Destination | Bellevue, Washington (Snapshot: Bellevue, Washington)

2008-12-01T16:57:35Z

A town that used to shut down by 6 pm is now bustling far past the dinner hour, and, crane by crane, at least a dozen new projects are sprouting within the 400-acre downtown area.

“Visitors see 16 to 20 tower cranes as they’re coming up the freeway,” says Brenda Dotson, director of sales for the Meydenbauer Center. “Bellevue is building the infrastructure and amenities to make it appealing [to meetings], and we’re shining up the ‘open’ sign.”

While you might not be familiar with this Pacific Northwest city, you’ll recognize many of its new tenants—household names like Expedia, Yahoo, Eddie Bauer and, of course, the ubiquitous Microsoft—that are settling into its new downtown office space. Naturally, a fresh culinary scene has also sprouted from the upsurge of retail, residential and commercial development, with more than150 restaurants.

According to Patrick Bannon, public relations manager of the Bellevue Downtown Association, several factors are contributing to the city’s boom. Job growth is strong, especially in bio-tech, high-tech and video games, he says, and there is an educated and talented workforce to feed it. Plus, it’s easily accessible by three freeways.

Meeting Venues
Along the pedestrian corridor leading through the center of downtown, you can’t miss The Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue’s main attraction for conventions and meetings, complete with Wi-Fi throughout. (In fact, you can open up your laptop anywhere within the pedestrian corridor along NE 6th Street and jump online for free.) Three of the center’s nine flexible meeting rooms lead to the outdoor Rainier Terrace, while additional space is available in the 410-seat theater.

Barbara Whitehurst, the major gifts and planned giving manager of Hopelink, coordinated a luncheon for 1,800 last October in the Meydenbauer’s upgraded space. “The remodeled facility accommodated our capacity crowd, yet was still welcoming and inviting,” Whitehurst says. “The ceiling swags, new chairs, carpet, lighting effects and color palette created a warm, elegant and sophisticated ambience.” Whitehurst was equally pleased with the customer service, calling the staff “rock-star good” because of their attention to detail.

Bellevue offers numerous hotel options for planners. The Hyatt Regency Bellevue has 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space comprising 18 rooms. Located within a block of the Bellevue Collection (Lincoln Square, Bellevue Square and Bellevue Place), the Hyatt has easy access to shopping and dining. Bretta Vigue, CMP, the meeting and special events planner for Symetra Financial, has held several events at the Hyatt, for groups of 20 to 150. “The flow of their meeting space is very comfortable, and their level of acumen is exceptional,” Vigue says. “It’s all about relationships, and they ‘get’ us.”

About six blocks from the Meydenbauer, Hilton Hotel Bellevue has the largest guest rooms in town, the smallest of 353 guest rooms offering 490 sq. ft. The meeting space reaches 60,000 sq. ft., if you count the adjacent parking garage (which was used as exhibition space five times last year). The showstopper, though, is the new Skyview Ballroom (4,500 sq. ft.), completed last April. Its 32-foot ceiling exposes the Bellevue sky through an angled-glass atrium.

Terry Sullivan, director of sales at the Hilton, says the city’s construction scene (he can see a mere seven cranes from the Hilton) is quite robust. “It’s exciting to see how Bellevue is coming together, but still maintaining the small-town feel [in] the way the residential area abuts the downtown,” he says.

A group from KWP Kasten & Associates chose the Hilton again for a training session last October. Alex Kasten, the principal, says the Hilton’s location was “close to Seattle without going into the urban setting.” Kasten gives high recognition to the staff who “so ably orchestrated the event. After all, it’s the people you work with who make the difference.”

The Sheraton Bellevue, with 8,000 sq. ft for meetings, is undergoing renovations to bring more of a sense of place to guests, with new nautical-themed décor. The Sheraton’s free shuttle (within a five-mile radius) is a major convenience, however, the six-block walk to major shopping and restaurants is a great way to see downtown Bellevue.

If you’ve got serious shoppers in your group, visit the Westin Bellevue (337 rooms), where skybridges connect the hotel to the Bellevue Collection. “We do have the premium location in downtown Bellevue,” says Cynthia Breen, director of sales and marketing for the Westin Bellevue, where natural light that pours through the floor-to-ceiling windows in many of the meeting rooms, which total 25,510 sq. ft.
Go beyond downtown’s borders to Robinswood House, a log cabin dating back to 1884. It’s one of Puget Sound’s oldest pioneer homesteads, with 2,190 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space, an inviting landscape for outdoor gatherings and fanciful English-style gardens. (The adjacent 60 acres of park can also be transformed into function space.) Scott Chreist, CEO and director of program development for Adventura Consulting, coordinates about 180 programs per year, a majority of which occur in the Puget Sound area. He has been to the Homestead many times—it’s conveniently located next to the offices of his clients, such as T-Mobile and Microsoft. One of Chreist’s team-building events called for a venue with both outdoor and indoor space. “The small grass areas surrounding the Robinswood House are ideal for blending classroom components with experience-based learning activities,” he says. “We frequently bring hands-on activity into our programming, and having the French Doors open directly to the patio and grass lawn was perfect.”

Outside the Board Room
Surprise your group with an unexpected view of the area—book a tour on Lake Washington with Argosy Cruises. The boat picks up groups from the Kirkland city dock, about one mile from Bellevue. “We’ll even arrange the bus trip from your hotel,” says Maureen Black, director of marketing.
Choose a private charter or a public tour. “We’ve had black-tie events to jeans and sweats,” Black says. The Royal Argosy, the largest vessel of the 11-boat fleet, has a full-service galley and room for up to 500 people. The cruises run all year, with routes that can be customized to your interests and time constraints.

Mariah L. Lockwood brings a group of more than 400 out on Lake Washington for an evening event every July. Lockwood, external research coordinator for Microsoft Research, says the cruise works well for her needs. “We can keep everyone in one location, and it encourages networking.” Plus, it really impresses the group. “On a clear day on the locks cruise, you can see Mt. Rainier from Lake Washington, sunset over the Olympics as you come through the locks, and Seattle night lights coming into Elliott Bay...it kept our guests entertained,” she says.

About 15 minutes north on Route 405, you’ll find community of Woodinville, in the Sammamish River Valley. A quick jaunt to this cozy town will reveal why Washington is the nation’s second-largest producer of premium wines. Generating more than $3 billion per year from wine, the state has more than 500 wineries, and Woodinville contains 40 of them. In fact, each year during a weekend in April, the viticultural community bands together to offer “Passport to Woodinville,” a springtime tasting tour. Currently under construction, Woodinville Village will be a culinary community featuring a new hotel, four on-site wineries, a spa and a Farmers Market.

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Destination | Bellevue, Washington (Snapshot: Bellevue, Washington)