Iowa, rich in agricultural heritage, is also abloom with pleasant surprises, from the growing arts culture in Des Moines, Ames and Iowa City to the Mississippi River heritage of Dubuque and the rich ethnic history in Pella, the Amana Colonies and Cedar Rapids.
Iowa has also bounced back in true heartland style from last June’s record-breaking floods; each affected city is open for business and ready to meet planners’ needs.
Des Moines/Ames
“Des Moines is a true corporate city,” says Greg Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines CVB. “We are the financial and insurance industry hub of the Midwest.”
The city is home to more than 60 insurance and financial companies, including such heavyweights as Wells Fargo and Citigroup, giving it a strong position in the group business market. In the last two years, $1.5 billion has been invested in Des Moines development, making it an attractive and growing option for planners.
New developments include a slated renovation of the Veterans Memorial Stadium downtown. When complete, the facility will have a new ballroom and 20 breakout rooms, all conveniently connected to the existing Iowa Events Center, a four-building complex. The project is currently in the planning stages and is tentatively slated for completion by early winter 2012. Iowa State Fairgrounds will also expand and renovate, opening a new 4,500-seat horse arena next year.
Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in the northeast suburb of Altoona is taking requests for proposals for a new 200-room hotel project. The complex already boasts more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space.
For off-site events, the Pappajohn Sculpture Garden will open later this year in downtown Des Moines, thanks to a $27 million gift of art and sculpture by the Pappajohn family. Throw in a tour of the Des Moines Art Center Downtown, a branch of the renowned Des Moines Art Center, and planners have an instant gallery walk for downtime.
Other cultural venues include the 550-acre Living History Farms, a massive interpretive complex of farm life, offering a multitude of spaces for meetings and special events. Groups can soak in the historic atmosphere at the Great Hall, hold a barbecue at the Walnut Hill Shelter House, or stay in this century with a modern meeting in the Murray Conference Center.
Meanwhile, major meetings hotels include Embassy Suites Des Moines-On the River, Hotel Fort Des Moines and Des Moines Marriott Downtown.
In nearby Newton, the Sodexho DMACC Newton Conference Center offers on-site catering and auditorium seating for up to 325 attendees.
Just 30 miles north of Des Moines is the bustling college town of Ames, home to Iowa State University (ISU), making it a natural for conferences focusing on biotechnology, engineering and agri-business, as well as the sports market.
Arts and culture are also strong, with Brunnier Art Museum, the Octagon Center for the Arts and the Main Street Cultural District, all excellent resources for off-site events and receptions.
The 112-room Hilton Garden Inn Ames opened in December with 2,300 square feet of meeting space, and the 13-suite Iowa House, a luxury boutique hotel, opened last summer. The new ISU Alumni Center debuted last summer with a variety of spaces totaling more than 30,000 square feet. The center is located between the Iowa State Center complex and Reiman Gardens, which also added a 300-seat ballroom and classroom-style meeting space last year.
Additional meetings properties include the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center, and the Holiday Inn Ames Conference Center.
Pella
Great meetings always bloom in Pella, a destination famed for its Dutch heritage, complete with windmills and a spring tulip festival. From Pella Historical Village and Vermeer Mill to the Scholte House Museum and early-1900s-era Pella Opera House, the area abounds with unique off-site venues for any occasion; downtime activities and spouse tours range from Dutch costume fashion shows to wooden shoe painting and guided tours of bright flower gardens, parks and architecture.
Vermeer Global Pavilion; Bos Landen Golf Resort, with an 18-hole championship golf course and convention center; the Royal Amsterdam Hotel; and Holiday Inn Express Pella are the destination’s primary group venues.
Just south of Pella on Rathbun Lake is Honey Creek Resort State Park, which opened last year on Rathbun Lake with 105 hotel rooms, 28 cabins, an indoor waterpark, an 18-hole golf course and a conference center with 6,500 square feet of meeting space.
Nearby in the growing community of Ottumwa, Bridge View Center is a 92,000-sqare-foot events facility with multiple meeting rooms, an exposition hall and a theater. The center accommodates conventions, conferences and trade shows, among other events.
Mason City/Waterloo/Marshalltown
Mason City is the home of playwright Meredith Willson and Prairie School architecture. The town boasts Music Man Square, immortalizing Willson’s work in an old-fashioned streetscape, and the Park Inn, the only remaining hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Park Inn is currently undergoing an $18.5 million restoration into a four-star boutique hotel, with 27 guest rooms and an additional six suites in the adjacent City National Bank building, also designed by Wright and undergoing renovations. The property is slated to open by the end of 2010.
Music Man Square and MacNider Art Museum provide excellent off-site venues, and attendees can also enjoy historic walking tours.
