Meeting destinations in the Northeast U.S. are attracting planners with everything from reinvented coastal communities to expanded conference facilities and innovative event venues.
Boston has always been a great walking city, and improvements in the city’s Seaport district make it easier than ever for convention attendees to get around, says Nik Pereira, Sr. VP for Sales & Destination Services at Meet Boston.
“A bustling new retail and experience center called The Superette is easily accessible from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), with the Seaport Steps connecting Summer Street to Congress Street and making the Seaport easily walkable after convention events,” he notes.
One of Boston’s newest attractions is also a great way to get the lay of the land. “View Boston, at the top of one of the tallest buildings in New England (the 749-ft-high Prudential Tower in the Back Bay neighborhood), provides outstanding views of the city as well as a place for a bite and sunset cocktail,” says Pereira.
Nearby is the city’s hottest new hotel, Raffles Boston, the first North American property for the uber-luxe brand (check out Prevue’s January/February 2024 issue for a first-hand review). “The music scene also continues to become more vibrant with new venues like MGM Music Hall at Fenway and Roadrunner Boston attracting the top acts in comedy and music of all genres,” points out Pereira.
“One of the trends that we’re seeing is the desire for offsite event locations—planners really want to get their attendees out to experience the destination in more unique ways,” he says. “Locations like the Boston Public Market allow attendees the opportunity to experience local Boston and New England purveyors. Industrial-style blank canvases like the SoWa Power Station create a memorable backdrop for a corporate event. Fenway Park offers a number of event spaces, including its new 521 Overlook, with sweeping views of America’s favorite ballpark.”
Ocean City becomes the second largest city in Maryland each summer but has also become a year-round destination, says Kim Mueller, Director of Sales for the Ocean City Department of Tourism.
“Ocean City has changed a lot,” she says. “It used to be a lot of mom-and-pop hotels; now we have five Hiltons, three Marriott, four IHG hotels, and a Hyatt. That’s gone a long way towards satisfying the needs of meeting planners and those who like to stay within their loyalty programs.”
The city’s evolution is illustrated by the 2023 transformation of the former Embers all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant property into the Blu Crabhouse and Raw Bar, which pairs seafood dining with a Miami Beach vibe and an entertainment venue with a brewery, axe throwing, and cafe.
Blu is one of about 250 restaurants on the 10-mile seaside strip of Ocean City, where the vintage Dunes Manor underwent a full renovation in 2023; the former Ocean City Fontainebleau Resort also got a makeover, reopening as the Ashore Resort & Beach Club and adding a 3,000-sf oceanfront deck and event space.
The Ocean City Convention Center was expanded to 250,000 sf in 2022 with a fresh new interior featuring local “modern and playful” artwork, Mueller says. “The space really represents who we are now. The nostalgia of Ocean City remains; it’s just been elevated.”
Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market food hall has long been a top attraction for attendees at the Philadelphia Convention Center located across the street. Now, they don’t even need to go that far to grab a snack or drink.
Jason Jordan, VP of Sales for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), says the convention center recently completed six permanent concession stands and four new portable concession units.
“The renovations aim to enhance the customer and guest experience with diverse food offerings and greater convenience,” he says. WiFi connectivity was also improved throughout the facility, he adds.
“Philadelphia is one of the nation’s leading centers for innovation, talent and sustainability, making the city an ideal location for life sciences meetings and events,” including science-focused museums as venues, Jordan explains. “The PHLCVB is also the first in the nation with a business division focused on life sciences meetings. PHL Life Sciences provides planners with introductions to potential partners, sponsors and industry networks to help boost attendance and experts to serve as keynotes and panelists.”
Philly-bound groups will find a variety of new and recently renovated lodging options, too. The city’s newest hotel, Riversuites at The Battery, opened in December 2023 adjacent to the Rivers Casino with 62 one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites with views of the Delaware River. Recent renovations to the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, attached to the convention center, include room make-overs, technology upgrades, and the addition of a new bowling alley and pool hall complex called Liberty Lands. The city’s second-largest hotel, Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, refreshed its guest rooms and 60,000 sf of meeting space.
Waterfront event venues in New Jersey stretch from the Manhattan-facing Hudson River to charming Cape May, but meeting planners shouldn’t overlook the state’s inland options, says Jeff Vasser, New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism’s Executive Director of Tourism.
“Jersey City has first-class hotels with meeting spaces that take advantage of being in the New York metropolitan area without the Manhattan prices,” Vasser says. “You get a great view of city and you’re only minutes away by train or ferry.”
