Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533069
B M & T ••• March/April 2025 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 65 ONE OF THE FINEST MIDWEST DESTINATIONS HAS EVERYTHING YOUR GROUP NEEDS: WELCOME TO NEBRASKA B Y B U C K S A M U E L S Consider this your first official welcome to Nebraska. Once you're there, you'll dis- cover that the Great Plains aren't so plain after all. They're filled with natural beauty, historic landmarks, geologic wonders, vibrant cities and off-the-beaten-path towns. This state has some amazing group destinations from the cosmopolitan buzz of Omaha and Lincoln and the rolling hills of eastern Nebraska to the great sandhill crane migration in central Nebraska and the Old West and early pioneer history of the state's western corners. What ever your groups' meeting needs are The Cornhusker State has you covered. • • OMAHA • • Named after a Native American Tribe, Omaha means "Those going against the wind or current." The city proudly continues to live up to its name, ever changing and expanding to meet and set new trends. More than $8 billion is currently being spent on developments, enhance- ments, and modernizations that will help the city provide new experiences to convention travelers. This growth includes a $950 million transforma- tional renovation of Omaha's airport (OMA). Conveniently located 4 miles from the downtown convention dis- trict, OMA offers non-stop service to more than 30 of the nation's busiest airports. Omaha's convention center and arena, CHI Health Center Omaha, is more than your average convention center; it's 346,000 square feet of pos- sibilities. A place where Olympic records are shattered, world-renowned capital- ists convene and magnificent beasts jump to new heights. CHI Health Center Omaha offers attendees room to roam – inside and out. Conveniently located near Omaha's award-winning airport, CHI Health Center Omaha is close to the riverfront, more than 3,500 down- town hotel rooms and the Old Market Entertainment District. The convenience continues with a glass- enclosed skywalk connecting CHI Health Center Omaha to the 600- room Hilton Omaha. Directly across the street is a 333-room, full-service Marriott hotel. Combine CHI Health Center Omaha's accessibility, versatil- ity, and flexibility with its creative and experienced staff, and the possibili- ties are endless. Omaha is the birth place of U.S. President Gerald Ford and Civil rights leader Malcolm X. The Lewis and Clark Landing commemorates the famous exploring duo's trek through Nebraska, and the Mormon Trail Center showcas- es the struggles and triumphs during the Mormon Migration of 1846. • • LINCOLN • • First of all, Lincoln is easy to get to. And once you're here, it's easy to get around. This destination is less than a day's drive from key Midwestern cities like Denver, Omaha, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago, and not to mention the Lincoln Airport accepts connections from several locations across the U.S. Once inside city limits, the precious time you normally wasted in traffic jams is yours for the using, ideally on revolu- tionary brainstorm sessions or deal-seal- ing negotiations. Even the city's atmos- phere lends itself to productive gather- ings: clean, safe, beautiful and full of helpful, interesting citizens who take a special pleasure in welcoming out-of- towners. Hopefully conference attendees can occasionally let themselves be distract- ed from the business at hand. Lincoln's acres of parkland, thriving nightlife, music and arts scene, and delectable array of palate-pleasing restaurants are sure to keep you from being all work and no play. Educated in the vibrant arts commu- nity of the Harlem Renaissance, Jacob Lawrence employed a modern visual style influenced by African and European art that combined bright col- ors and angular figures with a tight nar- rative structure to illustrate the histories and heroes of Black culture. For this iter- ation of Sheldon in Focus, the museum presents two significant works by Lawrence—the painting Paper Boats (1948) and the eight-print series Eight Studies for The Book of Genesis (1990) WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Visit Lincoln - (800) 423-8212 www.lincoln.org AREA GUIDES N E B R A S K A • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Omaha Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District 333 Hilton Omaha 600 Embassy Suites Downtown/Old Market 249 EXHIBITION FACILITIES CHI Health Center Omaha Total Meeting 194,000 sq. ft. Largest Hall 79,400 sq. ft. Largest Ballroom 30,996 sq. ft. Meeting Rooms 16 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Visit Omaha – (402) 444-7762 www.visitomaha.com Downtown Omaha