What's New

There's a lot happening in the South-Central states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma that should be of interest to meeting and convention planners.

St. Louis, Branson, and Kansas City are building, growing, and stretching their destination muscles, with a plethora of dramatic projects rapidly moving from the drawing boards to reality.

Kansas City, for example, will be drastically different by 2007 as a downtown entertainment district — the Power & Light District — as well as the new Sprint Center arena and Kansas City Convention Center ballroom create magnificent architectural additions to the city's art deco skyline.

The biggest new venue in Missouri opens this spring: Busch Stadium, home for the St. Louis Cardinals. The new ballpark will have entertainment suites for groups.

Downtown St. Louis in general has been re-energized with the addition of dozens of restaurants, many with private dining rooms. In fall 2007, Laclede's Landing entertainment district on the riverfront (steps away from the America's Center convention complex) will include a new $400 million Pinnacle Casino development. Also planned to open in 2007 is The Bottle District, just west of America's Center. The $200 million entertainment complex includes a Grand Prix Speedways Formula 1 Kart track and restaurants.

In Missouri's Branson/Lakes area, the $420 million Branson Landing opened in downtown this year. At its heart is a town square large enough to accommodate 5,000 guests for festivals and music events. It features a $7.5 million attraction that synchronizes water, light, sound and fire. Also new in Branson are the Grand Exposition at Silver Dollar City theme park and Titanic: The World's Largest Titanic Museum Attraction, available for meetings and special events.

In Arkansas, the River Rail Trolleys travel over about 2.1 miles of track through the downtowns of North Little Rock and Little Rock, linking Alltel Arena, Statehouse Convention Center, the River Market, and Argenta Historic District and neighborhood restaurants. Expansion of the route to include the Clinton Presidential Center is under way.

Facility Updates

Arkansas

• The 125,000-square-foot John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers is under construction. Scheduled to open in June, it will connect to the 248-unit Embassy Suites Hotel, with 25,000 square feet of meeting space. An additional tower of 152 hotel suites and a full-service spa should be complete in July 2007.

• In Springdale, the 206-room Holiday Inn & Northwest Arkansas Convention Center Hotel has 49,000 square feet of adaptable space, banquet space for 3,000 people, and 23 breakout rooms.

• Clarion Convention Center, in the Clarion Hotel, is Bentonville's largest meeting facility. It has more than 25,000 square feet of space, including an atrium, ballrooms, and conference suites accommodating up to 1,000 people and space for more than 120 trade show booths.

• The Conference Centre at Compton Gardens has accommodations for up to 60 people, catering kitchen, AV, and indoor/outdoor break areas. It is a short walk from downtown Bentonville.

Kansas

• The 110,000-square-foot Kansas Expocentre in Topeka had a $3 million tune-up in 2005. Renovations include remodeled restrooms featuring additional ADA capabilities, a new elevator, a new fire alarm system, new lighting and heating, and refurbished exteriors and interiors.

• The Topeka Ramada underwent a recent $3 million renovation.

Missouri

• The Hilton Convention Center Complex in Branson will stand two stories high and offer 220,000 square feet of flexible space. The first level consists of a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall that can be divided into two sections, as well as a 23,000-square-foot ballroom. The second level features five meeting rooms. The center can accommodate up 7,500 attendees. Convention guests who stay at the companion Hilton Convention Center Hotel or the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing will be able to use a single wireless package at both the convention center and their hotel.

• The 472-room Radisson Hotel Branson and the adjacent Grand Palace theater have partnered to host meetings. The Grand Palace — with its 3,811-seat auditorium and stage — complements the hotel's 15,000 square feet of meeting space.

• In Joplin, the 69-room Econo Lodge Inn & Suites opened in 2005, the 83-room Candlewood Suites opened in February, the 96-room Hilton Gardens will open late this year, and a 144-room Residence Inn opened in March.

• The Residence Inn by Marriott opened in January just west of St. Louis' downtown business district.

• In November 2002, Kansas City voters approved an increase in local hotel and restaurant taxes to fund $135 million in improvements to the Kansas City Convention Center. The completion of the $22 million meeting room and pre-function renovations marks the end of the first phase. The second phase, which includes the addition of a 46,450-square-foot ballroom over Interstate 670, will be completed in 2007.

• The Argosy Riverside Casino is undergoing a $75 million expansion that will add a 250-room resort hotel in 2007.

• Harrah's North Kansas City Casino underwent a $130 million renovation and expansion. The casino has added a 192-room, 11-story hotel tower, complementing Harrah's original 200-room hotel.

• Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. in Kansas City will begin an $85 million expansion and renovation project this spring. Construction will take 12 to 15 months.

• In Kansas City, MAX (Metro Area Express) began operation last July. The rapid transit bus line connects the River Market, Downtown, Crown Center, and the Plaza.

• On the eastern edge of Kansas City's new entertainment district, the 18,500-seat, $250 million Sprint Center arena will open in 2007. As part of the project, a 40,000-square-foot building called College Basketball: The Experience will be connected to Sprint Center. The two-story complex will feature a 10,000-square-foot Hall of Fame, as well as a 30,000-square-foot interactive fan area.

• The $326 million Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center, adjacent to the Kansas City Convention Center ballroom, is scheduled to break ground this fall and to open in 2009.

• Closed for 25 years, the historic Hotel President in downtown Kansas City reopened in January as the Hilton President Kansas City after a $45 million restoration. It has 213 guest rooms and 10,250 total square feet of meeting space.

• A new 143-room Holiday Inn will be connected to the KCI Expo Center by a walkway and will offer 1,781 square feet of meeting space.

