important to do, so Zender and the contact worked on the proposal together. When the group came to Columbus for a site visit, Zender asked to set up a time for all of them — the planners, the local contact and herself — to meet. And the group ended up choosing Columbus.

“It was an ‘ah-ha’ moment to have everyone come together,” she said. “It made me realize the importance of my role in bringing people together.”

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Executive Profile NAME Leah Zender

TITLE Sales Manager

ORGANIZATION Experience Columbus

LOCATION Columbus, Ohio

BORN Lima, Ohio

EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in business administration, specializing in marketing, The Ohio State University, Max M. Fisher College of Business

CAREER HISTORY • Group sales intern: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (1 year) • Membership manager: Experience Columbus (2 years) • Sales manager: Experience Columbus (1 year, 2 months)

FAMILY Married

HOBBIES Cooking, running, soccer

Meeting Tips from Leah Zender • Contact the local CVB. You are the experts in what your group needs, but we are the experts in our destination, so take advantage of our insight and let us work with you to determine how we can best exceed the needs of your group.

We can save you valuable time and energy in trying to find the perfect off-site venue, hotel, team-building activity, evening activity, etc.

• We live in an experience-based world, so create a meeting that engages attendees in a personal, memorable way. Ask yourself, “What experience am I offering my attendees that they will never forget?”

• Never stop learning. Part of your job, of course, is to provide learning opportunities for your attendees, but don’t forget to take time to do so yourself. This is especially important as technology continues to evolve, and attendees always want the latest options available to them. From Snapchat filters to live streaming and beyond, arm yourself with the knowledge on how to successfully implement the ideas to secure the future of your event.

March 2017

9

Mind your manners and improve productivity by polishing your email

By Vickie Mitchell

mail swept into the office in the mid-1990s, and with this new form of business communication came a whole bunch of questions for etiquette expert Lynne Breil. Owner of The Professional Edge (www.theprofessionaledgeinc.com), Breil has a lot of good advice about how to be both polite and productive as you use this primary business communication tool. Follow her recommendations and chances are your email messages will be not only more mannerly but also more effective.

E

Get off to a strong start with your subject line.

Avoid vague subject lines like “A quick question,” “Follow up” or others that provide little-to-no concrete information.

Instead, Breil said, make subject lines “concise, enticing and relevant (CER).” Include a deadline, a description of an event or your name; for example, “Proposal for staff retreat from Lynne Breil” or “Need your input on 2017 conference by 5 p.m. tomorrow.”

“Email has to fight for the right to be opened,” Breil said.

“Make sure your subject line will catch attention.” But don’t go too far with alarmist words like “urgent” or strings of exclamation points.

When the discussion in an email thread takes a new direction, change the subject line to fit the new topic, which makes it easier to track down the conversation later and alerts recipients that the subject has changed.

Say ‘so long’ to lengthy messages.

Email was designed to quickly relay information; it easily outruns a business letter and typically takes less time than a phone call. Yet, over time, emails have gotten too long and detailed. Shorter emails, said Breil, are much more likely to be read and absorbed, and are much more mobile friendly. “Keep your emails to five to six sentences,” Breil said. “About 150 words would be my recommendation.” If your email is longer than a half-dozen sentences, edit it.

“Think, how can I boil this down,” she said. Using active rather than passive voice can help. For example, instead of writing “If you have any questions, call me,” take the more

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MeetingPoint

direct route and write “Call me if you have questions.” And keep this tidbit from Breil in mind as you compose your message: In a survey, more than 80 percent of 1,000 people said they wouldn’t read an email that is more than four paragraphs long.

BLUF for better reading and results Most of us put the meat of our email at the end of our message when we should be telling people from the start why we are writing. As you compose an email, think Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF), Breil said. “People want to know the relevancy right up front. Get to the point.” So, for example, when I contacted Breil about an interview for this column, I introduced myself and told her about myself and about Small Market Meetings. Then I asked about an interview. I should have begun by saying, “I have read about you and would like to interview you for a story about email etiquette.” Then I could follow with a short explanation of who I am and the publication I’m writing for.

Who to include — and who to omit.

We’ve all been in one of those “reply to all” email strings that go on and on and, after a while, aren’t relevant to everyone on the list. “I’ve been talking about this for 15 years,” Breil said. “If you have a list, take a minute and delete those who don’t need to know that you can’t make it to the reception because you are picking up your child at soccer practice.” On the flip side, anyone who is mentioned in your email message probably should be copied on the email, Breil said.

I’ll have more advice on email protocol from Lynne Breil in next month’s column. In the meantime, to reach her, visit www.theprofessionaledgeinc.com, or call 717-755-3333.

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

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Very Important Meetings

VIP and executive events require special attention Photos courtesy Visit Fairfax

By Savannah Osbourn

A small group enjoys a VIP reception on the lawn at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia.

lanning a meeting for a VIP or executive group can be a stressful endeavor. In many cases, high-end clients operate on a different plane of existence, requiring personal pickups, special menus and other immediate services, and planners must understand that lifestyle to meet their expectations and needs.

To shed some insight on the subject, we spoke with two planning experts: Kris Shea, vice president of The Juice Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and Dean Miller, national sales manager at Visit Fairfax, Virginia. Here’s what they had to say.

“Every meeting group has some level of wanting to feel like a VIP,” said Shea, “so you have to figure out what the expectations are.”

As planners work on developing original concepts for activities and entertainment, it can be helpful to ask clients if there is anything they have always wanted to do or whether they have any particular interests.

P

Ask a Lot of Questions More than anything, knowing your client is key. Age, gender and origin are all important factors to consider, as well as the nature of the group’s industry.

To understand their background and preferences, planners should find out what clients have done in the past and what features they liked or disliked. Sometimes, customizing the experience means knowing the right brand of soap to put in the room or what drink to provide in the transportation vehicle.

March 2017

Don’t Make Them Wait Planning for VIP groups involves much more than booking an expensive hotel and arranging reservations at an upscale restaurant.

Planners must see that every detail transpires smoothly, from pickup at the airport to presenting slideshows at the meeting itself.

“The thing about working with VIPs that you’ve got to remember above all else is that they do not like to wait,” said Miller.

When he worked in the hotel industry, Miller heard numerous stories from travel agents that worked with CEOs and other high-profile clients.

They would have to book multiple plane tickets throughout a given afternoon so that no matter what time the client arrived at the airport, a ticket and seat would be waiting. Afterward, the travel agency would

11

When the backdrop for your fall meeting includes European art amongst the foliage.

Meeting planners should inspect VIP meeting venues personally before the event to make sure everything is in order.

From a prestigious university to bountiful farmland, Champaign County delivers an Outside of Ordinary meeting experience.

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12

Managing Meetings

have to refund the extra tickets.

