Columbus, long known primarily for its resident Army base at Fort Benning and its many military reunions, is coming into its own as a general meetings destination as well.
Nestled on the Chattahoochee River in southwest Georgia, Columbus created earlier this year the new Columbus Meetings & Events department within the Columbus CVB. It primarily promotes three major local facilities: RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, the Columbus Civic Center, and the newly expanded Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center.
"Just in the few months we've been operating, we've already been able to work out some roadblocks," said Sara Ketcham, head of the new department. "If the Trade Center didn't have the space for certain groups, we could give them one of the two other facilities."
The showcase is the $35 million refit of the Trade Center. Located in what was once the 1870s-era Columbus Iron Works the facility has been painstakingly restored, with exposed handmade bricks and timbers, and an abundance of smelting pots and forges.
The center has more than doubled to about 182,000 square feet of rentable space. It now offers 30 meeting spaces ranging from 700 to 32,000 square feet, all overlooking the river.
According to executive director Larry Campbell, the renovation already has attracted the Georgia Department of Labor, which will bring 1,500 delegates to Columbus in November.
Meanwhile, the RiverCenter, as a theater venue, offers three halls and seating for 2,000. And the Civic Center, a sports arena, holds 10,000; Ketcham said an 8,000-attendee convention of Jehovah's Witnesses is booked in that venue for December.
A 1996 sales tax increase, prompted by the presence of Olympic Games events, spurred new civic improvement in Columbus. In addition to the Trade Center renovation, Columbus took advantage of its long riverfront to create RiverWalk, with 12 miles of paths.
Event venues include the National Infantry Museum, on the Main Post at Fort Benning; the Port Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum; the Coca-Cola Space Science Museum, which includes an observatory and learning center; and the Springer Opera House, a restored 19th century gem.
The Columbus Historic District offers tours of the houses and buildings, including the Pemberton House where Coca-Cola was formulated in the 1850s. There is a modest guide fee.
"Of course, we do a ton of military reunions, because of the presence of Fort Benning, and it's so nice to have people come back, amazed at how the city has progressed and changed," said Shelby Guest, senior vice president of communications for the CVB.
"But while we've gotten a lot bigger, we're still small and friendly."