Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/770136
ing arts and award-winning hotels and B & B's. The Grand Rapids/Kent County area is also becoming known as a golf mecca with premier championship golf courses and it is located only minutes from the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan. The city's Downtown Convention Campus offers 90+ lodging, dining and entertainment options – all within a 10- minute walk of a riverside convention cen- ter. In the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, on the banks of the Grand River that flows through the city, sits DeVos Place convention center. The Convention Center features a 162,000-sq. ft., column free exhibit hall, a 40,000-sq. ft. ballroom and 26 individual meeting rooms (32,000 sq. ft.). Few African-Americans came to West Michigan until after the Civil War, fleeing Jim Crow discrimination in the southern states. Even then, the numbers were rel- atively small. It wasn't until the Great Migration from the rural south, in the years between World Wars I and II, that their African-American population swelled. Well-paying factory work beck- oned families, who settled primarily in the southeast section of the city. Since 1971, the year Lyman Parks was voted in as the city's first African- American mayor, the African-American community has become more tightly woven into the fabric of the city while still maintaining its own unique identity. According to the 2010 census, one out of every five Grand Rapids residents is an African-American, and one in every seven area businesses is owned by an African- American. ••LANSING•• Location for your next big event can mean absolutely everything. From the amenities you need to all the extras atten- dees demand, there is no better choice than Greater Lansing. Greater Lansing is 90 minutes away from 90 percent of the state's population, making it easily acces- sible for attendees, exhibitors and speak- ers. This community is also in the heart of the Midwest, making Michigan's Capital City a prime destination for regional and national events of all kinds. "The Center of it all!" This state-of- the-art convention facility located in the heart of Lansing's entertainment district features panoramic views of the scenic downtown area. Situated among beautiful rain gardens and fountains along Michigan Avenue, Mid-Michigan's pre- mier meeting and banquet location has over 175,000 sq. ft. of contemporary space including nearly 72,000 sq. ft. of column-free exhibit halls and 20 breakout rooms. Located on the banks of the Grand River, it is conveniently connected to abundant parking options and the Radisson Hotel via a covered pedway. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? B M & T ••• July/August 2016 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 37 • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS JW Marriott Grand Rapids 340 Downtown Courtyard by Marriott 214 EXHIBITION FACILITIES DeVos Place Convention Center Total Exhibit Space 162,000 sq. ft Meeting Rooms 26 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Experience Grand Rapids (800) 678-9859 http://www.experiencegr.com Capital building in Lansing Photo Credit: Your text for Lancing had the same "Who You Gonna Call" info as Grand Rapids AREA GUIDES