Meetings properties in Mason City include the Muse-Norris Conference Center, Holiday Inn Mason City and Hanford Inn.
The 2008 flood met its match in Waterloo. Both the Dan Gable International Institute and Museum and the Iowa Veterans Museum have reopened, and flood recovery is essentially complete, according to Brooke Burham, director of convention development for the Waterloo CVB.
With the new Waterloo Riverloop Expo plaza, a two-block area of outdoor expo space adjacent to the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center at the Ramada Waterloo, the city is focusing on conventions and larger meetings up to 1,000 attendees. Future plans call for connecting the expo grounds with a riverwalk.
Additional meeting facilities include Young Arena and the Waterloo Center for the Arts.
Marshalltown is an eclectic mix of history and art. Popular off-site venues include the Binford House, an elegant Italianate-style home built in 1874, and the Fisher Community Center, offering an art gallery and sculpture garden.
The restoration of the town’s Orpheum Theater will be complete this fall, according to Shannon Espenscheid, director of the Marshalltown CVB. The theater will feature two spaces for groups, one accommodating 250 guests, the other hosting up to 400.
A new 82-unit Hampton Inn and Suites will open this summer with two meeting rooms, and the Marshalltown Community College recently opened the 37,000-square-foot Activity Center, which can seat up to 1,200 guests.
Additional meetings options include the Best Western Regency Inn and the Iowa Valley Continuing Education Center.
Cedar Rapids/Amana Colonies
Cedar Rapids was hard hit by the floods of 2008, but the city’s business is rebounding, according to Susan Lloyd, convention marketing manager for the Cedar Rapids Area CVB.
“We are recovering from flood damage, and it will be a long process, but business is bouncing back,” she says.
Lloyd says some locations, including the historic Paramount Theatre and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, are still closed, while several sites were unaffected, and most museums have reopened. City officials are working with consultants to plot the best path to recovery, including applying for $39 million in grant money to upgrade the U.S. Cellular Center and expand it with a convention center.
The National Czech and Slovak Museum, a popular off-site venue that was also damaged by the Cedar River floodwaters, moved to a new location in Czech Village, and Lloyd says discussions are under way to possibly renovate the former museum building into meeting space.
Other off-site venues are open for business, including Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, which houses the largest collection of works by hometown favorite Grant Wood, and the Hawkeye Downs Speedway and Fairgrounds, a multipurpose complex perfect for large trade shows or even small groups looking for an offbeat reception site.
The city’s top meeting players include the Cedar Rapids Education and Conference Center, the Cedar Rapids Marriott, Best Western Longbranch Hotel and Convention Center, and Crowne Plaza Hotel Cedar Rapids-Five Seasons.
In Tama, just west of Cedar Rapids, a popular group pick is the 404-room Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel, which offers a 16,000-square-foot convention center.
Southwest of Cedar Rapids, German heritage lives on in the seven villages of the Amana Colonies, with historic buildings housing traditional businesses such as brewing, furniture-making, crafts and baking. From custom heritage tours to modern diversions on the golf course, the Amana Colonies offers a well-rounded itinerary for groups. Popular meeting and event locations include the Amana Colonies RV Park and Event Center, the Ox Yoke Inn and Ronneburg Restaurant.
Iowa City/Coralville
The Iowa City/Coralville area has built a reputation as an arts and culture destination, a goal that was given a global boost last year when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Iowa City as a City of Literature, a recognition only given to three cities worldwide; Iowa City is the only one in the U.S.
With the new designation, one of the area’s major target markets is arts and culture, according to Eric Heinkel, convention sales manager for the Iowa City/Coralville CVB.
Boosting those goals is the $12 million renovation of the Sheraton Iowa City, a complete interior and exterior redo that will wrap up by late summer. Two new properties, Staybridge Suites and Drury Inn, are in the planning stages.
Floodwaters also hit Iowa City last year, and Heinkel says the area is still recovering but hotels and most other facilities are up and running. Hancher Auditorium remains closed due to flood damage, but the Englert Theater, a popular off-site venue, is open, and planners can also hold special events at the recently remodeled Kennick Stadium press box and the Athletics Hall of Fame.
Additional meetings options include the Iowa Memorial Union, Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, hotelVetro, Holiday Inn Coralville and Riverside Casino and Golf Resort.
Dubuque
The mighty Mississippi River infuses Dubuque with a unique charm and culture, complete with rich history, riverboats and graceful Victorian architecture. Home tours, horse-drawn carriages and casino gaming give planners a multitude of options.
The 86,000-square-foot Grand River Center, located at water’s edge, draws compliments from planners across a multistate region, according to Keith Rahe, director of the Dubuque CVB.
