Charm City’s meeting venues call with innovation and imagination
If you think you know Baltimore, think again. The city, whose pro football team, The Baltimore Ravens is named after hometown boy Edgar Allan Poe’s best-known work, is a vibrant, foodie capital, perched on scenic Chesapeake Bay. “Today’s Baltimore is a place where good ideas and ambition are the currency that matters most. It’s a place where art is seen as a catalyst for conversation, food as a means of connection and history as an opportunity for education. It’s an essential destination for learning about and understanding the African American experience and a city full of inclusive neighborhoods where all visitors will feel invited, welcomed and seen,” says Al Hutchinson, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore.
A short side trip to bucolic and historic Harford County, Maryland, can take your attendees on a barn quilt trek or a safari to see the plentiful bald eagles that make their home there. Baltimore and its surrounding area is surprisingly rich with natural beauty.
Local Expert Tip
“What people don’t understand about Baltimore is that there are amazing lush, colorful and natural places all around the city. Sherwood Gardens is 10 minutes from downtown and in the spring, the annuals and perennials are beautiful and abundant. You can always find a little space to call your own and enjoy a picnic or a little stroll.”
— Tracey Holley, senior market manager, Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
5 Reasons Meeting Profs Love Baltimore
Easy Access: Baltimore is on the I-95 corridor with easy proximity to all major East Coast cities. In addition to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), the city is 38 miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Crabs and All That Food Culture: Baltimore has always been known for its famous crab cakes but it’s now considered one of the best foodie cities in the country. Vegan, steak, Pan-Asian, farm-to-table and many other options abound and a restaurant or pub crawl in town is a great mixer for meeting groups after work is done.
A Wealth of Black-Owned Businesses and African American Culture: Baltimore is rightly proud of its diverse history and culture. Reginald F. Lewis Museum features objects and art dating from 1784 to the present day. Located in downtown Baltimore, just two blocks from the Inner Harbor, the Lewis Museum features more than 13,000 sq. ft. of permanent and temporary exhibition space, a two-story theater, classrooms, meeting rooms and an outdoor terrace.
Art, History and Edgar Allan Poe: Baltimore Museum of Art holds one of the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Henri Matisse. It’s also home to Edgar Allan Poe House, a national landmark and the former home of the writer, now a museum and a place of pilgrimage to horror fans around the world.
A Wide Variety of Venues: Baltimore’s myriad hotel venues offer meeting planners a wide variety of stay and connect options. Baltimore Marriott Waterfront and Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor are two standouts. Baltimore Marriott has 42 event rooms and Apropoe’s, a restaurant named after Edgar Allan. Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor has the largest indoor hotel ballroom in the city.
5 Fantastic Places to Meet
Lexington Market is the country’s longest continuously operating public market, serving Baltimore for over 230 years as a hub for fresh food and local and regional culinary favorites. A $40-million redevelopment is building a new market building and plaza.
40 unique local vendors; private event space available
Baltimore Convention Center located downtown is the city’s major exhibit space, hosting more than 500,000 attendees at 125 events a year.
54 meeting rooms; 300,000 sq. ft. of total exhibit space
CFG Bank Arena, formerly known as Royal Farms Arena, can be used as a companion or flex space to Baltimore Convention Center. A $150-million accelerated construction plan is expected to be completed within the year.
Total seating 15,000
American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM), nestled in Federal Hill near the Inner Harbor comprises three historic buildings and two sculpture plazas. The buildings, themselves, are award-winning designs.
Jim Rouse Visionary Center seats up to 400 people; the Sculpture Barn and Garden can host 250 for cocktails and the Museum Cafe accommodates 110 standing cocktail guests
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the MLB Baltimore Orioles, offers customizable event offerings in their suites, club level room, Miller Lite Flite Deck, the bullpen picnic area and The Camden Club, located on the 7th floor of the B&O Warehouse building.
Accommodates up to 6000 people; available year-round
This article appears in the March 2023 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