Cape May has always been known for its low-key vibe and charming collection of Victorian homes, but several new projects are broadening the town’s appeal. A new Harriet Tubman Museum opened in 2022 that honors the abolitionist’s work of the one-time Cape May resident. Meanwhile, Madison Resorts is renovating the former Royal Hawaiian hotel in nearby Wildwood Crest and will reopen it this summer with 200 rooms, three restaurants, two pools, five conference rooms and two rooftop event spaces.
“We have capacity in the inner parts of the state,” says Vasser, including nontraditional venues like wineries and college campuses such as Rutgers and Princeton. For example, the Crystal Springs Resort, a Sussex County spa and golf resort, hosts big events like the New Jersey Food and Wine Festival and has both indoor and outdoor event spaces, including a 7,500-sf ballroom, Vasser notes.
There’s great diversity in the types of facilities we have,” he says. “You can be in middle of an urban center, in the mountains or on the beach.”
In Atlantic City, the, as of press time, soon-to-open Nobu Hotel Atlantic City—an 84-room boutique hotel-within-a-hotel at Caesars Atlantic City that will have its own themed casino—will, as Larry Sieg, President and CEO of Visit Atlantic City, says, “allow [us] to reach new customers and provide an upscale experience in addition to our current venue options.”
Other developments putting a new spin on a well-known destination include Spiegelworld’s Superfrico Italian American “psychedelic restaurant” at The Hook—the first residency show in Atlantic City—at Caesars, and the refurbished Atlantic City Aquarium, which “offers meeting planners exciting new venues to hold off-site programming and events during their meeting or convention,” says Sieg.
The Island Waterpark at the Showboat Hotel appeals to attendees who are “increasingly opting to bring their families along on work-related trips,” says Sieg. “With miles of beach, water activities and attractions, Atlantic City is positioned perfectly to pre-game or extend the business traveler’s stay.”
Jerry Cito, Executive VP of Convention Development at New York City Tourism + Conventions, says more meeting planners are booking “campus-style” meetings where they host portions of their event in different venues across the city.
“This format allows attendees to explore more of the destination, while experiencing a unique, elevated element to the traditional conference model,” he says. “There’s no other place in the world with the expansive offerings and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that NYC provides—from a behind-the-scenes look at Broadway, private shopping on Fifth Ave and dining with a Michelin star chef to surfing in the Rockaways, break dancing on a hip-hop tour and scaling the side of a skyscraper.”
New York continues to add new event venues such as GH On The Park, a new luxury venue overlooking Bryant Park, and the Skyline Meeting & Event space at 200 Park Avenue. Recent hotel additions include Virgin Hotels New York City, the Warren Street Hotel, the Wall Street Hotel, The Fifth Avenue Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad and Aman New York.
A recent expansion has added 1.2 million sf of state-of-the-art event space to the Javits Center, with a new exhibit hall, 200,000 sf of added meeting space and “incredible” views from the new rooftop pavilion and terrace, says Cito. He adds, “This year, a new Tribute by Marriott is scheduled to open directly across from the Javits Center with 378 rooms and 8,000 sf of meeting space, adding an additional layer of convenience for business professionals booking events at the convention center.”
Connecticut has a brand-new event center in ESPN’s hometown to meet the needs of meeting planners looking to schedule larger events, says Robert Murdock, President of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau.
Located 19 miles west of Hartford, the $25-million Bristol Event Center opened in fall of 2023. The facility houses 50,000 sf of event space that includes the 9,500-sf Century Ballroom, pre-function areas, two hospitality suites, a state-of-the art lecture room and an expansive outdoor area. Onsite hotels include the 141-room Bristol DoubleTree by Hilton and a 90-room Bristol Home2 Suites by Hilton slated, as of press time, to open in March.
“Our bureau is seeing an increase in inquiries from planners over last year, which was our strongest year ever,” says Murdock. “There is an upsurge in larger meetings—primarily associations—seeking venues and overnight rooms.”
Connecticut’s two casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino, offer facilities to handle large events. Foxwoods will be enhanced next year with the opening of an adjacent Great Wolf Lodge on 13 acres—the 549-room resort will feature a 91,000-sf indoor water park and a 61,000-sf family entertainment center with dining and shops.
ococean.com/meetings; meetboston.com/meeting-planners; discoverphl.com/meet; visitnj.org/meetings; business.nyctourism.com/meeting-planners; ctmeetings.org