Harrah’s Atlantic CityWaterfront Conference Center
“Meeting bookings are phenomenal,” exclaims Wood. “Room counts are at 97,000, representing $80 million per quar- ter. They literally grow by the day. Going forward, I would love to see Atlantic City become a big player in the meetings mar- ket. One facility is not enough.We need two or three.”
More and more planners of all-size meet- ings and events are seeing the infinite pos- sibilities that beckon in Atlantic City. Its current renaissance has been remarkable.
Atlantic City continues to develop even more offerings and adding to its attrac- tiveness as a meeting destination. The resort town is home to eight casino resorts along with several non-gaming hotels that offer a variety of views, including beach- front and Atlantic Ocean water views.
Its world famous boardwalk spans over a continuous fivemile stretch,and work has begun on the inlet section of the board- walk to extend into Gardner’s Basin.
In the heart of Atlantic City’s tourism dis- trict is premier outlet shopping. A Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World is new to AC, joining Tanger Outlets - The Walk, which boasts great outlet shopping within walk- ing distance of the boardwalk and the Atlantic City Convention Center.
30 November December 2015
Steel Pier is currently under construction. In development is a 200-foot high obser- vation wheel that will offer rides with sweeping views of the ocean and Atlantic City skyline from inside climate-con- trolled
gondolas.This $14 million project is scheduled to open in 2016.
The Playground, formerly known as The Pier Shops at Caesars, is new to Atlantic City. and extends out over the beach and above the Atlantic Ocean. A 464,000- square foot self-contained entertainment venue that includes high-end retail, eight live entertainment clubs and restaurants,a bowling alley, swimming pool and a sports bar.
Atlantic City has a combined room inven- tory of 15,630, which includes both its casino properties and non-gaming hotels. The four largest are: Borgata and The Water Club with 2,800 rooms; Harrah’s Atlantic City with 2,587 rooms; The Tropicana with 2,129 rooms; and Trump Taj Mahal with 2,032
rooms.Many of the hotel and casino properties offers meet- ing and banquet space, and some of the casino resorts are undertaking significant upgrades and expansions to attract a rap- idly growing meetings market.
Harrah’s Atlantic City has embarked on the largest such effort, having recently
opened the spacious Harrah’s Atlantic CityWaterfront Conference Center,which is the largest complex of its kind from Baltimore to Boston. Highlights of this $126 million facility include: two 50,000- square foot ballrooms that can be config- ured 200 different ways, making more than 60 smaller rooms to accommodate meetings of all sizes; additional breakout areas;banquet rooms; the most up-to-date technology; and a grand promenade.
Steve Vandermolen, senior vice president of meeting operations for Atlantic City and Caesar’s Entertainment, expressed great excitementwhen the 100,000-square foot Harrah’s Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center officially opened a couple of months ago.
“We welcomed our first big group on opening day,”statesVandermolen.“Bradley Caldwell, a distributor of equine and live- stock supplies, held a trade show and sales conference for 1,400 attendees. They rated the new facility: fantastic.”
The conference center already has book- ings through 2019.
It is attractive to
diverse industries, such as food distribu- tion, financial, pharmaceutical and cor- porate groups.“Meetings and conventions are growing businesses,” Vandermolen says. “We made a long-term investment in
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