Many VIPs expect the same thorough service. Whether it involves transportation or food service or necessities like an ATM or a public phone, planners should always check on available resources throughout the planned program.

“You can book them a room at the glitziest resort, but if the Wi-Fi doesn’t work, then you’re in trouble,” said Miller.

As another example, Miller recalled how Nelson Rockefeller reportedly never wore a topcoat, despite living in a northern region of the United States, because he never had to stand in the cold for more than a few seconds. A car was always ready for him, and planners should be prepared for their clients as well.

Inspect the Venues in Person When it comes to reserving lodging or event space, planners should always inspect the site’s amenities in person and speak with the staff to make sure everyone involved is prepared.

“Never book a place you haven’t been to,” said Miller. “VIPs will not just look at a picture online or make a phone call; they want someone to personally inspect the hotel.”

The same goes for dining. Planners can organize meals as a catered event or reserve a private banquet hall at a restaurant. As soon as attendees arrive, someone should be waiting at the door to escort them to their table, with a waiter ready to serve them.

Even if a venue is just hosting a board meeting, planners should ask the hotel or business

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Provide a Unique Experience

High-end and distinctive venues, such as Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, Virginia, can make executive meetings more memorable and meaningful. if they have a VIP set, and very often they can bring in special decor, like flowers and elegant table settings.

It is also crucial to make sure that the audiovisual presentation during the meeting is flawless, with a tech support person on hand in case of any issues. Attendees will not be happy if a meeting cannot proceed due to a malfunction with the computer or sound system.

Most VIP groups want to experience something unique to the destination, so it is ideal to find exclusive venues, such as museums, art galleries or historic homes.

“VIPs love anything out of the ordinary that’s not available to the general public,” said Miller.

In Fairfax, the convention and visitors bureau often organizes special events on the beautiful property of Mount Vernon or in the National Air and Space Museum, where attendees are surrounded by magnificent displays. At Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, groups can reserve one of the tented decks, enjoy a catered meal and schedule a backstage meet-and-greet with performers after the show.

Following a private museum tour, Shea described how her team in Atlanta occasionally brought in artists or collectors to discuss their work, or coordinated dinners in the artists’ homes. Other activities could involve a private wine tasting with the owner of the winery or a chef’s table at a gourmet restaurant.

Though it is great to highlight local culture, planners should also pay attention to the client’s hobbies or passions.

“Here in Fairfax, we have the Tesla dealership, so if I had a group interested in cars, I would see if we could get a tour and talk to the owner,” said Miller.

During one event for the American Wine Society, the city coordinated an opening reception with sample products from 20 Virginia wineries. They also invited a historic interpreter to perform in character as Thomas Jefferson, who is known as the father of Virginia wine.

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March 2017

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Foliage and Fresh Air

Fall is the ideal season in these meeting destinations Courtesy Greater Morgantown CVB

By Savannah Osbourn rom festivals to ghost tours and lush woodland scenery, fall can add a great deal of color to your meeting experience. Make sure to check out everything these destinations offer before you plan your autumn event.

F

Morgantown, West Virginia Football, festivals and colorful views characterize the West Virginian city of Morgantown during the fall. On football weekends, West Virginia University fans gather in droves to tailgate throughout the city, and the downtown area thrives with nightlife, creating an energetic setting for meeting groups.

Located next to the Waterfront Place Hotel, the 30,000-square-foot Morgantown Event Center offers conference space, banquet areas and outdoor terraces for receptions. Another great evening venue is the Morgantown Market, where attendees can enjoy the warm autumn weather on a covered, open-air pavilion.

To really relish the scenery, groups can take a hike through Coopers Rock State Forest, which features panoramic views of red and golden trees in the valley below.

“Our fall foliage around here is unbelievable,” said Susan Riddle, executive director at Greater Morgantown.

In August, the nearby town of Kingwood will hold its 76th annual Buckwheat Festival, an event that centers on the region’s staple buck-

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Meeting Ideas

Fall brings colorful foliage to Morgantown’s historic Woodburn neighborhood. wheat cakes, and Morgantown celebrates a balloon festival later in October.

For those that prefer to admire the view from a comfortable seat indoors, there are several dining options on the wharf, such as the Regatta Bar and Grille, Oliverio’s Ristorante on the Wharf and the Mountain State Brewing Company, which draws crowds with awardwinning brews as well as wood-fired flatbread pizzas. At the Morgantown Brewing Company, guests can sample one of West Virginia’s signature snack items, pepperoni rolls, along with a fresh beer on the patio outside. www.tourmorgantown.com

Fox Cities, Wisconsin The Fox Cities encompass several Wisconsin communities, most notably downtown Appleton, and is one of the largest, fastest-growing urban regions in the state. As an excellent year-round destination, the area features temperate weather and brilliant fall colors that reach their peak mid-October.

Later this year, the city will unveil the new 30,000-square-foot Fox Cities Exhibition Center as a premier venue for conventions, trade shows, banquets and meetings. The property converges with Jones Park and will feature a connecting sky bridge to the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel.

Beyond the boardroom, there are numerous activities throughout

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Fox Cities CVB

The Trestle Trail in the Fox Cities area is an ideal setting to take in the beautiful scenery of autumn in Wisconsin. the city to entertain meeting attendees, such as Segway tours, bike trails and Appleton’s farmers market, which is the second largest in the state.

At the end of the day, meeting attendees can catch a Broadway show at the Fox Cities Performing Center, which will present “Wicked” from August 30 through September 10; or they can enjoy live music at one of the downtown bars or restaurants. A few options are Uncorked Wine and Bistro, the Deja Vu Martini Lounge and Cleo’s Brown Beam Tavern.

“You’re always sure to find a live band somewhere,” said Mary Rhode, marketing and communications manager at the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This year, Oktoberfest will take place September 23-24. The event opens on a Friday night with License to Cruise, where 50,000 people fill College Avenue in Appleton to admire more than 400 classic cars, accompanied by live music and food booths from local restaurants.

Over Labor Day weekend, Fox Cities will host the 22nd annual Fox Jazz Fest, which draws critically acclaimed artists from across the country, followed by Seafood Fest the next week. www.foxcities.org

Eureka Springs, Arkansas From ghost tours to handcrafted souvenirs and mouthwatering cuisine, meetings groups will find plenty to appreciate in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

March 2017

“This is a town of parades and festivals,” said Tammy Thurow, president of the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce. “And fall is absolutely breathtaking here. We’re located between two rivers and two lakes, with mountains and rolling hills around us.”

The city offers many distinct venues in the historic district, such as the 1905 Basin Park Hotel and the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa, which is considered one of the most haunted sites in America and features daily ghost tours.

