Jackson, Mississippi
With a population of about 170,000 and eight full-service hotels and 4,500 hotel rooms throughout the city Jackson feels more like a big town than a small city. Smaller groups get the type of attention from venues and the convention and visitors bureau that can be hard to come by in big cities, and city sales staff will go out of their way not only to help your meeting fit in Jackson, but also to fit your bottom line — something aided by the city’s having some of the lowest tourist taxes in the region.
The relatively new, LEED-certified Jackson Convention Complex offers meeting planners 330,000 square feet of flexible meeting space that includes a state-of-the-art, 382-seat theater. Jackson’s largest hotel in terms of meeting space, with 35,000 square feet of meeting space, is the 303-room Jackson Marriott, also near the convention center.
For a capital off-site event, groups can go to the historic Capitol itself. Jackson’s Old Capitol was constructed in the 1830s shortly after the adaptation of the state constitution, but served as the capitol for less than a century due to structural flaws. In 2005, after sustaining damage from Hurricane Katrina, it was restored, and groups can now rent the former House of Representatives, chancery court and meeting room.
The Governor’s Mansion, which dates to the same period and is the second-oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the country, opens on weekday mornings for group tours as well as for limited rentals by nonprofit groups. Groups can also rent the Capital Club on the 19th floor of Capital Towers downtown, which has views of the present Capitol building, for small and mid-size meetings and receptions.
Richmond, Virginia
One of America’s oldest cities has taken on a new life with so many new hotels, restaurants and shops opening up that Travel + Leisure has named it one of the best places to travel in 2016. And meeting groups have even more to look forward to than most. The home of Virginia’s largest convention center, the 700,000-square-foot Greater Richmond Convention Center, Richmond has an airport just 15 minutes from downtown and is convenient to four interstates, including I-95.
A new convention services program has been garnering glowing reviews for the CVB, as it aims to offer a customized suite of services to each group to help boost event attendance.
“In the past, we may have just offered verbiage or clips for mailings and online, but now we take the time to talk to planners about what their marketing plan is and offer content that aligns with that plan,” said Kristin McGrath, vice president of sales and services for Richmond Region Tourism. “For a big sporting event later this month where attendees have a lot of downtime, we’ve partnered with the Carytown Merchants Association to set up a complimentary trolley service to bring attendees out to this cool, unique neighborhood during their time off.”
The downtown Hilton, diagonally across from the convention center, just reopened at the end of last year as a full-service hotel, transitioning from a Hilton Garden Inn to the Hilton Richmond Downtown. But one of the hottest new openings is the 71-room Quick Hotel, housed in a former department store that dates back to 1916. Later this year, the hotel will open its rooftop bar with sweeping views of the city, though its availability for private rentals is unclear at this time. The Jefferson Hotel, a AAA five-diamond property with 26,000 square feet of meeting space that dates back to 1895, is the city’s best option for planners looking for something historically opulent but eternally relevant.
Montgomery, Alabama
As far as Southern state capitals go, Montgomery has seen more history-changing moments than most. Century after century, it has hosted events that shaped the course of this nation, from Jefferson Davis’ inauguration as president of the Confederate States of America to Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech at the end of the march from Selma.
The first capitol burnt to the ground just two years after it was built, but the current Greek Revival building dates back to 1851 and has stood, with a few additions and restorations, ever since. Groups of 15 or more can take private guided tours of the building, and groups can use areas inside the building or on the grounds for events, though no alcohol is allowed. As it is a working capitol, tours and events depend on the legislature’s schedule, though the old Senate and House chambers are available for year-round viewing.
Although Montgomery has done an excellent job of preserving its past, it has also undergone major changes of late.
“Over the last 10 years, we’ve really had a resurgence in the downtown area, adding hotels, restaurants, entertainment and a minor league baseball stadium right on the river,” said Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor Bureau.
New hotels include the 290-room Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa, which is attached to the Convention Center but also includes more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Hampton Inn and Suites Montgomery-Downtown, next to the Hank Williams Museum. Three hotel groups are in discussions to bring new properties to the city in the coming years.
The improvements to downtown have dramatically affected the city’s walkability for meeting groups.
“I know some people say it’s in walking distance, and it’s two miles away,” Hathcock said. “But that’s not walking distance. Here things are right outside the doors of the main meeting venues, and that’s been a big selling point for us. If you’ve got folks that want to get out and see the city, a lot of the historical sites are in downtown Montgomery. Everything is quite close.”
