History making
Historically, St. Louis is where the country comes together. The strategic central Missouri location served as a railroad and highway hub. The city hosted the World’s Fair and Olympic Games in 1904, and in 1963, the famous Gateway Arch raised the city’s profile to 630 ft. Now, an expanded convention center will welcome all to The Lou.
After hearing about the ambitious plans for America’s Center in 2019 when I visited for Destinations International Annual Conference, I had to return to see what is being called AC Next Gen for myself. I spent 24 hours discovering new hospitality heights and brought back this report.
Meet
The first phase of the $256 million expansion and facelift at America’s Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis added 72,000 sq. ft. of shiny new, pillar-free exhibit space with improved access via an enclosed loading dock that doubled in size. The reflective concrete bays are a beautiful sight and increase available dates by making load in and out of overlapping programs easier. Enhanced ventilation and filtration make the total 502,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, 80 meeting rooms and 67,000-seat Dome at America’s Center in the middle of downtown a healthy choice.
Read More: St. Louis: A City of Hospitality
One of the highlights of the tour was a new food farm that will grow fresh produce and act as an outdoor gathering space at the Washington Avenue entrance. How fun will that be, hosting VIPs in the garden where their veggies were nurtured?
The second phase of the renovation will wrap up in the first half of 2025.
Stay
No fewer than a dozen hotels are in walking distance, including Marriott St. Louis Grand’s 917 guest rooms and truly majestic 70,000 sq. ft. of meeting space topped by fabulous columns and period chandeliers (You know from my #lookingup social posts that I love a good light fixture).
I stayed at St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, and made a point of ending the evening in the vaulted Grand Hall lobby bar, where hourly laser light shows graced the Art Deco ceilings. The entertainment campus encompasses 106,599 sq. ft. of meeting space and 567 guest rooms (including the historic tower where I stayed, and one of the sweet historic touches is a door designed to look like a train station office).
The thoughtful train station reuse theme continues in St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, an immersive storytelling journey available for after-hour buyouts. All of this is steps from St. Louis Wheel, a signature attraction with enclosed gondolas for up to eight adults and one VIP ride with leather bucket seats, a sound system and glass floor.
Experience
The king of offsite adventures dates back to 1843, when a soap and candlemaker by the name of Eberhard Anheuser bought a Bavarian brewery. The headquarters of the world’s largest brewing company, Anheuser-Busch (AB to those in the know), still produces millions of cases of Budweiser each year and is home to the famous Clydesdales. Indoor and outdoor, historic and modern meeting spaces can accommodate up to 300 guests.
For a completely different team building blocks from America’s Center, City Museum is an artist-built, repurposed materials playground. Unique spaces include Architecure Hall’s salvaged decor, Cabin Inn’s rustic vibe and the Mezzanine’s gilded ocean artscape.
Eat
This is a city that likes its sports and its fried ravioli (known as toasted ravs or T-ravs, and Katie’s Pizza & Pasta makes the best), so it is only natural that the two have come together in some meeting-friendly ways. Ballpark Village, surrounding Busch Stadium blocks from America’s Center, can accommodate the largest and hungriest of groups with 10 event spaces across the street from Live! By Loews St. Louis Hotel.
The newest culinary game in town is Energizer Park, home of the St. Louis City SC Major League Soccer team, who play at Energizer Park and the first majority female-owned club in MLS. Local restaurateur and James Beard Award-winner Gerard Craft is Flavor Officer at the downtown venue. The elevated food selections bring people early for a fine dining experience before the game, while mobile order-ahead and checkout-free outlets make grabbing a bite during the action easy.
