This year proved to be the year of re-emergence for Huntington Place, and the city of Detroit was noted in several “Best of” hospitality categories. The Wall Street Journal ranked the Detroit venue as 19th best in the country, ahead of New York City’s Javits Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center, and San Francisco’s Moscone Center, among others. Detroit was again rated for the best Riverwalk by USA Today (the Riverwalk stretches in front of Huntington Place and runs for 5 1/2 miles with several parks and lots of civic activity.) Detroit was named one of the Top 10 Places to Travel in 2023 by Travel Lemming in its list of the world’s greatest places. And when bonusfinder.com compared NFL venues using nine different categories, Detroit was named best city for NFL visitors.
Huntington Place itself received numerous industry awards recognizing success in service, sustainability, and overall excellence. The venue was honored with five major industry awards in one year, topping out with nine members of the Huntington Place team being nominated for the highly acclaimed hospitality award, the Rose Award. These 2023 awards include the Rose Award Behind the Scenes Service, the Distinctive Achievement Award (Association Conventions & Facilities), the Prime Site Award (Facilities & Destinations), the Centers of Excellence Award (Exhibitor Magazine), and LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council.
The swiftly changing world of show management today demands a sharp focus on guest experience and strategy to provide enhanced encounters in every aspect of the event and venue. Detroit’s convention center, Huntington Place, aims to provide show managers the muscle to design and deliver attendee experiences that exceed expectation. A new Guest Experience department, a reorganized department of Public Safety with a focus on union relations, local agency partnerships, and visitor safety create direct improvements in customer experience.