To admire the surrounding scenery, groups can take a leisurely bike ride by Lake Leatherwood or try a zip-line course for more extreme thrill. Containing only a handful of chain restaurants, Eureka Springs prides itself in offering an extensive local food scene, with favorite eateries like the Mud Street Café, the Local Flavor Café, the Grotto Wood-Fired Grill and Wine Cave, the Anglers Grill and the Grand Tavern.

During September, the city hosts several events, including the annual Antique Auto Festival and the Bikes, Blues and Barbecue Festival, where visitors can eat their fill of fresh barbecue while watching a motorcycle parade. In October, people flock to Eureka Springs from all over the country to participate in the War Eagle Mill Arts and Craft Fair, which highlights the beauty and culture of the Ozarks through handcrafted products.

Each year, a nonprofit called The Great Passion Play produces a signature

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By Eli Vega, courtesy Greater Eureka Springs COC

Ozark Mountain beauty and a picturesque downtown village make Eureka Springs a popular fall destination. theater performance that details Christ’s last days on earth. The play runs May through October.

Visitors can explore other elements of the Passion Play grounds throughout the year, including the Holy Land Tour, the Sacred Arts Museum and the 65-foot Christ of the Ozarks statue. www.eurekasprings.org

Olympia, Washington As the capital of Washington, Olympia features a stunning capitol, which was designed for a 1911 architectural competition, and a walkable, artistic downtown right on the waterfront.

The South Strand’s premier event facility, the Indian Golf and Country Club, can house anywhere from 10 to 100 guests and offers in-house catering services. Planners will find everything they need under one roof at the Little Creek Casino Resort, which includes a 22,500-square-foot event center, 190 guest rooms, entertainment and restaurants.

As visitors explore Olympia, they will learn that each business has a unique history, adding to the city’s creative vibe.

“In the fall, people like to come into town and enjoy a nice hot coffee, but we also have a story to share behind it,” said Jeff Bowe, director of sales at the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater Visitors and Convention Bureau.

One of the most famous aspects of Olympia is its brewing history, which traces its roots back to Tumwater Falls Park, a 15-acre park with trails and views of cascading water. Supposedly, the unique quality of the water gave local beer its refined taste, and meeting groups can take a walk around the sunny grounds to learn about its heritage.

Planners can schedule a tour and tasting at one of Olympia’s many breweries, such as the Three Magnets Brewing Company or Top Rung Brewing, which is owned by two firefighters.

The Sandstone Distillery was the first business to open after the end of Prohibition, offering whiskey, bourbon and flavor-infused vodkas from locally sourced grains.

The Olympia Coffee Roasting Company is a must-see for coffee lovers; it features awardwinning coffee blends as well as cupping classes, where groups can sample different varieties of beans.

Other regional highlights include the Olympic Flight Museum, the South Sound Wine Trail

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Meeting Ideas

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

and the Evergreen Lavender Farm. For a taste of local wildlife, the nearby Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge features a 700-foot boardwalk where visitors can spot bald eagles and herons, among 200 other species of birds. www.visitolympia.com

Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Nestled between Blue Mountain and South Mountain, Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley provides a lovely fall setting for meetings, with museums, wine tours and historic bridges.

The Bear Creek Mountain Resort and Conference Center offers a full view of the valley, along with ski slopes, hotel rooms, on-site restaurants and a heated pool. The resort includes four elegant meeting sites: two ballrooms, a lodge and a fireside suite that accommodate 30 to 300 guests. To complement the rustic landscape, planners can take advantage of the Glasbern Inn, a picturesque bed-and-breakfast with capacity for 150 guests; the Sands Bethlehem casino and hotel serves larger groups with a 14,000-square-foot event center.

For an afternoon excursion, groups can cruise down the 50-mile-long Lehigh Valley Bridge Tour, which takes travelers back in time as they cross through historic bridges and pristine countryside.

“On the drive, you pass through seven bridges that are still covered in the area,” said Kaitie Burger, social media and communications manager at Discover Lehigh Valley. “It’s a great way to unwind after a meeting.”

The C.F. Martin Guitar Factory provides an ideal after-hours venue where meeting attendees can see the craftsmanship of Martin Guitars firsthand as they tour the factory floor and the Martin Guitar Museum.

Housed in a renovated barn, Eight Oaks Craft Distillers is one of Lehigh Valley’s most distinct craft distilleries. A farm-to-bottle craft distiller, the company grows its own grains and produces artisan rum, vodka, gin and applejack. Private tours are available.

Groups can also follow the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail to nine family-owned wineries in the region that often debut new lines in the fall. www.discoverlehighvalley.com

March 2017

By Doug Walker, courtesy Olympia Lacey Tumwater VCB

Many Olympia visitors make a point to visit Tumwater Falls.

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PEORIA APPEAL Th TThis hhis is c central e n ttrral IIllinois llinnoi ois c ci cit i t y iis s nnoo s ttr tran ra n gger er ttoo bbi bigig bbu usiinn ess business

By Dan Dickson

Fireworks mark Independence Day over the Illinois River and downtown Peoria.

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Destination Showcase

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“We have an incredible convention center with 10,000 square feet of unobstructed exhibit space, along with the support spaces like ballrooms and meeting rooms.”

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ome cities are defined by a major business within their city limits. students and family members filled up the downtown area. Students In central Illinois, Peoria is proud to be the world headquarters held performances and competitions, and their teachers and families for Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar is one of the leading manufacturers watched. of construction and mining equipment and various industrial engines, Typically, the CVB will communicate continually with local merturbines and locomotives. But when most people think of Caterpillar, chants and hotel and restaurant operators, especially in the downtown they envision those mammoth earth-moving area, about the upcoming meeting and confervehicles at work. ence schedule to help them be prepared.

The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Welch said the city’s “sweet spot” for a meetBureau wants corporate and association execuing and conference size is between 500 and tives and conference planners around the 3,000, but it will gladly accommodate whatever nation to know that Peoria is also a great meetnumber of delegates comes to town. ings destination.

Service is a big selling point for the Peoria “We have an incredible convention center with CVB. “We don’t just sign a contract and leave 110,000 square feet of unobstructed exhibit space, you hanging,” said Allen. “We have two fullalong with the support spaces like ballrooms and time staff members who are totally dedicated to meeting rooms,” said Don Welch, president and servicing clients with everything from customCEO of the Peoria Area CVB. “It is under the same ized itineraries, media buys and placement or roof with a 2,200-seat fine-arts theater and a free media [to] coordination of speakers and 12,000-seat sports arena. We have all kinds of entertainment. And we have a staff of hostesses possibilities for setups of different types.” who can easily handle your registration.”

