A gracious enclave of prosperity, 25 miles north of downtown Detroit, the city of Troy combines affluence with affordability. A robust automotive and finance presence, several educational institutions and a 180-store luxury mall, The Somerset Collection, keep Troy event venues busy.
I-75, the country's main north-south interstate, divides Troy in two, northeast and southwest, and provides easy accessibility by car. For fliers, the Detroit area's central location and well-serviced airport make Troy convenient too. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport offers flights to 160 destinations and in 2010 earned distinction from J.D. Power & Associates for having the highest customer satisfaction among large U.S. airports.
Planners looking for conference space should look first to the many educational venues in Troy. One top option for meeting space in Troy is the Management Education Center, property of Michigan State University's Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. (Michigan State does not have a campus in Troy—the MEC stands alone.) MEC offers 25,000 square feet of space in nine conference rooms, two amphitheaters and an auditorium that seats 400. There's also Walsh College, which has 55,000 square feet of contemporary meeting space, reception space, multimedia rooms, and computer labs available during the day (classes are held at night). Walsh's Jeffery W. Barry Center is LEED Gold certified.
In nearby Warren, Macomb Community College presents several options: 60,000 square feet of open exhibit space and seating for 2,800 in its Sports & Expo Center; the retreat-like John Lewis Conference Center, which has 15,000 square feet of meeting space; the mixed-use, multi-function Center for Executive & Professional Development; and two stages in the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, with the main auditorium seating 1,270.
Hotel venues in Troy account for more than 2,600 rooms within the city limits, many of them at major conference hotels such as the Detroit Marriott Troy (16,000 square feet of meeting space, 345 rooms), Somerset Inn (7,200 square feet, 250 rooms) or Embassy Suites Detroit-Troy/Auburn Hills (5,000 square feet, 251 rooms). But planners need not restrict themselves to Troy venues or hotels. Surrounding cities Pontiac, Warren, Bloomfield Hills and Sterling Heights also have numerous lodging options and around 3,500 additional rooms.
Off the clock, Trojans like to head to the Troy Sports Complex, Michigan's top ice skating rink and the official practice facility for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. For those who prefer their ice in necklaces, bracelets and six-prong settings, there's The Somerset Collection, a shopping complex with stores like Tiffany & Co., Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as many upscale national restaurant chains.
