The Motor City and regional meeting hubs
Michigan has faced its challenges in recent years, with the automobile industry recalibrating itself, but the state, with rivers, lakes, mountains (yes, they call their green hills mountains) and lively, thriving cities, has always been about more than cars. After all, it was here that the legendary Motown sound was born and originally flourished. Aretha Franklin moved back to Detroit decades ago. Kid Rock still has a home in the suburbs. Actor Jeff Daniels lives in Chelsea, where he grew up. And such prolific writers as Elmore Leonard and Mitch Albom remain true to their state.
It’s easy to see why so many gravitate to, and stay in, Michigan. It offers a variety of scenery and experiences, and event planners will find that six firstrate, affordable areas make it an adventure in discovery and delight.
John C. Good, a meeting planner for the American Bankruptcy Institute in Alexandria, Va., says his organization holds meetings in Michigan destinations as diverse as Traverse City, a small bayside city in the northwestern corner, and Detroit, Michigan’s largest metropolis.
“We’ve held meetings at the Grand Traverse Resort just north of Traverse City for the last 18 years,” says Good. “Our groups take tours out to the wineries on Old Mission Peninsula and [enjoy] fishing and tennis tournaments, bonfires and tours to Sleeping Bear Dunes. Traverse is easy to get to from both Chicago and Detroit.”
Good likes Michigan and the Traverse City region so much that when he and his wife—both flyfishing aficionados—married, they honeymooned at the Grand Traverse Resort.
Detroit
Following in the footsteps of many other historically industrial cities in the Midwest, Detroit is going through an urban renaissance. Those in the know talk about the Detroit buzz—the pulsating energy this city generates. From the nearly completed RiverWalk, which stretches five miles along the Detroit River, to downtown’s restored Art Deco architectural masterpieces, to thriving neighborhoods, all with top-notch culinary and cultural offerings, metro Detroit has much to offer.
“Detroit is one of the most affordable and accessible cities in the country,” says Carla Conner- Penzabene, director of sales at the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “A $221 million upgrade is under way at our downtown convention center, and we have some of the country’s most luxurious hotels, with first-class accommodations at some of the most reasonable rates in the country. Also, our vast number of unique venues is virtually unequaled.”
When Conner-Penzabene says accessible, she means it. Sixty percent of the country’s population can reach the city by air within 90 minutes, while large metro areas such as Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto and Pittsburgh are less than a half-day’s drive. Once people arrive, the city’s People Mover monorail is the perfect way to hit all those not-tobe- missed downtown destinations such as bustling Greektown, with its casino and upscale (but reasonably priced) restaurants, including Mosaic and Fishbone’s. Or they can hop off at the marvelously restored Fox Theatre, Detroit Opera House, Comerica Park for a Tigers game or Ford Field to see the Lions play.
Culture mavens won’t want to miss the Detroit Institute of Arts, housed in a 1927-era Beaux Arts building and containing a multitude of exquisite exhibits from around the globe; Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; and the lushly landscaped 319-acre garden- and woodsstudded campus of Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, 25 miles outside downtown.
Located on the Detroit River and connected to several downtown hotels by the People Mover Cobo Center features 623,000 sq. ft. Of exhibit space and more than 70 meeting rooms. The center is currently in the midst of a renovation that will convert the existing Cobo Arena into a facility with 100,000 sq. ft. Of meeting space and a 40,000-square-foot ballroom by 2014. Next to the center is the 22,000-seat Joe Louis Arena, where the 11-time NHL Stanley Cup champions, the Red Wings, play. Also on the river is the iconic Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center with more than 100,000 sq. ft. Of meeting space and 1,298 guest rooms. MotorCity Casino Hotel has over 67,000 sq. ft. Of space, including an 18,000-square-foot ballroom, 400 hotel rooms and Iridescence, a 16thfloor restaurant with expansive views of the city. Not to be outdone, the sumptuous MGM Grand Detroit offers 30,000 sq. ft. Of space and restaurants headlined by such premier chefs as Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina. Just north of the downtown area, the Hotel St. Regis offers 7,000 sq. ft. Of space and 124 stylish rooms near the city’s historic cultural district.
