The Grand River Center, managed by Colorado-based Oak View Group and located in Dubuque, Iowa, along the Mississippi River, won the 2024 Stella Award for Best Convention Center in the Midwest. This year’s Stella Awards—put on by Northstar Meetings Group of Rutherford, New Jersey—were announced in early October and celebrate hotels, convention and conference centers, airlines, cruise lines, destination marketing organizations, convention and visitors bureaus, and destination management companies selected from thousands of votes and nominations.
“I am truly humbled to accept this distinguished Stella Award on behalf of our remarkable team,” says Grand River Center General Manager Ryan Bonifas in a prepared statement. “To be acknowledged among so many outstanding convention centers speaks volumes about the dedication and effort our team invests in creating memorable experiences for our guests every day.”
The Grand River Center is just over a 20-minute drive from Galena, Illinois, and features 86,000 square feet of function space across three levels. Level one has an exhibit hall, level two has six meeting room blocks and access to the center’s skyway, and level three has the glass-enclosed River Room for up to 150 people with a balcony that overlooks the Mississippi River. Its Grand Ballroom spans 12,000 square feet and can accommodate up to 1,000 attendees.
