What's New

The Midwest has glamorous shopping and huge conventions in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Cleveland, Kansas City, and a dozen other big cities. In 2008, the GOP will hold its Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities. But it's “Big Ten” country in any year, and an excellent place to build a meeting or an incentive around a clash of titans in football or basketball, or a pro game that attendees will talk about for years.

The 2010 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Men's Final Four will be held in Indianapolis' new Lucas Oil Stadium, scheduled to open in summer 2008. The stadium also will host the NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regional in March 2009. The stadium will be connected by tunnel and skywalks to the Indiana Convention Center, hotels, and the Circle Center Mall. The RCA Dome will be torn down.

Built on 24 acres in the heart of Chicago, Millennium Park, with its Cloud Gateway, includes the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the Jay Pritzker outdoor performing arts pavilion, an indoor a year-round theater, a restaurant, an ice-skating rink, and gardens.

Also in Chicago, the Mills Co. broke ground in 2005 for the first phase of the 108 North State Street Project, which will include retail, dining, entertainment, a hotel, an office tower, and transit station components. The goal is to energize the State Street Retail District, opening in late 2008.

In May, the city of Rosemont, Ill. unveiled the master plan for Rosemont Walk, a 60-acre, $500 million mixed-use development built around the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center and Rosemont Theatre. Phase one has broken ground. It includes Grizzly Falls Resort, a waterpark and 400-room resort; a 525-room Le Meridien hotel; and Muvico Rosemont Walk 22, a 4,750-seat, 22-screen megaplex.

Indianapolis International Airport will soon have a new terminal. The Civic Plaza terminal's shape will resemble the city's central public area, Monument Circle. Construction is scheduled to be finished in late 2008.

Meanwhile, talk of expansion of the Indiana Convention Center is in the air, but more space isn't anticipated to be available until late 2010, nearly doubling Indianapolis' exhibit space to about 550,000 square feet.

After 83 years, Cleveland figures it could use a new convention center. Possible sites include an expansion of the existing center or new construction along the Cuyahoga River. On its Lake Erie waterfront, Cleveland is redeveloping eight miles of freeway into a tree-lined boulevard, including a trolley museum and a “Rock Block” of shops, plus an 18-hole golf course.

Facilities Update

Illinois

• In July, McCormick Place completed its West building, adding 700,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space. The campus' three buildings have a total of 2.2 million square feet of exhibit space.

• Although it hosted 12 U.S. presidents, the 1910 Blackstone Hotel, a Chicago landmark on South Michigan Avenue, sat vacant for nearly eight years before its $112 million renovation. Next summer, the luxury hotel will reopen as a Marriott Renaissance name with 330 guest rooms, a second-floor restaurant, and renovated meeting rooms.

• The 411-room Westin Chicago North Shore opened in October, 16 miles north of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. It has 35,000 square feet of meeting space and three restaurants.

• Trump International Hotel & Tower is being built on the Chicago River and will include 286 rooms.

• The 302-room James Hotel recently opened in downtown Chicago.

• She looks like a real lady now, but the Millennium Knickerbocker's storied past shows through. The North Michigan Avenue hotel is sleek and sassy with all the latest accoutrements after $20 million worth of renovations. The gold leaf and crystal-encrusted lobby, ballroom, 14 meeting rooms, and restaurants are the epitome of elegance, but upstairs in the 305 guest rooms and hallways alert guests might still get a whiff of the bawdy days in 1927 when the hotel was built and became a Capone hangout, or hear the strains of disco from the 1970s when Hugh Hefner brought in scantily clad ladies and turned it into the Playboy Towers.

• Renaissance Hotels & Resorts and the Village of Schaumburg opened the $224 million Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in 2006. The convention center has 100,000 square feet of obstruction-free exhibit space, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom, and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel has 500 guest rooms.

• Gemstone Hotels & Resorts will transform the Chicago House of Blues hotel into the Hotel Sax Chicago to the tune of $17 million. The project includes a complete renovation of all 353 guest rooms and the lobby area and an increased 10,000 square feet of meeting and function space. The name change became effective in May.

• The Hyatt Regency O'Hare celebrated its grand reopening in Rosemont on May 22 following a $60 million transformation that included its 110,000 square feet of meeting space and the addition of the O'H lobby restaurant and Red Bar. Its 1,100 guest rooms are still being updated.

Indiana

• French Lick Resort Casino, a $382 million historic restoration and development project, opened in November. It includes French Lick Springs Hotel, the new French Lick Casino, and the West Baden Springs Hotel, opened in May and available to guests for the first time in 75 years. The resort has 693 guest rooms and suites; an 84,000-square-foot casino; 36,000 square feet of meeting space; 45 holes of golf; a pool and fitness complex; and a bowling alley.

