Atlantic City's Meetings Attractions Grow

Atlantic City, NJ, is about much more than gaming these days, and that's a great thing for groups. Retail, dining, entertainment, spas, golf, and its legendary beach are a few of this city's draws, with lots of new developments and attractions to beckon planners to this destination.

Jim Wood, president and CEO of Meet AC, says that since founding the nonprofit in 2014 to jumpstart the city's meetings and conventions industry, "the meetings business has just exploded in a very positive way in terms of increases year-over-year."

In turn, Atlantic City resorts have made significant investments in meeting spaces and more. "This has been all within the last two years," adds Wood. "We have become very aggressive toward the meetings business and that's why we have seen this growth."

Harrah's Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center was what drew in UniPro Foodservice, a major foodservice distribution cooperative, based in Atlanta, to Atlantic City for its conference of about 1,400 people.

"This facility is helping rejuvenate Atlantic City as a convention destination. I -- along with my senior executives -- was skeptical at first until we made a visit, and then it was just a matter of days before we signed the contract," says Dave Fowler, director of meeting and conventions for UniPro Foodservice. "Atlantic City as a destination, with Harrah's, works very well. You are self-contained with a great space-to-rooms ratio and if you house your attendees in the tower closest to the meeting space, they will not have to walk through the casino."

Not only was Fowler impressed with Harrah's, but Meet AC as well. "The city knows how to handle large groups in a way that makes them feel as though they are the only thing in town. The destination still has an image issue and getting the word out that there is a new Atlantic City is paramount to its success and the success of Harrah's."

Fowler isn't the only meeting professional Harrah's has impressed. The property, as well as the entire destination, was in the spotlight last June during the 2016 World Education Congress (WEC) of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) which attracted 2,000 attendees.

With an estimated cost of $125.8 million, the facility features a 100,000-square-foot conference center with two 50,000-square-foot pillarless ballrooms that can be configured 63 different ways, part of a complex that includes the 2,590-room Harrah's Atlantic City.

"Many of our attendees had never visited Atlantic City before, so experiencing WEC in the destination was truly eye-opening for them to see all of the possibilities and options for their own meetings and events," explains Matthew Marcial, CAE, CMP, MPI's vice president of education and events. "Attendees were surprised to see that Atlantic City is now really more than just a gaming destination and that with investments being made, such as Harrah's Waterfront Conference Center, the destination and its partners have gotten serious about the impact of meetings."

Dining and nightlife venues, and even the Viking Cooking School at Harrah's, were bustling during WEC. "Restaurants, nightlife, and shopping, all within walking distance, offer great variety for conference attendees," adds Marcial.

 

Highlights of the conference included the opening night reception at Bally's Atlantic City Beach Bar, with more than 20 local restaurants offering samples of their cuisine, the Atlantic Ocean roaring as the backdrop. After the reception, the city's familiar rolling chairs were waiting to transport attendees to the Steel Pier, where they went on rides and tried their luck at games of chance.

Another evening featured Train, the Grammy award--winning band best known for its songs "Hey, Soul Sister," and "Drops of Jupiter," which performed at WAV, the lavish indoor nightclub on Atlantic City's waterfront at The Playground Pier at Caesars. This 20,000-square-foot mega-club opened last March with 200,000 watts of sound, 2.5 million pixels of LED walls, and an eye-popping light system.

Limited air service at Atlantic City International Airport is mitigated by the fact that the Philadelphia International Airport is about an hour away. "We were able to work with our partners at Meet AC to flawlessly execute roundtrip ground transportation," recalls Marcial.

The lack of air service was an obstacle Fowler too, had to overcome. "As a planner, airport location is always a concern and this was a monumental one. Right off the bat, when we started promoting the conference, we stressed that transportation was going to be provided. The fact that the CVB made it a seamless experience was the biggest surprise. Then the check-in at the hotel couldn't have been more efficient. And trust me, we've been to Vegas before and that is usually not the case."

Many attendees don't need to fly at all as Atlantic City is within driving distance of one third of the U.S. population.

Building on the success of the Waterfront Conference Center, Harrah's Atlantic City is undergoing a $30 million guest room and suite renovation, to be completed before the beginning of this summer. The room and suite upgrades are part of Caesars Entertainment's total investment of $200 million into its Atlantic City casino resorts, and also includes work on nightlife destination The Pool After Dark, the resort's fitness center, and its upscale food court. The Pool After Dark at Harrah's Resort, site of the closing-night reception during WEC, is getting a multimillion-dollar facelift. Slated to open in early March, The Pool will have a new stage, elevated DJ booth with an LED video wall, updated sound system, a redesigned loft gaming area, new cabanas, daybeds, and lounge furniture, and refreshed Jacuzzis and pool.

