Knoxville
A Beacon For Meetings & Events, Large & Small
By Angie Baldwin Located in the heart of East Tennessee, Knoxville is home to the University of Tennessee (UT) and minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains. Destination marketing officials have long boasted that the area is accessible, versatile and has a multitude of world-class attractions and venues such as a state-of-the-art convention center. And, today, they’re also touting more appealing meeting venues and attractions to rival any first-tier city, including a Ruth’s Chris Steak House with banquet seating for up to 300 guests.
“Knoxville’s overall appeal is its location and the diversity of things to do,” said Erin Burns Freeman, director of communications for the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation (KTSC). “The city has many attractions, including 21 museums as well as historical and cultural attractions, all within a 30-mile radius. Plus, Knoxville’s full-service planning services are unique when selling our city—our complimentary services far exceed those in surrounding areas.”
According to Dr. Norbert Holtcamp, meeting planner for the Linear Particle Accelerator conferences of 2005 and 2006, Knoxville fit the bill for both meetings. “We required an affordable, accessible and flexible site. The certified meeting planning professionals in Knoxville exceeded our expectations, thinking creatively and offering attractions and accommodations customized for our diverse members. Their end-to-end planning services, the world-class Knoxville Convention Center facilities and the sincere welcome we received made us glad we chose Knoxville.”
Angie Beach, conference manager for UT -Battelle, a non-profit company that manages and operates the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, also finds comfort in Knoxville’s know how. “I call the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation with the logistical requirements of the meeting I’m coordinating and they take it from there. The staff is professional and, most importantly, they are as interested in the success of my meeting as I am,” Beach said.
Since the Knoxville Convention Center opened its doors five years ago, the city has welcomed more national and international meetings and conventions, said General Manager Mary Stephens-Bogert. “While many of them are corporate meetings, the diversity of our bookings amazes me. We have hosted everything from a ‘Star Wars’ wedding that made national headlines to church on Sunday.”
The center sits in the World’s Fair Park and features 500,000 square feet of space, including 120,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 461-seat lecture hall, a 27,000-square-foot ballroom, three boardrooms and a state-of-the-art kitchen. “Many of our concourses are popular because the spaces are unique,” Stephens-Bogert said. “Also, our art collection gives the building an upscale touch, and our customer service is excellent.”
Located near the convention center is Knoxville’s icon, the Sunsphere, which reopened to the public in the summer of 2007. This was the first time since 1999 that the public has been able to go inside the globe atop of a 266-foot tower that symbolizes the energy-themed 1982 World’s Fair. So far, only an observation deck and an amphitheater have been opened, but plans are in the making for a restaurant, event space and offices.
The Knoxville Expo Center offers 103,000 square feet of function space in four meeting rooms and can accommodate 3,500 people, theater style.
Home of hockey games, musical productions and the local symphony, the Knoxville Civic Coliseum/Auditorium features two major meeting spaces: an exhibit hall and a 4,500-square-foot ballroom. “We primarily host small meetings and receptions,” said General Manager Dale Dunn.
The UT Thompson-Boling Arena recently completed the first phase of its $20 million renovation project, installing new seating throughout and adding a center-hung scoreboard and concourse refurbishments. The second phase of the project is in the works and will include a new lighting system, ticket kiosks and food courts, according to Mike Hamilton, UT athletic director. “Keeping the arena competitive and viable for touring events is an important aspect of the renovation,” he said.
The Emporium Center for Arts and Culture offers artist’s studios and galleries and is located in downtown Knoxville along Gay Street, a tourism area. After six months of construction, the Emporium Annex opened its doors in August 2007. Located one floor below the true first level of Gay Street, and underneath the main gallery level of the Emporium Center, the annex provides 5,000 square feet of classroom and event space. According to KTSC officials, additions to the annex will continue in 2008 with a new security system, a dance studio, and a board table in the community room.
Existing hotels continue to renovate their guest rooms and meeting space, allowing them to better accommodate a growing clientele of meeting-goers. The 317-room Hilton Knoxville, located next to the convention center, renovated all of its 14,000 square feet of meeting space in February 2007 with new furniture, wallpaper and chandeliers. Currently, the hotel is renovating its lounge and adding flat-screen TVs to all its guest rooms. A new cyber café has replaced the fomer business center, said Fran Owen, director of sales and marketing. “The cyber café is open to all guests and is located next to our Starbucks.”
