Tailgate parties, energetic mascots, world-class marching bands and powerhouse sports teams infuse college towns in America’s Heartland with a sense of excitement and team spirit that carries over to conferences and events held there. These five destinations go all in with their resident college campuses while highlighting their history, attractions, dining and pub scenes.
Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana
As the home of Purdue University, the city of West Lafayette, Indiana, is steeped in Boilermaker pride, blending the energy of a Big Ten university with the welcoming atmosphere of a Midwest town. West Lafayette and its sister city of Lafayette are home to craft breweries, locally owned restaurants and coffee shops, live music venues, and community festivals.
Meeting planners have their pick of event spaces on the Purdue campus that can host groups of just about any size, including the Purdue Memorial Union, Stewart Center, Mackey Arena and Ross-Ade Stadium. The 182-room Union Club Hotel at Purdue is inside the Memorial Union and adjacent to the Stewart Center conference facility, which combined can accommodate groups of up to 6,000. There are 14 meeting rooms and two ballrooms in the Memorial Union, and 23 meeting rooms and two theaters in the Stewart Center.
To incorporate school spirit into their events, meeting planners can buy tickets to men’s or women’s basketball games at Mackey Arena, football games at Ross-Ade Stadium or a range of other varsity sports. University speakers and faculty experts are available to participate in conferences held in the area, and groups can book appearances by the Purdue All-American Marching Band, the school’s mascot, Purdue Pete, or the cheer squad to liven up events.
Groups that want to learn more about Purdue can take guided tours of historic landmarks, innovation spaces and athletic facilities on campus. Top attractions in West Lafayette and Lafayette include Purdue’s Horticulture Park; the Celery Bog Nature Area; Samara House, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home; the Purdue University Galleries; and numerous public art installations.
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus sits on the east side of the Fox River in central Oshkosh, but its influence can be felt throughout the city in many ways, from athletic events to students working and volunteering in the community. The campus is less than a mile from downtown Oshkosh, so meeting groups wanting to incorporate university events into their conferences have easy access.
Meeting planners can host events in the Culver Family Welcome Center on the UW-Oshkosh campus. The facility has a 500-person ballroom featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, four well-equipped 40-person breakout rooms and a 36-person boardroom.
The 176-room Oshkosh Marriott Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center downtown has 28,384 square feet of event space that can host up to 1,500 people in its largest venue. Many of its rooms overlook Lake Winnebago. The Sunnyview Expo Center offers 35,000 square feet of event space, including large exhibit halls and meeting rooms, and Oshkosh Arena can accommodate up to 4,200 for concerts and events.
The Paine Art Center and Gardens offers event spaces for up to 200 guests, including The Conservatory and Carriage House. The EAA Aviation Center, which houses more than 200 aircraft, has several unique event spaces in its exhibit hangars as well as in the museum, conference center and new education center.
For fun, groups can tour The Grand Oshkosh theater, a venue that opened its doors in 1883 and continues to captivate audiences with its architecture, programming and storied past. Downtown Oshkosh features boutique shops, local restaurants, art galleries, event venues, a summer farmers market and Opera House Square.
Columbia, Missouri
The University of Missouri adds a treasure trove of art, culture and dining to the city of Columbia. The first land grant university west of the Mississippi River, Mizzou recently celebrated its bicentennial.
Meeting groups wanting to tap into the university’s team spirit can attend many different sporting events, including football, basketball, gymnastics and softball. There are multiple museums on campus, and the campus itself is a designated botanic garden. Groups hosting meetings in the city can add garden and historic tours of the campus as part of their events.
Mizzou has several large meeting venues, including Jesse Auditorium, the Memorial Union, MU Student Center and Missouri Theatre.
There are 30 hotels in Columbia. Wyndham Executive Center Columbia has 298 guest rooms and 40,000 square feet of meeting space. The 151-room Hilton Garden Inn Columbia can host groups of 600 for a banquet, and Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center has 181 rooms and 6,700 square feet of event space.
Off-site venues include The Blue Note, which can host a banquet for 200 or a reception for 500, and Rose Music Hall in the North Village Arts District, which can host a banquet for 250.
Downtown Columbia, called The District, is bordered on three sides by college campuses. There are art galleries, boutique shops and a diversity of restaurants. The Arcade District has fun bars, arcades and nightlife.
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas, is home to two major universities: the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University.
The University of Kansas Conference Center features 55,000 square feet of event space. The 15,000-square-foot main hall can be divided into eight rooms and can host groups of 1,050 for a banquet.
The conference center is attached to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, making it easy for groups to get into the college spirit by playing flag football on the field and posting their conference logo on the stadium’s video scoreboard. In the stadium, 44 suites can serve as breakout spaces, and the 1921 Field Club features a full-wall videoboard and patio access to the stadium.
KU’s mascots, Big Jay and Baby Jay, can make an appearance at conference events, or guests can take guided tours of KU athletic venues. Groups interested in KU’s sports history can visit the DeBruce Center, which honors Dr. James Naismith’s Original Rules of Basketball, and the Booth Family Hall of Athletics, a museum that delves into the history and traditions of KU Athletics.
Other event spaces in Lawrence include the 192-room DoubleTree by Hilton, with 18,000 square feet of meeting space, the Baker University Wetlands Discovery Center and The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. In total, Lawrence has 1,400 hotel rooms, and a new hotel is planned on the KU campus by spring 2028.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Top-ranked University of Michigan blends seamlessly into the heart of Ann Arbor. Many meetings and events hosted in the city tie into the university, with its diverse student population and world-class intellectual capital.
Groups can host events on campus or at nearby full-service hotels. Michigan Stadium offers several meeting and event spaces that can include behind-the-scenes stadium tours of The Big House.
The University of Michigan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History are wonderful spots to host receptions or individual conference sessions. The Michigan League offers several event spaces, including a large ballroom and an auditorium. The facility can accommodate up to 350 for a banquet, and about 800 hotel rooms are located nearby.
The 188-room Vanguard Ann Arbor has 11,062 square feet of meeting space. Sheraton Ann Arbor Hotel has 197 rooms and can host 600 for a banquet. Graduate Ann Arbor, which sports a University of Michigan theme, has 203 rooms and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest is near the stadium and boasts 243 guest rooms and 40,000 square feet of event space on Ford Lake.
The city is less than 25 minutes from the Detroit Metro Airport, making it easily accessible to meeting groups. For fun, groups can canoe or kayak on the Huron River, which flows through downtown Ann Arbor; visit Matthaei Botanical Gardens or the University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum; and hike, bike, snowshoe or cross-country ski in the Waterloo Recreation Area.
