Moving to the Middle

Convention and association groups that meet in the middle of the country often do so for two reasons: Midwest meetings are affordable for both organizers and attendees, and they are easy to get to. Midwestern cities also feature compact downtowns, making them walkable and reducing, if not completely eliminating, transportation requirements for both planners and attendees. It's no surprise, then, that Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and, increasingly, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, are hot spots for groups.

Souped-Up Indy

With much new infrastructure, members of the local hospitality community are gearing up excitedly for Indy's potential future as a top host for national association meetings and citywide conventions.

"People love Indy when they get here; the challenge is we're not always at the top of the 'places to see' list," admits Shannon Gardner, president of Accent on Indianapolis, a destination management company, which produces corporate and association client events and activities in the city.

But now, anticipating an influx of larger meetings in the city, Garder intends to increase her staff and seek out clients she previously didn't target. She explains, "We are fortunate to be part of the DMC Network, a consortium of DMCs in the U.S. and Canada. We've been talking to colleagues in bigger markets. With [next year's planned convention center] expansion and opportunity to service larger groups, we are discovering more and more common clients."

Tracy Povolock, director of operations at DMCIndy, expects more and bigger-scale receptions and galas, VIP events, and team-building activities from larger and more diverse groups. Povolock says DMCIndy's experience in working with various group segments, including international, corporate, association, and incentive, will attract buyers to its services.

Both Gardner and Povolock credit the 1,005-room JW Marriott Indianapolis—the final and signature piece of the four-property, 1,626-room Marriott Place Indianapolis complex with 104,000 sf of group space—with serving as a strategic asset in attracting the national-level group market. "They're not just filling up their own property but looking at the big picture and what will impact the entire city in terms of citywide convention groups," Gardner says.

But what makes Indianapolis attractive to nearly all types of groups is its accessibility. The city is said to be within a day's drive for half of the U.S. population.

Shannon Kiley, events planner for Warrendale, PA-based Association for Iron & Steel Technology, of which most members are located in the Rust Belt, chose Indianapolis for the 6,000-attendee AISTech 2011 – The Iron & Steel Technology Conference & Exposition. It will be the group's second time in the city. Says Kiley: "It's easy driving distance for a lot of attendees, and it's a very walkable city, with the hotels being connected to the convention center. We got a really good response in 2007 from attendees, who really liked the sky bridges and didn't need their cars."

Taking this feature further, Indianapolis boasts a network of pedestrian bridges that connect its entire downtown core of hotels with the convention center and the Circle Centre shopping and entertainment arcade. The convention center connects to Lucas Oil Stadium by an underground passageway. The system of covered walkways makes late fall and winter dates not only feasible, but comfortable, for meeting- and convention-goers, and that is part of the draw for planners.

The Ease of Cincinnati

Cincinnati has a similar, if smaller, network of second-story skywalks that protect attendees from the elements while moving to and from hotels and the Duke Energy Convention Center. But the riverfront city boasts the requisite bang for the buck planners need for themselves and their constituents in fiscally uncertain times.

Melissa Magestro, show director at Milwaukee-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers, who planned the 6,200-attendee World of Asphalt 2010 Show & Conference last February at the 750,000-sf Duke Energy Convention Center, says, "The thing I liked about Cincinnati's downtown was that it was connected by skywalks, so my attendees didn't have to fumble with jackets. Everything was walkable and convenient. It also had the accessibility and the affordability in a down economy."

It was the first time AEM staged the trade show in the Midwest, in a colder clime. But Magestro says the show's management committee selected Cincinnati several years ago for 2010 because it wanted a more central and driveable location.

The result was the best-attended World of Asphalt ever, says Magestro, setting records for both education session tickets and exhibit space sold. "Being in this part of the country allowed more contractors and producers of asphalt and aggregate products from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana to drive in and attend," she notes. "The exhibitors were extremely pleased by the amount and quality of people who attended."

Magestro also commended the convention center, managed by Global Spectrum, and her hotel partners in planning the Cincy show: "They were excellent to work with and very responsive to my needs. For example, we had some challenges getting [exhibitors'] equipment from the marshaling yard to the building. The convention center staff worked directly with the Cincinnati Police Department to resolve those problems."

Tammy Seldon, director of conferences and membership for Lake Anna, VA-based Giant Screen Cinema Association, a trade group of IMAX theater operators, filmmakers, and industry suppliers, planned a day event in Cincinnati as a part of the annual GSCA International Conference and Trade Show held in Indianapolis last September. The association held Dome Day at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal to showcase that venue's dome-shaped IMAX theater to a group of 150 IMAX industry members. While Seldon and GSCA's selection of Cincinnati and the museum was for an industry-related reason, she praised the destination and the historic former train station as an off-site venue. "It's gorgeous, and our members were thrilled to visit it," she says.

David Freeman, president of Accent on Cincinnati and a DMC Network partner, says aside from its central location and budget-friendliness, Cincinnati is blessed with scenic rolling hills and valleys, combined with a compact downtown core and a plethora of off-site activities that can add sparkle to meetings.

One of Freeman's go-to venues for group dinners and presentations for 50 to 300 attendees is the Great American Ball Park, which houses the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum. It can be used with a baseball game or with a standalone event, as planners prefer. "The bookend to that is Paul Brown Stadium, which has a gorgeous view of the city and can do nice events," Freeman says of the home of the NFL's Bengals close-by. "They have nongameday tours."

Another option he recommends and often uses is sightseeing tours on the Ohio River on an old-time paddlewheel riverboat, followed by dinner on a cruise yacht.

As the Fountain Square enclave in downtown—two blocks from the convention center—continues to grow with hip bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, and the first phase of an $800 million vitalization project of the central riverfront area between the two sports stadiums takes shape this year, Freeman says group visitors will witness a new vibrancy in Cincinnati.

"When The Banks is finished with the final piece—a casino, in 2012—it will absolutely enhance the product Cincy has to offer to clients," he notes of the 45-acre Riverfront Park, restaurants, and retail space involved in the mixed-use project.

Oklahoma City & Tulsa

Further west, basketball is quickly becoming Oklahoma City's claim to fame. In 2008, the city got its very own NBA franchise, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and earlier this year, the first and second rounds of the NCAA March Madness tournament were held at the Ford Center. The event brought 80,000 visitors to the city and resulted in 10,000 roomnights and 2,700 peak room-nights for area hotels, while showcasing the city's ability to accommodate large events.

"We are thrilled to have the NCAA back in Oklahoma City," says Mike Carrier, president of the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It is always exciting to host a national sporting event to show the country that Oklahoma City is a true sports destination. We have so much to offer ranging from basketball at the Ford Center to rowing events on the Oklahoma River."

No city is more closely identified with the legendary Route 66 than Tulsa. Stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 has been immortalized by Nat King Cole's 1946 hit song. Today, groups can get their kicks at Tulsa's Route 66 revitalization, including the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza.

Known as the "Father of Route 66," Avery lobbied Congress in 1926 to make "The Main Street of America" a national highway—which means Tulsa can claim to be the birthplace of the historic route.

For a more modern experience, groups can try the BOK Center, Tulsa's state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue. Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the center's 18,500 permanent and retractable seats will attract major entertainment.

Originally published Aug. 1, 2010

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