Waterfront and Center

Not many cities are able to carve out valuable waterfront property for their convention centers. But the few facilities that sit along the water offer groups a special aesthetic experience and planners the opportunity to take advantage of the adjacent lakes, rivers or bays to enhance their meetings.

While the centers’ locations can’t be held entirely responsible for landing business (even the Bassmaster Classic fishing tournament and Classic ESPN Outdoors Expo booked the landlocked Charlotte Convention Center in 2004), facility managers say the waterfront advantage can help tip the scales in favor of their cities.

Here’s a look at several waterfront centers and how they encourage groups to make the most of their locations.

Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center,
Mobile, Ala.

The water: Mobile River

The center: The Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center, which has a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall and a 15,000-square-foot ballroom.

Taking advantage: The center has more than 25,000 square feet of outdoor terraces that face the river. “Events have used the space in many different ways,” says Renee Browning, director of sales. “For example, the Gulf Coast Boat Show encourages attendees to watch their in-water displays from the outdoor terraces. Another option: The National Barbecue Association set up kitchens and cooked on the outdoor terraces.”

Groups are encouraged to make use of the Grampa Woo, a 115-foot yacht, which docks at the center each year from November to May, between cruising the Mobile River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Contact: (251) 208-2100; www.mobileconventions.com

Broward County Convention Center,
Fort Lauderdale

The water: Intracoastal Waterway, feeding directly into the Atlantic Ocean

The center: The Broward County Convention Center, with 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and 39 meeting rooms. Among the creative design elements inside the facility is custom carpeting featuring imagery of indigenous fish, scuba divers and other nautical elements.

Taking advantage: “The views from the water are the very best way to experience Fort Lauderdale,” says Francine Mason, vice president of communications for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Those staying at several nearby hotels, including the 457-room Sheraton Yankee Trader and the 367-room Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, can travel to the convention center by way of a water taxi (www.watertaxi.com/FortLauderdale). In front of the center is a 1.3-acre plaza with a fountain and sailfish sculpture that can be set up for an outdoor reception.

For a bird’s-eye view of the city’s navigable inland waterways, groups can book The Pier Top, an event space on the 17th floor of the nearby Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six Resort (pier66.hyatt.com).

Contact: (954) 765-5900; www.ftlauderdalecc.com

ERIE OUTPOST

 

Coming soon:
Bayfront Convention Center

Next summer, the Erie (Pa.) Bayfront Convention Center will open on serene Presque Isle Bay of Lake Erie with a 28,800-square-foot exhibit hall, a 13,500-square-foot ballroom and 15 meeting rooms.

Also under construction is a 203-room Sheraton hotel, due to open late next summer, which will be connected to the new convention center via a pedestrian skywalk. Kevin Molloy, the facility’s general manager, says attendees should plan to bring fishing poles to conventions here. “Fishing magazines call the bay we’re on a nirvana,” he says, adding that parasailing and bird-watching are other ways visitors like to take advantage of the bay.

For more information, visit www.bayfrontconventioncenter.com -- T.I.

San Diego Convention Center

The water: San Diego Bay

The center: The San Diego Convention Center, with 615,700 square feet of exhibit space, was designed with a nautical theme. The 90,000-square-foot Sails Pavilion, for example, is a glass-enclosed space with sails for a ceiling.

Taking advantage: “The whole bay side has terraces that overlook Coronado Island and beyond to the Pacific Ocean,” says Sandra Moreno, executive vice president of sales and marketing. “Instead of just being in a box, you can be out on terraces that feature the most beautiful vistas.”

Planners can book yachts for private receptions, seated dinners or whale-watching excursions. The ships can tie up at the docks that span the distance from the convention center to the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Another waterfront venue of interest nearby is the history-drenched San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum (www.midway.org).

Contact: (619) 525-5205; www.sdccc.org

Tampa Convention Center,
Tampa Bay, Fla.

The water: Tampa Bay

The center: The Tampa Convention Center offers 200,000 square feet of exhibit space. The 360-unit Embassy Suites Tampa Downtown Convention Center opens for business this month with nearly 10,000 square feet of meeting space, attached to the convention center via a skywalk.

Taking advantage: The adjacent Channelside Riverwalk is a popular spot for outdoor receptions because “you don’t need any props; you get the view for free,” says Mary Rocereto, director of sales and marketing. With advance notice, the center can secure up to 50 dock slips for private group use. Occasionally, the center will have a large ship tie up at the dock and serve as auxiliary exhibit space for larger events. Yacht StarShip (www.yachtstarship.com) operates cruise ships that will pick up attendees at the center.

