Courtesy Lafayette-West Lafayette CVB
Lafayette-West Lafayette
In the case of Lafayette and West Lafayette, home of Purdue University, the duel towns depend upon the university to host groups.
“Purdue acts as our convention center,” said Ashley Gregory, group tours and meeting manager for the Lafayette-West Lafayette CVB.
Purdue students add 37,000 to the cities’ combined population of 96,000. The campus is in West Lafayette.
“Being a university town opens up possibilities to host larger conferences,” said Gregory. Purdue can host groups as large as 6,000.
Purdue has one of the nation’s largest collegiate conference programs, serving more than 700 events annually.
Among its meeting facilities is Stewart Center, a dedicated conference facility. Centrally located, the center has two auditoriums, 23 meeting rooms and the 1,011-seat Loeb Playhouse.
Purdue Memorial Union also offers abundant meeting space, banquet facilities, an exhibition hall, restaurants and recreational activities.
Purdue’s classrooms are another meeting option. Ranging in size from 10 seats to nearly 500 seats, they have numerous applications.
Beyond traditional meeting spaces are art galleries, wine cellars, airplane hangars, football stadiums and other unexpected venues.
Among the cities’ 2,400 guest rooms, is the 192-room Purdue Union Club Hotel, in the Purdue Memorial Union and adjacent to the Stewart conference facility.
“Purdue is good at working the schedule out,” said Gregory, “but if you want a large meeting on campus, summer is the best time.” Residence halls are also available in the summer.
For meetings that are not held on campus, the 171-guest-room Four Points by Sheraton West Lafayette, with 13,500 square feet of meeting space, is the largest off-campus hotel.
Purdue’s diverse student body has resulted in a multi-cultural restaurant scene. “And there’s always something going on, especially during football season,” said Gregory. “We bleed black and gold.”
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