Dearborn, which lies about 10 minutes outside the city limits and makes up the heart of Ford Country, also presents a variety of venues. The Hyatt Regency Dearborn offers 62,000 sq. ft. Of event space and nearly 800 rooms, while The Henry, Autograph Collection, has 30,000 sq. ft. And 308 rooms. Both hotels are near off-site venues with ample meeting space, including the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village and University of Michigan-Dearborn. The elegant Dearborn Inn, a Marriott Hotel, defines local tradition and has 205 rooms and 17,000 sq. ft. Of space.
Lobby at The Dearborn Inn, a Marriott Hotel
Traverse City
A small city tucked away by the clear blue waters of Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City exudes charm, beauty and class. Ringed by verdant hills covered in orchards and vineyards, this is the cherry capital of the Midwest, a distinction celebrated each July during the two-week National Cherry Festival. This backdrop also makes the area a major oenophile destination and attracts those appreciative of sophisticated arts and culture, world-class golf and top-notch cuisine. As if that isn’t enough, Traverse City and its environs also offer great outdoor activities such as skiing, sailing and kayaking.
“This isn’t a me-too destination with a lot of me-too attractions,” says Mike Norton, head of media relations for the Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s completely real and completely genuine. The most common reaction planners have when they visit us for the first time is, ‘I could never have imagined the beauty of this place.’ You get them here, and they’re simply overwhelmed. The other thing they comment on is the gracious and friendly people they find here.”
Traverse City has more than 4,000 guest rooms in more than 80 properties, from full-service hotels and beachfront resorts to hilltop wineries, B&Bs and forest retreats. For major meeting venues it’s hard to beat the 600-room Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, with 86,500 sq. ft. Of meeting space; stupendous views of Grand Traverse Bay; three golf courses, including the Jack Nicklaus Signature course The Bear; a 7,000-square-foot spa; indoor and outdoor pools; shops; first-rate restaurants; and shuttle access to Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel.
Other notable properties include the 280-suite Great Wolf Lodge, with 16,000 sq. ft. Of event space and a 39,000-square-foot indoor water park, and 179-room Holiday Inn West Bay, situated on the edge of the bay and offering 7,400 sq.
ft. For events. Another 8,700 sq. ft. Are available at the Hagerty Conference Center, a waterfront venue operated by Northwestern Michigan College. The historic 140-room Park Place Hotel has 12,873 sq. ft. Of space, plus easy access to the city’s bustling downtown.
Located in charming Victorian-era Bellaire, 45 miles from Traverse City, Shanty Creek Resorts is spread among 4,500 acres. The property boasts premier golf courses, ski runs, 449 rooms, 35,600 sq. ft. Of meeting space and views of expansive woods.
Lansing
The capital of Michigan and home to Michigan State University, Lansing combines the best of a government center and a college town. Attendees can take advantage of its superlative restaurants, museums, performing arts venues and art galleries; coffeehouses where weighty issues are discussed and poetry readings occur; and small clubs where littleknown bands hope they are getting their start.
“Most planners choose Greater Lansing for our central location in the state, affordable venues, accredited CVB and free services,” says Tracy Padot, CTA, vice president of marketing communications at the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And MSU provides planners with firstclass facilities, speakers and experts.”
At MSU, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, which was renovated and expanded a couple years ago, includes new meeting space perfect for pre-show receptions. It also offers backstage tours. Another campus venue, the Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum, designed for major art exhibits, is scheduled to open this fall.
Lansing’s downtown offers myriad free attractions and festivals, including the Michigan Historical Museum, Michigan Vietnam Monument, Michigan Walk of Fame, Oldsmobile Park and Lansing City Market, which opened in 1909.
