Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, has long been acknowledged as a leader in education and scientific and technical research. Now, with a 500,000- square-foot convention center coming on line in 2008 (rendering shown here), recent hotel renovations and new development, and first-class special event sites, Raleigh is evolving into an exciting convention destination.

In three years, the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) will come to Raleigh for its 2009 world conference. What's noteworthy about that? Not only will this be the first time in its 22-year history that the IASP annual meeting convenes in the region, but the first time it meets in the United States. Rick Weddle, who as president and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina was successful in attracting IASP, believes this meeting is the harbinger of good things to come: "The development of world-class convention facilities will enable Raleigh to be a destination for national and global events," he said.

This new activity is planned and monitored by the City of Raleigh Planning Department, whose Urban Design Center is headed by Dan Douglas. "Our livable streets project will make downtown Raleigh an exciting destination, an '18-hour city'," he said. "I've been a city planner for over 20 years, and I've never seen anything like it." Here's a look at things to come:

Raleigh Convention Center
The new Raleigh Convention Center will offer an open feel with floor-to-ceiling windows on the top two floors. The lower level will feature a 150,000-square-foot exhibit hall, easily divisible into three sections. Overlooking the exhibit hall, the mezzanine level, with 4,100 square feet of prefunction space, will provide easy access to other areas of the center, six meeting rooms, and the attached Raleigh Marriott City Center Hotel. The street-level third floor will have 32,601 square feet of meeting space, with 13 flexible meeting rooms. On the fourth level, a 32,000-square-foot ballroom with high ceilings and fine décor, will be divisible into three sections. Adjacent prefunction space will have commanding views of the city. The center will feature state-of-the-art technology, including audiovisual equipment and Wi-fi capabilities. Staging areas for vehicles and a large, open festival park will be adjacent to the center. Approximately 6,000 parking spaces will be within easy access.

"We have wanted to meet in Raleigh for some time, since it is the state capital. However, our exhibition requires 100,000 square feet, so there was no location for our show," said Paul Miller, executive director, North Carolina State Firemen's Association. Miller will bring a joint meeting of his association, the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, and the South Atlantic Fire and Hazmat Expo to Raleigh in 2009 and 2010.

Hotels - Downtown
Raleigh Marriott City Center - will serve as the headquarters hotel (also scheduled to open in 2008). A four-diamond, four-star property, the hotel will feature 400 guest rooms, including 15 suites, a 9,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, and 5,950 square feet of additional meeting space.

Sheraton Raleigh - offers 355 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space in 14 meeting rooms. The Hannover Ballroom has 5,000 square feet of meeting space; a conference center offers three additional meeting rooms. The hotel will undergo a complete renovation in 2007. The Marriott, the Sheraton, two additional hotels under development, and a 202-room Clarion Hotel will provide 1,100-plus sleeping rooms within walking distance of the convention center.

Hotels - Raleigh North, Crabtree Valley, and Cary
Hilton North Raleigh - offers 339 recently renovated sleeping rooms (including 27 suites), and 30,000 square feet of meeting space in 20 meeting rooms.
Marriott Crabtree Valley - has 375 guest rooms, including four suites, and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space in 14 meeting rooms. This includes the 6,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, divisible into eight sections, and the 2,500-square-foot Junior Ballroom, divisible into four sections.
Embassy Suites Raleigh Durham/Research Triangle East - located in Cary, this venue has more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space including the Carolina Ballroom (12,800 square feet), which can be divided into eight sections, and the 3,800-square-foot Triangle Ballroom, divisible into three sections. Four additional breakout rooms complete the meeting facilities. The hotel has 273 two-room suites for lodging.
Umstead Hotel and Spa - billed as a luxury hotel, also in Cary, the Umstead is scheduled to open in January 2007. The hotel will feature 150 guest rooms, including 27 suites, and 10,200 square feet of meeting space. The 4,015-square-foot Lakeview Ballroom, divisible into two sections, will be adjacent to an outside terrace, overlooking a lake and surrounding gardens.

Alternative Sites
The North Carolina Museum of Art - located in a 164-acre park, the museum's Blue Ridge Dining Room seats 150 guests, up to 300 for a reception, and is adjacent to the Egyptian Gallery, which can accommodate 100 for dinner, or 200 for a reception.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences - can accommodate dinners for up to 200 people and receptions up to 440, and offers beautiful natural habitat displays of the area's flora and fauna.
Exploris - an interactive global museum with an adjacent IMAX Theater, this venue's Global Village Square can accommodate a seated dinner for 350, or a reception for 500.
The Progress Center for the Performing Arts - featuring the 2,300-seat Memorial Auditorium, the 170-seat Kennedy Theater, the 600-seat A.J. Fletcher Opera House, and the 1,700-seat Meymandi Concert Hall, this is also home to the North Carolina Symphony. Each theater may be rented for meetings when not being used for performances.

Help With Planning Your Meeting
The CVB identifies appropriate hotels and sends out RFPs; secures letters of invitation; assists with negotiation; arranges site inspections; secures online housing; provides visitor service directories, customized calendars and signage; will work with you on dine-around options and special events; provides registration assistance at minimal cost and volunteer Raleigh Ambassadors to staff an on-site information booth. The CVB can also lend a hand to publicize your meeting, including marketing via e-mail, building custom Web pages, and reaching the news media. Said Melody Haislip, The Sheraton Raleigh Hotel's sales and marketing director, "The CVB, the convention center staff, and the hotels work together as a team to sell Raleigh as a destination."

° Contributing Editor Sara Torrence, CMP, is the president of Sara Torrence & Associates, a meeting and events planning consulting firm in Gaithersburg, Md. She is the author of How to Run Scientific and Technical Meetings.