When it comes to group functions, most planners don't necessarily put New Jersey, let alone, Edison event venues, at the top of their lists. A mistake! The Garden State is a treasure trove of historic sites and beautiful countryside; and the Edison is a town with well-kept residential neighborhoods, nearby colleges and a small-town ambiance. Named for Thomas Alva Edison, highlights here include Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park, historic mansions and golf courses.
Edison is conveniently located in central New Jersey and is only about 35 minutes away from New York City and the MetLife Sports Complex. Edison is 20 minutes away from Newark International Airport and is centrally located in New Jersey at the crossroads of major highways including I-287, the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and the Outer Bridge crossing.
Chief among Edison event venues is the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center that features more than 150,000 square feet of exhibit space. Other venues in Edison include the new 15,000-square-foot Edison Conference Center that can accommodate as few as 30 and as many as 5,000.
In the 1870s, Thomas Edison established his research laboratory in the Menlo Park section of the township, where his inventions included the phonograph, the electric railway and the incandescent lamp. The laboratory is reopening this year as the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park. Also on the grounds of Thomas Edison National Historical Park is the Glenmont Estate that is home to Edison's 29-room Queen Anne-style mansion.
Hotel venues in Edison include the 276-room Sheraton Edison Hotel Raritan Center, with 65,000 square feet of meeting space; the 184-room Edison Hotel, with 14,000 square feet of meeting space; the 169-room Crowne Plaza Hotel Edison with more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space; and the 132-room Hilton Garden Inn Edison/Raritan Center with 5,000 square feet of meeting space.
When it comes to cuisine, having more than 75 ethnic communities represented in Edison, which has resulted in restaurants featuring every type of cuisine imaginable. Group-friendly dining venues in Edison include Ming, Pasquale's for Italian and Akbar for Indian food.
