Meetings and Events City Profiles

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Population: About 300,000

Nearest Airport: Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO)

Convention centers/Large event spaces:
Bernhard and Fetzer Centers
Kalamazoo County Expo Center

Highlights:

Kalamazoo was once celery city. Battle Creek is Cereal City. Kalamazoo has the Air Zoo; Battle Creek, the Binder Park Zoo. Battle Creek has the McCamly Plaza Hotel; Kalamazoo, the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites. Both cities offer history and hospitality.

Which one should you pick for your next meeting or event? We'll let you decide.

"You'll be back. We promise." That's the new tagline for Discover Kalamazoo, the county's convention and visitors bureau (CVB). "Kalamazoo is a very friendly town with great service," says Mary Ridderman, the CVB's director of sales. "People are made to feel welcome. Customer service does sell us."

So do other planner and group-friendly features. Kalamazoo features a central location and easy access from eight surrounding states, a walkable downtown plus good Amtrak service were all deciding factors.

Kalamazoo's vibrant central business district is a surprise to newcomers, thanks to an infusion of students from Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College, 20 locally owned restaurants and brewpubs and numerous venues featuring live music, including Monaco Bay, where American Idol finalist Matt Giraud got his start.

The Michigan Minority Development Business Council. Kuzuricon (anime/gaming convention). Toastmasters District 62. The Michigan Occupational & Environmental Medicine Association. These are some of the organizations to select Battle Creek as a location for an event within the past year or so, and demonstrate the diversity of groups the city attracts. "There is so much to do for so many types of people," says Dawn Whitcomb, convention and guest services manager at the Battle Creek/Calhoun County CVB.

Planners will find venues and activities in the Battle Creek as varied as the 20-plus different kinds of cereal Kellogg's produces. "There is a wealth of history here," notes Whitcomb, from breakfast heritage to Seventh Day Adventist history to the Underground Railroad, and group tours are available to entertain and educate.

For a unique agritourism experience, Southern Exposure Herb Farm can accommodate up to 250 guests. The farm offers mini-workshops where attendees can make herbed vinegar or an herbal candle and event accommodations in the Hog House, Corn Crib or Milking Parlor. Don't be fooled by the colloquial names; the rooms are gorgeous.

Warming things up is Battle Creek's newest addition: FireKeepers Casino. "It's different from any other casino in Michigan," says Whitcomb. "It's got a very Vegas feel."

City Snapshots:

Getting there
By car: Kalamazoo is intersected by I-94 and US 131. Battle Creek is just north of I-94 and 12 miles west of I-69.

By rail: Both cities have Amtrak stations. See www.amtrak.com for schedules.

By plane: Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport

Battle Creek
Main meeting/event space: McCamly Plaza Hotel, Kellogg Arena, Kendall Center

Unique space: Binder Park Zoo, Full Blast, Heritage Dome Center

Fun fact: The Del Shannon/Runaway marker in Battle Creek commemorates the site where Shannon fi rst performed the hit song.

Kalamazoo
Main meeting/event space: Cityscape Event Center, Fetzer and Bernhard Centers (WMU campus), Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites

Unique space: Air Zoo, Kalamazoo Nature Center

Fun fact: Plan your meeting/event between Apr. 23 and May 10 in 2010 and take advantage of 100-plus performances during the Gilmore Keyboard Festival.

Nearby:

Hickory Corners: The Gilmore Car Museum, open May 1 to Oct. 31, is adding a 1918 car dealership and a 6,500-square-foot addition. "There are a handful of (historic) cars we rent for corporate events," says Jay Follis, director of marketing. "Attendees can drive them around the grounds."

Also in Hickory Corners: W.K. Kellogg Manor House/ Kellogg Biological Station Conference Center

Augusta: The Brook Lodge has closed, but the Yarrow Golf & Conference Center recently renovated and is open for business, featuring top-notch golf and 12 unique meeting rooms.

For more information:

Battle Creek/Calhoun County CVB // 800.397.2240

Bernhard and Fetzer Centers
Kalamazoo
269.387.4860 (Bernhard)
269.387.3232 (Fetzer)

This article has been edited for the Web. Article initially by Lisa Mackinder for the Winter 2010 issue of Michigan Meetings + Events.