Experience Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids: A Destination Crafted for Meetings

A city that is Crafted for Meetings, Grand Rapids is easy to get to, easy to host a meeting in and easy to love. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport, named best airport in North America serving 2-5 million passengers, offers 140+ daily flights, including nonstop flights to 30+ major market destinations and is served by 7 airlines: Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Sun Country and United. The airport is in the midst of a massive transformation project that has already upgraded many visitor convenience features – including new food and beverage options, complimentary business centers and improved security checkpoints. The airport is just 15 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, where a riverfront convention center offers 162,000 sq. ft. of column-free exhibit space, 40,000 square foot ballroom and 20+ meeting rooms of all sizes. A climate-controlled skywalk connects the convention center to three hotels (1,200+ rooms), each with its own meeting room spaces, as well as to parking ramps and entertainment venues. This convention-and-hotel complex anchors a Convention Neighborhood that includes 10 additional hotels (1,300+ rooms) and 200+ restaurants and retail shops, all located within a 10-minute walk or free bus ride. Five downtown museums include the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, a tribute to the city’s most famous native son. More than ten downtown craft beverage destinations are stops on the Beer City Ale Trail. A number of breweries and museums offer distinctive spaces for outside-the-convention-center events. The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, voted as the Best Sculpture Park in the United States in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, is just a 15-minute drive from the Convention Neighborhood. Grand Rapids offers many unique offsite venues for opening or closing receptions and VIP events, several within walking distance of the Convention Center. Unique venues within walking distance include Grand Rapids Public Museum, Gillett Bridge and breweries. You can also find hundreds more hotels and meeting spaces throughout Kent County to give you additional planning flexibility. Contact us to learn how this Stella Award-winning (2023) CVB in one of the nation's top 25 convention cities (Travmar, 2022) can help you with your meeting. Your attendees will thank you for planning your event in One of America’s Top 10 Best Towns to Visit (CNN,2024).