Black Meetings and Tourism

July / August 2015

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B M & T ••• July/August 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 17 L ocation, location, location – it's singularly the most important dynamic in real estate, yes even more important than cost. Location also plays an integral role in selecting a meeting or convention destination. Perhaps this explains why destinations that feature river- walks, with all of the excitement and activity they generate are growing in popularity among planners and other travel professionals. Here is a selection of cities with riverwalks that are sure to satisfy. WATERFRONT PARK, PORTLAND, OR Once the site of a freeway, Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a downtown riverfront park popular for jogging, in-line skating and cooling off in Salmon Street Springs, a fountain whose water patterns change with the city's mood. The park bears the name of former Oregon Governor Tom McCall, a staunch advocate of recycling, environmental preservation and urban planning. This 1.5- mile (2.4-kilometer) stretch of green along the Willamette River is home to many annual events, includ- ing the Portland Rose Festival, the Oregon Brewers Festival and the Waterfront Blues Festival. The Japanese American The 36.59-acre park, owned by the City of Portland, was opened to the public in 1978. The park is bordered by RiverPlace to the south, the Steel Bridge to the north, Naito Parkway to the west, and Willamette River to the east. In October 2012, Waterfront Park was voted one of America's ten greatest public spaces by the American Planning Association. Planners and meeting delegates alike will find an array of activities in the park, everything from jogging, walking, biking, skateboarding, and basketball, to lunching, fire- works viewing, Segwaying and boat watching. In addition to recreational use, the park is also highly used by bike and pedestrian commuters during rush hours because the park is easily accessible to the downtown Portland work- force and provides a pleasant, off street thoroughfare away from vehicular traffic. It is currently home to the Waterfront Blues Festival, Oregon Brewers Festival, Gay/Lesbian Pride Festival and The Bite of Oregon Festival. The park is also the host of many Rose Festival events. The downtown location of the Waterfront Park means the world-class Oregon Convention Center and a wide selection of hotel and lodging option can be found near- by. Many of these hotels are designed to hold large self- contained events on site. For this reason Portland serves as one of the most conference friendly cities when it comes to hotel service. For bigger events, the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) is the largest convention facility in the Pacific Northwest. The facility offers 255,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space, 50 meeting rooms, two grand ballrooms, full-service catering and an 800-space underground park- ing garage. Visitors can get to and from the downtown hotel core and Portland International Airport with ease via MAX light rail. For more information, contact the Oregon Convention & Visitor Services network at (800) 909-2882. RIVERWALK, MILWAUKEE, WI In the heart of downtown, the two-mile long RiverWalk winds along the Milwaukee River with access to some of the city's best restaurants, brewpubs, shops and waterfront nightlife. Eye-catching public art gives the Cherry trees in bloom on the waterfront with a view of Portland Convention Center in back ground Photo Credit: pngstudio CITIES WITH RIVERWALKS FOR ACTIVITIES BEYOND THE MEETINGS

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