Peoria is situated in the middle of the triangle of Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis and is serHotels for Meeting and Sleeping viced by interstates 74 and 55. Its airport, General Among the best-known hotels in Peoria’s A youth cross-country race in Peoria Wayne A. Downing International Airport, has downtown core is the Peoria Marriott Pere about a dozen direct flights and is located just 15 Marquette, with 402 guest rooms and 20,000 minutes from downtown. “We will even be at the All photos courtesy p y Peoria Area CVB square feet of ballroom space. It is connected to airport with welcome signs for your group and the convention center by a climate-controlled offer transportation into town,” said Cara Allen, skywalk. There is also the Four Points by director of marketing for the CVB. “We host you, Sheraton Peoria with 320 rooms, just a block LOCATION not just book you. We want to provide that welfrom the convention center, but the hotel is Central Illinois coming hometown feel.” closed at the moment as it undergoes a massive Peoria has the Illinois River at its doorstep renovation that will culminate in its reopening ACCESS and often shares conference host duties with its this summer. The hotel will then have 25,000 Interstates 74, 474, 55 and 155 and General neighbor city across the river, East Peoria, square feet of fresh, new meeting space availWayne A. Downing International Airport.

Illinois. The river is just four blocks from the able. convention center.

Staybridge Suites Peoria-Downtown has 106 MAJOR MEETING SPACES As for meeting types, Peoria is open to just suites. Though Staybridge is often used by busiPeoria Civic Center and adjacent fine-arts about anything. “We’re pretty diverse,” said nesspeople for long-term stays, the CVB says it theater and arena. Various large downtown Allen. “Our civic center can hold so much. For can easily be used for two- to four-day conferhotels with sizable meeting spaces. example, sports are big here, and we pride ourence stays. Another downtown Peoria choice is HOTEL ROOMS selves on being a high school state-championthe Mark Twain Boutique Hotel, with 111 rooms 1,000 in the Peoria downtown core; ship destination.” Peoria has several state-ofand nice meeting and banquet facilities.

4,000 in the metro area. the-art sports facilities, parks, complexes and A short walk or drive over the bridge to East college campuses and a dome, and encourages Peoria will bring visitors to the Embassy Suites OFFSITE VENUES amateur teams to travel there for tournaments Caterpillar Visitors Center, Peoria Riverfront by Hilton East Peoria, with 226 suites and 30,000 and games and bring their families along and square feet of space for meetings and events.

Museum, Wildlife Prairie Park. make a vacation of it.

“When the Sheraton reopens, we will have a CONTACT INFO One recent winter week, Peoria hosted one of total of 1,000 hotel rooms in the downtown Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau its largest groups of the year: 10,000 people for core,” said Welch. “We will then have about 800-747-0302 the Illinois Music Education Conference that has 4,000 rooms in the entire metro area.” www.peoria.org/planners been coming to the city for decades. Teachers, The hotels are easy to get to as well. “You’re

Peoria, Illinois

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looking at a drive time of 10 to 15 minutes max from the outlying hotels to the civic center and the downtown core,” Welch said. “That’s unlike larger cities where you have all of the traffic congestion. We also have ample parking in the downtown area.”

Riverfront Activities Peoria has a lively riverfront that entertains thousands of meeting attendees and other visitors each year. The Caterpillar Visitors Center is quite popular and has eight exhibit galleries, four theaters, and videos and photos that help tell the fascinating story of this 90-year-old company. It’s hands on, too, with cool technology and simulators that let you feel as though you are singlehandedly operating a big piece of earth-moving equipment.

There is also plenty of meeting space inside the center. “You can actually have a meeting in the bed of a giant mining truck,” said the CVB’s Allen.

“You walk into a huge meeting space, and you think you’re in the back of one of their giant Caterpillar creations.”

A skywalk connects an onsite parking deck to the Peoria Civic Center.

Where else can you spend your Fall season hiking or rockclimbing in a National Forest, perusing a local Farmer’s Market or boutique, sipping cider on a Wine Trail or nestled in a cozy bed and breakfast?

a

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126 S Illinois Ave Carbondale, IL 62901 618-529-4451 info@carbondaletourism.org

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Destination Showcase

The Peoria Riverfront Museum is another popular attraction. It blends science, achievement, art, history and more into an experience that will educate and stimulate people of all ages. The museum features an Imax screen and a planetarium. It has abundant meeting space, and when the meeting ends, attendees can tour the museum.

The museum also brings exciting national and international exhibitions to its halls. One recent example was “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,” which included interesting pieces recovered from the debris field beneath where the ill-fated ocean liner sank in 1912.

Speaking of boats, the Spirit of Peoria is a paddleboat that offers fun hour-and-a-quarter-long trips on the Illinois River; it also travels farther for up to five days when it cruises the Mississippi River to places like St. Louis and Hannibal, Missouri. The longer excursions include overnight accommodations, entertainment such as music and theater, and delicious buffet meals.

The riverfront is also the scene of festivals nearly every weekend in the summer and fall.

Live music is a hallmark of these gatherings. The riverfront has fun themed eateries and several fine-dining restaurants in the district.

Downtime Fun Wildlife Prairie Park, just 10 miles west of downtown Peoria, is an 1,800-acre park dedicated

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to the natural environment of Illinois and the Midwest, with more than 50 native animals and plants and interesting attractions. The park encourages education, conservation and recreation. People enjoy riding the Prairie Zephyr, a miniature train that transports them throughout the park. The park offers attractive meeting and banquet spaces for planners seeking a change-of-pace site.

Peoria also has a zoo. One of the highlights is the Africa exhibit, where visitors walk around the main area on a boardwalk. The exhibit has a range of animals, from lions and giraffes to monkeys, zebras and rhinos. The Zambezi River Lodge is an option for conference planners, with flexible space that can handle a crowd of up to 200.

Planners may want to add the excitement of a casino to their upcoming meeting or event, and East Peoria is the site of the Par-a-Dice Hotel Casino. The venue offers 20,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space that can accommodate up to 1,000 people, and the hotel has 202 guest rooms for an “all in one” experience.

The CVB’s Allen says the craft whiskey industry has made a comeback in the city. “We are historically known as a Whiskey Capital and have distilleries and also breweries and wineries here that we love,” she said. One popular tour takes visitors around the city and explains its whiskey history dating back to the 1920s, including a notorious gangster era. The tour ends with a visit to JK Distillery and its new facilities and, inevitably, a sip or two of their product.

Groups can arrange for outings and meetings at Peoria’s Dozer Park.

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March 2017

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A Mississippi Original

Photos courtesy Visit Tupelo

By Savannah Osbourn

Above: Groups can hold events in the galleries at the Tupelo Automobile Museum.

Left: Elvis Presley Birthplace memorializes the man that made Tupelo famous.