• John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc. plans to open the 150-suite Residence Inn by Marriott Kansas City International Airport late this year.

Ask the CVB

Arkansas

Bentonville Advertising & Promotion Commission
(800) 410-2535
www.bentonvilleusa.org
Total Hotel Tax: 13%

Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 844-4781, (501) 376-4781
www.littlerock.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11.5%

Rogers CVB

(479) 636-1240; www.rogerslowell.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13%

Kansas

Greater Hutchinson CVB
(800) 691-4282, (620) 662-3391
www.hutchchamber.com
Total Hotel Tax: 14.05%

Topeka CVB
(800) 235-1030, (785) 234-1030
www.topekacvb.org
Total Hotel Tax: 13.45%

Missouri

Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB
(417) 334-4084
www.explorebranson.com
Total Hotel Tax: 12.475%

Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association
(800) 767-7700, (816) 221-5242
www.visitkc.com
Total Hotel Tax: 14.855%

St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
(800) 325-7962; (314) 421-1023
www.mynameisstlouis.com
Total Hotel Tax: 14.866%

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City CVB
(800) 225-5652; (405) 297-8912
www.visitokc.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13.875%

Tulsa CVB
(800) 558-3311; (918) 585-1201
www.visittulsa.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13.517%

Phantom Planner

• Northwest Arkansas is consistently ranked one of the top-10 fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. It's home to the global headquarters of Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt.

• St. Louis, Mo., has many great venues for hosting events. In addition to The Gateway Arch, they include the City Museum, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, and Missouri History Museum.

• Kansas City, Mo., has become a haven for Midwestern artists, many of whom have settled into the eclectic Crossroads Arts District. Once-vacant buildings house shops, restaurants, and a thriving art scene. The first Friday of each month brings thousands into the district when more than 40 art galleries and shops remain open until 9 p.m. Many of these galleries will allow special events.

• If your attendees are road-racing fans, consider an event in Topeka, Kan. The “Super Bowl” of amateur road racing will be held in Topeka for the next three years. The Sports Car Club of America's National Championship Runoffs will bring more than 10,000 racing fans to Topeka October 9 to 15, 2006.

Special Venues

• New to North Little Rock, Ark., is the North Shore Maritime Center featuring the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum (www.aimm.museum) anchored by the USS Razorback SS394, a WWII-era submarine. The USS Razorback will be joined in 2006 by the USS Hoga (pictured below), a tugboat that fought battleship fires during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The museum can be rented for private groups. Also at the North Shore Maritime Center, the Arkansas Queen riverboat may be chartered for special cruises or rented dockside for private events. (www.arkansasqueen.com)

• The voters of North Little Rock recently approved a 1 percent sales tax to finance a new home for the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team. Dickey-Stephens Stadium should open in April 2007, with skyboxes and a special events area available for rent. www.travs.com

• Arend Arts Center is on the Bentonville (Ark.) High School campus. The center is a prime location for theatrical productions, recitals, lectures, and concerts. With seating for 1,190, it includes an orchestra pit, dressing rooms, Steinway grand piano, a technical staff, and state-of-the-art AV and lighting equipment. www.bentonville.k12.ar.us/arendarts/

  • In Independence, Mo., the Truman Memorial Building offers a number of rooms and facilities for meetings. The Truman Presidential Museum and Library also has meetings rooms, a theater auditorium, and programs for groups, such as the White House Decision center. www.trumanlibrary.org

  • The National Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, Mo., is dedicated to the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails. Its theater can be reconfigured for meetings or meals. Or groups can take a covered-wagon tour through town, followed by a chuck wagon dinner on the museum grounds. www.ci.independence.mo.us/NFTM/

• Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium, Springfield, Mo., boasts more than 225 species of live animals, aquariums, and hands-on exhibits. The upper lobby gallery can host a sit-down dinner for 120 or a cocktail party for up to 200. The Community Pond fronts a 130,000-gallon freshwater aquarium that is home to giant paddlefish, enormous catfish, and other North American fish. The room can accommodate 35 for a cocktail party. The Out-To-Sea gallery has a 14-foot-by-26-foot window into the deep sea with four species of large sharks, eels, and other saltwater fish. This gallery can seat 80 banquet-style or 125 for a cocktail reception. www.wondersofwildlife.org

• Designed by renowned architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, Topeka's Great Overland Station was reported to be “one of the finest passenger stations on the line” when it opened in 1927. With its 34-foot ceiling and ornate glazed terra cotta ornamentation, this elegant building is now a railroad heritage museum and a spectacular venue for meetings and events. www.greatoverlandstation.com

• The Kansas Museum of History is nestled on 81 acres of Kansas grasses and woodlands in Topeka. The four-building complex features classrooms, meeting facilities and a one-room schoolhouse. www.kshs.org/visit/planners/index.htm

• The Conference Centre at Compton Gardens has accommodations for up to 60 people, catering kitchen, AV, and indoor/outdoor break areas. It is a short walk from downtown Bentonville. www.comptongardens.org

• Peel Mansion and Heritage Gardens, Bentonville, is a villa tower Italianate mansion built in 1875. Peel Mansion hosts meetings and receptions both indoors and out among historic roses, perennials, and native plants. www.peelmansion.org

Imagine a 67-story office building lying on its side, and you'll get an idea of how large the expansion of Kansas City's premier art museum will be when it opens in 2007. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is in the midst of a $200 million expansion. The addition will expand the museum by 71 percent to some 400,000 square feet. www.nelson-atkins.org