Sandra Slager grew up in Holland. It’s where her dad, Henry Walters, founded Walters Seed Co., which she now owns. Last August, Slager helped plan the Home Garden Seed Association’s 2025 Summer Meeting. She is a member of the association’s board, and this was the first time she had planned a conference in her hometown.
Some 60 association members from the U.S. and Europe with ties to the home garden seed trade convened in the western Michigan lakefront community. Haworth Hotel was their base for lodging and some meals. Beyond that, the group went on the road to visit greenhouses and view seed trials around the region. “Not a single person had ever been to Michigan unless they stopped in Detroit on their way somewhere, so [no one] had ever been to Holland,” Slager says. “They loved it—they thought it was a hidden gem.”
Milly Hudgins, who oversees sales for the Holland Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, likely wouldn’t be surprised at the attendees’ assessment. Noting the city is best suited for gatherings of 150 or less, she describes Holland as “the perfect place” to hold a meeting or conference because it has something for everyone.
“I’m not just talking about the meeting space,” Hudgins says. “I also feel if spouses or family want to come and extend a meeting before or after, there are attractions here that are unique to Michigan and to the U.S. And we do lean into the Dutch heritage. Holland was formed in 1847 by a group of Dutch reformists. … We have found that people from all over the world—especially from the Netherlands—come here for that Dutch twist.”
They also come for the city’s award-winning downtown, with its eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, and bars. There are heated sidewalks, which makes strolling in the winter as easy as it is the rest of the year. “We truly are a year-round town,” Hudgins says. “[The reason for] that is partly because there’s a lot of industry tucked away here—a lot of world headquarters. The other piece is Hope College. When the tourists slow down in the summer, 3,500 students with their parents converge on the town.”
Sharing the Sandbox
Holland sits on Lake Macatawa, which stretches about 6 miles from the city center to Lake Michigan and Holland State Park. It’s about a three-hour drive via freeway from either Chicago or Detroit, and 40 minutes from Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. Amtrak also provides daily train service from Chicago. All that makes it an easy host city to access for planners and meeting-goers.
For planners, downtown Holland provides a winning combination—they can pair functions at lodging properties that have meeting space of their own like the Haworth Hotel; Tulyp, Tapestry Collection by Hilton; and Courtyard by Marriott Holland Downtown, with gatherings at the city-owned Holland Civic Center within walking distance. “What I love about those three hotels is they all play nicely among each other,” Hudgins says. “They’re about a block away from each other.”
Katie Klingenberg, Haworth Hotel’s director of sales, says the property has approximately 10,000 square feet of meeting space—about half of which makes up the ballroom that hosts up to 250 attendees depending on the setup. “We do have 48 guest rooms, and sometimes that can be a bit of a challenge depending on the group size we have,” she explains. “But we are very fortunate that we have other properties downtown, and we can all lean on each other when we need that additional lodging space. Or, if a group wants a change of scenery for their dinner at night, sometimes we’ll recommend other venues.”
Courtyard by Marriott Holland Downtown has one small meeting room accommodating 15, along with 140 guest rooms. Tulyp offers 56 sleeping rooms, an event space accommodating 150, a rooftop terrace, and additional conference rooms. The sleeping rooms are slated for renovation this year, along with an expansion that will add another 31 guest rooms—all expected to be complete next year. In addition, Hudgins says, “Holland has 25 hotels in the vicinity, and while not all of them have meeting space, we run the gamut from high-end to budget-priced hotels.”
Many groups turn to the Holland Civic Center when they require large or multiple spaces for meetings. The center’s Events Manager Mark Sumney says the facility features concert seating for around 1,100 between its upper and lower arenas. For banquets, groups of 400 attendees can easily be accommodated, with smaller rooms holding around 200 theater-style.
