6 Unexpected Reasons to Meet in Cedar Rapids

When attending an event or conference, a new location offers the chance to explore the destination’s attractions and amenities, and your guests will find plenty to see and do in downtown Cedar Rapids. Within walking distance of the convention center is the riverfront McGrath Amphitheatre, as well as a slew of unique restaurants, bars with live local music and sporting events at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse arena. For the culture vultures in your group, The Paramount Theatre and Theatre Cedar Rapids are two of the largest theaters in town hosting Broadway shows, comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld and regional theatrical performances. Built in the 1920’s, the historic Paramount Theatre, with its spectacular Hall of Mirrors, is an elegant performing arts center downtown and an ideal location for a cocktail reception, special event or conference session.

A short drive away from downtown, Cedar Ridge Distillery is a favorite of conference-goers and locals alike. The family-owned winery and distillery is south of Cedar Rapids in the lovely Iowa countryside. While taking in the vineyard view, attendees can sip on 16 award-winning wines or 11 small-batch spirits including Iowa’s first bourbon. There are plenty of other new breweries and wineries around the area as well. If your group is chockablock with foodies, check out The Hotel at Kirkwood Center. Just a few minutes from the Eastern Iowa Airport, you’ll find the country’s only luxury teaching hotel, providing instruction to students from the Kirkwood Community College’s Hospitality Arts program. Unwind in suites offering floor to ceiling windows and indulge in perfectly prepared cuisine, served at The Class Act Restaurant. With over 19,000 square feet of meeting space, a stunning atrium and state of art culinary lab, unique culinary opportunities for your attendees are endless.

As your guests explore downtown’s sites and attractions, they will likely stumble upon museums such as the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, The African American Museum of Iowa or the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. All have beautiful and unique spaces for large receptions as well as small corporate meetings, and exploring exhibits is a nice option for attendee downtime. Attendees may also enjoy the NewBo City Market, a year-round public market in the New Bohemia area, where you can sample food from entrepreneurs and shop from local vendors in a lively atmosphere.

Brucemore Mansion, a Queen Anne-style mansion completed in 1886 sitting on 26 bucolic acres, is another unique venue filled with history. Attendees will find tours, exhibits, music festivals, an outdoor theatre and garden walks to keep them busy pre- or post-event day. Indian Creek Nature Center is another venue to host corporate retreats and meetings. A certified Living Building and net-zero energy facility, they offer meeting space and an outdoor amphitheater. Gorgeous trails wind through Iowa woodlands, prairie and wetlands where active attendees can hike, bike, canoe, snow shoe or cross-country ski across its 290 acres. All of these locations are a perfect fit for off-site meeting venues and guest receptions.

Cedar Rapids has a variety of meeting spaces to welcome groups of all sizes. Its most popular meeting space is the Alliant Energy PowerHouse complex, which is the newest convention center in Iowa with a revitalized arena hosting 9,600 seats. Its adjacent 267-room DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel was recently renovated. Together, they boast 81,000-sq.-ft. of exhibit space, 12,000-sq.-ft. of ballroom space and 19,000-sq.-ft. of meeting room space.

Aside from overlooking downtown and the Cedar River, the convention center offers additional amenities such as large windows that let in an abundance of natural light, while the lounge chairs and tables scattered throughout the halls offer a spot to recharge between events. Whether you’re seating 1200 in rounds in the exhibit hall or utilizing the custom lighting in the ballroom, the perfect space can be created for your group.

You’ll see why the arena has received praise from former conventioneers with its top-of-the-line audiovisual setup. Instead of spotty projectors, you’ll have movie theater-sized screens and space capacity that can expand to accommodate up to 10,000 attendees standing. The arena is so sophisticated guests will feel as if tech giants like Tim Cook or Marc Benioff could walk across the stage any minute to introduce a new product. If you’re looking to plan smaller, more moderate meetings, don’t feel like this isn’t for you—there are plenty of rooms for meetings of various sizes. The Club 5 is a favorite setup and gives the vibe of a smaller venue within the PowerHouse.

If you look at a map of Cedar Rapids, you’ll see that it’s centrally located in the middle of the country, making it a convenient spot for guests to travel. Eastern Iowa Airport has five airlines with 15 nonstop destinations servicing the second largest city in Iowa, which means your guests will have plenty of airlines to choose from to find affordable flights. For guests that are traveling by car, they’ll be pleased to know the city is in the cross-section of two major interstates—I-380 and I-80. Cedar Rapids is near Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. For many, this means it’s a smooth drive into the area, no matter which direction they’re coming from.

We’ve also got beautiful, wide-open spaces. If you love the great outdoors, Cedar Rapids does not disappoint. Stretch your legs and refocus right on the river. Or burn off those opening night reception calories on one of our many outdoor walking trails or gorgeous parks. All of the Midwest’s splendor is on display.