Topeka at a Glance
Location: Eastern Kansas
Access: Kansas City International Airport; Amtrak; interstates 70, 335 and 470
Hotel rooms: 2,500
Contact Info:
Visit Topeka
785-234-2644
Meeting Spaces
Stormont Vail Event Center
Built: 1987, renovated 2021
Exhibit Space: 210,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space
Other Meeting Spaces: Heritage Hall — 5,750 square feet
Maner Conference Center
Built: 1998, renovated 2005
Exhibit Space: 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting space
Other Meeting Spaces: Eight breakout rooms that can be divided into a total of 12-15 rooms depending on space needs
Meeting Hotels
Hotel Topeka at City Center
Guest Rooms: 224
Meeting Space: 5,200 square feet
The Cyrus
Guest Rooms: 109
Meeting Space: 5,000 square feet
Hilton Garden Inn
Guest Rooms: 123
Meeting Space: 3,000 square feet
Who’s Meeting in Topeka
Central State Shrine Association
Attendees: 2,000
Kansas Fairs and Festivals Association
Attendees: 400
Kansas Counseling Association
Attendees: 350
African American Travel Conference
Attendees: 225
Since its founding in 1854, Topeka, Kansas, has been a champion in the fight for freedom and equality. The city has served as the state’s capital since 1861, and its heartbeat pulses with history, public service, the arts and outdoor beauty. Groups meeting in Topeka will find big-city amenities accompanied by unpretentious Midwestern hospitality.
Destination Highlights
A recent $332 million renovation spiffed up the Kansas state capitol, which is known for its striking murals, as well as architectural touches including, crystal, granite, gold leaf and seven types of marble. The capitol’s Dome Tour invites a 296-step climb to the top. No elevator here; just breathtaking city views.
“We’re the nation’s only capitol building that invites the public up inside the dome on either a self-guided or guided tour,” said Melissa Sowers, vice president convention sales and marketing for Visit Topeka.
Topeka’s pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement is capsulized in the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The case challenged segregation in the city’s public schools and is commemorated in the former Monroe Elementary School. Visitors can explore the galleries describing this landmark case and tour the school. Nearby, the Ritchie House served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and tours of the Italianate home of Charles Curtis showcases the life of the nation’s first vice president of Native American heritage.
With the capitol bookending one end of Kansas Avenue, Topeka’s downtown offers dining, shopping and entertainment. Across the Kansas River, NOTO Arts District features galleries, unique boutiques, colorful murals and live performances. The district’s First Friday Art Walks intermingle live music, street performances and local art.
“We often offer groups a dine-around where shuttles drop off attendees at different points along Kansas Avenue and in the NOTO Arts District so they can enjoy our breweries, restaurants, shops and galleries,” said Sowers.
Distinctive Venues
Architectural beauty and historic significance make the Topeka Performing Arts Center memorable. The center’s state-of-the-art auditorium has more than 2,400 seats. Especially picturesque with the evening cityscape as a backdrop, Townsite 16 affords 360-degree views from the 16th floor of Townsite Tower, with the option of live music and in-house catering.
Adjacent to the Topeka Zoological Park and inspired by Kansas Supreme Court justice Kay MacFarland, Kay MacFarland Japanese Garden features koi ponds, bridges and Zen rock formations. Guests can access the garden by a private entrance. An event here can include admission to the zoo, which houses more than 300 animals on 35 acres.
“We’re happy to coordinate a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo with activities such as feeding watermelon to the hippos and or lettuce to the giraffes,” said Sowers.
Historic venues include Great Overland Station, which lends itself to receptions and meetings in a former passenger depot of the Union Pacific Railroad. Ten minutes from downtown, Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Historic Site delights visitors with an 1800s village featuring a town square with a schoolhouse, church, general store, tack shop, barbershop and more. Along with the 2.5-acre Ward-Meade Botanical Garden, this site welcomes outdoor receptions and team-building activities.
Major Meeting Spaces
Topeka’s newly remodeled convention center connects to several conference hotels, and the city boasts approximately 2,500 hotel rooms. The Stormont Vail Event Center and adjacent Maner Conference Center are crown jewels of the city’s meeting facilities. Together, they offer over 200,000 square feet of customizable space, including a 73,000-square-foot trade show floor equipped with state-of-the-art technology and on-site catering. Their versatility invites a wide range of events including corporate conferences, trade shows and large-scale meetings.
“Maner Conference Center recently went through a major renovation and expanded the trade show floor,” said Sowers. “It’s very high tech and attendee friendly, plus it’s connected to the Domer Livestock Arena for additional expansion.”
The 224-room Hotel Topeka at City Center connects to the Stormont Vail Event Center and Maner Conference Center via a fully enclosed walkway. It contains 25,000 square feet of flexible space including the 11,000-square-foot Sunflower Ballroom. Also downtown, the 109-room boutique Cyrus Hotel provides approximately 5,500 square feet of space that can be divided into three rooms, with the largest accommodating 350 guests theater-style or 250 at rounds. Across town, the 123-room Hilton Garden Inn Topeka offers 864 square feet for 150 attendees in its largest area or the option of three breakout rooms.
With 25,000 square feet of space, the Beacon event venue exudes historic elegance and embraces contemporary functionality. The facility features two ballrooms, as well as full-service catering and a dedicated support team. In a former bank lobby, the Townsite Avenue Ballroom accommodates 60 to 600 guests and features a 40-foot video wall.
After the Meeting
Slated to reopen in summer 2025 after a $6 million renovation, the Kansas Museum of History will offer a deep dive into the state’s past from pre-historic to modern times. Interactive displays will include an 1880s locomotive from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. At the Combat Air Museum next to Forbes Field, attendees can get up close to more than 30 military aircraft from World War I to present day and ride in the museum’s flight simulator.
Award-winning chocolatier Hazel Hill Chocolate offers a behind-the-scenes tour. It’s an opportunity to taste chocolate created from different cocoa beans sourced from around the globe. Down the street, Moburts offers private tastings of hand-blended spices and oils. Between the two, Cashmere Popcorn makes another delicious stop.
“Moburts offers a demo cooking class using their different spices,” said Sowers. “Usually, we split a larger group into several smaller groups and visit the three shops for a tasing event.”
Nature enthusiasts will appreciate the 60 miles of trail crisscrossing Shawnee County. Lake Shawnee and adjacent Ted Ensley Gardens offer peaceful walks, picnicking, boating and fishing. A seven-mile concrete path encircles the entire lake. In the spring, the gardens erupt with color.
“In April, tens of thousands of tulips are in full bloom at the Ted Ensley Gardens during our Tulip Time Festival,” said Sowers. “And at Old Prairie Town, more than 40,000 tulips are illuminated during Tulips at Twilight, which is an evening candlelight event with 90 lighted displays.”
