Cities across the country are reversing downtown decay—building convention centers and creating new entertainment districts for groups to enjoy.Kansas City, MO, a mere decade ago looked like a lot of blighted cities around the country. Downtown areas during daytime hours bustled with office workers, but as the sun set, the nine-to-fivers fled to the suburbs, and grandiose Art Deco towers like the Power and Light Building loomed silent as tombs over empty streets.
The President Hotel, where Frank Sinatra and Benny Goodman entertained crowds in the Drum Room bar, closed in 1980 and stood vacant for 25 years. The homeless built fires and camped out in ballrooms used for the 1928 Republican National Convention. Just 10,000 residents lived in the city's central business district in 2000, but as of 2007, more than 16,000 residents called downtown home, and thousands of additional condos were under construction. The President Hotel reopened in 2005 as a Hilton property, and its 213 well-appointed rooms are once again hosts to visiting dignitaries.
It took an estimated $4.5 billion, but downtown Kansas City is backlike many renewed urban areas coast to coast. From Augusta, GA, to Baltimore, MD, developers in mid-sized cities are investing in new and expanded convention venues, entertainment districts, and other delights to bring crowds back to Main Street.
In Kansas City, in addition to a LEED-certified convention center expansion that opened last year, a new $405 million performing arts center is scheduled to open in 2010.
On the East Coast, Baltimore began its downtown reawakening in the 1970s and has ramped up its vision of a walkable, safe urban core over the past several years.
"Baltimore has become one of those emerging destinations that gets overshadowed by its neighbors," says Mark Ricci, spokesman for Hilton Hotels in the Northeast region and Canada. "There are a lot of great neighborhoods and restaurants. It's a cultural town."
While the city does get spillover business from Washington DC, many planners do not realize that there is a newly expanded convention center and, connected via skybridge, the brand-new Hilton Baltimore with 757 rooms and 60,000 sf of meeting space. The 707-room Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel just completed a $30 million renovation.
Also relatively new in the Inner Harbor is Power Plant Live, a collection of bars, clubs, and restaurants that can be reserved for group events. The district attracts over three million people a year. The "entertainment destination" model is being adopted by other cities like Kansas City, where the $850 million Power and Light District opened last year.
Picturesque Augusta doesn't battle the urban demons of crime and poverty that Kansas City and Baltimore faced, but the city was still seeing a drain of business into suburban malls and chain restaurants. To bring Main Street back to life, the city revitalized its riverfront area, and this year officials hope to see construction start on the $40-million Trade, Exhibition, and Entertainment (TEE) Center. The convention center will offer 40,000 sf of flat-floor, column-free exhibit space and 49,000 sf of meeting space next door to the 372-room Augusta Marriott Hotel & Suites, with another 45,000 sf of meeting space.
"The project is to be LEED-certified, but as we deal with budget issues this may be sacrificed to save money," says Peggy Seigler, vice president of sales for the Augusta CVB. Some potential business, such as state associations, require eco-friendly venues for their events, adds Barry E. White, president and CEO of the CVB.
A performing arts center is also on the table as the city attracts more groups.
Originally published Jan. 1, 2009For more ideas, tips, and tools for better meetings and events,
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