Discovering gems in Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas
The hidden assets of the Upper Midwest are not so hidden these days, as Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas are outpacing the economic growth of the rest of the nation. Clustered conveniently near international hub airports and with a location in the middle of the country, the main cities are catering to the meetings market by expanding and opening brand-new sports arenas, convention centers and hotels, even as other parts of the nation are mired in commercial slowdowns.
Ambitious new urban development is sprouting up on scenic sites along the Missouri, Red, Big Sioux and Des Moines rivers, which meander through the metro areas. Drawn to the new meeting venues with all the 21st-century, hightech bells and whistles, and assisted by CVBs that specialize in SMERF, sports and family-friendly markets, planners are also enticed by the historic charms, natural backdrops and affordability of the area’s various midsize cities, such as Omaha, Des Moines, Fargo-Moorhead and Sioux Falls. Bring your group to these fabulous cities, and your meeting will surely be fabulous, too.
Iowa
Often referred to as America’s Heartland and historically a farming state, Iowa now has a robust biotechnology industry, is the country’s second-biggest producer of wind energy and leads the nation in renewable fuels production. Meeting planners have discovered that the capital, Des Moines, and the Quad Cities area are attractive conference destinations loaded with Midwest charm, big-city services and sophistication.
Des Moines
The big news in Des Moines is the opening of Iowa’s largest convention center in January of this year. The sprawling complex consists of the existing, expanded Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, the Polk County Convention Complex (60,000 sq. ft. Of exhibit space and 27 meeting rooms), the new Hy-Vee Hall and the Wells Fargo Arena. Comfortable in all seasons, the buildings are connected to four miles of underone- roof skywalk access to downtown hotels, restaurants and shopping.
Hy-Vee Hall hosts trade shows and conventions in nearly 290,000 sq. ft. Of exhibit space and meeting rooms; the adjacent Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center has 21 meeting rooms, four boardrooms and the state’s largest ballroom. In 60,000 sq. ft. On two levels, the Polk County Convention Complex has been the site of such events as political debates and national conventions, sports events and Antiques Roadshow.
A fascinating new cultural venue, the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, is the result of a $29.8 million restoration and renaming of the century-old Des Moines Public Library. A tribute to Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Norman Borlaug, the hall is a museum of agriculture and an educational facility. The entire Beaux Artsstyle building can be rented for events, and the Borlaug ballroom and rotunda make lovely reception sites.
Quad Cities
On a bend of the Mississippi River, with a combined population of nearly 400,000, the Quad Cities include Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Illinois’ Rock Island and Moline/East Moline.
According to Lynn Hunt, vice president of sales for the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, “Planners are enjoying our new services that build attendance and enhance meeting-goers’ experiences. Our staff can add spousal tours and design incentives for which attendees can sign up, and we are also rolling out a mobile texting program this June to connect attendees with local restaurants and attractions and engage them in the local community at discounted rates.”
Connected by a climate-controlled skywalk, the Quad Cities Event Center in Davenport is a fourplex of skywalk-connected facilities including the RiverCenter, the historic Art Deco Adler Theatre, the Hotel Blackhawk and the Radisson Quad City Plaza. The contemporary RiverCenter has 100,000 sq. ft. Of meeting space, while the Adler Theatre, with its historical feel, seats 2,400.
Built in 1915 and reopened last year following a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion, the Hotel Blackhawk features 130 guest rooms, a new fitness center, an indoor pool, a bowling alley, the Bix Bistro, boutique shops and the Spa Luce. The 5,000-square-foot Gold Room has been transformed into an inviting banquet room for 300 people.
Untitled (Three Dancing Figures, Version C), Des Moines, Iowa, courtesy of
Des Moines CVB
Nebraska
Crisscrossed by the trails of early explorers, pioneers and Native Americans, Nebraska has emerged in the 21st century with a cosmopolitan- and business- oriented atmosphere in its larger cities.
Omaha
On the banks of the Missouri River, the corporate home of ConAgra, Berkshire Hathaway and nearly two dozen bioscience companies, Omaha is a corporate hub and one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country.
Bringing organizations back repeatedly for their annual meetings is one of the many specialties of the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau. Deborah Ward, director of public relations and marketing for the CVB, says, “A great example of how we customize for groups is when we hosted the U.S. Olympic swim trials and transformed the convention center arena into an Olympic- caliber swimming pool. We received such rave reviews that the swim trials will return this summer.
