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meeting space available in the region (including a 142,500-sq. ft. Convention Center), there are several conventional & unconventional facilities to choose from for your next event. Centrally located in South Carolina's historic state capital, Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center is in the middle of an exciting urban scene that includes open-air cafes, deluxe accommodations, live music, exciting sports venues and concert tours. With the temperate seasons, Columbia offers your guests a perfect year-round business and social climate with a wide variety of world-class cultural and natu- ral attractions. This venue is a dazzling 142,500-sq. ft. facility that was designed with you in mind! From abundant pre-function space to beautifully equipped breakout rooms; a 24,70-sq. ft., column free exhibit hall to an exquisite 17,135-sq. ft. ballroom – your next meeting or event is sure to be an overwhelming success! Designed by a professional trainer and meeting planners, the Cooperative Conference Center with 19,257 sq. ft. of meeting space is a unique conven- tion facility. It is located 10 miles north of Columbia between I-20, I-77, and I- 26 connections so accessing the major highways are easy without fighting heavy traffic into Columbia. The center contains 12 meeting rooms with two large ballrooms. Meeting rooms include adjustable, lux- ury, executive chairs; oversized tables; plenty of complimentary parking; state- of-the-art lighting and audiovisual sys- tems with microphones at each partici- pant's desk; fast T-1 Internet connec- tions in every training room; confer- ence room with video conferencing; and business center with six comput- ers for participants to check e-mails, fax, and copy. Situated in the heart of downtown, the Marriott Columbia hotel offers the quality accommodations and hallmark service you have come to expect from Marriott. Other options include the Hilton® Columbia Center Hotel, Hyatt Place Columbia, Sheraton Columbia Down- town Hotel, among others. If you are con- templating bring- ing your meeting to Columbia, be sure to call Twila Jones, senior sales manage for E x p e r i e n c e Columbia, SC, and she and her team will provide you with all the sup- port services you need for a success- ful event there. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Experience Columbia SC – (803) 545-0000 www.experiencecolumbiasc.com • • MYRTLE BEACH • • With 14 million visitors to the Myrtle Beach area annually, it seems that everyone knows about the area's spectacular beaches, challenging golf courses and fresh local seafood. But group planners are quickly learning that these features and many others have helped to evolve this popular vacation destination into a premier location for meetings, conventions, reunions, motorcoach and sports groups. Ideally located in the heart of cen- tral Myrtle Beach is the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, boasting 250,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting and event space. The center features a 100,000- sq. ft., column-free exhibition hall, an elegant 18,000-sq. ft. ballroom and 20 additional breakout rooms. Seam-less- ly adjoined to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center is the Myrtle Beach Sheraton Convention Center Hotel, offering 400 luxurious gue- strooms and all the amenities of a business class hotel. To the north and south of the down- town district of Myrtle Beach are approximately 30 additional hotels and resorts, each with it's own character and charm, that provide a variety of meeting spaces ranging from state of the art boardrooms to well appointed ballrooms. When conferencing at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, attendees can expect brilliant sunshine to illumi- nate the facility's concourses, the 402- room Sheraton Myrtle Beach Conven- tion Center hotel right next door, and spectacular catered presentations run- ning the gamut from breakfasts to seven-course extravaganzas. While in Myrtle Beach be sure to enjoy the fun amusement and water parks, live entertainment theaters and exciting nightlife as well as some of the best golf courses the south has to offer. Don't forget to check out the numerous cultural activities and his- toric sites as well. Whether it is a full- fledged family vacation you desire, a relaxing weekend getaway, a conven- tion or business trip, Myrtle Beach is the place that offers everything, for everyone. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Visit Myrtle Beach – (800) 356-3016 www.visitmyrtlebeach.com B M & T ••• September/October 2021 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 40 AREA GUIDES Family shopping in Columbia