Northern Kentucky

The familiar Kentucky motto rings true in its Northern region, where each city faithfully bridges the gap between technology and tradition to offer fabulous meeting venues and place the area at the top of most meeting planners' "must see" list.

On the north side is Covington—the state's fourth largest city—as well as Ft. Mitchell and Florence, communities chock-full of museums, attractions and shopping malls, and which take full advantage of their location at the backdoor to Cincinnati.

To the south sits Lexington and to the southwest Louisville, two bustling all-American cities associated with baseball, bluegrass and horseracing, which also feature grand meeting sites and attractions. Together, the two sides offer a number of progressive and engaging meeting venues. The area's variety of entertainment options and top-notch facilities create a strong infrastructure for groups of many sizes. With a state-of-the-art convention center, host of business-minded hotels and one of the nation's fastest-growing airports, Northern Kentucky satisfies group meeting needs. In fact, the Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau puts its money where its mouth is and guarantees satisfaction.

"We believe in our product so strongly that we warrant it," says Sheree Allgood, spokesperson for the Northern Kentucky CVB. The bureau offers a Meetings Guarantee Program that awards a free day's rent of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center to any group not satisfied with its meeting services, including transportation and catering. "The program is an unconditional guarantee that your meeting will go off without a hitch, and it makes us quite unique," says Allgood.

High-Tech in Kentucky

The 204,000-square-foot Northern Kentucky Convention Center—located in Covington, across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati—is the north side's premier convention facility and caters to small and mid-sized conferences with 50,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 23,000-square-foot ballroom, 14,000 square feet of meeting space, and 10 breakout rooms.

In addition, the center offers advanced technology options, such as data lines in each wall electrical outlet; modem jacks in each meeting room; satellite up-link for mass broadcasts; and an in-house audiovisual company offering a full range of equipment and services.

"Meetings and conventions no longer rely on face-to-face networking and overhead projectors," explains Charles Wheeler, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. "We offer state-of-the-art facilities for niche markets, especially groups that focus on technologically."

The center is a 10-minute drive from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Delta's second largest hub and home to Comair, the Delta Connection carrier. Served by more than 14 airlines and offering more than 575 daily departures, the airport was recently ranked tops in the United States and seventh in the world for overall convenience in a survey of international travelers conducted by the International Air Transportation Association. The airport also rates well for on-time performance.

"We tend to be closer to the top for on-time flights," says airport spokesperson Joe Feiertag. "We have lots of room, and the facilities are relatively new."

Where to Stay

More than 6,500 hotel rooms lie in close proximity to the convention center and airport, with many offering their own meeting space. The new 326-room Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter, for example, offers 9,100 square feet of meeting space and is connected to the convention center via a climate-controlled skybridge. Distinguished by an expansive, 15-story atrium, the four-diamond Marriott offers a multi-level fitness center, two concierge floors and "Rooms That Work," a program designed for business travelers that provides expansive desks, proper lighting and ergonomic chairs. In addition, planners can take advantage of Marriott's frequent guest program and earn points for booking at the property.

The Marriott sits adjacent to the 226-room Embassy Suites RiverCenter, featuring two-room suite accommodations, more than 6,000 square feet of meeting space and offering complimentary breakfast. Both hotels overlook Northern Kentucky's popular Riverboat Row, a collection of floating restaurants and nightclubs.

A few blocks away, the 236-room Clarion Hotel Riverview has an entire floor of meeting space with a large deck affording unobstructed views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline. Additionally, the hotel has a 6,000-square-foot, flexible ballroom on the first floor, for a total of more than 8,000 square feet of space. Amenities include an indoor/outdoor pool with a retractable dome and a revolving restaurant offering stunning views from the 18th floor.

If you are seeking a property close to the airport, Northern Kentucky has a number of options, including the 295-room Cincinnati Airport Marriott, with 14,000 square feet of meeting space, two concierge levels, an indoor pool, fitness center, full-service restaurant, and complimentary airport transportation. Located about a mile and a half from the airport, the property is also situated close to casino gaming in nearby Lawrenceburg, Ind. Two miles from the airport and eight miles from downtown Cincinnati, Holiday Inn Cincinnati Airport boasts 17,000 square feet of meeting space, 13 meeting rooms, a 24-hour indoor swimming pool, sauna, recreation center, and complimentary airport transportation.

