Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524031
MEETING IN 'THE GREAT LAKES STATE' MEANS EXPERIENCING TOP LEVEL HOSPITALITY IN A DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT B Y C L E T U S R A M S E Y With a growing number of accessible parks, trails and recreational activities, as well as sensory-friendly events and attrac- tions, Michigan invites everyone to create unforgettable memories here. Start exploring how to create the perfect gath- ering for your groups' specific needs. Destinations such as Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids provide the state's largest event space and amenities. Popular attractions such as The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, The Ocqueoc Falls, The South Haven area and The Great Lakes Bay Region will keep your group well entertained when meetings let out. Depending on the theme or feel your group wants to experience while in the state, you will want to coordinate the event around the seasonal weather change accordingly. • • DETROIT • • Host your meeting in Detroit, because mainstream is boring. Hosting your next convention or meeting in Detroit will break the mold. By choosing Detroit as your meeting or convention destination, you are helping hard-working Detroiters make their living. In 2015 after a $279 million renova- tion, Huntington Place in downtown Detroit features 723,000 square feet of exhibit hall space and 623,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Another world-class convention center, Suburban Collection Showplace, is located in the metro Detroit region. It added an adjoin- ing Hyatt Place hotel in 2013 and recently completed another expansion that added thousands more square feet of meeting space. Risk-taking entrepreneurs, creative incubators, edgy restaurants and spaces, funky hotels and three high-energy sports arenas. Plus, hard-hustling Detroiters are behind all of it. These new things — and more keep coming — are signs that Detroit is unequivocally an IT city. One that's being touted as energetic, experimental with a touch of the underground. One that's more than ready to play the perfect host. Up-and-coming restaurants, a do-it- yourself attitude, new hotels, scenic and social parks, public transit, bike lanes and a walkable international riverfront are redefining Detroit. Architecture from Albert Kahn and Isamu Noguchi lives next to all-night joints selling loaded Coney dogs and Prohibition-born speakeasies pouring locally crafted beer and cocktails. The city's Greektown, Eastern Market, The District Detroit, Corktown and Midtown neighborhoods are booming with activity. Detroit is proud to be the country's largest Black-majority city, with 50,000 Black businesses. The city is also proud of the thriving Arab American and Latino communities. The Motor City is bursting with arts and culture. From its rich history of pro- ducing talented artists across a range of mediums, to music and visual arts. Detroit is the birthplace of several influential music genres, including Motown and techno. The city is also home to numerous galleries and museums that showcase everything from classical to contemporary works. Detroit's street art scene is full of vibrant murals and thought-provoking graffiti. The thriving theater scene offers classic plays and contemporary produc- tions. Come and explore the rich arts and culture of Detroit. Setting The D's culturally deep musical contributions aside, the city is also one of several communities that served as a gate- way to freedom for runaway slaves seek- ing refuge in Canada. And no place tells the full story of slavery quite like the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. A visit to the And Still We Rise: Our Journey through African American History and Culture exhibit starts out with a walk through African markets with life-size fig- ures and realistic sounds that give one a AREA GUIDES • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Detroit Marriott at the Renaissanc Center 1,298 The Westin Southfield Detroit 388 Hyatt Place Detroit Novi at the 126 EXHIBITION FACILITIES The Huntington Place Total Meeting Space 723,000 sq. ft. Largest Hall 100,000 sq. ft. Largest Ballroom 40,000 sq. ft. Meeting Rooms 141 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Visit Detroit – (800) 338-7648 www.visitdetroit.com/meet-detroit.com 60 B M & T ••• July/August 2024 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com M I C H I G A N Huntington Place