[Libby Huffman]

If you're looking for a place to hold your next business event, look no further. While there are tons of cities to choose from, they may not all be appropriate for your specific occassion. Investigate the best cities in America to hold your next corporate shin-dig.
View The Full Article

[sabrinafaire]

Omaha has a lot of golf courses

[galfriday]

Great article Libby. As always, a great resource!

Of course, I must chime in as I feel you left out a very important convention city...one that pretty much meets all of your categories in your article. As a disclaimer, I do work for the Atlant CVB, but I'd be chiming in anyway if I didn't.

Please indulge me as I share a list of the top ten reasons why Atlanta should be considered for your next convention, and IS one of the top convention cities in the US: (*to be fair to other cities, I'm sure you can find their top ten list on their CVB websites as well...)

1) Atlanta is Accessible.

•Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- With 80% of the U.S. population within a two-hour flight, Atlanta is one of the most accessible destinations in the country
- Approximately 2,500 daily flights /250 destinations with direct non-stop service
•MARTA
- Quick, inexpensive transportation from right inside HJAIA directly to the downtown convention district, Midtown or Buckhead and many area attractions

2) Atlanta's Accommodations & Facilities are hard to match.

•Flexibility for a range of meetings & events and growing room for trade shows and conventions
- more than 90,000 rooms in the metro area
- 10,000+ hotel rooms within an 8-block area of Downtown and the Georgia World Congress Center
- Affordable hotel rates compared to most other 1st tier cities
- 5 major convention centers
- 2.1 million+ gross sq feet of total exhibit space

3)We're Affordable.

•Georgia is a right-to-work state, which dramatically impacts labor rates

4) We have New Attractions, a Renewed City Revitalization & New Development.

•$6 billion in new development since 2005:
- GA Aquarium
- New World of Coca-Cola
- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
- Atlantic Station
- Woodruff Arts Center
- And much more!

5) Our Atlanta Ambassadors Help You Help Your Attendees.

•The Downtown Improvement District's friendly Atlanta Ambassador Force patrols downtown, offering helpful information, directions and a personal welcome to you and your attendees. With more than 200 hours of training, the Ambassador Force helps create a safe, clean and vibrant downtown.

6) Our Southern Hospitality is Everywhere.

•The Atlanta Hospitality Community is a team of professionals, dedicated to understanding and fulfilling your event needs.

7) We're America's #1 Destination.

• "Most Popular City" (for African-American Travelers) Travel Industry Association of America / 2000, 2004
• "World's Busiest Airport" Airport Council Intl / May 2005

8) Our Atlanta CVB Services Give New Meaning to Personalized.

•Attendance-building opportunities and personalized assistance from the ACVB Convention Services team
•ACVB has been the recipient of Successful Meetings & Conventions magazine's prestigious Pinnacle Award for Service for the last 16 years.

9) We've Got Award-Winning Restaurants and Shopping - But Not Like All The Rest. . .

•Home to 8,000+ restaurants (nearly 500 Zagat-rated and 22 DiRoNA award-winning restaurants)
•#2 city in the US for shopping space per capita, & one of the top 10 retail markets in the U.S.
•Mostly everything is on or just off Peachtree Street, which starts Downtown and leads to other in-town neighborhoods like Midtown, Buckhead and Virginia-Highland, offering some of the city's best restaurants and nightlife.

10) Year-Round, Our Climate is Comfortable.

•Four distinct seasons with comfortable climates.
•The short winter is fairly moderate. The annual rainfall is only about 50 inches.

[Chrissy Scivicque]

Galfriday, as a new resident of Atlanta all I can say is "here here!"

Love it! Everyone should bring their folks here and see what all the fuss is about.