T U P E L O , M I S S I S S I P P I LOCATION Northwest Mississippi ACCESS Tupelo Regional Airport; state highways 45 and 78 MAJOR MEETING SPACES BancorpSouth Conference Center, BancorpSouth Arena, Tupelo Furniture Market, Belden Center HOTEL ROOMS 1,800 OFF-SITE VENUES The Antler, Elvis Presley Event Center CONTACT INFO Visit Tupelo 800-533-0611 www.tupelo.net

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Destination Showcase

s the birthplace of Elvis Presley, Tupelo, Mississippi, holds a rich history of live music, historic buildings and more than 160 restaurants, creating a great setting for meeting groups to relax at the end of the day.

“Whatever food you like, we have it here,” said Jennie Bradford Curlee, public relations and international sales director at the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Located in northeast Mississippi, Tupelo sits between Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama, with access from southern Mississippi by way of State Highway 45.

The historic Natchez Trace Parkway intersects the city, marking the Old Natchez Trace trail, a 444-mile scenic drive, in addition to hosting other outdoor activities like horseback riding, hiking and boating.

Managed by the National Park Service, the land is considered an All-American Road as well as one of the top 10 national parks in the country.

In town, planners will find everything they need to organize unforgettable events, with original venues like the Gumtree Museum of Art, the Tupelo Furniture Market and the Tupelo Automobile Museum, where visitors can survey a $10 million collection of vintage cars in mint condition. Before he became the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Presley was just a boy from Tupelo, and attendees can enjoy a reception on the property of his childhood home, which features a museum, an event center and a theater.

The Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau also works with planners to ensure a smooth experience, coordinating city tours, shuttle buses, promotional giveaways, welcome bags and site visits.

Lodging options include the Holiday Inn and Suites, the Fairfield Inn and Suites, and the Hilton Garden Inn, which connects directly to the conference center.

“All hotels are within a 10- to 15-minute drive of major meeting facilities,” said Curlee.

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Courtesy Belle Mer

BancorpSouth Conference Center

Tupelo Automobile Museum

Adjacent to the Hilton Garden Inn in Tupelo’s historic downtown, the BancorpSouth Conference Center features eight meeting rooms and complimentary parking.

Next door, the BancorpSouth Arena has 32,000 square feet of space, seating up to 10,000 guests. The space can accommodate a variety of events and programs, with movable wall dividers, wall-to-wall carpeting and a built-in sound system. There are 1,300 on-site parking spots, as well.

One of the city’s most original attractions is the Tupelo Automobile Museum, which features more than 100 antique and classic automobiles. Spanning nearly a century of car design and engineering, the collection contains everything from an 1886 Benz to a 1994 Dodge Viper and a Lincoln previously owned by Presley. Planners can also use the grounds for after-hours events or receptions.

The Antler

Elvis Presley Birthplace

Surrounded by oak and pecan trees, The Antler provides a relaxed and rustic meeting space alongside a lake. Planners can choose from three event venues on the 65-acre private farm, each featuring modern amenities and elegant Southern decor.

Guests can step through the cobblestone entrance of Grey Manor to find wrought-iron chandeliers in the 2,200 square feet space or admire French-style chandeliers in the 6,500-square-foot Grand Hall. The Cottage is a 3,000-square-foot cabin with four rooms that can serve as a cozy setting for smaller groups.

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The Elvis Presley Birthplace is more than just an attraction; it offers meeting groups a wide range of amenities and activities. The Event Center features 2,500 square feet of space that can be divided for private meetings using an air wall. It contains a boardroom, audiovisual equipment and a full-service kitchen for catering. There is also a 126-seat theater in the facility that is often used for performances and movies.

After a meeting, attendees can tour the two-room home where the King spent most of his childhood and view the private collection of murals, exhibits and artifacts in the Elvis Presley Museum. Other highlights of the 15-acre grounds are an “Elvis at 13” statue, Presley’s childhood church and a story wall detailing his life.

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Dreams Alive in the Tennessee Smokies

By Kristy Alpert

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ew destinations have been as wildly underestimated as the Great Smoky Mountains have been throughout history. When the logging era of the 1900s threatened to destroy the area’s forests and disrupt its settlers, a few resilient men fought to reclaim the land. On September 2, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself dedicated the land as a national park. No one believed that the daughter of an Appalachian tobacco farmer would ever be known beyond the hills of Tennessee, but in 2011, that same little girl, Dolly Parton, walked across the stage to receive her Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

So when the 2016 wildfires raged through the forests of Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it was easy for the rest of the world to write off the resort area as a lost cause.

But again, the region defied the odds, as Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa stood untouched by the fires and acted as a safe refuge for the many teams of firefighters and locals who came to fight the fires in the weeks following the flames.

The Dollywood DreamMore Resort was based on Parton’s

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Hospitality Showcase

Photos courtesy Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort

longtime dream of being able to share the unmatched hospitality and unassuming charm of the Smokies with guests from around the world. Her dream was that the resort would become a retreat for families and groups looking to gather together and enjoy the beauty and adventure of the area. In July 2015, her dream was realized when the resort opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, adjacent to the Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country water park.

Today, the resort features 300 rooms and suites, an indoor and outdoor resort pool complex, a spa, a full-service farmhousestyle restaurant and 6,000 square feet of indoor meeting space that acts as the home base for many events and meetings. Guests are greeted by a wrap-around porch lined with wooden rocking chairs and enjoy access to complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, as well as exclusive privileges at the nearby parks, including complimentary door-to-door transportation. The resort’s amenities and stunning location make it a wonderful all-in-one destination for gathering with friends, colleagues and loved ones.

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Dollywood DreamMore Resort Meeting Space The meeting venues at the Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa are spread among a series of indoor and outdoor areas that can host events for anywhere from 10 to 500 guests. The interior meeting space is dedicated in a wing on the lobby level of the resort and features three flexible meeting spaces and a boardroom totaling 6,000 square feet. The Falls can hold up to 170 guests, the Peaks can hold up to 170 guests, and the Skies can hold up to 110 guests. The Eagle Boardroom is perfect for small meetings of up to 12 guests. The outdoor areas include the Event Lawn for up to 500 guests and the Barn for up to 75 guests.

Location Pigeon Forge, Tennessee Size 300 rooms Meeting Space 6,000 square feet of flexible space Access 35 miles southeast of Knoxville at the gateway of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Contact Info 865-365-1900 www.dollywood.com/resort

After Events The perks for DreamMore guests start with Dollywood park privileges, which include free transportation to both Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country, a free TimeSaver pass for each resort guest, early Saturday entrance for guests at Dollywood, early ride privileges on Saturday and delivery of personal purchases made at the park to the guest’s overnight room. Guests also have access to all the activities and offerings for families. S’mores by the fire pit and bedtime stories are nightly activities year-round, and summer fireworks light up the sky each night from June through August. The resort’s event staff will put together individualized entertainment options for groups that could include anything from a zip-line package to a spa package and even scavenger hunts for all age groups.

