Welcome to our Meeting and Event Planning Guide for Stamford, a City Guide for meeting professionals. Conveniently located 25 miles east of New York City, the Greater Stamford area is an authentic coastal New England destination that offers rich history, a maritime heritage and lively urban and suburban elements. The Fairfield County city serves as an accessible meeting destination with a variety of unique venues within reach of New York City, as well as an enjoyable vacation spot, thanks to its host of attractions, shops and fine restaurants.
Stamford sits within a two-hour drive of six airports, which include all airports of the Greater New York City area: Westchester County Airport, Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Bradley International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. Once in Stamford, visitors can access the CTTransit bus system, which operates 15 local routes in the Greater Stamford area, as well as ride the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, which connects Fairfield County with New York City's Grand Central Terminal.
The largest venue in Stamford is Chelsea Piers CT, an upscale sports complex that offers 80,000 square feet of trade show and exhibition space. Other meeting and event venues in Greater Stamford include the beautiful Dolce Norwalk and modern Hilton Stamford Hotel & Executive Conference Center. Located within eight miles of Stamford, Dolce Norwalk is an all-inclusive meeting destination set on a 66-acre retreat setting. Dolce Norwalk offers 21,200 square feet of International Association of Conference Centers-certified space, which includes 31 meeting rooms and an amphitheater, as well as 120 guest rooms, on-site dining and a host of amenities. Situated within minutes of downtown Stamford, the 484-room Hilton Stamford Hotel & Executive Conference Center offers 45,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 10,000-square-foot conference center. Guests can gather in such spaces as a 10,240-square-foot Grand Ballroom and 7,200-square-foot climate-controlled tent and pavilion.
Many of the attractions and popular sites in the Stamford area double as unique venues that serve as fantastic meeting and event spaces. Located in New Canaan, the striking 1949-built Phillip Johnson Glass House celebrates modern architecture, landscape and art throughout its art collection and architecture features like glass exterior walls and an absence of interior walls. This National Trust Historic Site welcomes visitors and groups to join a number of tours, as well as offers private event space throughout its grounds. A second architectural attraction in the Stamford area, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, is recognized as one of the earliest and most significant Second Empire Style country houses in the country. Built between 1864 and 1868, the house with beautiful Gilded Age interiors and furnishings has been featured on the America's Castles television series and the movie The Stepford Wives. Groups can hold events in the home's newly renovated first floor, which features a rotunda with 42-foot-tall ceilings and four furnished period rooms.
Additional unique venues include the historic Palace Theater in Waterbury, which welcomes full-venue rentals for its 2,565-seat theater, as well as smaller group rentals. The Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport serves as a popular sports and entertainment venue, as well as a fantastic option for corporate and special events held on its 23,000-square-foot arena floor, 16,000-square-foot arena concourse and variety of breakout rooms. For a group event with a taste of the exotic, Beardsley Zoo welcomes groups to gather in a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces scattered throughout its 52-acre property.
Beyond its wealth of meeting destinations and unique venues, Stamford is home to a number of corporate headquarters and branch campuses for the University of Connecticut, University of Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University.