“And we offer unique off-site meeting locations. You can hold an event in the world’s largest indoor desert, have dinner while sharks circle above and have a breakout session in the middle of the largest indoor rain forest in the United States.”
A major urban development, Midtown Crossing has within the last four years opened condos, restaurants, shops, Turner Park and a LEED-certified boutique hotel. The first Element Hotel in the Midwest, Westin’s urban-chic-themed Element Omaha Midtown Crossing appeals to longer-stay guests, with kitchen-equipped rooms, bicycles to borrow and 1,000 sq. ft. Of meeting space.
Convenient for tourists and for conventioneers, Midtown Crossing maintains a free shuttle to CenturyLink Center Omaha, Hilton Omaha, Holland Performing Arts Center and the Old Market district, among other downtown destinations. CenturyLink Center Omaha (formerly Qwest Center) is the city’s 1.1 million-square-foot convention center and arena, featuring a 194,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 63,000 sq. ft. Of meeting space and an 18,300-seat arena.
Just across from the convention center, TD Ameritrade Park, a sports and outdoor entertainment stadium with VIP seats, opened in 2011 and is rapidly becoming surrounded by a lively entertainment district of restaurants, nightclubs and sports bars. Connected via skybridge to the convention center, Hilton Omaha is the state’s only Four-Diamond hotel and the only property in town with a fullservice spa. A recent $35 million expansion boosted guest rooms to 600 and meeting venues, including a new ballroom, to 30,000-plus sq. ft. Of space.
Conference-goers head for the Old Market historic warehouse district after their meetings to stroll cobblestone streets lined with an eclectic collection of galleries, live-music nightspots and boutiques. With an opening planned for 2014, a new Hyatt Place hotel in Old Market will be the first Hyatt in Nebraska, with 159 guest rooms.
Hilton Omaha, Nebraska
Lincoln
“Our centralized location makes Lincoln appealing to national organizations looking to attract attendees from around the country,” says Derek Feyerherm, director of sales and operations for the Lincoln CVB. “We have a friendly Midwestern attitude, the exhilaration of a big city and the serenity of the countryside, all in one place. Along with national association conferences and sports events, we get many returning organizations, such as the Lifeway Conference.”
Meeting space in downtown Lincoln includes the Regents Ballroom at the Embassy Suites Lincoln, which can accommodate up to 1,500 people.
Part of the West Haymarket redevelopment on the western edge of the city and scheduled to open in the fall of 2013, Pinnacle Bank Arena will offer opportunities for all types of corporate and company events, including VIP suites, loge boxes and club seats on four concourse levels.
Near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, today’s Haymarket District lures conventiongoers after their meetings to the DelRay Ballroom & Lounge, which has 7,000 sq. ft. Of space.
As the largest event complex in town, the Lancaster Event Center boasts 400,000 sq. ft. In five inter-connected buildings that are popular for trade shows, rodeos, conferences and conventions.
A striking location for off-site parties, the massive, timbered, Montana-style Lodge at Wilderness Ridge has six private rooms, including a ballroom and a patio accommodating 230.
South Dakota
Home to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore, South Dakota draws visitors from all over the world to its intriguing landscapes.
Sioux Falls
On the banks of the Big Sioux River, the largest city in the state, Sioux Falls, is anchored by 123-acre Falls Park, where a 100-foot cascade is a spectacular attraction and a popular event location.
The park is a short walk from the Sioux Falls Convention Center, where up to about 2,500 attendees can gather in 71,000 sq. ft. Of meeting and exhibit space, including a ballroom and a dozen breakout rooms. Connected by walkways are the Sheraton Sioux Falls Hotel and the 8,000-seat Sioux Falls Arena & Convention Center.
The Sheraton Sioux Falls, has a whopping 97,400 sq. ft. Of meeting space, including a ballroom, atrium and party deck. As yet unnamed, a $115 million events center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014, adding 30,000 sq. ft., for a total of 132,000 sq. ft. Within the downtown complex.
Adding to conference choices near the convention center and appealing to family-oriented groups, the Best Western Plus Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center has 60,000 sq. ft. Of meeting space that includes a 29,200-square-foot expo hall, amphitheaters and an indoor water park.
In a historic downtown building, comprising a variety of event settings, the Washington Pavilion contains a theater, art galleries, a big-screen movie theater, boardrooms and reception lobbies.