Its sister property, Caesars Palace Atlantic City, has 28,000 square feet of meeting space that includes the 17,135-square-foot Palladium Ballroom as well as the 10 interchangeable meeting rooms that measure from 490 to 1,262 square feet. The Circus Maximus Theater is a unique venue for over 1,500 guests.

Scheduled to open in the spring, Borgata will be adding 25,000 square feet of conference space to accommodate additional meetings and conventions, dubbing it the Central Conference Center. Still in the planning phase, the space will include two levels, and feature a 7,000-square-foot ballroom, four meeting rooms, a boardroom, office, and pre-function area on each level.    

Located in Atlantic City's Marina District, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa offers 2,000 guest rooms and suites; 161,000 square feet of gaming; five fine-dining restaurants by renowned chefs; a 54,000-square-foot spa; and 70,000 square feet of event space. The resort also features Atlantic City's first cosmopolitan hotel experience -- The Water Club at Borgata, with 800 guest rooms and suites; a 36,000-square-foot spa; and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.

Resorts Casino Hotel, managed by Mohegan Gaming Advisors, has a new $9.4 million conference center that consists of 12,000 square feet spread over 12 rooms. This expansion is part of the hotel's long-term property reinvestment plan, following the opening of the $35 million Jimmy Buffet--themed Margaritaville entertainment complex and nearly $100 million expansion and renovation of Resorts under the ownership of Morris Bailey.

"We are committed to continuing to reinvest in the property and to offer the finest in meeting space, lodging, gaming, dining, and entertainment," says Bailey.

In addition to the 12 new meeting rooms is the Atlantic Ballroom, with a multiuse pre-function area, natural lighting, and four sets of operable walls that divide the main conference hall into as many as five spaces and allow groups to have an adaptable floor plan for a variety of uses. The new conference center brings the total offerings at Resorts to 24 meeting and function rooms with more than 64,000 square feet of usable space, most featuring natural light and ocean views.

Set at the northern end of the Boardwalk, the resort features 942 guest rooms and suites in two hotel towers, an 80,000-square-foot casino, 10 restaurants, a food court, indoor-outdoor swimming pool, health club and spa, and retail shops.

Another property that has recently added conference space is the 480-room Claridge, a Radisson Hotel. With an additional 15,000 square feet of space, the Claridge now offers 100,000 square feet, including a 6,400-square-foot room designed for general sessions or small trade shows and four smaller conference and boardrooms. At the end of the summer of 2016, the Claridge opened Atlantic City's first rooftop bar, VUE, with expansive views from the 23rd floor.

Tropicana Atlantic City offers 2,079 rooms and is home of The Quarter, a 200,000-square-foot entertainment complex with 25 shops, 18 bars and lounges, two pools, an IMAX theater, and spa. It also boasts 24 restaurants, including upscale eateries such as the Northern Italian Il Verdi, authentic Cuban cuisine of Cuba Libre, and classic steak house Palm Restaurant.

Tropicana recently underwent a $90 million renovation including its multimedia light and sound show, the addition of AtlantiCare LifeCenter Fitness -- reputed to be the most advanced gym facility in Atlantic City -- with state-of-the-art equipment throughout, and renovations to its casino and more than 900 hotel rooms.

Dining Delights
In March, Philadelphia-based Chef Jose Garces will return to Atlantic City with not just one new restaurant at the Tropicana but three. The flagship will be Olon Restaurante, a seafood restaurant named after a city in Ecuador to pay homage to Garces' Ecuadorian parents. In addition, Okatshi will give Garces the chance to showcase Japanese sake and noodles and La Cerveceria will be an upbeat eatery featuring seafood and sushi.

"We have a great affinity for the Jersey Shore and Atlantic City in particular. We are so excited to be back," says Garces. "We look forward to the opportunity to bring our brand of Latin-inspired hospitality to the Tropicana and provide fun, new dining options to its guests."

