Welcome to our Atlantic City meeting planning guide – a city guide for Atlantic City meeting planning. Atlantic City is a small city with a big soul, attracting groups from the major metropolitan areas of Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore and Washington, DC to numerous Atlantic City event venues. A famed, historic seaside resort destination that reinvented itself by resurrecting the gaming industry on the East Coast, Atlantic City offers meeting planners the convenience of 12 world-famous resort casinos and places numerous hotels at their fingertips. From Sunday through Thursday, the city is a value destination. Most of the city's major attractions, dining, hotels and convention areas can be found along the historic Boardwalk, allowing guests to enjoy the sites and sounds of Atlantic City while taking in spectacular ocean views.
Less than a five-hour drive of roughly one-third of the U.S. population, Atlantic City is easily accessible by car or coach bus via the Atlantic City Expressway; air travel is available through Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) or Atlantic City International Airport. Direct train service from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and New York’s Penn Station is also available.
The largest of Atlantic City convention venues is the Atlantic City Convention Center; opened in 1997, it is still one of the largest convention centers on the east coast with nearly 500,000 contiguous square feet of space. Located right on the waterfront, the convention center has won numerous awards, including the prestigious "Award of Excellence in Architectural Design" from the Pennsylvania Society of Architects for its incorporation of Atlantic City's seaside location and regional decor into the design. The center features 45 third- and fourth-level meeting and conference rooms surrounding a sunny 90-foot-high sky-lit atrium lobby. The Atrium features a concierge desk and sculptures by Jonathan Borofsky and Thomas Van Dyke representing the region's diverse sea life. Five spacious exhibit halls on the second level range from 29,400 to 199,500 square feet, and a versatile 32,000-square-foot pre-function space can be utilized for registration, dining or retail needs. Group facilities include a 70,000-square-foot event center featuring unobstructed views with a general session area for up to 5,500 attendees including a 30,000-square-foot-columnless ballroom and a 15,000-square-foot amphitheater; a 30,000-square-foot meeting center with 20 meeting and boardrooms featuring a conference registration facility and a complete integrated business center; 60,000 square feet of indoor hospitality space including high-rise suites, VIP salons, pre-function areas, private reception areas, and dining venues; and 90,000 square feet of outdoor hospitality space including a private beach, outdoor lobby garden and cabana area.
The latest meeting venue in Atlantic City is the $2.4-billion Revel resort, which features 1,898 rooms, each with a view of the Atlantic Ocean, over 100 suites, 55,000 square feet of retail shops, 14 restaurants, three nightclubs, one dayclub, a 31,000-square-foot spa, two theaters (one with 5,500 seats and another with 700 seats); 10 pools, a 150,000-square-foot casino, and 160,000 square feet of meeting, convention, and event space.
Groups will find that hotel venues in Atlantic City in general are among the modern and opulent on the east coast. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, a Las Vegas-inspired destination resort, has 2,022 guest rooms, 70,000 square feet of meeting space, 12 gourmet restaurants, and a 53,000 square foot spa, plans were being made for an expansion. Nearby, its sister property The Water Club is a $400-million tower with 800 guest rooms and suites, a two-story, 36,000-square-foot spa in the sky; and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.
Most of the city's major attractions, dining, hotels and convention areas can be found along the historic Boardwalk, allowing guests to enjoy the sights and sounds of Atlantic City while taking in spectacular ocean views. Visitors may particularly enjoy dining at the Continental Restaurant, which overlooks the Atlantic and can seat up to 30 guests in its Fire Pit room or 38 guests in its private Vegas-style room. Other popular attractions along the boardwalk include Atlantic City Historical Museum, the Atlantic City Art Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not!, the New Jersey Korean War Memorial, the Central Pier Arcade & Speedway and Steel Pier. Though many of these locations are within walking distance of each other, the famous Atlantic City Jitneys are available for easy transportation 24/7 along the strip.
Accommodation and food service is the area's largest industry, generating approximately $4.5 billion per year in revenue and employing roughly 48,000 people. With hospitality as one of the city's main economic staples, visitors can rest assured that any trip to Atlantic City will be an unforgettable experience.
