Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/244474
•Pg_68-82__BMT_pg86-162 1/9/14 1:23 AM Page 77 VIRGINIA AREA GUIDES PLANNERS LOOK TO 'OLD DOMINION' FOR NEW MEETINGS BY REGGIE MURPHY Located midway between New York and Florida, Virginia is the gateway to the South. It is also sometimes classified in the Mid-Atlantic region. Travelers discover that it's easy to get to Virginia and easy to get around once here. Virginia's location is less than a day's drive from any city east of the Mississippi. And with Virginia's access to 11 commercial airports – including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International (both newly renovated and expanded) – plus 57 general aviation airports and Amtrak rail service connect Virginia cities to commuter and long-distance travel routes. Virginia boasts well-maintained major highways; and with thousands of miles of scenic byways, a road trip in Virginia always turns up something new. The Commonwealth is bordered by Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, and Maryland to the north; the Atlantic Ocean to the east; North Carolina and Tennessee to the south; and West Virginia and Kentucky to the west. ••NORFORK•• If you're looking for a friendly, accessible and affordable destination for your next meeting, your search ends here – in Norfolk, the heart of the Virginia waterfront. Norfolk is the cultural, financial and entertainment hub of the mid-Atlantic coast, and will never disappoint! Centrally located on the Eastern Seaboard, Norfolk is only hours from two thirds of the U.S. population, making getting here and meeting here extremely convenient, not only for your travel needs, but for your budget as well. This historic city offers a variety of hotels and venues ready to accommodate meetings of every size. The Waterside Convention Center is located in the downtown waterfront area and is attached on three floors to the Waterside Marriott Hotel. The center contains 36,365 sq. ft. of function space, 19 meeting rooms and is elegantly decorated with Norfolk City skyline fine furnishings and antiques. The largest exhibit hall is 14,400 sq. ft. and can accommodate 2,400 guests in a reception, 2,000 in a theater set-up and 1,400 for a banquet. The Norfolk Waterside Marriott is the city's premier business convention and leisure hotel. If the attached convention center doesn't do it alone for you planners the hotel itself offers additional meeting space. There are 23 full-size meeting rooms, capable of providing a maximum of 45 breakout meeting rooms. The hotel's largest meeting space is the Norfolk Ballroom, with a top seating capacity of 2,400. 'Waterways to Freedom', honors Norfolk's proud participation on the Underground Railroad Network, while the lovingly restored Attucks Theatre – which in its heyday was the focal point of entertainment, business, and racial pride in Norfolk's African-American community, is once again a star on Norfolk's cultural stage. Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is the major airport serving southeastern Virginia with over 160 daily flights provided by various airlines. ORF is centrally located just one mile east of I-64, just minutes from Downtown Norfolk, or anywhere else you want to go. Photo Credit: Virginia CVB • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Norfolk Waterside Marriott Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hilton Norfolk Airport 405 445 247 EXHIBITION FACILITIES Waterside Convention Center Total Exhibit Space Meeting Rooms 36,365 sq. ft. 19 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? NORFORK CVB (800) 368-3097 www.visitnorforktoday.com ••VIRGINIA BEACH•• Virginia Beach may be all about soft sands and ocean waves, but planning your meeting here puts you right on solid ground. An entire network of hotels, restaurants, venues, attractions and services are ready to pitch in and make your meeting or leisure event memorable. At the center of this dynamic city is the Virginia Beach Convention Center, the Nation's first convention center to earn LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It can hold any B M & T ••• November/December 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 77