A Menu of Venues
A variety of facilities around Greenville make great venues. At the BMW Performance Center, meeting attendees can learn to slide, corner, brake and speed with a professional instructor on a range of driving courses in sleek, speedy BMWs during half- or full-day programs. After a morning meeting in an on-site conference room, groups of up to 40 can have lunch and then take a driving lesson. Groups of true speed fanatics can opt to drive all day.
“We host 13,000 to 14,000 drivers per year, and 60 percent are corporate,” said Michael Renner, head of corporate sales and a driver instructor. “Groups bond while sharing the experience and the challenge. They definitely have fun driving some of the best cars on the planet.”
Drivers can take a car control skills class, have a friendly competition on a course with a slalom feature, drive BMW X-5s (SUVs) on a rugged off-road course, or slide behind the wheel of a Z-4 convertible or other BMW models.
Nearby, the BMW Zentrum Center highlights the brand’s history. Guests strap on goggles and watch the cars being assembled.
At the Peace Center, an off-site venue downtown next to the convention center attendees can watch dancers and groove to music. The busy performing arts center’s six meeting spaces include a refurbished 1882 mill with hardwood floors, rough-hewn timber and aged brick in its 1,879-square-foot lobby; a SoHo artist’s studio-type loft, where 500 can gather for a reception; and a restaurant and balcony that accommodate 300 and have expansive river views.
Play Ball
Another fan favorite is the 5,700-seat Fluor Field at the West End, a replica of Boston’s beloved Fenway Park. By foot or by free downtown trolley the field is located a mile-and-a-half from downtown hotels. Greenville is the boyhood home of Shoeless Joe Jackson and its baseball team, the Drive, is a Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
The stadium’s corporate suites make for cool summer nights at the ballgame.
“Our 24 suites are a step up from the regular game,” Fluor Park rep Jennifer Brown said. “Groups can have a meeting during the day, enjoy dinner or a picnic with live music, and stay for the game. Our double suites that overlook first base hold 40 to 50 seated.”
Art lovers can score a home run at Heritage Green, Greenville’s urban arts and cultural campus three blocks from downtown, and home to the Greenville County Museum of Art and the Bob Jones Museum and Gallery and its impressive religious art collection.
“Visitors are always surprised by our downtown and our hospitality,” said Kramer. “Greenville has a lot of community pride, and the people here are just so gosh darn nice.”
Spotlight on Greenville, South Carolina
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Access: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, I-85
Major meeting spaces: TD Convention Center and six meeting hotels
Hotel Rooms: 8,500 total, 2,000 within four miles of downtown
Off-site Venues: BMW Performance Center, Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Fluor Field at the West End, Bon Secours Wellness Arena and Old Cigar Warehouse
Contact Info:
864-421-0000
www.visitgreenvillesc.com
