Located about an hour and a half southwest of Springfield, just over the border into Missouri, sits the eclectic metropolis of St. Louis. Commonly referred to as the “Gateway to the West,” St. Louis is home to a plethora of venues, restaurants, and tourism hot spots for your attendees to enjoy year-round. From its beautiful parks to its iconic skyline, St. Louis offers the perfect backdrop to charm and inspire meeting-goers at your event.
Vibe: Kitty Ratcliffe, president of Explore St. Louis, says the city is best known as a place of kindness. “Everyone is welcoming, everyone is helpful or wants to be helpful,” she explains. “And they’re just genuinely glad they are here in our city, and that makes people feel really good.” A city of innovation, St. Louis draws heavily on its culture around technology and creativity, Ratcliffe notes.
Transportation: There are several airports around St. Louis, but the largest is St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The city itself is bisected by Interstates 44, 64, 70, and others, offering easy access around St. Louis and between Missouri and Illinois. The St. Louis Metro Transit system serves the public via bus and light rail.
Hotels: St. Louis is home to 8,000 hotel rooms downtown and about 38,000 in the metro area, Ratcliffe says. “We have a number of large hotels that have 600 or more hotel guest rooms, and then a comparable amount of meeting space for that,” she says. “The Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch, the Marriott St. Louis Grand, the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, and the St. Louis Union Station Hotel are some of the largest. Those are downtown, but we also have a number of large hotels outside of downtown in other neighborhoods like The Ritz-Carlton in Clayton and others.”
Meeting Venues: The largest event venue in St. Louis is the America’s Center Convention Complex, which is located downtown. Both a convention center and a stadium, the complex is home to 502,000 square feet of exhibit and gathering space, 80 meeting rooms, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom, the 67,000-seat Dome at America’s Center, and the 1,400-seat Ferrara Theatre. Ratcliffe says St. Louis can host large events of up to 80,000 attendees.
Restaurants: Ratcliffe adds that St. Louis is home to several culinary standouts suitable for group dining. Acero—which offers traditional Italian fare made from locally sourced ingredients, dubbed “Midwestern Italian”—has a private dining room that accommodates 40 to 50 people. The famous Ruth’s Chris Steak House, she says, is also an option, offering two private dining rooms, customizable menus, and state-of-the-art audiovisual capabilities.
Must-Sees and -Dos: Beyond the boardroom, St. Louis is bursting with many attractions and hidden gems perfect for eventgoers to explore. “For people who are attending meetings and events and have a little free time, we have an extraordinary array of activities that are very reachable geographically, very affordable, and world-class,” Ratcliffe says. Most notably, the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch in Gateway Arch National Park offers unbeatable views of the sprawling city. Union Station, a decommissioned train station built in the 1890s, is now a hotel and entertainment complex. City Museum, located downtown, is an indoor amusement park perfect for attendees and their families.
