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AREA GUIDES BUFFALO/NIAGARA CITY OF GOOD NEIGHBORS AN AUTHENTIC AMERICAN MEETING DESTINATION BY SOLOMON J. HERBERT II Meeting planners, are you ready to step off the interstate and allow your group to experience an authentic American city? Whether you are plan- ning a weeklongmeeting for 1,000 or an overnight tour group tour for 25, you’ll find what you’re looking for in Buffalo. As a destination this city is affordable, accessible and convenient, and as a host, the people are welcoming, gracious and filled with pleasant surprises. The Buffalo Niagara area has got a first class airport and plenty of low cost airlines ¾ including Jet Blue and Southwest¾thatmake visiting the “City of Good Neighbors” as easy and afford- able as can be. Not to mention that the airport is only minutes from area hotels and the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Whether your event is for 10 people or tens of thousands, you’ll find conven- tion centers, arenas, halls and stadiums of every shape and size in Buffalo Niagara. Choose from a variety of meeting- friendly hotels with extensive conference space when booking your Buffalo Conventions. For larger meetings, the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center is located in the heart of downtown Buffalo. Featuring 21 individual rooms complete with audio-visual and multi-media capa- bilities, the Convention Center offers a 64,000-sq. ft. exhibition hall that can accommodate up to 7,000 people. Flexibility is the key to planning func- tional event set-ups. It’s what makes this facility the ideal location for conventions and trade shows. With over 110,000 sq. ft. of space, Buffalo Niagara Convention Center can accommodate up to 513 (10ft. x 10ft.) exhibit booths. Plus, the banquet and meeting space configura- tions are always designed for maximum comfort and convenience. The Buffalo Conference Center is conveniently located in the downtown area. This is Downtown Buffalo’s only full service conference facility. The con- ference center is linked to the newly ren- ovated Hyatt Regency. The hotel pro- vides the center with refreshments and lodging. The executive styled conference rooms, which were updated and expand- ed in July 2000, now accommodate groups from 10 to 150. There are also several breakout rooms, which allow you to vary your programming without a dis- ruption. A new luxury hotel, Embassy Suites, opened recently in downtown Buffalo on Delaware Avenue. In the center of it all, the hotel is steps away from Buffalo’s Theatre District and Chippewa Entertainment District and more than 50 restaurants, pubs and nightclubs. The 150-room hotel is complete with an on- site convenience store, full service beau- ty salon, an indoor pool, a fitness room and a business center. The Adam’s Mark is located at the Waterfront in the heart of the Buffalo Sailing into the Erie canal past the Buffalo Main Lighthouse. This 60-foot tall, octagonal limestone structure is the oldest still standing in its original location in the city of Buffalo. 60 Black Meetings & Tourism July/August 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: Denis Jr. Tangney