Welcome to Cvent's Meeting and Event Planning Guide to Omaha, a city guide for meeting professionals. Always dynamic and energetic, Omaha is frequently praised for its strong economy, rich and varied culture, exciting attractions, green space and walk-friendly downtown. In recent years, Omaha has put more than $2 billion in new development throughout its riverfront and downtown area to shape this Midwestern city into even more of a hotspot. One such development is the new $22-million, 3,000-foot Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, a suspended walkway that curves its way across the Missouri River. With all the recent growth, Omaha event venues are flourishing.
Located in the center of the United States, Omaha is easily accessible and offers direct flights from 16 major U.S. markets, including Chicago, Dallas, Washington, DC and Atlanta. Omaha's Eppley Airport is located four miles from the downtown district, and serves more than four million passengers a year, with more than 200 daily arrivals and departures aboard six major carriers. Omaha hotels offer complimentary direct shuttle service to and from the airport.
Just a five-minute drive from the airport, Omaha's 250,000-square-foot convention center, CenturyLink Center Omaha is within a short walk of Omaha's historic Old Market Entertainment District. CenturyLink Center Omaha offers 194,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition space, as well as 16 meeting rooms, 63,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, a 30,996-square-foot Grand Ballroom and 42,500 square feet of pre-function space. Conveniently connected via enclosed skywalk to the 600-room Hilton Omaha and an 18,000-seat arena, the non-union facility accommodates sporting events, including the 2013 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, as well as the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials.
Aside from its sprawling CenturyLink Center Omaha complex, Omaha offers a number of unique venues perfectly designed for private events. Home to the world's largest indoor desert and nocturnal exhibit under the world's largest geodesic dome, as well as the country's largest indoor rainforest, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium features a wide range of indoor and outdoor event spaces. Groups can mingle inside a 70-foot shark tunnel within the aquarium, overlook the indoor rainforest, or take in a private show at the 358-seat IMAX Theatre, among many other possibilities. Both a history museum and a beautifully preserved Art Deco train station, The Durham Museum offers elegant rental spaces under 65-foot ceilings, including the 800-person Suzanne and Walter Scott Great Hall and 256-seat Stanley and Dorothy Truhlsen Lecture Hall. A second Omaha Art Deco gem, Joslyn Art Museum is known for its striking pink marble exterior and large art collection spanning 530 B.C. to the 20th century. The museum is a spectacular setting for private events, thanks to such rentable spaces as the 500-person ConAgra Foods Atrium, complete with a 45-foot glass ceiling, pink marble and two Chihuly sculptures; the intricately tiled 350-person Storz Fountain Court; the 1,000-seat Witherspoon Concert Hall and the 400-person Peter Kiewit Foundation Sculpture Garden, among other spaces.
For an event with a bit of heat, groups turn to Hot Shops Art Center, a thriving ultra-hip art scene with studios, showrooms, gallery spaces and metalwork. Situated just north of CenturyLink Center Omaha, Hot Shops Art Center features a number of hands-on group activities with the artists as well as relaxed private event space set in a unique warehouse atmosphere. Set on the hills overlooking the Missouri River Valley, Lauritzen Gardens is a 100-acre urban oasis home to a number of theme gardens and a four-acre arboretum and bird sanctuary. Lauritzen Gardens' 32,000-square-foot visitor and education center houses a number of private event spaces accommodating 12 to 300 guests.
It's no surprise that so many successful meetings and conventions are held in this city rich in commerce and industry – and one that's also home to billionaire investor Warren Buffett. A leader in the telecommunications and information services industries, Omaha is home to the reservation centers for Hyatt, Marriott, Radisson and Omni, as well as home to such Fortune 500 companies as Berkshire Hathaway, ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Railroad, Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc. and Mutual of Omaha. In addition to its economical strength, Omaha is rich in higher education, and is home to Creighton University, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Bellevue University, College of St. Mary, Clarkson College, Grace University, Metro Community College and Nebraska Methodist.