• The $325 million JW Marriott Complex in Indianapolis will include a total of 1,568 rooms, with 1,000 rooms in the JW Marriott; 250 rooms in the Courtyard by Marriott; 168 rooms in the Fairfield Inn & Suites; and 150 rooms in the SpringHill Suites. The complex will have 110,000 square feet of meeting space, Construction will begin this fall for a 2010 planned completion.

• In July, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. announced the opening of its second hotel in Indianapolis. Converted from a Radisson, Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel is located in the heart of the city's historic Monument Circle. The lobby has been upgraded, as have the hotel's 378 guest rooms — including 45 suites. There are three Club Level floors and a Club Lounge, and more than 18,000 square feet of meeting space, including the Panorama Ballroom on the 21st floor. The hotel features the only rooftop pool in downtown Indianapolis. Facilities include a fitness center and a business center.

• The Roberts Hotel in Muncie is closed for at least a year for renovations. Muncie officials are concerned about keeping the Horizon Center and downtown alive after the loss of the last hotel. The Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce is working with north-side Muncie hotels to shuttle guests attending conventions at the Horizon Center and providing a lounge in the center.

Michigan

• The Motor City Casino, in Detroit, has broken ground on its $275 million, 17-story gaming hall, 400-room hotel, and conference center. Construction will add a spa, retail space, restaurants, and a parking structure by late this year.

• Construction of Detroit's permanent Greektown Casino Resort will include a 13-floor parking garage with 20 to 22 stories of hotel rooms on top. The resort will have a spa and pool, a 1,300-seat theater, a ballroom, and meeting rooms.

• MGM Grand Detroit Casino's permanent $600 million facility is under construction and due to open this fall. It has begun accepting bookings for November 1, 2007, and later. Plans call for a 401-room hotel, convention space, and a casino. For meetings and events, there is more than 30,000 square feet of function space accommodating up to 1,300 people. MGM Grand is also opening two signature restaurants created by chefs Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina.

• A new JW Marriott hotel being built in Grand Rapids is stirring controversy by reserving its 19th floor for women only, but indicating it will charge $30 more for rooms on that floor. The 340-room JW Marriott Grand Rapids will have 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space and will be within a couple blocks of Grand Rapids' new DeVos Place convention center.

Minnesota

• Doubletree Hotel Minneapolis Park Place completed a multimillion-dollar renovation, giving the hotel a new main entrance and upgrading 298 guest rooms and more than 26,000 square feet of meeting and event facilities.

• Plans call for the 140-room Graves Uptown Hotel Minneapolis to open by the end of 2008 as part of a $150 million mixed-use development called Mosaic. The hotel will have a 5,800-square-foot ballroom, a spa, and a restaurant.

• The 214-room Westin Minneapolis opened downtown in May in the 1941 Farmers & Mechanics Bank. Guests are greeted by a 34-foot vaulted entryway and lobby. Also on site: the Bank Restaurant and 7,891 square feet of meeting space, including the Bankers Boardroom with floor-to-ceiling windows.

• Construction began June 1 on a $50 million addition to Treasure Island Resort & Casino, just outside the Twin Cities, that includes 230 hotel rooms (for a total of 480), an event center with convention space, and a family fun center. Project completion is set for fall 2008.

• The $105 million Grand Lodge and Water Park of America Hotel, adjacent to the Mall of America in Bloomington, opened in 2006 with 403 rooms and two meeting rooms.

• The 321-room Millennium Hotel Minneapolis is on the Nicollet Mall and is connected via an enclosed walkway to the Minneapolis Convention Center. The hotel has 20,000 square feet of meeting, banquet, and function space on one level.

Missouri

• Millennium Hotel St. Louis has 370 rooms and 65,000 square feet of meeting space just north of Laclede's Landing, an entertainment district with some of St. Louis' best restaurants and nightclubs Laclede's Landing also has the city's only downtown casino.

Ohio

• Battelle Hall, part of the original Greater Columbus Convention Center, will be converted from exhibition space into one of the largest ballrooms in the state. Construction is expected to begin on the 90,000-square-foot facility late this year and finish by late 2009.

• In Sandusky, a new Kalahari Resort opened in 2005. The resort offers 596 guest rooms and suites and the Nia Center. Nia has 95,000 square feet of meeting and event space in 25 meeting rooms, including a 17,200-square-foot grand ballroom. The resort has a spa and fitness center and is in the midst of an expansion that will take its 80,000-square-foot waterpark to 175,000 square feet.

