Successful Meetings - February 2009 - (Page 73)

America, will open in Fredericksburg late next year. And the Salamander Resort & Spa will open next March in Middleberg, in northern Virginia horse country. Concord, North Carolina, is about to unveil a rustic timber lodge called the Great Wolf Lodge, which will have 20,000 square feet of meeting space—and an indoor water park. And the Grand Bohemian Hotel is about to open in Asheville, gateway to the Smokies. Huntsville, Alabama, is also planning a convention center-hotel complex, to address the rising call for world-class meeting space in that city. Atmospheres of art and adventure All over the South, cities large and small are bursting with new cultural projects and attractions scheduled to open in the next few years. Atlanta is constantly morphing into even more of a worldclass meeting mecca. A new mixed-use development has already started shaping up on the northern edge of downtown, with a just-opened W Hotel, office space, and a variety of imaginative restaurants. The Georgia Aquarium will add a $110 million dolphin exhibit next year, the new Women’s Professional Soccer League will have an Atlanta franchise, and HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport, already one of the world’s greatest transportation hubs, is adding a new international terminal and new MARTA stations. For New Orleans, there’s no looking back. The city will continue to emerge from the shadow of Hurricane Katrina, with projects that are painting an entirely new face. Armstrong Park, including the Mahalia Jackson Theater, just reopened adjacent to the French Quarter. And new riverfront development is converting unused space into parks and public green spaces. “It’s been three years of highs and lows for New Orleans,” says Mary Beth Romig of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. “But we’re getting back to where we were before—and we’ll have an even-better infrastructure for meetings. Future events such as the NCAA Men’s Final Four (basketball) tournament in 2012, and the Women’s Final Four the fol- lowing year, are getting us back on the map again.” Charlotte has transformed itself as much as any city in the South over the past few decades—and it’s racing into the future. The new NASCAR Hall of Fame is coming next year; it will connect with the Charlotte Convention Center, and will also add to the complex’s meeting space. The Wachovia Cultural Campus is adding four new facilities in the next 18 months, including an art museum, a 1,200-seat theater, and an African-American cultural center with rooftop meeting space. A prime example of the South’s new sophistication is Tennessee, which has tremendous new drawing power with meeting planners. There’s a palpable sense of energy in this state—and it’s not only coming from the big cities. Belle Island Village, in Dolly Parton’s hometown of Pigeon Forge in the Smokies (where of course, Dollywood is located), is a $114 million development with retail, We’ve Got all the Pieces. KNOXVILLE CONVENTION CENTER Puzzled about your next meeting location? The Knoxville Center and a host of complimentary services are the perfect “ﬁt” for your meeting needs. THE Tourism & Sports Corporation, the Knoxville Convention Contact Us Today About Your Next Event! 73 http://www.knoxville.org http://www.knoxville.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - February 2009

Successful Meetings - February 2009 Contents Editor's Letter News Update: Meetings Associations Band Together Education Planner Spotlight Technology Talk Food & Beverage Making Cents of It All Meanwhile, Back at Headquarters Seal of Approval Come Sail Away Making Tracks Places & Spaces Florida’s East Coast Aruba Maui 3 Days in Philadelphia

Successful Meetings - February 2009

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