Next Gen Meetings
St. Louis, Kansas City and beyond are building the future
By JT Long
A massive reimagining of America’s Center Convention Complex and new hotel openings in “the Lou” are calling to meeting planners far and wide. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine complex, with the interactive Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum, ensures that future generations don’t lose sight—or sound or taste—of what came before because in addition to the Blue Room working jazz club, the state’s first Black-owned brewery, Vine Street Brewing Co., just opened there.
Nathan Hermiston, senior vice president of Convention Sales and Services at Visit KC, calls the area, “off the beaten path but once the center of the city’s African American community.” Stephen Foutes, director of the Missouri Division of Tourism, invites visitors to explore all the attractions in the state, including Silver Dollar City’s Wonders of Wildlife aquarium which celebrates the beauty and heritage of the Ozarks.
Local Expert Tip
“St. Louis is booming with growth and new tourism infrastructure projects including the $240 million expansion and enhancement of America’s Center Convention Complex. The improvement project, dubbed AC Next Gen, will solidify St. Louis not only as a destination city but also as a meeting and convention hub well into the future. While you’re here, you and your delegates can explore our world-class attractions. Developers have invested more than $10 billion on projects throughout the region, including CITYPARK, home to St. Louis CITY SC, and the 250,000-gallon St. Louis Aquarium at St. Louis Union Station.”
— Kitty Ratcliffe, president, Explore St. Louis
5 Fantastic Places to Meet
America’s Center and The Dome improvements in St. Louis include an additional 72,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space with natural light and an adjacent food farm. The project doubles the number of loading docks and encloses them. A new green space will be larger than a city block and welcome outdoor events while improving the aesthetic of the neighborhood.
Expansion will add 72,000 sq. ft. addition to the current 853,311 sq. ft. of total meeting
21c St. Louis is a new space where travelers and locals can come together to experience contemporary art exhibitions, community-focused cultural programming, and food and beverage options in the 95-year-old, 10-story, Renaissance Revival-style YMCA building.
More than 14,000 sq. ft. of museum space; 173 art-filled guest rooms; 10,500 sq. ft. athletic and wellness center.
Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa and Convention Center AAA Four Diamond on Table Rock Lake boasts meetings with a view indoors and out. The 14,000-square-foot spa features a 30-foot Swarovski crystal waterfall chandelier and a Roman bath.
301 guest rooms; 43,500 sq. ft. of meeting space.
Hotel Kansas City Occupying the building that once housed The Kansas City Club, one of the Midwest’s premier social clubs in the late 1880s, Hotel Kansas City features a lobby champagne bar and tiling from the old pool in the rooms on the 13th floor.
144 guest rooms; 20,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.
Loews Kansas City Connecting directly to the Kansas City Convention Center and in walking distance to Kansas City Power & Light District is a 2020-new, full-service hotel that is light, bright and welcoming with a lobby bar primed for meeting.
800 guest rooms; 60,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.
5 Reasons to Love Missouri
Road Trip. Missouri is quite literally in the middle of the action. As the historic gateway, the state connects east and west. It was a key stop on celebrated Route 66 with some sections of the popular byway still existing there as a National Scenic Byway.
Read More: Missouri: Best Laid Plans
Two by Air. For those taking wing, Kansas City International Airport (MCI) just completed a 5-year, $1.5 billion overhaul. St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) is in the midst of concourse, security checkpoint and terminal facility updates to meet the needs projected through 2040. Combined, the two airports welcome more than 20 million passengers a year.
Colorful Visions. Just over 2 hours south of Kansas City is Joplin, the site of Scottish Rite Cathedral and its formal tearoom and stained-glass-hued reception area. The Cornell Complex opened last year with a 435-seat theater and arts center.
Vacation-style Meetings. Ozarks hospitality is the order of the day at Branson Convention Center’s 220,000 sq. ft. of meeting and exhibition space and across the street from the 242-room Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. Accommodations range from modern and stately to its rustic Big Cedar Lodge.
Fun Central. KC Attractions Pass allows visitors to tour their favorite institutions in Kansas City, including The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures for one low price. St. Louis Union Station is a one-stop shop for 13,000 animals at St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, a 200-foot St. Louis Wheel, an 18-hole mini-golf course and fun dining options.
This article appears in the July 2023 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