"We have a very nice hotel with a wonderful, friendly staff," says Mary Lou Wheeler, sales and catering manager at the Holiday Inn Cincinnati Airport. "Because of our proximity to the airport, we do a lot of corporate and association business, and we host baseball teams in the summer."

Six miles from the airport, the 306-room Hilton Greater Cincinnati Airport has more than 8,700 square feet of meeting space, including a grand ballroom, executive boardrooms and a number of conference rooms. Other amenities include a fitness center, indoor pool and an onsite restaurant. Nine other restaurants lie within walking distance. Planners may upgrade to the hotel's Executive Level, which features a nightly happy hour.

The 214-room Radisson Inn Cincinnati Airport, located on airport grounds, features 6,940 square feet of meeting space as well as an indoor heated pool, exercise and playground area, on-site restaurant and lounge, and complimentary shuttle to the airport terminal.

Courtyard by Marriott recently joined the line-up of airport properties, and boasts business-friendly amenities such as large work desks with PC ports, voicemail, in-room coffee makers, and complimentary newspapers on weekdays. The Courtyard offers express check-in and checkout, one 800-square-foot meeting room and a boardroom that seats eight.

Situated five miles south of downtown Cincinnati and seven miles northeast of the airport, Drawbridge Inn & Convention Center, Northern Kentucky's largest hotel/meeting facility, has 485 guest rooms and meeting, dining, and recreation facilities. The property's 28,000 square feet of function and exhibit space includes the 13,500-square-foot London Hall.

After-Hours Fun

Groups staying in Covington and its surrounding area enjoy convenient access to restaurants and clubs—both in Northern Kentucky and downtown Cincinnati—along with attractions such as the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, the Newport Aquarium and the new Newport on the Levee entertainment district, featuring an IMAX theater, a 21-screen cinema, theme restaurants, and specialty retail outlets. The nearby Mainstrasse Village showcases Northern Kentucky's rich German heritage in a charmingly restored 19th century hamlet, complete with craft and antique shops, restaurants and bars. A fleet of sightseeing and dining cruise boats—including the 1,000-passenger Belle of Cincinnati—depart from docks in Newport and Covington. Depending on when your meeting takes place, delegates can take in seasonal sporting events featuring the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals, or wager on exciting live thoroughbred racing at Turfway Park in nearby Florence.

Other unique venues for group tours include: Fort Mitchell's Vent Haven, the only museum in the U.S. dedicated to ventriloquism; the Boone County Arboretum in Union, offering a peaceful wooded setting where more than 700 trees line scenic winding trails; and Big Bone Lick Park, a significant archaeological site where archeologists have found fossils dating back 18,000 years. Big Bone is also located in Boone County, about 20 miles southwest of Covington.

New to Northern Kentucky, the Kentucky Speedway in Florence opened in June and sponsors two NASCAR events. A NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division event is gearing up for next June. The 1.5-mile, tri-oval speedway currently has grandstand seating for 67,000, two Club areas and 50 luxury suites.

Look at Louisville

Northern Kentucky lies at the pinnacle of a triangle that includes the cities of Louisville and Lexington, both of which are situated in the state's North-Central region. To the west, Louisville is perched on the scenic banks of the Ohio River—a hub of waterfront dining, sightseeing and attractions. As a meetings destination, Kentucky's largest city shines with more than 13,000 hotel rooms, extensive meeting venues and a newly expanded international airport.

"Louisville can sometimes be surprising as a meetings and conventions destination because we compete on a larger scale than a lot of cities our size," says Susan McNeese Lynch, spokesperson for the Louisville and Jefferson County CVB. "We have the flexibility to appeal to a wide range of groups. And because we are smaller, we also offer a warm welcome that you might not find in larger cities."

Meeting planners are welcome to check out the Kentucky International Convention Center, located in the heart of downtown and connected by skywalk to the Galleria Mall and the 392-room Hyatt Regency Louisville. Boasting nearly 300,000 square feet of pre-function and exhibit space, the convention center lies close to local attractions such as the Louisville Slugger Museum and Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

"We host national and local events, from weddings all the way up to fundraisers," says Kennith Cobbs, a sales manager for Kentucky International Convention Center.