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Left: Music and art are calling cards of Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort.

Right: The Resort grounds feature numerous spots for indoor and outdoor gatherings.

Opposite page: The decor of Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort reflects the heritage of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains.

Culinary Guests of the Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa can take advantage of three on-site dining facilities: the Song and Hearth Restaurant, which serves Southern favorites; the DM Pantry, which serves Starbucks coffee and delicious sandwiches, salads and pastries; and the Lounge, a casual space that features a full menu of meals, snacks and drinks. But meetings and event guests are in for a treat, as the culinary team prepares made-from-scratch menu items tailored to each occasion. The menus emphasize Southern favorites such as classic cookouts and organic stuffed chicken breast, and beverage offerings include homemade pink lemonade and sweet tea. Alcohol is available upon request.

Extras The three meeting spaces on the hotel’s lobby level are all connected by a large prefunction space that serves as a registration area or a place to retreat for refreshments between meetings. Each of the meeting rooms is furnished with a retractable 15-foot-wide screen and a suspended LCD projector, and features private terraces and movable dividers that can break the room into smaller spaces. The resort offers a number of other breakout locations that work well for informal conversations, including the storytelling amphitheater, the living room and the numerous rocking chairs lined on the porch.

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‘Darling of Columbia’

By Kristy Alpert he evening of October 5, 1928, was more than just the first time the Missouri Theatre opened its doors to an eager crowd of theatergoers. To many historians and patrons of the arts, that evening marked the exact date the theater came to life.

Over the years, the Missouri Theatre has been referred to as an “unrivaled beauty,” as a “magnificent splendor” and even as the “darling of Columbia.”

The theater was designed by the Boller Brothers Architects of Kansas City, and it operated as a vaudeville house, welcoming performances by Bob Hope and the Missouri Rocket Girls, better known nowadays as the Radio City Rockettes, until 1953, when it began showing movies as a single-screen movie theater. In 1973, the Baroque-style theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role as Missouri’s only remaining pre-Depression-era movie palace and vaudeville stage. In 2007, the Missouri Symphony Society began to restore the facility to its former glory, a project that culminated in a grand concert by Tony Bennett, who’s inspiring performance would set the stage for the theater’s star-studded future.

The restoration brought the theater into the modern age in a way that made it possible for it to host new acts and welcome groups for events and meetings while still preserving many of its most-cherished details. Today, groups can gather beneath the original Belgian-marble wainscoting and authentic plaster reliefs and gaze up at the stainedglass art panels and stunning 1,800-pound Italian chandelier that have

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Venue Showcase

Photos courtesy University of Missouri

Above: Furnishings throughout the Missouri Theatre hearken back to its 1930s heyday.

Left: The theater’s main auditorium offers seating for 1,200.

both hung in the same place since the theater’s inception.

The Missouri Theatre is owned and operated by the University of Missouri, which rents the space to meetings groups for receptions and performances either inside or on the theater’s rooftop deck. The theater’s prime location in the heart of The District, Columbia’s thriving downtown area, makes it a great venue for meeting groups, as attendees can easily visit the dozens of restaurants, shops and bars nearby while also enjoying Columbia’s robust public-art collection.

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Meeting Space

Missouri Theatre LOCATION

Although the entire Missouri Theatre building is available for rent for events and meetings, planners can also reserve a section of the theater for more intimate gatherings at a rate of $150 per hour with a four-hour minimum. The main auditorium seats 1,200 guests, and the other meeting spaces of the building are the Patio, which seats up to 140

guests at tables and holds up to 300 standing; the Grand Foyer and Locust Street Lounge, which seats up to 130 guests at tables and holds up to 400 standing; the Missouri Theatre Lounge, which holds up to 100 guests standing; and the Stage, which seats up to 80 guests at tables and holds up to 150 standing.

Catering

Columbia, Missouri

TYPE OF VENUE Off-site, theater

CAPACITY 1,200

NEARBY ACCOMMODATIONS The Broadway Columbia: A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel

CONTACT INFO 573-884-9044

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University Catering and Event Services handles the culinary program for meetings and events held at the Missouri Theatre, where its menus range from casual boxed lunches to elaborate seven-course candlelit dinners set up onstage or on the rooftop patio. The theater allows outside catering vendors, but meeting groups would miss out on deli-

cious items such as tea-smoked duck with honey five-spice butter and apple on croustade, the vegetarian ravioli in basil cream sauce, and the decadent tiger brownies with caramel and pecans. Alcohol is allowed if arranged and licensed through University Catering and Event Services.

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Entertainment The Missouri Theatre is not only one of the most beautiful buildings in the state but also the hub of mid-Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performing arts. The theater has been called the cultural living room of Columbia, since it regularly draws visitors from at least a 50-mile radius to see names like Kristin Chenoweth, David Sedaris and

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An 1,800-pound Italian chandelier has hung in the Missouri Theater since its opening in 1928.

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Venue Showcase

Kris Kristofferson light up the stage. There are events occurring at the theater year-round, and a schedule of upcoming events, concerts and more can be found at www.concertseries.org. For offsite entertainment, the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau helps to arrange group activities, meals, entertainment and more.

stage

Meeting at the Missouri Theatre is about more than just reserving a great space, and groups will have the chance to arrange exclusive backstage tours with a knowledgeable host before, during or after their events. The tour uncovers highlights like the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dressing rooms and gives details on littleknown facts about the history of

the building, like how the central chandelier weighs 1,800 pounds and has more than 200 lightbulbs illuminating its sparkling crystal finish. After the tour, guests are ushered across the same wooden beams that have acted as the stage for many of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest artists over the past decades.

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Ohio’s Suburban Scenery

By Rachel Carter

Courtesy Rossford CVB

The Bass Pro Shops in Rossford can arrange demos and events for small groups.

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h i o ’s suburbs are close to international airports for easy fly-in access and crossed by interstates for convenient arrivals by automobile.

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Sure, suburbs are usually less expensive, but they still offer all the same amenities as their big-city counterparts — and even more. Only in Ohio’s suburbs will planners find venues with rolling rows of grapevines, views of a Lake Erie lighthouse or a sculpture park where they can meet in a pyramid-shaped house.

Rossford The city of Rossford sits just across the Maumee River from downtown Toledo, making it Toledo’s closest suburb. At the crossroads of Interstate 75 and the Ohio Turnpike, four hotels form a sort of mini hotel district, and “all work together,” said Beth Genson, executive director of the Rossford Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Hampton Inn and Suites has a 1,300-square-foot divisible meeting room, and the CVB once helped arrange an evening reception where attendees went from hotel to hotel.

Rossford’s big news is Project RED, short for Rossford Entertainment District. Across the street from the Hollywood Casino Toledo, plans are in the works for a new mixed-use development that will include a 150room hotel with a conference center, slated for spring 2019, as well as restaurants and retail space. The nearby

Lake View Banquet Facility can accommodate about 200 people.

