A new day in the Creative Capital
I wasn’t going to fly through PVD (Rhode Island T.F. Green Rhode International Airport) after the Smart Meetings Elevate Experience without stopping to see the brighter, more flexible Rhode Island Convention Center.
CiderCon was in full swing when I dropped by, with pommeliers (like sommeliers but certified by the American Cider Association) enjoying the improved lighting, more neutral background for better branding and a bright new The Exchange bar/lounge area on the third floor under the rotunda.
Read More: Smart Meetings Elevate Experience Raised the Bar
Rhode Island Convention Center is within a mile of 2,200 guest rooms, including the connected 564-room Omni Providence Hotel with almost 23,000 sq. ft. of its own meeting space. Courtyard Providence Downtown, where I stayed in a freshly renovated guest room with a view of Rhode Island State House, is two blocks away along with a hospitality board of restaurants, art galleries and museums. The property is finishing up a renovation that will touch all 219 guest rooms and the comfortable lobby area. Another nearby convention hotel, Hilton Providence, is renovating its 10,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 274 guest rooms in advance of a rumored rebranding.
Amica Mutual Pavilion in the Rhode Island Convention & Entertainment Complex just completed a 400-seat expansion and Veterans Memorial Auditorium, in historic New England style, has 1,931 seats and acoustics worthy of Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.
Living History
I ducked inside the neoclassical state building and was impressed by the craftsmanship and attention to marble detail under one of the largest self-supported marble domes in the world. It is topped by an imposing statue, The Independent Man, and the grand spaces, including the stately wood-paneled library, can be rented for events.
This is a city that lives a history going back to 1636, when it was established to support religious freedom. Track 15 upscale food hall is an example of a lovingly restored depot that pays tribute to the city’s past and abundant, creative present. Seven diverse local chefs serve up Greek, Latin, Turkish and American family recipes supported by an anchor statement bar in a collective wood and steel homage to the train operations that built the city. Each of the blocks in the 10,000 sq. ft. of dining space can be rented out for private functions and catered by the creative vendors on site. In winter, igloo service adds a twinkling touch to the festivities.
A tradition that started in 1994 was the staging of seasonal aquatic bonfire activations. From May to November, WaterFire Providence is a regular occurrence of burning braziers on Saturday nights on three rivers that wind through the center of the city as performers pass by on floating stages, music fills the air and groups gather on the shore to love the show.
Year-round, Providence is a creative and educational destination with eight major institutions in the city, including Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. This college town brain power is fueling expansion of technology companies and startups in the areas of aerospace and defense (Textron), AI-powered energy (Utilidata smart chips for electric grids) and medicine (Nabsys, a biotech company developing semiconductors for whole-genome mapping).
This article appears in the March 2026 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
