What’s the most surprising thing about Memphis?
Most meeting planners recognize Memphis, Tennessee as a cool city with a great vibe, but many say they don’t realize how much the city offers. The city has more than 50 attractions that are unique to Memphis, including Graceland, Beale Street and the National Civil Rights Museum. Plus it has a sizzling nightlife and live blues music can be heard in most every bar/club throughout the city. The central location of Memphis makes it easy to reach from anywhere in the United States.
A High-Value Destination
Memphis offers strong value in this tough economy – it’s a Southern city offering costs and rates that average half of nearly all first-tier and many second-tier cities. With a the state-of-the-art 300,000 square-foot Cook Convention Center located in the heart of downtown partnered with first-class guest accommodations, unrivaled attractions, world-class performing arts, multi-cultural festivals/events and excellent restaurants, Memphis is an impressive overall convention package.
Hotels and More
Celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2009, the Peabody Hotel, hailed as the South’s Grand Hotel, is adding 163 upscale suites – 2 office suites, 152 standard suites, 7 upgraded suites and 7 presidential-type suites – on the second and third levels of the entertainment complex at 150 Peabody Place. This will give the Peabody Hotel over 600 hotel rooms.
The 600-room Memphis Marriott Downtown, the largest hotel in the city, recently underwent a $5 million guest room update. The hotel has an indoor connection to the convention center, offering excellent convenience for large meetings.
Another major property, The Crowne Plaza Memphis is within walking distance of the shopping, dining, and legendary blues entertainment of Beale Street and is also close to the convention center, the Pyramid, Mud Island, the Orpheum Theater, and Graceland.
The Grade Hotel is a new 30-room boutique hotel conveniently located on South Front Street.
Starting this month, Delta Air Lines is adding three daily nonstop, round-trip flights between Memphis International Airport and Dallas’ Love Field. Customers flying between Love Field and Memphis will have connecting opportunities to 237 peak-day flights with 90 worldwide destinations.
Memphis is also a place that welcomes visitors with genuine warmth and charm. If you want to capture the true essence of Memphis, if you want to define its true character, you’ll find it in the welcoming smiles of its people. In fact, if the city’s most famous resident – Elvis Presley – could revisit Memphis, he would have just six words: “Thank you! Thank you very much!”
