The $20 million Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center opened in January in Bettendorf, Iowa, with 24,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space and eight meeting rooms for groups of up to 1,400. In addition, there are smaller meeting rooms that range in size from 543 square feet to 774 square feet. The convention center is connected via skywalk to the Isle's Casino Hotel (which also manages the center), providing access to more than 500 hotel rooms and an additional 13,520 square feet of function space.

Venues in the News:

Convention Centers

Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, N.C.

The News: The new convention center opened September 2008.

Specs: 500,000 square feet of meeting space, including an exhibit hall, 20 meeting rooms, open reception areas, and a 32,000-square-foot ballroom

Extra: Adjoining the Raleigh Convention Center is a new 400-room Marriott hotel.

Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, Ariz.

The News: Phoenix Convention Center tripled in size with the December 2008 opening of a $600 million expansion.

Specs: 900,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, with a design inspired by the Grand Canyon featuring solar panels, and a water harvesting garden.

Extra: The 1,000-room Sheraton Downtown Phoenix opened in October. Connecting it all is the new $1.4 billion light-rail system, with 38 stops on the 20-mile line, including one at the convention center.

On Location:

The New Yorker Hotel

The 912-room New Yorker Hotel, at 34th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan, boasts an enviable location close to major transportation hubs like Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Most importantly for association meetings, The New Yorker is the largest hotel close to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. (Many of the Javits' shows run shuttle buses between the hotel and the convention center.)

The New Yorker, one of NYC's largest art deco buildings, just completed a $70 million renovation that unearthed many of the building's original art deco features. The marble lobby floor, for example, was uncovered after spending decades sheathed in carpeting.

Meeting and event space includes two stately ballrooms and 14 meeting and conference rooms that seat from 10 to 600. The Grand Ballroom has 30-foot-high ceilings, 7,500 square feet of floor space, and a balcony that overlooks the main floor. The hotel's second ballroom, the Crystal Room, is decorated with an antique chandelier and hand-painted wall murals. The third- and fourth-floor conference centers provide executive services, Internet access (there is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel), and a facility for presentations and trainings. Plus, The New Yorker links to Manhattan Center Studios, which provides additional event space with its 12,000-square-foot Hammerstein Ballroom and 10,000-square-foot grand ballroom.

There are two restaurants on site: Cooper's Tavern, and the 24-hour The Tick Tock Diner.
— Helena Miele, CITE

NEWS MAKERS:

• The Newport Beach (Calif.) Marriott Hotel & Spa has appointed Michael DiFrancesco as the new director of sales and marketing. In this role, DiFrancesco will oversee conventions, group, leisure, and catering sales.

• Benchmark Hospitality International has appointed John Branciforte director of sales and marketing for the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo. Branciforte had been with the Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate.