A great outdoor event can be a spectacular experience that your guests will be talking about for days afterward. Whether the stories they tell are positive or negative will depend a lot on how much planning you put into it. Unlike indoor events, outdoor venues require a few extra checkboxes on your…
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Just half a mile north of the city’s main convention campus sits another spot that is great for hosting meetings and events. It’s ideal for those who want to be close to downtown and have downtown amenities, but without as much hustle and bustle as the city center. Often referred to as the North…
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Grand Rapids was first dubbed Beer City USA in 2012. Since then, its reputation, and the reason for it, has only grown. Experts and readers of USA Today voted Grand Rapids America's Best Beer City in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The good news for meeting planners and conference attendees is…
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When it comes to easy and efficient air travel, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is in a bit of a sweet spot. It’s big enough to be serviced by seven airlines and offer 30+ daily nonstop flights to major cities, but small enough to be easy to navigate and get…
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Get out of the office or off the meeting floor to recharge and reconnect with your team. Whether your objective is strengthening relationships, building trust or just having fun, Grand Rapids offers all sorts of impactful experiences that will inspire and engage your people. Here are some of our…
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As a meeting planner, it’s a wonderful thing when your convention center has everything you need for your event – true one-stop shopping. But sometimes it’s nice to take a meeting off-campus and enjoy the host city. The new environment might spark new ideas. "Every time I host an event or meeting…
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Many destinations have “signature events.” If you go to Hawaii, chances are you’ll attend a luau. Headed to Orlando? An event at Disney is likely in your future. But what about Grand Rapids, Michigan? That’s the question Amy Young, president of Destination Consultants, asked herself. “I realized…
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One of the best things about meeting in Grand Rapids is the abundance of dining options within a casual stroll of our convention center. We’ve compiled a list of eateries located a half mile or less from the intersection of Monroe Avenue and Lyon Street, at the south end of DeVos Place Convention…
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Offsite conferences already shake up the routine and lend themselves to new ideas and discussion. But sometimes it’s good to get attendees out of the convention center and hotel conference rooms, and into your host city for even more inspiration. We've already collected a list of walkable…
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As home to one of the fastest growing life sciences clusters in the U.S, Grand Rapids is a world-class healthcare destination. The founding of medical-research facility Van Andel Institute in 1996 jump started a multibillion-dollar investment along Michigan Street in the city’s compact, walkable…
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