“Few destinations are as welcoming as Ohio’s capital city.”

- Connect, “Come One, Come All: 6 LGBT-Friendly Cities”

 “There’s a palatable energy and excitement in Columbus, the capital and largest city in Ohio. Artisan food producers, imaginative chefs, nationally acclaimed distilleries and coffee roasters combine to deliver an impressive foodie scene. Neighborhoods throughout Columbus are exploding with new places to shop, and artists are shaping new areas of the city into dynamic spaces to explore.”

- Smart Meetings, “15 Great Cities to Meet In”

These are just a few of the wonderful things that the media have been saying about Columbus lately. It seems that the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) have taken notice of the great press and growing reputation of our city, as they have chosen Columbus to host their 2019 Annual Meeting & Exposition.  

More than 5,000 attendees will convene in Columbus in August 2019, filling 16,000 hotel rooms.

We are excited to welcome droves of ASAE members to the city to show off all of the venues, activities, attractions and more that make up our dynamic destinations. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy some of the renovations and new-build projects that are currently underway in the city, including:

• A $125 million renovation and expansion at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and connecting Hyatt Regency Downtown, set to be complete in July 2017. The project is highlighted by 373,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, which will make it the 4th largest in its competitive set. The extensive upgrades and additions will improve the guest experience and increase efficiencies.
  
• Hotel LeVeque, an Autograph Collection hotel, which will open in the historic LeVeque Tower, downtown, in November 2016. The 149-room hotel will occupy six floors of the 47-story art deco building following the LeVeque’s current $20 million renovation.
• The first-ever dual-branded Marriott property that is currently being built near The Ohio State University. To be complete mid-2017, the new $50 million twin-brand Marriott and Residence Inn will feature a 240-room, full-service Marriott Hotel and a 114-room Residence Inn and include 12,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
• A 168-room Canopy by Hilton, which is set to open across from the Greater Columbus Convention Center in 2018. The hotel will also feature a total of 3,000 square feet of meeting space, including some with an outdoor patio as well as some connected to the rooftop bar with its own patio.
• The recently completed $30-million renovation of the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s main branch, featuring a new two-story reading room event space that overlooks the nearby Topiary Park.
• The Columbus Museum of Art’s recent $37-million renovation and expansion project that included the debut of a new 50,000 square foot wing, featuring new meeting/special event complex and additional gallery space.
  
• Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)’s AirConnect, a new circulator running between Port Columbus, the Greater Columbus Convention Center and downtown hotels. The connector stops airport baggage claim every 30 minutes, seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  

Read more about the announcement here, and be sure to keep tabs on what’s new and next in Columbus here.