 Branson, MOOne of the nations leading family destinationsBranson, which hosts 7.5 million visitors per year and is practically synonymous with live country music and other family entertainment venues is expanding into the meeting/convention business by partnering with Hilton Hotels Its a melding of two brands, said Mark Hartman, general manager, Hiltons of Branson. Branson is a successful destination but not known to the convention business and Hilton is a name that brings credibility to that business.
The ventures first facility will be The Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, a 243- room boutique hotel scheduled to open this fall. Branson Landing is a 95 acre mixed-use shopping, living and entertainment destination on the citys waterfront. Due next year, is The Branson Convention Center (BCC), which will be owned by the City of Branson, but managed by Hilton, who is also constructing the 290 room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, to open in conjunction with the BCC (in 2007).
The BCC will be a 220,000 sq. ft, flexible, state-of-the-art facility with a lake-front view. The first level will consist of a 50,000-sq-ft exhibition hall, that can be divided into two sections and a 23,000 sq-ft ballroom. The second level features five meeting rooms, ranging in size from 1,200 to 5,500 square feet. The entire venue will have the capacity to accommodate groups of up to 4,500 and for the first time in Hilton history, the famed hotelier will manage a stand alone convention center. We operate larger facilities, but always as part of one of our hotels, said Hartman. This is the first separate facility that we will be running for another group. What intrigues me are the conveniences and efficiencies we will be able to offer planners. Planners often have to treat the convention center and the convention hotel as separate entities. We will be saving the event coordinators a lot of time, effort and frustration because the lodging and the event space will be handled entirely through Hilton. |