Sioux Falls Convention Center, South Dakota
North Dakota
Currently one of the most prosperous states in the union due to employment growth and a $529 million surplus in the state’s coffers, North Dakota also came in second in Gallup’s poll of Top 10 States for Well-Being in the United States. The bustling, apparently very happy city of Bismarck and the Fargo-Moorhead metro area present an appealing combination of top-notch meeting amenities and a rich backdrop of early U.S. and Native American history.
Bismarck
Riding the Fort Lincoln Trolley through the state capital of Bismarck along the Missouri River, conventioneers arrive at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park for tours of the reproduced Custer House, and for “pitchfork” buff alo steak cookouts, cavalry reenactments and history-themed events. The ride back is just as exciting aboard the Lewis and Clark Riverboat, which is popular for Mardi Gras-themed Cajun feasts and jazz nights.
Kickoff receptions are often held in Memorial Hall at the state Capitol, where attendees take in the view and refreshments on the 18th-floor observation deck and tour the Roughrider Hall of Fame. Next door to the Capitol, the North Dakota Heritage Center showcases one of the largest collection of Plains Indian artifacts in the world. Receptions are held on the mezzanine and in the auditorium, and summer picnics are lovely on the lawn. Scheduled to open in 2014 in time for North Dakota’s 125th anniversary, the center is undergoing a $52 million expansion, adding an atrium, a theater and indoor/outdoor event spaces. Adjacent to the Heritage Center, the Best Western Doublewood Inn Bismarck can host catered events for up to 600 in a grassy courtyard and features 14,000 sq. ft. Of space.
An arena for the Dakota Wizards basketball team, the symphony orchestra and touring bands, the Bismarck Civic Center provides a 48,000-squarefoot exhibit space and a dozen meeting rooms. Two blocks from the Civic Center and across the street from the Belle Mehus Auditorium, the Radisson Hotel Bismarck offers a ballroom, boardrooms And a top- oor Presidential Suite for small events.
Lewis & Clark Riverboat, Bismarck, N.D., courtesy of Bismarck CVB
Fargo-Moorhead
The Fargo-Moorhead area has a population of more than 200,000 in two cities divided by the Red River, which is also the border between North Dakota, where Fargo is, and Minnesota where Moorhead lies. A laid-back, small-town vibe typiffes both sister cities, which together supply more than 4,100 hotel rooms in 10 convention hotels.
Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sales Teri Onsgard says, “As we have the second-largest Microsoft campus in the nation, three universities and 25,000 college students, we are a high-tech, ultra progressive community. When planners think of this region, their first impression may be of Scandinavian heritage or images from the movie, Fargo, but there is much more to our story.”
Focusing on sports organizations and tournaments, the CVB’s Athletic Commission helps planners make bookings ranging from soccer, baseball and softball fields to disc golf, hockey, swimming and other venues, plus team transport and lodgings.
The Fargodome is the place for big concerts and sporting events, trade shows and conventions, and even religious revivals. The facility caters to groups of up to 1,000 in nine meeting venues.
The area’s newest event center—chosen to host the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for curling— Scheels Arena seats 5,000. Connected by skyway to the Radisson Hotel Fargo, the Fargo Civic Center accommodates 2,700, while the Courtyard Fargo Moorhead hosts groups of 1,000.
Main image: Desert dome at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Neb., courtesy of Omaha CVB
Nebraska's Lodge
In a setting of woods and demonstration gardens located about 50 miles from Omaha in Nebraska City, the timber-and-stone, Adirondack-style Lied Lodge & Conference Center may be the most unique meeting destination in the state. Designed as a resource for Arbor Day Foundation members, the 260-acre property attracts environmental and conservation groups, retreats, reunions, and religious and educational organizations, which return year after year for rejuvenation and recommitment in the refreshing natural surroundings.
Also here is the award-winning Arbor Day Farm, where families tour the greenhouses, heritage apple and hazelnut orchards, stream habitat and vast gardens. Focused on affordability and ROI, the Complete Meeting Package program includes accommodations, all meals and continuous break service, complete A/V and conference services and airport shuttle, all in a certified sustainable meeting and lodging facility.
CVB Resources
–Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau: bismarckmandancvb.com
–Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau: fargomoorhead.org
–Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau: seedesmoines.com
–Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau: lincoln.org
–Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau: visitomaha.com
–Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau: visitsiouxfalls.com
GETTING THERE
–Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is about six miles from downtown.
–Hector International Airport (FAR) is about five miles from downtown Fargo.
–Omaha Eppley Airfield Airport (OMA) is about four miles from downtown.
–Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) is about five miles northwest of downtown.
