Destination: Buffalo Meeting & Event Planning City Guide
Destination Articles
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The Mythical Empire State
By Nikki Gloudeman
June 26, 2012
A tortured Native American princess drowns herself in a lake. A lanky schoolteacher is chased through the woods by a headless horseman. A god of thunder creates horseshoe-shaped waterfalls by throwing a thunderbolt at a poisonous serpent.
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Border Drama
By Josef Aukee
May 31, 2012
Straddling the Canada-U.S. border, the Niagara Falls region is made up of two cities sharing what is arguably the most spectacular waterfall show in North America (or anywhere). The area also features vineyard trails, fashionable Niagara-on-the-Lake and nearby postindustrial Buffalo, N.Y. The falls were first described in print by European immigrant Father Louis Hennepin and as word of them spread, a trickle of tourists became a flood, and the completion of the Erie Canal in the U.S. made getting there much simpler. Although it has garnered much fame as a choice honeymoon retreat for generations, it is also the source of immense hydroelectric power for the region. As a center for industry and border-crossing entrepreneurs, it also attracts sizable regional meetings.
Learn about Buffalo for Event Venues, Services & Meeting Destinations
Destination Description
Smart Stats:
Number of Meetings Hotels: 100
Total Hotel Rooms: 20,000
Number of Special Events Venues: 50
Local Convention Centers: Buffalo Niagara Convention Center
Local Airports: Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
Local CVB: Visit Buffalo Niagara
Smart Snapshot:
The Erie Canal, a 363-mile waterway, begins in Albany on the Hudson River and reaches its western terminus at Lake Erie in Buffalo, the second-largest city in the state. The canal was an engineering marvel and a boom to commerce when constructed, but today you’re more likely to see recreational watercraft than commercial traffic on its route.
Best known for thundering Niagara Falls, the natural wonder does not disappoint. The falls are accessible by car, with gorgeous vistas and opportunities to hike up to where the falls drop off. However, Buffalo boasts more than the impressive waterworks; it’s also the home of the Grammy-award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Although mostly renowned for its natural attractions, Buffalo also has some very impressive man-made attractions as well. There is a slew of world-famous architecture in town, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style Darwin D Martin House Complex, Louis Sullivan’s intricate Guaranty Building, H.H. Richardson’s expansive-yet-elegant Buffalo State Hospital and Eliel and Eero Saarinen’s Kleinhans Music Hall with sweeping lines that mirror the fluidity of the music from within.
Buffalo is an understated destination with many unexpected attractions. Come for your meeting, but make sure to take time to tap into the culture and natural wonders that abound.
