By Staff
GRAND RAPIDS -- The $211 million DeVos Place convention center opens its doors Dec. 3 to a facility that encompasses a total area of 1 million square feet in the heart of Grand Rapids.
The 162,000-square-foot exhibition hall is the size of three football fields, making it the second-largest convention facility in Michigan.
Its 40,000-square-foot ballroom, to be completed in early 2005, will seat 3,250 people for banquets.
For more than a decade, community leaders have built the foundation for the emergence of a new state-of-the-art convention center.
First to come were hotel upgrades and additions and new and expanded cultural attractions.
The opening of a 12,000-seat arena and a skywalk system linking meeting facilities and hotels soon followed.
Today, these enhancements are complemented by the fastest-growing entertainment district in the state.
More than 50 restaurants and nightclubs are thriving in downtown Grand Rapids.
The revitalization of downtown Grand Rapids could not have been accomplished without a unique public/private partnership to fund these enhancements.
DeVos Place welcomes its first convention, the Midwest Industrial Woodworking Expo, on Dec. 4.
A public grand opening is scheduled for Dec. 20.
DeVos Place integrates architecture, furniture and technology providing an unparalleled environment for conducting business.
Steelcase Inc., a Grand Rapids-based world leader in office furniture production, has collaborated with the architects of Progressive AE and Ellerbe Becket to develop new solutions for encouraging more effective learning and interaction.
Brian Craig, senior vice president of Progressive AE, states, "Many convention centers focus on only meeting rooms or exhibition halls. We planned for learning throughout this entire convention center."
With the completion of DeVos Place, Grand Rapids has elevated its profile in the national marketplace.
Steve Wilson, president of the Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau, explains. "Our convention sales team now has the ideal package to offer meeting planners -- an outstanding convention facility, hotels, an entertainment district and the Lake Michigan shoreline just a short drive away. Meeting planners of regional and national conventions will discover that Grand Rapids is ready to roll out the red carpet for their delegates."
Currently, the CVB has booked 91 convention groups through 2010, with a regional economic impact of more than $35 million.
Conventions include the Wesleyan Church General Conference with 6,000 in attendance, the National Rural Letter Carriers 2007 Annual Convention and the Lions Club International Leadership Forum.
Grand Rapids is located on Michigan's west coast, 2 1/2 hours west of Detroit and three hours northeast of Chicago. It is served by the Gerald R. Ford International Airport with a total of 12 airlines providing non-stop flights to 14 destinations such as New York, Atlanta and Dallas.
The area is located 30 minutes from Lake Michigan, with one of the world's most beautiful shorelines and is within a 20-minute ride of dozens of championship golf courses, parks and a multitude of recreational activities.
The most comprehensive sculpture collection in the Midwest is only a few minutes away at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.