Hartford

Easily Plan, Book, and Play in Hartford Home of the New Connecticut Convention Center

Ranking among the top 6 percent of North American regions for arts and culture by Places Rated Almanac, Hartford offers a tantalizing menu of theater, art, and musical options at more than 200 arts, cultural, and heritage organizations. Play on the Connecticut River or in beautiful Bushnell Park. Visit the Mark Twain House and Museum, the Harriett Beecher Stowe Center, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and the Old State House, site of the Amistad Trial. Take in a Broadway show, symphony, or opera performance at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Enjoy rock, pop, and jazz at the New England Dodge Music Center, as well as award-winning theater at Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks. Sports fans get football at Rentschler Field and hockey and basketball at the Hartford Civic Center's Veterans Memorial Coliseum. And for foodies, Hartford's restaurant scene is an exciting and diverse escape from the ordinary, sizzling with a never-ending array of authentic cuisine. Accessible to more than 23 million people within a two and one-half hour drive, Hartford offers ease and affordability with new hotels and meeting facilities in an intimate, historic, and walkable downtown setting. Anchoring $2 billion in development projects, the Connecticut Convention Center opened in June 2005 with 205,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, as well as high-speed telecommunications facilities.

Plan, book, and play in Hartford with the greatest of ease. Call the Greater Hartford CVB at (860) 728-6789 or visit enjoyhartford.com.

At a Glance

CONVENTION FACILITIES
• Connecticut Convention Center
Total Square Footage: 540,000 sq. ft.;
1.6 million sq. ft. with parking
Exhibit Space: Two exhibit halls totaling 140,000 sq. ft.; halls hold total of 800 trade show booths (10'x10')
Ballroom: 40,000 sq. ft.
Total Meeting Space: 25,000 sq. ft.
Maximum Breakout Rooms: 16 meeting rooms (ranging in size from 1,300
to 7,200 sq. ft.)
Hotel Rooms Within Walking Distance: 1,700
ADDITIONAL MEETING FACILITIES
• Hartford Civic Center - Veterans' Memorial Coliseum: 93,855 sq. ft.; Hartford Civic
Center Exhibition Center: 68,000 sq. ft.
• Connecticut Expo Center: 88,000 sq. ft.
of exhibit space; three meeting
rooms totaling 3,000 sq. ft.
• Rentschler Field: The Club at Rentschler Field: 635 club seats; 325-seat function room
• Executive Suites: 38 luxury suites, 16 seats per suite
HOTELS
Number of Downtown Properties: 10
Number of Rooms in Greater Hartford Region: More than 6,000
DOWNTOWN HARTFORD
• Crowne Plaza Downtown Hartford
(350 rooms)
• Hilton Hartford Hotel (392 rooms)
• Holiday Inn Express (96 rooms)
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites/Brainard Rd. (173 rooms)
• Marriott Hartford Downtown (408 rooms)
• Residence Inn Downtown Hartford
(120 rooms)
• Sheraton Hartford Hotel (215 rooms)
• The Goodwin Hotel (124 rooms)
ATTRACTIONS
• Museum of Connecticut History
• Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
• Butler-McCook House
• More than 40 fine golf courses
AIR TRANSPORTATION
Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, less than 20 minutes from downtown, serves business and leisure travelers with more than 268 daily flights by 17 airlines to major U.S. markets.

Providence

A second Renaissance makes this hip, historic city an ideal meeting destination

In the early 1990s, Providence, R.I. became the darling of urban planners with its remarkable metamorphosis from an industrial city to a sophisticated urban center. Once known as "The Renaissance City," Providence is riding a second wave of revitalization, including hotel projects that will account for more than 500 additional hotel rooms and a $62 million renovation of a 14,000-seat civic arena. At the heart of Providence's bustling downtown is the award-winning Rhode Island Convention Center (RICC). Elegantly designed to complement the city's historic architecture, the RICC contains a 100,000-square-foot exhibition hall, a 20,000-square-foot ballroom, 23 meeting rooms, and the all-glass Rotunda Room, a special function space overlooking the city. There are 5,500 hotel rooms in the Greater Providence area, 1,800 of which are within walking distance of the RICC. A 2,400-space parking garage is also connected to the facility, with the 14,500-seat Dunkin' Donuts Center conveniently situated right next door. "The Dunk" is currently undergoing $62 million in renovations, which includes connecting the arena to the RICC via skybridge. Just a short, 10-minute drive away is Warwick, home to T.F. Green Airport and additional lodging, meeting, dining, and entertainment options. With a thriving arts district, a commitment to historical preservation, and a sophisticated nightlife, Providence offers a variety of entertainment choices. The city is one of the hottest culinary spots in the country, with several nationally recognized restaurants. Shoppers have an endless amount of options, from Providence Place to boutiques on the city's East Side. One of Providence's most popular cultural events is WaterFire, held mostly in the warm weather months, and highlighted by a series of bonfires installed on the three rivers of downtown Providence. The fragrant scent of wood smoke, the firelight on the arched bridges, the torch-lit vessels traveling down the river, and the enchanting music all engage the senses.

At a Glance

Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau
Neil Schriever, vice president, sales
One West Exchange St.
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 456-0237
E-mail: Meetings@pwcvb.com
Web site: www.ProvidenceNight
andDay.com
CONVENTION FACILITIES
Rhode Island Convention Center:
Total Event Space: 137,000 sq. ft.
Total Exhibit Space: 100,000 sq. ft.
Ballroom: 20,000 sq. ft.
Total Meeting Space: 17,000 sq. ft.
Maximum Number of Breakout Rooms: 23
Registration/Prefunction Space: 60,000 sq. ft.
Number of Rooms Within
Walking Distance: 1,800*

ADDITIONAL MEETING
FACILITIES
• Dunkin' Donuts Center
• Veteran's Memorial Auditorium
HOTELS
Number of Properties: More than 35
Number of Rooms: 5,500
Largest:
• Westin Hotel Providence (564 rooms)*
• Marriott Providence (351 rooms)
• Providence Biltmore Hotel (289 rooms)
• Hilton Garden Providence -
Downtown (274 rooms)
• Renaissance Providence Hotel
(274 rooms) **
• Courtyard by Marriott (216 rooms)
ATTRACTIONS
• Aldrich Mansion
• Bank of America Skating Center
• Culinary Archives & Museum
at Johnson & Wales University
• Providence Black Repertory
Company
• Providence Performing Arts Center
• Providence Place Mall
• Rhode Island School of Design
Museum
• Roger Williams Park Zoo
• Trinity Repertory Company
• Waterplace Park
• WaterFire Providence
AIR TRANSPORTATION
Just minutes away from the Rhode Island Convention Center, T.F. Green
Airport was recently named one of
the "Top Five Alternative Airports" in
the United States and received a
Reader's Choice recommendation from
Condé Nast Traveler. It offers more
than 160 direct flights via major carriers.

* The Westin Providence currently has 364 rooms, with another 200 to be added by 2008.
** The Renaissance Providence Hotel is scheduled to open in late 2007.