A host of hotels surrounding the downtown convention center include the riverfront Galt House Hotel, with 180,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space and 1,300 guest rooms; the historic, 292-room Camberley Brown Hotel, offering more than 17,000 square feet of meeting space; the 321-room Hilton Seelbach Hotel, built in 1905 and completely updated with 32,000 square feet of meeting space and a 24-hour business center; the 287-room Holiday Inn Downtown, where meeting facilities include a 5,000-square-foot grand ballroom; and Club Hotel by Doubletree, featuring a 24-hour business center and meeting space for up to 200 seated theater-style.

Coming in 2002 to downtown Louisville's south end, Sheraton Hotel & Suites will occupy an eight-story structure that was originally an athletic club built in the 1920s. The new property will have 247 rooms, including 200 suites.

Louisville's largest meeting and events complex is the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center, with 1 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space—a figure that will grow in the near future as the center plans a four-year expansion and renovation project to increase and upgrade its facilities. Flanking the center are the 465-room Executive Inn Hotel, featuring 11 meeting and banquet rooms, and the 611-room Executive West Hotel, offering more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space.

Accommodations near Louisville International Airport include Holiday Inn South Airport and Holiday Inn Airport East. A new airport Marriott hotel scheduled for completion late next year will feature 250 rooms, direct terminal access and at least 15,000 square feet of banquet, conference and meeting space.

If you prefer a suburban setting, try the 399-room Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, located 20 minutes from downtown Louisville and offering 38,000 square feet of unobstructed meeting and function space as well as a 24-hour business center.

"The advantages of a suburban location are free parking and easy access. We're right off the highway," says Diane Reardon, director of sales at Radisson Hotel and Conference Center. "Yes, you can go into downtown, but you're also closer to playing golf, going to the malls and things like that."

Lexington Makes (Horse) Sense Lexington—the "Horse Capital of the World" and the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass Region—lies on the eastern point of Kentucky's triangle. Lexington also stands out for its convenient regional airport, extensive accommodations—7,400 guest rooms in all—and top-notch meeting facilities, with the 80,000-square-foot Lexington Center taking center stage in the heart of downtown.

The center's 23,000-seat Rupp Arena, as well as the ballroom and meeting rooms in Heritage Hall, will receive facelifts and the addition of a 19,000-square-foot ballroom, 12,000 square feet of meeting space and 20,000 square feet of pre-function space, according to Joe Fields, director of the Lexington Center. Renovations, slated to begin next May, are scheduled for completion in May 2003.

"It's an exciting project for Lexington, and one that's long overdue," says Bill Owen, president of the Lexington Center. "This will make the arena more attractive and fan-friendly, and it will bring it technologically up-to-date." Owens says that scheduled meetings, conventions and trade shows will go on as planned during renovations in Heritage Hall's 66,000 square feet of exhibit space.

The Lexington Center is part of downtown's "Triple Crown" facilities, which include the 367-room Radisson Plaza Hotel, featuring 16,000 square feet of meeting space, and the 365-room Hyatt Regency Lexington, which boasts 21,000 square feet of meeting space.

Top convention hotels in Lexington include: the 230-suite Embassy Suites of Lexington, offering 12,900 square feet of meeting space; Marriott's Griffin Gate Resort, featuring 409 rooms and 14,000 square feet of meeting space; the 370-room Campbell House Inn and Suites, offering 19,000 square feet of meeting and function space; and the 310-room Continental Inn Villager Lodge, with 18,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.

Planners may also consider: the 303-room Holiday Inn Lexington North, offering more than 11,000 square feet of meeting space that can accommodate up to 800 attendees; the 155-room Sheraton Suites, with 5,055 square feet of meeting space; and the 146-room Ramada Inn and Conference Center, featuring a 2,888-square-foot ballroom.

While in Lexington, delegates can take in two of Kentucky's most famous enterprises—championship racehorses and fine bourbon. The 1,000-acre Kentucky Horse Park, Keeneland Race Course and many private horse farms showcase the thoroughbred horse industry. Meanwhile, the Labrot & Graham, Maker's Mark and Wild Turkey bourbon distilleries are a short drive from Lexington.

Midway between Louisville and Lexington is Kentucky's capital city, Frankfort, where planners can schedule group tours of the State Capitol, Governors Mansion, Kentucky History Center, and Buffalo Trace Distillery.