One of the city’s biggest developments is the $188 million America’s River Project, an ongoing effort to revitalize the Port of Dubuque. The 90-acre mixed-use development includes the Mississippi RiverWalk, National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Star Brewery and Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark, which is connected to Grand River Center. Also part of the development is the newly expanded Diamond Jo Casino, a former riverboat property that moved into a land-based facility featuring 8,000 square feet of meeting space, gaming, restaurants, live entertainment and a bowling alley. Mystique Casino was also recently renovated.
Another major renovation project is the $28 million restoration of the historic Hotel Julien. Overlooking the Mississippi River and the Port of Dubuque, the boutique property features plenty of meeting space as well as a spa.
Dubuque is located across the river from charming Galena, Ill., and just west of Dubuque is the town of Dyersville, which set the scene for the 1989 film Field of Dreams.
Quad Cities
Straddling the Mississippi River are the Quad Cities, comprising Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Ill. Together, the Quad Cities provide a stunning selection of venues and attractions, including the Figge Art Museum, roots-music mecca River Music Experience, the Celebration Belle riverboat and the recently opened Quarters One historic home on the military site of Rock Island Arsenal.
New developments include the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center, which opened in January at the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Bettendorf with seven meeting rooms and a 14,000-square-foot ballroom, and Jumer’s Casino Hotel and Events Center, which opened last December with 7,400 square feet of meeting space. The historic Blackhawk Hotel, adjacent to the RiverCenter/Adler Theatre complex and Radisson Quad City Plaza, is undergoing a complete restoration into a boutique property, and is expected to open by late 2010.
Stony Creek Inn and Conference Center, Clarion Hotel Conference Center, Abbey Hotel and the The Lodge Hotel and Conference Center are among the top meetings properties in town.
Burlington
Just down the river is the charming town of Burlington, where offbeat venues include suites at 34 Raceway and Food Guru University, a high-tech TV studio kitchen perfect for group culinary classes and events.
The area’s top meeting venue, PZAZZ! Resort Hotel has dropped its Best Western flag and is now independent. The resort complex also includes the PZAZZ! Convention and Event Center, Fun City amusement park, Catfish Bend Inn and Spa, and Catfish Bend Casino.
Council Bluffs/Sioux City
Council Bluffs and Sioux City reflect the exciting times of early westward expansion and adventure. The Western Historic Trails Center, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, historic Dodge House and California Gold Rush Trail Site are reminders of the past, marking moments in the lives of the country’s early movers and shakers. Both the trail center and Dodge House are available as off-site venues, along with Sioux City’s historic Orpheum Theater, the Sioux City Art Center and the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Council Bluffs.
Also in Council Bluffs, the 80-room Microtel Suites opened last month, and the 153-room Hilton Garden Inn Council Bluffs will open in August with an indoor pool and four meeting rooms.
Additional meetings choices include the Mid-America Center, Harrah’s, Ameristar Casino and Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites.
The 161-room Stoney Creek Inn Sioux City will open next to the Tyson Event Center this summer, complete with its own 16,000-square-foot conference center.
Sioux City Convention Center caters to larger events, while two popular meetings properties are the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center and Marina Inn Conference Center.
Nearby Spencer draws 300,000 people annually with its autumn Clay County Fair. A hot spot for regional medical meetings, the town’s facilities include the Clay County Regional Events Center and the Spencer Golf and Country Club.
Just north of Spencer in Okoboji is a popular group retreat: Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center, situated next to Brooks National Golf Club.
For More Info
Amana Colonies CVB 319.622.762 2www.amanacolonies.com
Ames CVB 515.232.4032 www.visitames.com
Cedar Rapids Area CVB 319.398.5009 www.cedar-rapids.com
Council Bluffs CVB 712.325.1000 www.councilbluffsiowa.com
Dubuque CVB 563.557.9200 www.traveldubuque.com
Greater Burlington CVB 319.752.6365 www.visitburlingtoniowa.com
Greater Des Moines CVB 515.286.4960 www.seedesmoines.com
Greater Newton COC 641.792.5545 www.visitnewton.com
Iowa City/Coralville CVB 319.337.6592 www.iowacitycoralville.org
Marshalltown CVB 641.753.6645 www.visitmarshalltown.com
Mason City CVB 641.422.1663 www.masoncitytourism.com
Ottumwa CVB 641.682.3465 www.visitottumwa.com
Pella CVB 641.628.2626 www.pella.org
Quad Cities CVB 563.322.3911 www.visitquadcities.com
Sioux City Tourism Bureau 712.279.4800 www.siouxcitytourism.com
Spencer COC 712.262.5680 www.spenceriowachamber.org
Waterloo CVB 319.233.8350 www.travelwaterloo.com