The Holiday Inn Select Downtown at Convention Center features 6,630 square feet of meeting space with one ballroom and three boardrooms, according to Director of Sales and Marketing Dawn Galle. The hotel continues to upgrade to meet all of the Holiday Inn standards, she said, adding that new lighting is being installed in the hallways and corridors.
The 240-room Holiday Inn Knoxville Central at Papermill, which came under new ownership in 2006, sits on six acres and is slated to complete renovations throughout the property in April, said General Manager Tracy Hicks. The hotel offers more than 5,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, as well as more than 6,000 square feet of outdoor spaces. “We are also completely renovating our gazebo area, which is popular for weddings, while our other outdoor space, a 5,000-square-foot New Orleans-styled courtyard, continues to be popular for receptions,” Hicks said.
The 378-room Knoxville Marriott Hotel renovated its sleeping rooms at the end of 2006 and its meeting space at the end of 2005. Now the largest hotel in Knoxville, the Marriott handles various events throughout the year, according to Sales Manager Heather Walchle. “We handle everything from small pharmaceutical meetings to boat shows and the Junior Olympics. We have a salon, car rental, free parking, and we’re a mile from the university and two miles from the convention center.” The hotel offers 21,000 square feet of meeting space and is connected by walkway to the Knoxville Civic Coliseum/Auditorium.
The 2-year-old Four Points by Sheraton Knoxville Cumberland House Hotel features 130 guest rooms, 3,500 square feet of meeting space and has been rated number one in North America in customer satisfaction for Sheraton hotels.
Located downtown, the 197-room Crowne Plaza Knoxville features newly renovated guest rooms with complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access. The 15,000 square feet of meeting space ranges from a boardroom to the Summit Ballroom.
The 95-room Best Western Cedar Bluff Inn features four meeting rooms and 2,200 square feet of meeting space. Business suites and complimentary Continental breakfast are available.
Additional hotels include the recently opened 72-room Comfort Suites North, which offers one meeting room and a business center; the 99-room Days Inn Convention Center, featuring three meeting rooms and 3,000 square feet of function space; and the 225-room Holiday Inn Select West at Cedar Bluff with 7,200 square feet of meeting space.
Blount County
The towns of Alcoa and Townsend are located just outside of the city of Knoxville and draw meeting goers to Blount County. “We’re really divided into two parts—the airport area and our gateway community to the national park,” explained Herb Handly, executive vice president of the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Key Info · Sales Tax: 9.25 percent
· Hotel Tax: 8 percent
· Hotel Rooms: 7,500 in Knox County
· Transportation: Knoxville Trolley Lines, a complimentary downtown trolley service, provides access to downtown attractions and connects to the city’s regular bus service. In addition, a Late Line Trolley operates every 15 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights (8 p.m. to 2 a.m.) with service to Knoxville’s historic Old City, the Knoxville Convention Center and other entertainment spots. A vintage steam engine, the Three Rivers Rambler takes guests on 90-minute excursions through the Knoxville countryside to Forks of the River and back. |
Alcoa is home to the McGhee Tyson Airport and hotels such as the Hampton Inn Knoxville Airport, the Courtyard by Marriott - Alcoa Airport, and the Hilton Knoxville Airport, which is the largest of the airport hotels featuring 236 guest rooms, two suites, and 15 meeting rooms within 11,616 square feet of function space.
Townsend is located 20 minutes from Knoxville and, according to Handly, is “the gateway community to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” He continued, “So this destination is most desirable for meetings where the attendees really want to get away from it all. We’re a small mountain community surrounded by natural beauty.”
Meeting guests to Townsend often travel with their families, according to Handly, as they tend to make their way into the mountains or to Dollywood or Pigeon Forge for the day. “These attractions are only 30 minutes away and very convenient for a day trip,” he said.
The Barn Event Center of the Smokies, which opened in late 2007, is a post and beam and mortis and tendon building with an antique flavor, Handly said. The center features private dining rooms for up to 26 people; a large room with a stage for up to 150; a patio area; a commercial kitchen; a dance floor; and a state-of-the-art public address system.
According to Handly, additional meeting sites in the area include Blackberry Farm, a hotel featuring 65 guest rooms and three meeting rooms, including the White Pine Room, capable of accommodating 75 attendees, the Birch Boardroom and the Azalea Dining Room.
Townsend’s 36-acre Dancing Bear Lodge offers a 15,000-square-foot lodge, private cabins and on-site recreational activities on a campus setting, Handly said. The lodge can accommodate up to 125 meeting guests.