• Cincinnati's new Duke Energy Center, which recently completed a $135 million expansion and renovation, is a study in color that looks wonderful and helps attendees to navigate the structure. Ideal convention sizes are one or two groups with 3,000 to 4,500 people. The Hyatt, Westin, and the Millennium are attached by skywalks to the center.

• Hyatt Place Cincinnati — Northeast and Hyatt Place Cincinnati Airport/Florence opened in April, each with about 125 rooms and 875 square feet of meeting space. The new Hyatt brand hotels are designed for the 24/7 work-and-play lifestyle with free Wi-Fi access, food whenever the guests want it, large desks, and 42-inch flat-panel, high-definition televisions.

Wisconsin

• Marcus Corp. will spend $70 million over the next year to renovate several convention hotels, including downtown Milwaukee's 220-room Wyndham Milwaukee Center and the Pfister Hotel, which will get a new restaurant and spa, along with renovation of some of the hotel's 307 guest rooms and meeting space. The hotel operator also will update Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva.

• The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort last year built a 25,000-square-foot banquet and conference center into the lodge it opened in Wisconsin Dells.

• With more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, the Africa-themed Kalahari Waterpark and Resort at Wisconsin Dells has a convention center that is large enough to accommodate most events. It is particularly popular for meetings that include families. Kalahari has two ballrooms that do double duty as exhibit venues, and there are 35 other meeting spaces. The resort has 740 guest rooms and both indoor and outdoor waterparks.

Ask the CVB

Illinois

Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau
(312) 567-8500
www.choosechicago.com
Total Hotel Tax: 14.9%

Rosemont Convention Bureau
(847) 823-2100; www.rosemont.com
Total Hotel Tax: 12.5%

Indiana

Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Authority
(317) 639-4282; www.indy.org
Total Hotel Tax: 15%

Michigan

Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
(888) 225-5389; www.visitdetroit.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13% to 15%

Grand Rapids/Kent County CVB
(800) 678-9859
www.meetgrandrapids.org
Total Hotel Tax: 13%

Minnesota

Greater Minneapolis CVA
(800) 445-7412, (612) 767-8000
www.minneapolismeetings.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13%

Saint Paul CVB
(800) 627-6101; www.visitsaintpaul.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13%

Ohio

Greater Columbus CVB
(614) 221-6623; (800) 354-2657
www.ExperienceColumbus.com

CVB of Greater Cleveland
(800) 321-1001
www.clevelandmeetings.com
Total Hotel Tax: 15.5%

Greater Cincinnati CVB
(800) 543-2613
www.cincymeetings.com
Total Hotel Tax: 17%

Wisconsin

Greater Madison CVB
(800) 373-6376
www.visitmadison.com
Total Hotel Tax: 13.5%

Phantom Planner

• Megabus, a division of Coach USA, started service last April to nine Midwestern cities, including Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Detroit. The hub is Chicago. Megabus works on the Southwest Airlines model: fast, no-frills service direct to city centers. Tickets are available online and can range from $1 to $60 per trip. Contact www.megabus.com/us.

• People in the Midwest say “pop,” not “soda.” Two of the most delicious bottled pops have been crowded off store shelves almost everywhere but in Michigan: Vernor's Ginger Ale (bearing no relation to its pale, tasteless cousin) and Faygo Redpop. Both are made in Detroit.

• Getting to and from Chicago's McCormick Place from downtown is convenient via the dedicated busway. Charter buses bypass local traffic on a two-lane, 2.5-mile roadway. Travel time averages eight minutes from Randolph Street to McCormick Place. A busway map is available at www.mccormickplace.com/maps_direct/maps_dir.html.

• Hereschicago.com is Chicago's Resource Directory, providing meeting and event planners access to professional meeting and event venues and services in Chicagoland.

Special Venues

• Cleveland Botanical Garden is an exotic Glasshouse — the only one of its kind. It has 10 acres of gardens, including a children's garden. The venue in University Circle offers magnificent settings for events, with space that can seat 250 theater-style. Full-service catering and audiovisual and teleconferencing support are available. www.cbgarden.org

• The Epic Center is home to the arts in Kalamazoo, Mich. The 89,000-square-foot building is designed in Industrial art deco style and houses several options for meetings, including an atrium, a boardroom, a classroom, and two theaters. (269) 342-5059; www.epiccenter.org

• The Harley-Davidson Museum is under construction at Sixth and Canal streets in Milwaukee. The 130,000-square-foot museum, which is expected to open in 2008, will feature exhibits as well as meeting space, special events facilities, and the company's archives. Contact the CVB.

• Coco Key, Chicago's first major indoor waterpark resort, is in Arlington Heights at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest. The facility will be available for groups as a teambuilding venue. The Sheraton has 426 guest rooms and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. (847) 394-2000

For more information on meeting venues in the U.S., click here.