Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546515
B M & T ••• September/October 2026 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 19 C Peoria B Peoria delivers mid-market strength on the Illinois River – skywalk-connected and airport- ready. Peoria International Airport offers 11 nonstop connections, 15 minutes from down- town. The Peoria Civic Center spans 110,000 square feet of exhibit space, an 11,100-square- foot ballroom, and a 9,300-seat arena. Marriott Pere Marquette holds 286 guest rooms, 35 suites, and 18,000 square feet of meeting space via enclosed skywalk. Courtyard by Marriott Peoria Downtown holds 116 guest rooms and 600 square feet of event space on the same sky- walk. Arterberry's and Spoon's Kitchen anchor the Black-owned dining scene. The Peoria African American Hall of Fame Museum anchors Black labor history from the Great Migration. Peoria offers mid-market value with culture that runs deep. Chicago River Walk Peoria City Hall C Springfield B Springfield carries the weight of American histo- ry – and the meeting space to match. The Bank of Springfield Center delivers a 44,000-square-foot column-free exhibit hall, a 9,100-square-foot ball- room, and 16 soundproof meeting rooms seating 30 to 1,000 guests. The President Abraham Lincoln Springfield – a DoubleTree by Hilton holds 310 guest rooms, 7 suites, and 15,000 square feet of meeting space via enclosed skywalk to the BOS Center. Crowne Plaza Springfield holds 288 guest rooms, 14 suites, and 70,000 square feet of event space. Springfield Capital Airport connects down- town in 10-15 minutes with three nonstop connec- tions. Nickey's Southern Style Kitchen and Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery anchor dining steps from the capitol. The 1908 Springfield Race Riot trig- gered the founding of the NAACP. Every meeting here lands inside a legacy moment. INDIANA Indianapolis International Airport serves 40- plus airlines with nonstop routes to more than 60 U.S. cities, and Indiana's interstate network puts Chicago, Cincinnati, and Columbus within three hours by ground. Late spring through early fall opens the strongest planning window, with September and October delivering crisp weather and strong hotel availability statewide. Indiana's Black heritage runs from the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company in Indianapolis - the first Black woman to build a million-dollar business in America – through the jazz legacy of the near- Eastside to the Great Migration communities Abraham Lincoln's Springfield home in 1865 during Lincoln's funeral Photo Credit: Wikipedia Photo Credit: Wikipedia