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June 25, 2020

Meeting planners meet to boost more CT meetings

Photo | HBJ File The Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
By Michael Bingham

On Tuesday the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTCSB) hosted Meet Connecticut, a virtual familiarization tour for meeting planners and event promoters from across the nation. Its purpose was to introduce — or reintroduce — them to Connecticut’s attractions as a meetings and events destination.

Presenters included the CTCSB sales staff, as well as sales directors from the CT Convention Center, Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun.

CTCSB President and Director of Sports Marketing Bob Murdock explained that the mission of the familiarization session was to “sell and market Connecticut as a premier destination for national, regional and statewide group business, conventions and sporting events.”

“COVID-19 has certainly changed our industry,” Murdock explained. But now that the state has entered Phase 2 of its reopening, which began June 17, “We are focusing on how to stay safe, provide safe [event] venues for you and your attendees and participants while reopening our state for meetings and events.”

Meeting planners were shown a video touting the Nutmeg State as an attractive site for corporate meetings, events and conferences. “You may think you know us, with our New England charm, accessibility to 23.5 million potential attendees and incredible restaurants,” the video’s voiceover noted. “But we are always creating new chapters to our story.”

Connecticut is a “central and affordable option for our neighbors to the north [Massachusetts and Rhode Island] and to the south [New York and New Jersey],” explained CTCSB’s Noreen Webb. “From quaint New England charm to city luxury, we have it all,” she said, “whether you’re planning a convention, corporate event, expo, reunion or sports tournament, our staff is ready to provide you with a New England experience to fit your needs and budget.”

The familiarization tour focused on three large venues designed to accommodate the convention/corporate event marketplace.

Michele Hughes, director of sales and marketing for the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, touted her venue’s 140,000 square feet of exhibition space, 40,000-square-foot ballroom and 14 breakout rooms. The Convention Center is the largest dedicated event venue in the Capital City (540,000 square feet total), which has helped to make greater Hartford the second most active convention/meeting destination in the six-state region (after Boston). And at the intersection of two interstates (I-91 and I-84) and 13 miles from Bradley International Airport, Hartford has location location location going for it.

Kevin Barosso, director of sales for Mohegan Sun, touted the Uncasville casino’s new Earth Expo & Convention Center, which houses 175,000 square feet of meeting space including the 125,000-square-foot Expo Hall. The Sky Convention Center houses 100,000 square feet of meeting space. Mohegan Sun’s 10,000-seat arena has become the state’s leading concert and sports (e.g. the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun) venue, and the resort houses 1,600 hotel rooms and suites.

Mohegan Sun’s slightly senior sibling, Foxwoods Resort Casino, was represented by Kimberly Simone, its director of sales. The 9 million-square-foot Ledyard resort is home to the largest hotel ballroom in Connecticut, the 47,533-square-foot Premier Ballroom, as well as in excess of 120,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. Foxwoods boasts even more hotel rooms and suites (2,200) than its sibling rival, and is also home to two high-tech theaters with seating capacities of 4,000 and 1,400, respectively.

Both casinos reopened their doors June 1 to regular patrons, and management hopes a renewal of the convention and corporate-events business follows close on their heels.

“I know this has been a crazy time, but there are great things to come for all of us,” said Foxwoods’ Simone.

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