With a brand -ew convention center, Omni headquarter hotel, and 70-acre downtown park on the horizon, in addition to nationally recognized restaurants and museums, Oklahoma City is delighting meeting planners from around the world with its new offerings and plenty of top attractions and experiences others are known to love. From culture and history to ease and affordability, here are 10 reasons meeting attendees love Oklahoma City.
- World-class meeting spaces. Oklahoma City’s new $288 million convention center is underway and set to open in 2020. The 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall will be accompanied by 45,000 square feet of meeting space and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom. The convention center is also in a spectacular location, within walking distance of Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Bricktown Entertainment District, a new 70-acre downtown park, restaurants, and nightlife. The city is home to additional meeting spaces, including the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma City Boathouse District, 21C Museum Hotel, and more.
- Numerous stunning hotels. Oklahoma City has a wide variety of unique, high-end, and boutique hotels, all within the city’s downtown area, so finding quality accommodations is easy. In addition to the 184 hotels citywide, Omni's headquarter hotel will be opening next to the new convention center, adding 605 more rooms in early 2021.
- Culinary adventures. Oklahoma City has been getting a lot of national attention lately for its culinary scene, and it’s well-deserved. Attendees can choose from experiential tasting menus, world-famous steaks, vegetarian or vegan fare, and cultural fusion restaurants throughout the city that fit nicely in a per diem budget.
- Entertainment every night. Attendees who love live music, performances, and events will have a hard time choosing from Oklahoma City’s numerous venues. National-level concerts, intimate live music, and theater keep the nightlife exciting for meeting attendees.
- Unique adventures. Go urban whitewater rafting on the Oklahoma River, check out one of the largest collections of Dale Chihuly glass at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, go climbing inside a 90-foot-tall grain silo in downtown Oklahoma City, and experience more than 80 miles of walking, running, and biking trails. Over 300 days of sunshine means that meeting attendees can enjoy the outdoors and an active lifestyle in Oklahoma City.
- Ease of travel. Oklahoma City’s all-new modern streetcar system services 6 miles, hitting many hot spots in the city. With multiple walkable districts, bike rental options, and scooters on almost every corner, getting around is a breeze.
- Art everywhere. Attendees can take in world-class art at Factory Obscura’s Mix-Tape, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 21c Museum Hotel, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, and galleries in the Paseo Arts District and Plaza Districts, but they can also find it on the streets and in outdoor spaces. From the Plaza District's rotating wall murals to the End of Trail Land Run Monument, which features 45 larger-than-life bronze sculptures depicting the fight for land in Oklahoma’s Land Run, attendees find Oklahoma City to be quite cultural indoors and out.
- Western heritage. Meeting attendees with a passion for culture love the Western history and Native American heritage that Oklahoma City offers. In historic Stockyards City, attendees can find an authentic pair of cowboy boots, enjoy a top-notch steak at Oklahoma’s first restaurant, and experience firsthand how the nation's largest continual-working stockyards and cattle auction operate. Explore Native American fine arts and culture through traditional artistry at the Red Earth Art Center, where diversity of heritage is always celebrated.
- Shopping. Meeting attendees can skip out on the plastic souvenirs and shop at Oklahoma City’s local and Oklahoma-centric shops and boutiques that are filled with unique, one-of-a-kind mementoes, artwork, and clothing in the city’s vibrant shopping areas Or stop by the Oklahoma City Outlets to find more than 90 national brands in one place. Attendees love the ability to connect via the Oklahoma City Streetcar for shopping throughout our unique districts.
- Easy airport access. Will Rogers World Airport just launched an $89 million project that will add four new airline gates, a consolidated security checkpoint, a greeting lounge, and more. The airport is also expanding by offering more direct flights to and from the city, providing attendees with ease of travel by cutting out inconvenience. Did we also mention that OKC is located in the center of the U.S., making it the perfect place for attendees to meet when coming from anywhere?