Within walking distance of more than 75 dining and entertainment spots, the Green Lodging certified Lansing Center in the heart of downtown offers 71,760 sq. ft. Of column-free exhibit space and 12,038 sq. ft. Of meeting space with 12 breakout rooms. The center is connected to the Radisson Hotel Lansing at the Capitol, which features another 10,000 sq. ft. Of space via a sky bridge that crosses the gleaming Grand River.
The Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, with 160 rooms, a 300-seat auditorium and 35,000 sq. ft. Of flexible space, can accommodate groups of up to 1,000. And its located near the Michigan State University Museum, which was founded in 1857 and is one of the oldest in the Midwest. South of the main campus, the MSU Pavilion has more than 77,000 sq. ft. Of exhibit space and amphitheater-style seating for 364.
Smaller groups may elect the 212-room Lexington Lansing Hotel, which o ers 14,000 sq. ft.
Grand Rapids
DeVos Place, Grand Rapids
Tucked into a curve of the Grand River west of Lansing, Grand Rapids, which bills itself as a cool city with hot art, delivers on its promise. The city’s 75-plus dining and entertainment options make the historic downtown lively day and night. Music and sports fans come for concerts and hockey games at the 12,000-plus capacity Van Andel Arena.
“Grand Rapids has all the amenities and then some that most first-tier destinations offer,” says Douglas Small, president of Experience Grand Rapids, the city’s CVB. “We are the only city our size or larger in the U.S. that has two Four-Diamond hotels physically connected to an award-winning convention complex. However, you get these world-class choices for Two- Diamond prices. While other cities tout ‘deals,’ Grand Rapids has been, still is and will always be the best price-value proposition in the Midwest.” As an added plus, getting around downtown is made remarkably easy, no matter the weather, via sky bridges connecting many of the hotels and venues.
At the Grand Rapids Public Museum, attendees can learn the history of the city, take a free carousel ride and enjoy dinner overlooking the river. They can also take in exhibits at the Grand Rapids Art Museum; try thights of wine and house-made charcuterie at trendy Reserve, where acclaimed executive chef Matthew Millar presides; and experience a taste of Spain at San Chez, a Tapas Bistro. Or, consider scheduling groups for a visit to the 70,000-square-foot B.O.B. (Big Old Building), a refurbished warehouse with shops and restaurants as well as a comedy club.
Also downtown, DeVos Place, a multipurpose facility on the Grand River, features a 162,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 40,000-square-foot ballroom and 26 meeting rooms.
Connected by skybridges to DeVos Place, the 682-room Amway Grand Plaza Hotel adds 48,195 sq. ft. Of meeting space, including the refurbished Ambassador Ballroom for groups of up to 700, and has six restaurants— including the Four-Diamond Cygnus 27 and Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Also connected are two Marriotts— the 334-room JW Marriott Grand Rapids, with 20,000 sq. ft. And views of the river, and a 214-room Courtyard by Marriott, with 10,000 sq. ft. Of space. The 85,000-square-foot Delta- Plex Arena & Conference Center on the northwest side of town offers 4,500 fixed seats and a 1,500-space parking lot.
Ann Arbor
Top-ranked University of Michigan gives Ann Arbor, which lies 30 minutes west of Detroit, a progressive, youthful vibe and helps make it an educational powerhouse. The corporate world took notice: The city hosts cutting-edge research facilities for companies such as Lotus Engineering, General Dynamics, Toyota and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Google has opened an office here.
For dining, a can’t-miss is Zingerman’s Deli, the original outpost of the famed eatery created by Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig. Within a few years of opening, they had a chance to franchise but turned it down because they were afraid they couldn’t guarantee continued quality. They built a food empire anyway and still donate 10% of its earnings to local charities.
Sandwich at Zingerman's Deli, Ann Arbor
The city also offers an eclectic range of group activities. At Motawi Tileworks, owner/designer Nawal Motawi, whose work is on display at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, Calif., creates tiles using local clays and glazes mixed onsite and offers tile-making workshops.