Owens Community College’s Center for Fine and Performing Arts has a 526-seat theater for presentations, speakers and movies, and the center’s glasswalled rotunda is popular for receptions.

Two recently opened air domes — Total Sports Complex and the Soccer Centre — are also available for events. With a liquor license and its own food truck, Total Sports hosts after-hours events and team-building challenges. Groups can also take a behind-thescenes tour at Bass Pro Shops, where the CVB can sponsor a fudge tasting. www.visitrossfordohio.com

Dublin Dublin, Ohio, plays up its connections to Dublin, Ireland, but the city is much more closely associated with the city of Columbus. Dublin straddles the banks of the Scioto River just 17 miles northwest of downtown Columbus.

Dublin is home to three full-service conference hotels that can each accommodate events for about 300 people, said Pat King, national sales manager for the

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Courtesy Butler Co. VB

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Butler County has numerous meeting spaces for groups.

Dublin Convention and Visitors Bureau. The 306-room Marriott, the 284-room Embassy Suites by Hilton and the 215-room Crowne Plaza each offer about 13,000 square feet of function space.

But what “we are most excited about” is the new Bridge Park development under construction across the river from downtown. The project will include a 19,000-square-foot conference facility, called The Exchange at Bridge Park, that will connect to an adjacent 150-room AC Hotel by Marriott. The Exchange will have an event courtyard and a 9,000-square-foot ballroom and “will be the largest meeting venue in Dublin,” King said. Plans also call for a pedestrian bridge over the river connecting historic downtown to the development’s new restaurants, pubs, shops and green space.

To incorporate some Irish flair into meetings, planners can rent an entire floor of the three-story Brazenhead Irish Pub, styled after the oldest pub in Ireland, or reserve the 200-person Manor Hall at the Golf Club of Dublin, where French doors open to the Celtic Patio and views of the rolling greens. www.irishisanattitude.com

Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Falls is located only five miles north of downtown Akron, but the city also sits on the edge of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the state’s only national park.

Located between town and country, the community is “really close to so many amazing assets,” said Jim Mahon, vice president of marketing and brand management for the Akron/Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Ohio Meeting Guide

Sandwiched between downtown’s Front Street pedestrian mall and the Cuyahoga River, the Sheraton Suites recently renovated its 209 guest rooms and 14 meeting spaces, including the 4,600-square-foot ballroom. The glass walls of Beau’s on the River restaurant and lounge “jut out a little bit over the river,” dishing up great views of the city’s namesake falls, Mahon said.

A few miles northwest of downtown Cuyahoga Falls, a cluster of three venues offer interesting options. The Blossom Music Center, summer home to the Cleveland Orchestra, is an amphitheater with a 5,700-seat pavilion and space for another 13,000 people on the surrounding lawn. On the same property, Kent State University’s Porthouse Theatre is a 500-person outdoor covered venue that’s available for private events and meeting groups. Across the street, Sarah’s Vineyard is “one of only a handful of wineries that fall within a national park,” Mahon said. The winery has a tasting room and several event spaces, including a loft, a garden and a new outdoor covered pavilion with a stone fireplace. www.visitakron-summit.org

Butler County Butler County is one of Ohio’s fastest-growing regions, “so we are a little different than some suburbs because we can offer really high-level amenities as well as a great college town and the rural areas in between,” said Margaret O’Gorman, tourism development manager for the Butler County Visitors Bureau.

Hamilton is the county seat and the largest city, with about 65,000 residents; Oxford is home to Miami

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University. With 4,000 hotel rooms and a strong presence for corporations, the region appeals to groups that “are interested in being in the Cincinnati area but don’t necessarily want to be all the way downtown,” she said.

Centre Park of West Chester opened in December 2015 with a 130-room Holiday Inn and a 20,300-squarefoot event center with a 9,300-square-foot ballroom.

The 295-room Cincinnati Marriott North is the county’s largest hotel and has 12,900 square feet of function space. Also in West Chester Township, the Four Points

by Sheraton, formerly the Wingate by Wyndham, has more than 4,600 square feet in five meeting rooms.

The Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park offers a variety of event venues, including a 300-person outdoor pavilion, a lodge that can seat 130 and the park’s signature pyramid-shaped house. Groups can explore the 6.5-acre Jungle Jim’s International Market, with more than 150,000 food and specialty products, and even gather at the adjacent Oscar Event Center. www.gettothebc.com

Lorain County To get from downtown Cleveland to the famous amusement park Cedar Point in Sandusky, one must drive through Lorain County, which sits squarely between the two. Its northern border hugs 25 miles of Lake Erie’s shoreline and, to the south, is rural farmland and rolling countryside, said Jen Kennedy, interim director for Visit Lorain County.

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The county’s largest meeting venue is the John A. Spitzer Conference Center at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, the county’s second-largest city after Lorain. The center’s 68,000 square feet of flexible space covers 25 conference spaces that range from small boardrooms to a 1,000-seat lecture hall. Also in Elyria, the Lorain County Transportation Center is a restored historic train depot turned event venue with a 2,360-square-foot meeting room that can be combined with the 1,150-square-foot, two-story rotunda.

In Oberlin, Oberlin College is known for its music conservatory and for being a key stop on the Underground Railroad before slaves crossed the Canadian border to freedom. Groups can customize music experiences or historic tours to complement their meetings at The Hotel at Oberlin, which opened this past summer with 6,500 square feet of function space.

The school’s new jazz club-like music venue, the Birenbaum Innovation and Performance Space, opened in February beneath the hotel. Lake Erie’s wine region also offers many vineyard venues, including Vermillion Valley Vineyards and the Matus Winery.

At Lakeview Park on the shores of Lake Erie, Sunset Terrace is a refurbished 1920s bathhouse available for events. Guests can enjoy views of Lorain Lighthouse through the lake-facing wall of windows or sit on the back deck “and watch the waves roll in,” Kennedy said. www.visitloraincounty.com

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Ohio After Dark

By Rachel Carter

Courtesy National Packard Museum

The National Packard Museum in Warren makes an elegant setting for after-hours events.

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f t e r hours: The very word conjures up something sort of special, exclusive, VIP. After the Akron Zoo closes to the public for the day, groups can get up close to many animals that are more active at night.

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When the Dayton Art Institute shuts its doors for the evening, it opens up possibilities for private-event guests to have the galleries all to themselves. When the Armstrong Air and Space Museum turns off the lights, groups find themselves in a sea of stars.

Here are some distinctive options for memorable after-hours events in cities and towns throughout Ohio.

