Bleisure is booming in Buffalo.
From its mouthwatering wings to its sophisticated arts scene, the city of 275,000 has plenty to offer meeting attendees after hours. The Buffalo River and nearby Niagara Falls introduce enough opportunities for waterfront recreation to entertain endless plus-ones. But all that doesn’t mean business is a moot point — the city’s downtown is also home to a capable convention center with several impressive meeting hotels. With the Buffalo Niagara International Airport just a 15-minute drive from downtown, this revitalized Rust Belt city makes a lot of sense for a meeting that blends work and play.
That’s why the 2025 Small Market Meetings Conference is coming to Buffalo. The conference will take place September 16–18 at the 396-room Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel and Conference Center. To register for the conference, visit smmconf.com.
A Warm Buffalo Welcome
In 2024, Buffalo hosted the Select Traveler Conference, where bank, alumni and chamber of commerce travel planners converged on the city to meet with travel industry suppliers and enjoy the merriment of the city on St. Patrick’s Day.
This year, professional meeting planners and industry suppliers will head to Buffalo to get acquainted with the city that blends business and leisure so well. As autumn starts to unfold, they’ll get to enjoy all the city has to offer, from its top venues to its most interesting off-site options. While attendees may be too early to see peak fall foliage, they’ll get the chance to experience pleasant weather and the opening of the Buffalo Bills football season.
“We’re so excited to be welcoming this conference to Buffalo,” said Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara. “We thought this was a great opportunity for us to bring in so many of those decision-makers who may have never considered Buffalo or been here before and introduce our destination to those planners.”
What’s New in Buffalo
When planners arrive in Buffalo for the Small Market Meetings Conference, they’ll get a chance to learn about the new developments that have bolstered the city’s impressive list of meeting amenities.
Many recent improvements have centered around one of its largest venues. In 2023, a $6 million renovation of the Buffalo Convention Center was completed, adding both cosmetic and logistical improvements to the 110,000-square-foot facility. These included heated sidewalks for winter events, an improved layout to better accommodate pedestrian traffic at the entrance, and new signage and lighting.
“They did a major renovation to our front entry into the building lobby area, as well as the front facade of the building,” Kaler said. “We’re excited to showcase that to some of these planners who may not have been to Buffalo recently.”
But Buffalo’s new developments extend beyond its convention center. One of the city’s most famous attractions that doubles as a venue, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, underwent a $200 million renovation and expansion in 2023.
Future upgrades to the city’s meeting offerings will include room renovations at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel and Conference Center later this year and the addition of more than 200 rooms in the Statler Hotel, which is expected to open in 2026.
“So much investment has been made into our destination over the last 10 years, with our waterfront, with our cultural attractions, with our dining scene, with our hotels and so, so many different projects that have been coming to fruition,” Kaler said. “Planners will also learn about some other projects that are still yet to come.”
Conference Agenda
When attendees arrive at the conference on September 16, they’ll be treated to a great opening night event at Hofbrauhaus Buffalo, a Bavarian-style eatery serving craft beer and German-inspired food, from schnitzel to beer cheese. Live entertainment will be provided by The Bergholz German Band, a local band playing lively contemporary and classic German music.
“We’re really proud to partner with the Hofbrauhaus,” Kaler said. “It’s a great venue in Buffalo for these types of events.”
The following day of the conference will open with a sponsored breakfast and educational seminar before delegates move into one of two marketplace sessions. These sessions feature 6-minute appointments between planners and suppliers and are an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and contact information. The last day of the conference features a second marketplace session.
The conference’s closing event will be held at Buffalo RiverWorks, one of the city’s most popular waterfront attractions. The complex combines a rustic setting of repurposed grain silos with outdoor recreational activities, food and beverage, and live entertainment, making it a favored hangout of locals and visitors alike.
“RiverWorks is really kind of an all-inclusive, built-in entertainment venue with great food and a brewery,” Kaler said. “They’ve got rock climbing up the side of a grain silo. There is zip lining in between the grain silos, and it sits on the shores of the Buffalo River with great views of downtown Buffalo.”
2025 Keynote
The speaker for the upcoming 2025 Small Market Meetings Conference will be Ally Meyers, a workplace well-being trainer and speaker and a certified executive and positive psychology coach. Meyers combines neuroscience and positive psychology in her “Flourish@Work” framework, which delivers easy-to-implement, science-backed tools and strategies to professionals seeking improved well-being and resilience in the workplace. She also partners with meeting planners to create well-being programs that elevate their meetings, conferences, events and retreats and leave planners and attendees alike refreshed and ready to take on any program.
Her conference keynote will focus on well-being and mental health, particularly in the meetings industry. She’ll discuss the existing preventative mental health measures across industries, as well as the innovative ways brands are boosting their wellness offerings to conference attendees. Meyers will also give attendees insight on her signature Five Building Blocks of Resilience, which help busy professionals improve their work-life balance.
Meyers lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with her husband and four sons.
Sightseeing Tours
On the afternoon of September 17, delegates will have the chance to attend a sightseeing tour of Buffalo’s main attractions. They will be able to choose from four separate tours.
The first option is a tour of Buffalo from one of its double-decker buses. Delegates will learn about the city’s history, architecture and its liveliest districts, including downtown and the revitalized waterfront district, Canalside.
“They’ll go through downtown and go by the Art Deco Buffalo City Hall, one of the largest city hall buildings in the United States,” Kaler said.
The second tour available is the Buffalo Bills Stadium Tour. Planners will get to see Highmark Stadium in its last season before the team moves to a new venue. In addition to learning about Buffalo’s football culture, attendees will get the opportunity to stand on the 50-yard line and hear more about the team’s new stadium. If they wish to extend their trip, delegates can stay for the Bills’ opening weekend.
“The home opener is that weekend following the Small Market Meetings Conference, so we’re encouraging lots of people to stay for the Bills game,” Kaler said.
The third tour is called “Hops, Wings and Buffalo Things” and, as its name would suggest, it involves some of Buffalo’s most legendary cuisine. In addition to sampling some of the most iconic wings on the Buffalo Wing Trail, attendees can sip craft beverages at the city’s hip breweries, many of which are located in revitalized historic warehouses.
“Obviously, a trip to Buffalo would not be complete without trying some of our great and notorious Buffalo wings, but also trying out some of our craft beer,” Kaler said.
The fourth and final tour will take delegates 20 minutes north of Buffalo to one of the country’s most iconic landmarks: Niagara Falls. The falls are the country’s largest, and the accompanying state park is the country’s oldest. It pulls in an estimated 8 million visitors a year, making it a can’t-miss sight for conference attendees while in Buffalo.
“They get the behind-the-scenes view of Cave of the Winds and see the falls themselves and get the whole new experience at the state park,” Kaler said.
