There are 11 long and narrow lakes that generally run north and south through central New York State. They are shaped somewhat like fingers, which give them and the region their unique name: the Finger Lakes. With colorful Native American names like Seneca, Owasco and Skaneateles, the lakes are a vital part of the region’s tourist industry. The busy, high-tech community of Rochester is located nearby, and together, the lakes and city provide a good reason for planners to consider booking meetings or conventions in New York’s Finger Lakes Region.
“There are limitless options of things to do here in Upstate New York,” said Deidre Wetelainen, vice president of sales and convention services for Visit Rochester, the Convention and Visitors Bureau. “One of the features we sell is our proximity to the wine region, especially for a lot of the larger conventions. People tend to meet in Rochester but then do day trips during their downtime.”
Located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario and with a population of about 210,000, Rochester is New York’s third-largest city, after New York City and Buffalo. The larger, multicounty metro area swells the population to a shade over 1 million.
Rochester is known worldwide for its outstanding centers of higher education. The most prominent among the area’s 18 colleges and universities are the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The city is a hotbed for technology research and development and for its outstanding medical facilities.
Meetings Variety
Since New York has a large and far-flung state government, Rochester gets its share of state association business. Some of it is in the form of annual gatherings, for which the city is grateful, but other association meetings are rotated among several upstate cities of some size, like Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany.
Social, military, educational, religious and fraternal meetings are part of the mix as well. The city hosts a fair number of religious organizations, such as United Church of God and various Baptist groups and welcomes sporting events such as youth hockey tournaments. Top golf tournaments are played on some of the best of the 60 golf courses in the area. Another area of meeting concentration is Drum Corps Associates, which involves drum and bugle corps of various ages meeting, performing and competing.
“We are affordable,” said Wetelainen. “We offer everything that cities like Buffalo and New York City do when it comes to hosting a convention. We work with any budget.”
Main Meeting Spaces
The focal point of meetings activity in the city is at the downtown Rochester Riverside Convention Center, located on the Genesee River. With about 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting and exhibit space, the convention center can host the full range of gatherings, including corporate meetings, conventions, employee meetings, trade shows, product launches, fundraisers and special events.
The center has 25 meeting rooms and seating for up to 5,000 guests. Also available in the center is a promenade with scenic views.
On the RIT campus, Gordon Field House and Activities Center is available. The two-story center has 160,000 square feet of event space and a 60,000-square-foot field and event venue. Staff can transform the spaces into various shapes.
The Blue Cross Arena will seat 14,000 for sports events or very large meetings and is often used for concerts. Several professional sports team call the arena home. If planners want to stage an outdoor event, Frontier Field, the AAA baseball team’s home stadium, is available when the team is on the road. It seats 13,500. Yet another option is Sahlen’s Stadium, where the Rochester Rhinos soccer team plays.