There are also cooking or papermaking classes at Hollander’s in the renovated warehouses that now comprise the Kerrytown Markets and Shops, and cheese- and bread-making classes at Zingerman’s. Other options include indoor rock climbing at Planet Rock, beer tasting at microbreweries such as Jolly Pumpkin or Original Gravity Brewing Company and team-building activities at the Radrick Recreation Area.
The campus has several group venues such as the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Rackham Auditorium and Hill Auditorium. The Michigan League, with its 16 slate and polished-oak meeting rooms, is also located on campus. Off campus, the 1,710-seat Michigan Theater gives planners a historic venue infused with the glamour of Broadway.
The 200-room Kensington Court Ann Arbor offers catering services and 10,000 sq. ft. Of space. The Towsley Conference Center, located in the university’s Medical Center, features 26,200 sq. ft. Of space, a dining room and a 415- seat auditorium.
On a larger scale, with 27,244 sq. ft. Of total meeting space, the 235-room Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest is spread out over 135 lush acres and offers such resort amenities as an 18-hole Karl Litten-designed golf course and tennis courts. The Convocation Center at Eastern Michigan University, located in nearby Ypsilanti, is the newest multipurpose state-of-theart facility in the area and has a total of 204,316 sq. ft.
Main image: Night view of Detroit
Mackinac Island
Surrounded by the pristine waters of Lake Huron and the rural landscapes of the state’s northeast, Mackinac Island offers guests a stunning location to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and recapture a piece of america’s storied past. The island, which sits roughly four miles from the northernmost point of the Michigan peninsula, has been a point of interest to visitors for more than 350 years.
Local natives believed the island was sacred and gathered there periodically to give offerings to the Gitche Manitou, or “great Spirit.” after the arrival of europeans, Jesuit missionaries founded a mission on the island in 1670 and the area quickly gained notoriety as a hub in the lucrative fur trade; John Jacob astor, whose famous descendent of the same name would meet his end on the Titanic, lived on the island and made his family’s fortune from selling furry pelts.
An abundance of nature still thrives today, as 80% of the island has been set aside as a state park and nearly all motorized vehicles have been banned. Attendees can visit the numerous shops, restaurants and historical sites via horse-drawn buggies that provide the only means of transportation (beyond bicycles) on the island. A number of hiking trails crisscross the island, leading to revolutionary War forts, battle sites from the war of 1812, and captivating geologic formations with names such as Skull Cave and Devil’s Kitchen.
Mackinac Island also has several exquisite resorts, some dating back nearly 150 years, that appear to have jumped out of the pages of history. The Grand Hotel, which has been hosting visitors since 1887, has 385 rooms, none of which are the same; 23,000 sq. ft. Of meeting space; and the world’s longest front porch, measuring an astounding 660 feet. Mission Point Resort offers all the amenities of a modern property, including an 18-hole golf course, health club, spa and even a movie theater, inside a cozy, Victorian-style facility. The resort has 242 rooms and 38,000 sq. ft. Of event space.
CVB Resources
–Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau: visitannarbor.org
–Detroit Metro Convention & visitors Bureau: visitdetroit.com
–Experience Grand Rapids: experiencegr.com
–Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau: lansing.org
–Pure Michigan: michigan.org
–Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau: traversecity.com
Fast Facts
–Capitol: Lansing
–Population: 9,883,640
–Total area: 58,110 square miles, making it the 10th largest state in the U.S (combined land and water area)
–State flower: Apple Blossom
–State bird: Robin
–State fossil: Mastodon
–State motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice, which translates to, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.”
–Industry: Michigan is home to 23% of total motor vehicle production in the U.S.
–Forests: About 50% of the state’s land is covered with 19.3 million acres of forests.
GETTING THERE
–Capital Region International Airport (LAN) is about 15 minutes from downtown Lansing.
–Cherry Capital Airport (TVC), a regional airport in traverse City, is just three miles from downtown.
–Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is about 18 miles from downtown Detroit and 25 miles from Ann Arbor.
–Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) serves grand rapids and Western michigan.
–Pellston Airport (PLN) is 15 minutes from the docks for ferries to Mackinac Island.
