College Football Hall of Fame
Have you ever come home from a shopping spree and rationalized that it’s not how much money you spent, but how much you saved? “I could never have afforded that before,” you tell yourself. You are not alone. For 2011, cities are promoting their luxury product where planners can stretch a dollar, like finding a box of unopened Louboutins at a year-end closeout.
ATLANTA
Once known as one of the nation’s top convention destinations due to its collection of large hotels, Atlanta has sauced up the mix with smaller servings of boutique hotels. Over 12,000 hotel rooms, including a good selection of lifestyle luxe, reside within a 1-mile radius of Georgia World Congress Center, the country’s 4th largest convention center. Surrounding it are hotels like St. Regis Atlanta, Mansion on Peachtree, The Ellis Hotel and Glenn, a Marriott Autograph Collection property.
“Atlanta’s market has changed drastically in the past five years with the influx of high-end unique hotel alternatives,” says Mark Vaughan, Chief Sales Officer for Atlanta CVB. “There’s more personalized service and pampered hotel experiences, and less reliance on transportation which help reduce groups’ costs.” And he adds, “Atlanta’s now acknowledged as one of the country’s 25 most affordable destinations.”
Landing a whopper of a deal is no fish tale at The Georgia Aquarium, which was already the world’s largest aquarium before the $110 million expansion that opened in April.
“You can have dinner for 1,000 in the 23,000-sf Oceans Ballroom while watching the whale sharks and beluga whales swim by,” says Vaughan. “There’s nothing like this dolphin-styled Cirque du Soleil anywhere.”
The Aquarium is just one example of Atlanta’s lineup of cool, unique venues which don’t charge a mint for large groups, freeing up funds for things like fine dining and top-tier speakers.
Vaughan recommends rentable spaces at The World of Coca Cola, The National Center for Civil & Human Rights and the new College Football Hall of Fame. “The uniqueness of these venues is that they took meeting planners and corporate groups into consideration when being built,” he says.
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