Planning a Meeting in Wayne County: Historic, Diverse, Driven

Most notable in Wayne County is certainly The Henry Ford, America’s greatest history attraction. This awe-inspiring powerhouse provides unforgettable backdrops for your events. At Henry Ford Museum, 5,000 guests can explore a mind-boggling collection of American ingenuity. The on-site Giant Screen Experience offers larger-than-life inspiration. The outdoor Greenfield Village showcases 300 years of American life and can accommodate groups from 500 to 10,000 seasonally. And a tour of the Ford Rouge Factory, where the Ford F-150 pickup truck is assembled, is a highlight of any visit to Detroit “” especially when booked for private groups.

Nearby, the Arab American National Museum and the Automotive Hall of Fame also provide meeting venues that are unique to the destination.

The 2.4 million square foot Huntington Place in downtown Detroit is undoubtedly the king of conventions, with five exhibit halls, 80 meeting rooms and eight banquet rooms featuring spectacular river views.

Wayne County offers several supplemental meeting sites. Greater Grace Temple hosts meetings and conferences, with banquet seating for 600 and a church auditorium that seats 4,000. Dearborn’s Ford Community & Performing Arts Center boasts a 1,200 seat theater. Meetings and events are what they do best at the versatile Ford Conference and Event Center, with 35,000 square feet of flexible space, on-site catering and audio visual services.

Several hotels have at least 100 guest rooms and a minimum of 4,000 square feet of meeting space in Wayne County. The Henry Autograph Collection, a 308-room contemporary boutique hotel; The Dearborn Inn, a 23-acre historic retreat; and the ultra-modern, well-appointed Westin Hotel – Detroit Metro Airport, with the utmost in convenient airport access.

In fact, Wayne County has dozens of hotels in varying sizes and competitive price ranges to house your meeting attendees.

Fashionistas will love the variety of shopping options, from Grosse Pointe boutiques to Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.

Close some business out on the golf course. TPC Michigan features a 28,000 square foot club house and a Jack Nicklaus designed 18-hole championship golf course. Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center in Plymouth offers panoramic views for groups up to 500.

Bowling is big in metro Detroit. For a fun team building exercise or just to break the ice, try Community Bowling Centers or the fabulous Lucky Strike Entertainment in Livonia, Skore Lanes in Taylor, Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park or Woodhaven Lanes in Woodhaven.

As a major hub for Delta Airlines, Wayne County’s modern Detroit Metro Airport offers competitively priced airfare for conference and convention attendees. And, Detroit is only a 90-minute flight from 60 percent of the nation’s population.

Find out more about Detroit and Wayne County’s competitive advantages for meeting planners and how the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau can assist you.