National Packard Museum Warren The first Packard automobile was built in Warren in 1899. At the city’s National Packard Museum, visitors can see Packards spanning the manufacturer’s history, from a 1900 Model B, the company’s earliest known production car, to the 1956 Packard Caribbean Hardtop, a model from the same year the last Packard rolled off the line in Detroit.

But its jewel is a 1937 Twelve Roadster that was donated to the museum in July. The car is “absolutely gorgeous and also totally top of line for that year,” said Christine Bobco, assistant director of operations for the museum. The glossy black sedan has a red pinstripe and gleaming red leather upholstery, and “people come in just to see that car sometimes.”

Ohio Meeting Guide

Groups can use the museum after hours for banquets, receptions and other events set among the historic cars. The Great Hall, which houses newer models from the Detroit years, can accommodate about 250 people for a seated meal or more for standing receptions. In the smaller Legacy Gallery, visitors will find earlier models, including some that were made at the Warren factory between 1899 and 1903. Groups often use the space to complement the larger Great Hall; for example, setting up cookie tables or a silent auction in the Legacy Gallery and having their meal in the Great Hall, Bobco said. Out back, a large, fenced courtyard is ideal for event tents, food trucks and barbecues. www.packardmuseum.org

Armstrong Air and Space Museum Wapakoneta Not many meeting spaces give groups a chance to ride in a replica lunar rover or try their hand at docking the Gemini VIII spacecraft. At the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, hometown of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, visitors can do both and more.

For after-hours events, groups can rent the entire museum or use designated spaces. The Modern Space

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Gallery can seat 50 people for meals, and in the 80-person, domed Astro Theater, groups can enjoy a projection of the night sky, watch a movie about the Eagle’s descent to the moon or use it for presentations, speakers and other films. The museum also has a party room for about 25 and an outdoor covered pavilion that can seat about 100.

Groups can take guided tours, or the center can have docents stationed among the galleries, said Christopher Moynihan, director of programming and education. Visitors will see two of Armstrong’s space suits: one he wore for 11 hours while in the Gemini VIII capsule, and the other was one of his two Apollo spacesuits; each of the Apollo suits weighed 190 pounds on Earth but only 32 pounds on the moon.

The museum also houses the Gemini VIII space capsule, as well as a moon rock from the Apollo 11 moon landing. Guests can try three flight simulators: lunar landing, shuttle landing or Gemini VIII spaceship docking. Planners can arrange to have the replica lunar rover on display outside or even offer guests short rides, weather permitting. www.armstrongmuseum.org

Akron Zoo Akron Visiting the zoo is already a wild experience, but going after it’s closed for the evening is even more special. At the Akron Zoo, groups can have the entire zoo open after hours with all the animals on display, “so the entire zoo is open just for you,” said Elena Bell, marketing and group sales manager. Planners can also have the zoo’s train and carousel running on an hourly basis to give unlimited rides to attendees.

“Basically, you and your group are the only ones here at the zoo,” she said.

The Komodo Kingdom building is perfect for banquets or fundraisers, especially in the winter, Bell said. Inside, the cafe can seat 150 people for meals, and visitors can dine next to Komodo dragons, the world’s largest lizard species, or see the rain forest exhibit that features a Galapagos tortoise. The zoo is adding a new exhibit in the building, slated to open June 3, called “Curious Creatures,” which will feature interesting animals with strange adaptations, such as flashlight fish and naked mole rats.

In the Lehner Family Zoo Gardens, guests won’t find any animals, but they will find landscaped gardens and fountains. The space can accommodate about 150 for receptions, or the indoor building can seat 50 for meals. For any event, groups can add an animal encounter to get up close to one of the zoo’s education animals, such as a bird, a snake or an armadillo. www.akronzoo.org

March 2017

Courtesy Armstrong Air and Space Museum

Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit sits on display at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum.

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Dayton Art Institute Dayton

Courtesy Akron Zoo

Meeting attendees love unlimited carousel rides after hours at the Akron Zoo.

Sitting on a hill overlooking downtown Dayton and the Miami River, the Dayton Art Institute is a landmark. The building, completed in 1930, was modeled after a 16th-century Italian villa and is a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum has plenty of event spaces during the day, but after it closes to the public for the evening, groups have their pick of spaces and can mingle among artwork in galleries.

The museum’s art and exhibits can be just as much a part of a gathering as the event itself.

Attendees can look around and go through the galleries, which can stay open for the first couple hours or during the entire event, said Beth DeVilbiss, museum events associate. The museum can also provide docent-led tours or just have docents available in the galleries to answer guests’ questions.

The Shaw Gothic Cloister is one of the museum’s main event spaces for after-hours events. The hexagonal room features columns that rise to a cathedral ceiling, at the center of which is a glass skylight. The space can seat up to 250 guests for meals or host up to 575 for receptions. Hale Cloister is an outdoor grass courtyard with a fountain that can accommodate about 250 people for a cocktail reception. The Great Hall, which connects to the galleries, can seat 100 for banquets; receptions with up to 250 guests can book the General Motors Entrance Rotunda; and presentations often use the 478-seat auditorium. www.daytonartinstitute.org

The Met Lima The 1880 Metropolitan Block building is an icon in downtown Lima. The impressive brick building features massive windows, a gabled roofline and a turret that climbs all five of the building’s stories. It’s also home to The Met, a restaurant and bar that recently reopened after wrapping up a two-month renovation project. Crews expanded the dining room to add 70 seats and expanded the kitchen to serve the larger dining area and to offer more menu items.

The restaurant has two options for group gatherings and private dining; both play up the historic character of the building.

The BackRoom has a 19th-century warehouse vibe with exposed brick and industrial-style lighting and is the site of the first elevator in Lima. The space, which can seat 49 people for dinner, is separate from the bar and completely private for groups.

Located next to the main dining area, The Lounge fronts the street and the restaurant’s outdoor dining area. The Lounge was originally part of the Met Bank in the 1880s and still features the original tin ceilings. The Lounge can seat 20 for meals or 40 for cocktail receptions, can be made private or semiprivate, or can be left open for events. www.themet306.com

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Ohio Meeting Guide

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LET’S START PLANNING JOHN S. KNIGHT CENTER | AKRON, OH

15 Minutes Away From CAK

Staff Is 87% Friendlier Than The Other Guys

8 Out Of 10 Visitors Rate Food “Excellent”

40 Minutes Away From CLE

99% Chance Of A Successful Event*

(the other 2 think it’s “Really Good”)

JOHN S. KNIGHT CENTER

123,000 Square Feet For Convening, Collaborating, Dining and Even Dancing.

279 Combined Years Of Employee Service

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Whether it’s a one-night event or week-long conference, our professional staff at the John S. Knight Center is here to ensure a top-notch experience both inside and out.

Call 330.374.8900, 800.245.4254 or visit johnsknightcenter.org for information and to reserve your space.

AKRON, OH

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