Baltimore's Inner Harbor gives character to the city. (Photo by Visit Baltimore)
Peggy Daidakis was born in Baltimore, raised in Baltimore and has worked in her hometown’s Baltimore Convention Center since 1978. She serves as the venue’s executive director and is ready to show off her facility as her colleagues from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) arrive in town for the 90th annual VenueConnect Aug. 1-4.
“I’ve been very fortunate to visit so many wonderful cities where my colleagues have hosted this event and finally I get a chance to show off what Baltimore has to offer,” Daidakis said. “I don’t think anyone who comes to the event will be disappointed.”
Baltimore is a city that embraces a diversity of cultures and offers plenty with its entertainment, restaurants, museums, plays, musicals, sports and more. The saying “something for everyone” carries extra weight when it comes to planning Baltimore as a destination visit.
“I have been involved in IAVM for a very long time – too many years to count,” Daidakis said with a laugh. “It has always been an important organization for me personally and professionally. I’ve made lots of friends and colleagues and it’s such a sharing organization of information. We have a good time and we take our jobs seriously and work hard at doing what we do best, which is putting our venues in the best possible light and being safe regardless of the venue type. I know that all of our venues are excited about having their peers in town.”
Visit Baltimore serves as the lead sales team for the city for conventions and trade shows and tourism in general.
Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, said that the city’s strengths as a tourist and visitor destination include cost, location and convenience.
“Baltimore is an easily accessible city that offers value to visitors while still providing world-class services and facilities,” he said. “The convention center is located just blocks from the world-renowned Inner Harbor and our tight radius of hotels, restaurants, shopping and attractions. Nowhere else will you find a convention package that includes an active waterfront city, breadth of history and heritage, family attractions, professional sports stadiums, and multiple hotels all within walking distance of the convention center and Inner Harbor.”
Noonan said that in 2013 the city welcomed 23.9 million visitors, an influx that caused the tourism community to expand its workforce, growing to 80,400 jobs worth $2.5 billion in personal income.
Baltimore takes pride in its sports teams, and few venues are as loud for the home team as M&T Bank Stadium, home to the NFL Baltimore Ravens. Since capturing their first Super Bowl title in 2000, the Ravens have compiled an impressive home record of 91-29.
The venue was completed in 1998 at a cost of $220 million and boasts 128 suites and 8,196 club seats. Designed by HOK Sports (Populous), the 71,008-seat stadium was completed in less than two years and funded through a combination of proceeds generated from debt service paid by lottery proceeds, the sale of tax-exempt bonds, and the Ravens.
“Fans are proud of their Baltimore heritage and they get to enjoy the latest technology, including stunning high definition RavensVision video screen, a new high-density wifi network and state-of-the-art concourse designs,” said Brad Downs, Ravens vice president of marketing. The Ravens invested in a $5-million project to install wifi access for fans.
The stadium is located at the south point of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home to Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles, another HOK-designed venue completed in 1992 and most notable for its “retro” look in incorporating a city landmark in the B&O Warehouse beyond right field.
Royal Farms Arena, managed by SMG, was built as a multipurpose facility and originally named Baltimore Civic Center. The venue is on the site of the Old Congress Hall in which the Continental Congress met in December 1776 to form this nation. The cornerstone of the building even contains a time capsule from President John F. Kennedy that has a 2061 scheduled open date.
“Our doors opened in 1961, and many of our employees have worked at the arena for 30-plus years,” said Frank Remesch, general manager.
Baltimore’s nickname is “Charm City,” and Remesch said it fits because the city has the combination of amenities and opportunities of a larger metropolis with the charm of a small town.
Toby Blumenthal, manager of facility sales for the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, echoes Remesch’s thoughts about Baltimore.
“We are a great tourist destination,” he said. “Visitors can take in world-class museums like the Walters Art Gallery, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the American Visionary Arts Museum to state-of-the-art sports venues where the Orioles and Ravens play.”
Don’t expect to go hungry while in Baltimore, either.
“There is an incredible burgeoning food scene in Baltimore that would satisfy any foodie’s palate, and if you don’t try a crab cake shame on you,” Remesch said. “The Inner Harbor remains a beautiful part of the city attracting visitors from all over the world and includes a world-class aquarium, museums and entertainment mecca Power Plant Live, all within walking distance of the arena.”
Indeed, one of the major attributes for people visiting Baltimore’s array of sights and venues is that many are so closely connected that walking is the preferred mode of transportation.
As the industry’s premier association of venue professionals prepares to visit Baltimore, Daidakis spoke emphatically about one point she wanted to stress as a message to her peers.
“It was heart-warming when Baltimore was going through a very difficult time a few weeks ago that my colleagues from IAVM from all over the country reached out to ask how we were doing and what they could do to help and expressed their concern,” she said in reference to unrest on the streets. “It is just so nice to know that your friends and colleagues think about you in good times and bad.”
Interviewed for this story: Toby Blumenthal, (410) 783-8126; Peggy Daidakis, (410) 649-7111; Brad Downs, (410) 701-4115; Tom Noonan, (410) 659-7300; Frank Remesch, (410) 347-2090