Garces will be the fourth Iron Chef in the city, joining Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, and Geoffrey Zakarian from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

The Chew co-host Michael Symon will up the number of Iron Chefs in Atlantic City to five when he opens Angeline at Borgata this spring. An Italian restaurant, Angeline is inspired by Symon's upbringing and named after his mother. The 8,200-square-foot restaurant will showcase the soulful cooking and joyful personality synonymous with the award-winning chef, and feature boldly flavored dishes. The former Revel Casino Hotel, now named TEN, is expected to open this year. Glenn Straub, a real estate developer based in Palm Beach County, FL, paid $82 million for the property, which cost $2.4 billion to build. Revel opened in 2012 then filed for bankruptcy twice before closing in 2014. According to Wood, TEN is booking group business starting the second half of this year.

The sea, sand, and railroads made Atlantic City one of the most popular resorts in the 1870s, Atlantic City's "Golden Age." Almost 150 years later, the destination hopes to recapture some of that historic glitter as it attracts meetings and conventions.   



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This article appears in the February 2017 issue of Successful Meetings.A SENSE OF PLACE


Four attractions that are distinctly Atlantic City

Four miles of free beaches along the Atlantic coastline has kept people flocking to Atlantic City for health, fun, business, or gaming since the beginning of the 20th century. Meeting professionals continue to turn to this Jersey Shore seaside strip for its range of entertainment and dining possibilities, conveniently gathered in one pedestrian-friendly location. Here are a few other things, aside from the ocean, that make Atlantic City special.

The Boardwalk: Atlantic City's Boardwalk remains the longest ocean promenade in the world. Originally built to keep sand out of resort hotels, it was rolled up and stored at the end of each season until people began using it as much as the beach and demanded commerce. By the early 1900s, the Boardwalk became a romantic destination and Atlantic City a resort getaway. The 1920s -- before the stock market crash -- was the start of Atlantic City's glamour years, with parades, stunts, attractions, and the launch of the Miss America pageant.

Before gambling was even a thought, Atlantic City was a place to see stars and be seen. Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra were frequent A-listers, along with the infamous Nucky Johnson and Al Capone. Princess Grace of Monaco slept there. Liquor during Prohibition was surely a draw, but the Boardwalk is what kept everyone coming back long after the laws changed.

Today, almost 25 million people visit the Boardwalk annually, making it the most-visited tourist destination in New Jersey.

Casinos: Atlantic City opened its doors to gaming in 1976, the first destination outside Las Vegas to legalize casino gambling. The casinos added extra glitz, opening up new avenues of tourism for both business and pleasure. The convenience, diversity, and resort feel of the casinos in Atlantic City continue to feed the growing appetite of the food-and-drink tourism industry. Convention space in casino halls offers business and pleasure in one location, with restaurants run by celebrity chefs and shopping offered by top designers. Gaming brought casinos over $200 million in 2015, making it a top attraction alongside the many other things to do, according to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Rolling Chairs: It's not hard to get a lift while strolling any stretch of Atlantic City's four-mile Boardwalk. Rolling chairs, modeled after wheelchairs of the 1800s, are plentiful and out in all weather, all year 'round. Originally used for the disabled, it was the only vehicle allowed on the Boardwalk until an entrepreneur in 1887 rolled out a business idea and the chairs became a glamorous tourist attraction.

Today, the chairs are all about convenience, especially for business travelers in town for meetings and conventions. People in a rush trying to maximize free time want to get around fast while still seeing the sights. That's what makes rolling chairs so perfect. They are faster than walking, travelers get a mini-tour, and there's never a wait to hail one. It's not surprising the old-fashioned ride is celebrating 130 years in June.

Salt Water Taffy: The Jersey Shore and taffy are forever linked, and it all started when the ocean flooded a Boardwalk candy stand during a storm in 1880. Legend has it that candyman Charles Bradley sold the goods anyway, calling the treats "ocean-soaked" taffy until his mother suggested "salt water."

It was family taffy wars after that, but two names still remain in Atlantic City and are credited with changing everything: Joseph Fralinger and Enoch James. Fralinger was the first to box it and James tweaked the recipe, making taffy less sticky and easier to unwrap. James also is credited with mechanizing the "pulling" process and cutting the pieces into bite-sized morsels. The Glaser Family bought James in 1947 and Fralinger in 1990. The brands are kept separate and are made differently. They sell over 650,000 pounds of taffy a year.

While the best souvenir from Atlantic City is definitely a winning jackpot, the second-best is authentic salt water taffy, especially from these dueling families made with different ingredients. Almost 290,000 hotel rooms booked in 2016 were in connection with meetings and Atlantic City remains the state's biggest generator of tourism dollars, at $6.7 billion.

-- Cindy Capitani