Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
A man-made reservoir, Lake of the Ozarks is nonetheless one of the Heartland’s premier destinations for small market meetings on the water, with more than 1,150 miles of shoreline and 350,000 square feet of meeting space.
“We have six convention hotels currently on the market and a seventh opening in January,” said Lagina Fitzpatrick, director of sales for the Tri-County Lodging Association and the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Most are resorts, and the majority are on the water, but we still offer more affordability and value than a larger city and have no charges for parking.”
The city’s only indoor water park at Tan-Tar-A Resort also has more than 90,000 square feet of indoor event space; outdoors, water activities are a central focus of a visit to the Lake of the Ozarks. Groups can schedule one-and-a-half-hour cruise tours between meetings and dinner, or dinner cruises for attendees and their guests on the lake.
Lake of the Ozarks’ location also offers family and group visitors the chance to tour the caves that remain beside the area filled in by the reservoir. Three caves are available for tours, but one, Bridal Cave, can also host events for up to 50 inside the cave and 100 on the pavilion overlooking the lake.
Bloomington, Minnesota
Long a draw for families from the surrounding area because of the Mall of America, Bloomington will be growing its meeting business in a big way in the next few years with six new hotels under development. Two will be full service: a 302-room Hyatt Regency that will open in spring 2016 with 17,000 square feet of meeting space, including an 8,250-square-foot ballroom, and a JW Marriott.
The 342-room JW Marriott opening next fall will be connected to the Mall of America, making it a breeze for families to take in the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium and the seven-acre Nickelodeon Universe theme park, with rides for all ages.
The JW Marriott will add 18,000 square feet of meeting space to the Mall of America complex, which also includes the 2-year-old, 500-room Radisson Blu Bloomington, with 26,300 square feet of meeting space.
“We sell the experience: If you’re coming for business, take an extra two days,” said Daniel O’Neill, vice president of sales strategy for the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Bring your families; bring grandparents. There’s so much more blend of work and life now.”
Throughout Bloomington, meeting planners have more than 40 hotels from which to choose, about half of which are full service. Due to local corporate business, including heavyweights Best Buy and United Health Group, O’Neill recommends a 12-month lead time on bookings when possible. The Twin Cities light rail network, Metro Transit, connects Bloomington to downtown Minneapolis as well as Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