There’s a covered outdoor area adjacent to the parking lot that’s available for rent when it’s not being used as a farmers market. “We also have our marketside room that has garage doors that open up, so, when the weather is good, it’s not unusual for a group to have a meeting inside but open up outdoors for activities,” Sumney explains, noting the civic center partners with Zeeland-based Creative Dining Services to provide in-house catering.
“We have the largest meeting space in Holland with the most ample parking,” Sumney says. He adds that the center’s leadership is focused on growing multiday events business for out-of-town groups. “We feel it’s a strong potential market because it’s great that the city works in cooperation with the hotels to coordinate our meeting spaces,” Sumney says.
Shaking Things Up
The convention and visitors bureau (CVB) encourages the idea of “moving classrooms,” a meeting format where groups change locations for different parts of a conference when it seems feasible. And multiple venues, including restaurants, provide spaces for off-site breakouts, dinners, and other gatherings.
Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant is directly on Lake Macatawa and boasts a variety of private spaces, the largest being a ballroom with capacity for 280. It also has a waterfront courtyard holding up to 200 for receptions and other events. Boatwerks is owned by western Michigan’s RedWater Restaurant Group, which also operates Macatawa Golf Club, with its RedRock Grille and several dining rooms and large spaces for private events. On the north side of Holland, Beechwood Grill has a banquet facility that hosts 96, with two rooms seating up to 48 each.
Opened in 2020, Port 393 offers lake views and many options for private groups. It doesn’t provide catering, but it maintains a list of preferred vendors to choose from. Marketing Manager Olivia MacDonald describes Port 393 as an industrial-esque building that houses the Harbor Room serving about 200 and a rooftop lounge with retractable doors to enable indoor/outdoor flow with a similar capacity. “Our terrace is beautiful,” MacDonald says. “We have awesome views.” About 2 miles away, Russ’ Restaurant’s Eastown location can host groups at certain times of the day and evening. “They’re a perennial favorite in Holland,” Hudgins says.
Off the Clock
When it comes to outings and things to do during downtime, there is no lack of options in Holland. “I had a group from [the University of] Notre Dame that was looking for things to do on a down day, and they did all different kinds of activities downtown,” Hudgins says. Some of those included candle making at Garsnett Beacon Candle Co., wine and cheese tasting at Culture Cheese Shop, wine tasting at Cherry Republic, and taking a walking tour with an interpreter in traditional Dutch attire. “Some went on the Holland Princess for a lunch cruise,” Hudgins says. “And Windmill Island is a mile from the CVB office—[the city is] so walkable.”
Set on 36 acres, Windmill Island Gardens might be Holland’s most well-known attraction. Planners can book group tours of the property, which features an authentic Dutch windmill, gardens—including more than 100,000 tulips that bloom each spring—dikes, canals, picnic areas, an antique Dutch carousel, and more.
Nelis’ Dutch Village, with its theme park, shops, and the Hungry Dutchman cafe, operates seasonally. It offers tours and accepts reservations for corporate and other business outings, including keeping rides and attractions open outside of regular hours for private groups.
A terrific, but busy, time to visit is during Tulip Time. Running 10 days in May with tulips growing throughout the city, the lively festival offers memorable attractions, activities, and entertainment.
A new and exciting Holland addition is the city’s Holland Ice Park. Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Garrett Thelen says it includes a pavilion that lets groups of up to 150 rent the main indoor facility in the spring, summer, or fall. “The doors come down on the sides, and there’s the ability to block that off and be sheltered from the elements,” Thelen explains. “And there is a 70-inch screen in there as well that people would be able to use if they’re having a meeting.” In addition to gathering space and a skating ribbon, the park also features a curling sheet for group fun and camaraderie on the ice.
For more outdoor activities, beaches and bike trails abound in the city, as do walking paths, including a boardwalk about a mile from downtown. “You can catch the sunset there, but our sunsets are usually better from Holland State Park,” Hudgins says. “You can get dinner reservations at 7 p.m. and still catch great sunsets. There are advantages to being on the western side of the Eastern time zone.”
