Destination:Atlantic City, NJ
The first city in the U.S. outside of Nevada to have offered casino gaming, Atlantic City remains a pivotal player in this marketplace. Its offerings include an impressive list of gaming venues, a convention center, entertainment offerings, its world famous boardwalk, the beach, non-gaming hotels and meeting sites, world-class shopping and dining, as well as plenty of resources available through Meet AC - the sales and marketing force for the Atlantic City Convention Center.
Sandi Harvey, director of sales for Meet AC, says that Atlantic City is an ideal choice for virtually any group because of its numerous gaming facili- ties that offer so many options in a sin- gle location, but also because of the variety of flexibility of meeting and event space located throughout town.
Casino properties, she notes, serve as great destinations for a variety of group functions because of the multiple resources they offer under one roof. Attendees can meet, sleep, eat and net- work all in one location. In addition, “Atlantic City can offer fantastic mid- week room rates, which can certainly be attractive to planners,” Harvey adds.
In addition to the gaming properties located on the boardwalk and by the marina, the Atlantic City Convention Center is available to host a wide range of group functions. It consists of 600,000-square feet of meeting space, 5 exhibit halls, 45 meetings rooms, and 29 covered loading docks.
Located by the marina, the Waterfront Conference Center at Harrah’s Atlantic City opened in September of 2015 and is the largest conference center/hotel complex from Baltimore to Boston. It is home to two 50,000-square foot ball- rooms that can be divided into as many as 29 individual sections, and the facility offers state-of-the-art, technolog- ically advanced meeting space.
Another gaming property that boasts recently added function space is the
12 July z August 2017
Resorts Conference Center, which added 15,000-square feet of meeting space spread over 12 rooms (also in September of 2015), while Borgata added 18,000-square feet of meeting space in January of 2017 with the opening of its new Central Conference Center.
Tropicana Atlantic City has been busy with additions of its own, too, including new Havana Tower rooms, the opening of the AtlantiCare LifeCenter fitness facility, and tens-of-millions of dollars in recent renovations and enhance- ments throughout the facility.
When groups choose Atlantic City for their function, Harvey notes, Meet AC stands ready to offer a wide range of support and services to assist in mak- ing sure that their experience at the resort exceeds expectations. Meet AC offers marketing and communication assistance to go along with their ample convention services.
“Depending on the groups size, Meet AC’s convention services department can provide the following: citywide signage (such as Impactivate Signs on the boardwalk, Welcome Signage at tolls booths, Marquee and Welcome Banners),” declares Harvey. With regard to marketing and communications, Meet AC can offer “social media aware- ness to drive attendance, a photo library for promotional and editorial use to promote the event, and PR sup- port for the event (press releases, media advisories, etc.).”
In addition to the meeting space and services, entertainment offerings in Atlantic City serve as a draw for groups considering a gaming destination for their function.
“Entertainment is always a huge consideration for planners, especially in a gaming destination,” asserts Harvey. “They want to offer…endless options [with regard to entertainment experiences]. Atlantic City offers that variety and much more. Planners can
provide a list of entertainment options to the attendees that they can enjoy during their down time.”
Another reason to be excited
about Atlantic City as a destina- tion is its continuing evolution and growth in a wide variety of
sectors. For example, Hard Rock International’s recent purchase of the former Taj Mahal casino. Expected to open in spring/
summer of 2018, this $375 million project will include: a complete exterior redevelopment; the Hard Rock Casino; Hard Rock
Café; new and upgraded dining experiences throughout venue; renovations to existing perform- ance venues; a new lobby
lounge and renovated guest rooms and suites; renovated convention/meeting space; a
renovated indoor swimming pool and a new signature spa and
fitness center; plus world-class, premium retailers.
In the realm of dining, three new excit- ing restaurant concepts by Chef Jose Garces recently opened at Tropicana, including: Olón, offering a fine dining oceanfront experience served in dis- tinctive, modern presentations; Okatshe, Garces’ playful, modernized take on a traditional Japanese izakaya and sushi; and Bar Olón, presenting draft beer selections and live entertain- ment along with a menu featuring seafood, raw bar and other items.
Atlantic City also has a growing arts and culture scene, and is home to numerous festivals and events through- out the year that take advantage of the resort’s beach and waterfront environ- ment. Just a few of these include: Big Name Beach Concerts; the Atlantic City Cider Social; Atlantic City Seafood Festival; Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival; the Insane Inflatable 5k; The Color Run; and the Annual Atlantic City Airshow.
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