Meetings Today - July 2016

private events.

The largest space, the Hal Holbrook Hall, can accommodate up to 250 for a reception, and the space includes a grand piano, making it ideal for banquets, performances and dancing. For lectures and presentations, the Lincoln Financial Auditorium can host up to 175. The museum also offers the Hartford Financial Services Theatre and a classroom. The on-site cafe, along with the adjoining outdoor terrace and a full catering kitchen, can be used for receptions and dinners.

The museum recently started offering living-history tours, allowing groups to see the property through the perspective of a different time. Tour guides are outfitted in period clothing and take on the persona of a member of the family or staff to give a behind-the-scene look at what life was like in the late 19th century.

Mystic: Back in Time

Located in southeast Connecticut on Long Island Sound, Mystic is home to the world’s largest maritime museum, Mystic Seaport. Founded in 1929 to preserve artifacts, the living-history museum has grown to become a research and education center as well as a place for guests to see what life was like in mid-1800s coastal New England. The grounds include a re-created village, ships, exhibits and artifacts. The 19 acres is home to over 500 historic watercraft, including the oldest commercial ship in existence, the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan.

Groups can tour the steam-powered
Sabino, which is undergoing a renovation
expected to be complete this summer, and
will be launched back into the water at a
later date. Behind-the-scenes tours and
teambuilding activities such as whaleboat
rowing are also available to groups. There
are several spaces for rental, such as the
River Room at Latitude 41° Restaurant. The
classic New England-style venue overlooks
the Mystic River and along with the terrace
patio can accommodate up to 200 guests.
The Boat Shed at Lighthouse Point and the
North Lawn are both outdoor spaces for
500 and 200 attendees, respectively.
Located adjacent to Foxwoods Resort Ca-
sino is the Mashantucket Pequot Museum
& Research Center. The museum shares the
story of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal
Nation along with the histories and cultures
of the native people of the northeast region.
The 308,000-square-foot stone and glass
building is designed to blend in with the
surrounding landscape. Inside the building
there are permanent exhibits, a gallery of
temporary rotating exhibits, classrooms,
a 320-seat auditorium, a restaurant, a re-
search center, libraries and spaces available
for private meetings and events.
There is 64,000 square feet of available
rental space as well, including the Gather-
ing Space—a large, circular arrival area that
can accommodate up to 800 guests—and
the Pequot Village Overlook, which can
be used for banquets and receptions and
overlooks the 16th century Pequot Village.
The auditorium, conference rooms and
classrooms are also available, while the
outdoor Garden Terrace, which received
the Green Roof of Excellence award from
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, can accom-
modate up to 800 guests.
In addition to the spaces available at
the museum, the neighboring Foxwoods
Resort Casino offers four hotels with 2,200
guest rooms and 150,000 square feet of
meeting and event space, including the
47,500-square-foot Premier Ballroom, the
largest in the Northeast. The resort recently
unveiled plans to add four exclusive restau-
rants to its property. Scheduled to open in
the fall will be food and beverage outlets
from Food Network’s Guy Fieri, “Iron Chef”
Cat Cora, Richard Rawlings of Fast N’ Loud
and pop-culture restaurant Sugar Factory
American Brasserie.

Meeting Hubs

Serving as a hub to all the unique and historic venues the Greater Hartford area has to offer is the 540,000-square-foot Connecticut Convention Center. Opened in 2005, it is the largest convention facility between New York and Boston and includes 140,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom and 25,000 square feet of meeting space. It is located in Hartford’s Front Street District, which is downtown’s revitalized hub of restaurants, bars, retail outlets and entertainment venues.

The Connecticut Convention Center recently received a refresh of its public spaces, including new carpeting, furnishings as well as technology enhancements to keep attendees updated with information on happenings in the center as well as in the city.

Another meeting locale, Mohegan Sun, is easily accessible from many Northeast destinations. The 1,200-room property includes a 34-story hotel tower, over 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, more than 300,000 square feet of gaming with three casinos, The Shops at Mohegan Sun and a full-service spa.

Groups can utilize its 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space as well as three entertainment venues, including the Mohegan Sun Arena that can seat 10,000, the indoor/outdoor pool and sun deck and the Mohegan Sun Golf Course.