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host environmentally responsible events and reduce any event’ s carbon footprint. It has been quite a pioneer for sustainability, launching its‘ Green Team’ back in 2016.
“ The venue has also recently received its Global Biorisk Advisory Council( GBAC) Star Accreditation for the sixth consecutive year, and its gold certification to the Events Industry Council( EIC) Sustainable Event Standards for the third consecutive year,” Gasso adds.
Asked to select the key conference venues as well as some lesser known, unique venues with an extra‘ wow’ factor for events, Gasso points to $ 78.8m in capital investments over the past four years at the Pennsylvania Convention Center which now offers more than a million square feet of sellable space and one of the largest ballrooms on the East Coast.
“ Most recently, the Center launched a state-of-the-art training facility to enhance safety, technical skills, and hospitality training for its staff and labour partners, thought to be the first of its kind in the nation,” she notes. Connected to the Center by skywalk is the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, the city’ s largest hotel. It has undergone significant technology and design upgrades in recent years, including updates to its more than 1,400 guest rooms and 100,000 square feet( 9,290sqm) of meeting space.
The Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, the city’ s second-largest hotel with 760 guestrooms, is located just two blocks from the convention centre and offers guestrooms with panoramic views of Center City, with more than 60,000 square feet of event space and 24 meeting rooms.
After a $ 23m renovation, the Loews Philadelphia Hotel now offers 47,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including three ballrooms. Housed in a historic building, America’ s first skyscraper, this hotel has 580 rooms and is located right across from the Center.
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Wow factor venues For event organisers looking for less traditional venues in Philadelphia, Gasso has these recommendations:
“ By day, Reading Terminal Market is one of America’ s largest and oldest public markets with more than 75 family-owned businesses that offer the best of Philadelphia specialties and international cuisine. By night, the market can be converted into an event space. It is within walking distance to many downtown hotels.
“ Inspired by the innovative spirit of Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of the top science museums on the East Coast. It makes for a unique event backdrop with rentable spaces including neoclassical halls, a planetarium, and a rooftop deck.” Planners can incorporate hands-on science activities for their attendees, led by the museum’ s science experts.
Gasso also picks out the National Constitution Center in the heart of Philadelphia’ s historic district, with
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Top left: Pennsylvania Convention Center and Philadelphia City Hall
Middle left: 2024 Alzheimer ' s Association International Conference at the PA Convention Center
Bottom left: Philadelphia Skyline from the Loews Hotel
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its Independence Hall, state-of-theart meeting rooms, as well as a grand hall and rooftop terrace. Guests can engage with history as they interact with exhibits such as Signers’ Hall, a life-size replica of the Constitutional Convention.
Gasso also highlights the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, Lincoln Financial Field, which offers stunning views of the city skyline and can provide quite a backdrop for any offsite event. The stadium can transform event spaces into trade show floors and more. The facility also features 11,000 solar panels that generate clean energy.
Rocky Steps And we shouldn’ t forget the Philadelphia Museum of Art which offers majestic event space for those seeking a grand setting. With the world-renowned‘ Rocky Steps’ outside and reimagined space inside, this historic venue can accommodate a wide range of events, from elegant galas to corporate functions.
One recent major event, the 2024 Alzheimer’ s Association International Conference, hosted its biggest ever event at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Almost 9,000 attendees were on site( with 5,700 attending virtually) representing 120 countries.
Alzheimer’ s Association chief science officer. Dr Maria Carrillo said:“ There’ s nothing like a face-toface opportunity where people are presenting work, and then get ideas about how they can work with those presenting around them.”
And the latest full year figurs, for 2023, showed that the PHLCVB hosted 264 events with 550,000 attendees, generating $ 261m in spending and filling 563,400 hotel rooms. This spending supported 80,000 jobs, and no doubt spurred cultural exchanges and a lively evolution of unique art and entertainment experiences in this vibrant city. n
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