Bringing Beer City to the Industry’s Biggest Trade Shows

Beer City USA travels well.

The Experience Grand Rapids sales team confirmed this several years ago, when they created a trade show booth modeled after Grand Rapids breweries and took it on the road to meetings industry conventions and trade shows.

“The Experience Grand Rapids Tap House” is a 10-ft. x 30-ft. booth complete with a bar, tap handles, tables, seating and prominent placement of the Beer City USA logo, which commemorates the title Grand Rapids has borne with pride since 2012. Natural materials like stone and wood make the space feel like a cozy refuge from the hustle and bustle of a typical trade show. Behind the bar, EXGR team members serve up beers from local breweries for show attendees to sample. Founders Brewing Company co-founder Dave Engbers has even joined us on occasion, regaling visitors with behind-the-scenes tales of Grand Rapids' largest brewery and lending further authenticity to our Beer City story.

Attracting Attention and Awards

Experience Grand Rapids Vice President of Sales and Services Mary Manier says the Beer City booth is an effective means of engaging people who may not be familiar with our destination. “Imagine someone offering you a beer as you’re strolling down a trade show aisle,” she posits. “It’s a sure-fire attention-getter – and a great way to start a conversation about the benefits of bringing a trade show to Grand Rapids.”

The Beer City Booth was created prior to the pandemic and updated in 2022. One of the first stops for the newly enhanced version was the 2023 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Expo in Atlanta, Georgia. Each year, ASAE welcomes thousands of association professionals and industry professionals who are looking to exchange the latest knowledge, resources, strategies and solutions across a wide variety of topics, including where to host a memorable meeting or convention. This is an audience that knows the value of convention marketing  – so it was especially gratifying that our booth won first place and Best in Show at the event.

We’ve since traveled with the Beer City booth to a number of other trade shows aimed at meetings professionals, such as Connect Marketplace, which bills itself as the marketplace for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) industry; IMEX America, the largest trade show in North America for the global meetings, events and travel incentive industry; and U.S. Travel’s IPW, which connects global buyers and media with American travel suppliers.

We designed the booth so it can be adapted to different footprints and audiences. For example, it can be easily converted to a coffeehouse concept when appropriate – such as when we exhibit at the annual gathering of the Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA), a faith-based association for meeting planners and suppliers. Religious groups have long been one of our strongest markets, and free coffee from some of the city’s best java joints has proven a strong draw for RCMA attendees.

Building Relationships That Boost Business

 August 2026 was a particularly busy month for our Beer City crew, as they attended ASAE from August 15-18 in Indianapolis and Connect Marketplace from August 23-25 in Tampa, Florida. “It was hectic but well worth it for the new, high-quality contacts we made,” says Manier. Attending these shows is also an opportunity to check in with existing meeting planner contacts who haven’t yet chosen Grand Rapids to host an event. “People now look forward to seeing the taphouse every year and stopping by for a beer and a chat. It’s a very efficient way to maintain connections while reinforcing what makes us different from other meeting destinations.”

Trade shows generate more than just booth traffic and brand awareness for us – they’re also helping us compete for large-scale national meetings involving thousands of attendees and room nights. For example, our participation in ASAE has generated a steady stream of qualified convention opportunities in the last two years. Our conversations with ASAE attendees have led directly to more than 37,000 requested room nights representing 17,400 potential attendees. Our sales team has converted a number of these opportunities to actual bookings – including NAMTA Creativation 2027, which will bring 1,600 attendees and 2,530 requested rooms to Grand Rapids from May 15 to May 19.  

Because convention sales commonly involve a long decision cycle, a trade show cannot be judged solely by bookings made immediately afterward. We are pursuing opportunities arising from ASAE, Connect and other trade shows all the way into 2030, which illustrates how booth engagement can become a multi-stage sales relationship.

That makes the Beer City booth an important point in a longer sales journey. Connections made or advanced at industry events enter the team’s sales pipeline, where opportunities are evaluated and cultivated as planners consider dates, attendance needs and hotel requirements. Some have already become definite business, while others remain active opportunities for future years.

We developed the Beer City USA brand to raise awareness about Grand Rapids and one of its key strengths as a business and leisure travel destination. More than a decade later, it’s still playing an important – and effective – role in our sales strategy.

Beer City on the Road

Experience Grand Rapids’ mobile tap house boosts engagement at meetings industry trade shows and helps fill the pipeline for group business.