Contact: (800) 426-5630; www.tampaconventioncenter.com

Savannah International Trade & Convention Center,
Savannah, Ga.

The water: Savannah River

The center: The Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, which features approximately 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 13 meeting rooms, might be getting a new hotel as part of the development of a 20-acre plot adjacent to the center. The Georgia International and Maritime Trade Center Authority currently is preparing a master plan for the project; stay tuned for further details.

Taking advantage: The convention cen-ter operates three ferries that can be used to transport attendees between Savannah’s historic district on the south bank of the river to the center on the north bank. Private events can be organized on the esplanade between the convention center and the scenic promenade that runs alongside the river.

The River Street Riverboat Co. sails replicas of old-time riverboats, for up to 600 passengers, that are available for rental and can dock at the convention center (www.savannahriverboat.com).

Contact: (888) 644-6822; www.savtcc.com

INTERNATIONAL WATERS

 

Melbourne Exhibition
& Convention Centre

Three major international waterfront centers currently are undergoing expansion.

* The Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre (www.mecc.com.au) on the Yarra River will be Australia’s largest convention facility once expansion is completed in 2009. A new building with a six-star energy rating is being constructed adjacent to the existing center and will include a divisible 5,000-seat plenary hall and 32 new meeting rooms. The expanded center will have a 333,300-square-foot exhibit hall and could add a 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall during a second phase of development. The convention center is part of a larger, US$738 million waterfront redevelopment project that will include a five-star, 319-room Hilton hotel, a riverfront promenade, office and residential space, and a renovated Maritime Museum.

* In preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (www.vanconex.com) on Coal Harbor is tripling its available exhibit space to more than 515,000 square feet.

* The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (www.hkcec.com.hk), which juts into Victoria Harbor, will increase its exhibition space by roughly 40 percent, to a total of about 700,000 square feet, by 2009. -- T.I.

Navy Pier,
Chicago

The water: Lake Michigan

The center: Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, with 170,000 square feet of exhibit space and 36 meeting rooms, is built out over the lake and surrounded by the hustle and bustle of one of Chicago’s main tourist attractions. Navy Pier currently is developing plans for an extensive, long-term renovation and expansion project.

Taking advantage: The center has outdoor terraces and a 27,000-square-foot rooftop space, which can be tented and offer great views for events.

Premier Yachts Inc. (www.premieryachtsinc.com) operates three cruise lines out of Navy Pier: Odyssey Cruises, which runs a luxury ship for up to 700 people; Seadog Cruises, with four speedboats for up to 134; and Mystic Blue Cruises, offering a party ship for up to 600 people.

Contact: (312) 595-5300; www.navypier.com

David L. Lawrence Convention Center,
Pittsburgh

The water: Allegheny River

The center: The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, which offers more than 230,000 square feet of columnless exhibit space, was designed to harness the wind currents coming off of the river. Thanks to this natural energy source, the facility can completely refresh the air capacity of its main exhibit hall in just 15 minutes.

Taking advantage: The river can be appreciated from the 40,000-square-foot terrace on the fourth floor of the building, which can be set up for a reception, or from the meandering sidewalk that stretches from the center, past reflecting pools and a man-made waterfall, down to the water. Currently, the path is part of a larger park that is being developed to connect Point State Park with the Strip District upriver.

Groups meeting here have produced fireworks displays from a barge on the river, which spectators can view from inside the glass-walled concourse or outside on the terrace.

Gateway Clipper (www.gatewayclipper.com) runs riverboats that can conveniently tie up at the center’s dock to pick up attendees for a dinner or pleasure cruise.

Contact: (412) 565-6000; www.pittsburghcc.com

Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center,
Madison, Wis.

The water: Lake Monona

The center: Still sparkling from a renovation in 2004, the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center (208-261-4000; www.mononaterrace.com) was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built out onto Lake Monona on 90-foot pilings. The center offers 54,000 square feet of exhibit space and 20 individual meeting rooms.

Taking advantage: The center has a 68,000-square-foot rooftop garden, which has been used for receptions and concerts, with views of the water and the state capital.

“On one side of the building, you have Lake Monona. On the other side, you have downtown Madison,” explains Bill Zeine-mann, director of marketing and events for the facility. “So you get a sense of nature and tranquility -- and everything you’d expect from an urban setting.”

In the past, Zeinemann says, temporary docks have been added at clients’ request. A permanent dock and sea wall are in front of the building, along with access to a pedestrian and bike path that loops Lake Monona and zigzags across the city.