Chattanooga, Tennessee
One of the largest faith-based youth events that Chattanooga hosts every year is Campus Outreach Ministries’ annual New Year’s Conference, which draws about 2,000 attendees to the city, said Lori Dodd Morrison, director of national accounts for the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Most religious youth conferences use one of two venues: the Chattanooga Convention Center in downtown, with 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, 19,000 square feet of flexible ballroom space and 21 meeting rooms, or the 12,000-seat multipurpose McKenzie Arena at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Downtown appeals to teens because it has plenty of restaurants, coffee shops and patio dining, and the area became even more walkable and accessible after the city redid the riverfront several years ago. The city’s free electric shuttle runs from the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel through downtown to the Tennessee Aquarium, and from there, another shuttle crosses the Tennessee River. Across the street from the aquarium, High Point Climbing and Fitness gym has indoor and outdoor climbing walls that make it popular with youth groups. Students also often visit the Jump Park trampoline park or head to Ruby Falls, about five miles south of downtown.
Chattanooga’s Bicycle Transit System offers 300 bikes at 30 stations around downtown and throughout the city, including one at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The CVB works with the company to move bikes around to stations near the convention center and hotels to accommodate conferences, she said.
“The bike share program is very popular [with youth groups], particularly in their free time, and there are great bicycle trails for them to go along the river,” she said.
Des Moines, Iowa
Skywalks, public bicycles and free shuttles offer plenty of ways for young visitors to get around Des Moines, Iowa, and to stay safe while doing so.
“People recognize that kids can certainly get from their hotel to a restaurant a few blocks away and not have any problem,” said Greg Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Four miles of connected, climate-controlled skywalks interlace downtown, so visitors can stroll to hotels, restaurants, shops and the Iowa Events Center in the dead of winter without ever putting on a coat.
In February, the Salt Company’s Spring Conference brought about 1,000 attendees to the center, and Faithwalkers Midwest held its 1,700-person event there in January. The Iowa Events Center comprises three main venues: the 17,000-seat Wells Fargo Arena; Hy-Vee Hall, with three exhibit halls that total 150,000 square feet; and the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, which offers 21 meeting rooms and a 28,800-square-foot ballroom. A new 330-room Hilton hotel that will attach to the events center and provide additional meeting space is slated to open in June 2018.
The D-Line trolley is a free downtown shuttle that makes a loop downtown every 10 minutes, taking riders to attractions such as the Brenton Skating Plaza outdoor ice rink, the State Historical Museum of Iowa and the Iowa State Capitol. In warmer months, youth groups often use the city’s B-Cycle bicycle share system, which has stations throughout downtown.
The city’s suburbs are attractive for youth events as well, Edwards said. West Des Moines is home to Jordan Creek Town Center, a shopping and entertainment district surrounded by several hotels, and Adventureland amusement park is 10 miles away in Altoona.
