Richmond, Va., is rich in history, but the city’s appeal is not limited to being transported through time. Quite the opposite. Richmond is a 300-year-old town with 21st Century appeal.

Just a block away from the historic Jefferson Hotel, established in 1895, is the brand new Quirk Hotel. A small boutique hotel, aptly named for its amalgam of lodging, creative meeting space, fine dining, and art exhibit space.

For history buffs, Quirk is built in a beautifully renovated 1916 department store, J.B. Mosby and Co, of Italian Renaissance design. It features classic architecture such as sweeping limestone arches and groin vault ceilings. For those with an eye for the modern, on display throughout the public space, rooms floors and meeting space is fun and whimsical artwork.

Quirk is the perfect location for 50 to 60 person meetings looking for creative break opportunities and the intimate environment the hotel provides. Their specialty is the way they collaborate with the meeting planner to come up with creative special events and meetings your attendees will remember for years to come.

 With a meeting sales staff connected to the creative scene in Richmond, they are able to design interactive break activities such as mural painting lead by a local artist, and coffee tastings conducted by Richmond’s own coffee roaster Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Company.

Local soap purveyor, Bon Air Naturals will have your group making natural lip balms, perfumes, and facial scrubs. Even the Quirk’s own staff will lead your group through infusion classes to create a signature cocktail.

Quirk may be a small-scale, boutique hotel with just 73 rooms, but it’s luxurious enough to host board meetings or VIP attendees for a trade show, as it is conveniently located just a few blocks from the Richmond Convention Center.

Kate McDonald Brown, area director of sales and marketing for Quirk Hotel said, “Richmond is ideal for conventions because we have a very large conference center with plenty of space for groups of up to 5000.”

As the largest convention center in the state of Virginia, the Greater Richmond Convention Center (GRCC) meets the needs of show organizers who are looking for 175,000 of contiguous exhibit space in a 700,000 square foot facility.

Many show organizers will find this easy-to-get-to mid-Atlantic location a huge selling point for their attendees, speakers, and exhibitors. 

The Richmond Region is very easily accessible located just off Interstate 95 – only 100 miles south of Washington, DC. Richmond International Airport is just 10 miles from downtown Richmond and GRCC. 

Aside from the logistics, the size of the building, quality of the hotel package, convenience of location, there is also the overall aura of Richmond that draws people to the city.

Kristin McGrath, vice president of sales and services for Richmond Region Tourism, said, “Show organizers understand that attendees will find the destination appealing on a personal level. We are a historic destination with a modern vibe. We have a notable food scene the has been the recipient of some great national press recently. Travel & Leisure named Richmond a 'Best Place to Travel”'destination for 2016 and National Geographic recently highlighted Richmond in its 'Where to Travel for Food' feature."

That famous southern hospitality comes into play when working with the Richmond Convention center staff. McGrath says their team takes the time to understand in great depth the planner’s strategy for marketing their event and serves as a marketing partner offering up images, video, and text to help boost attendance.

Richmond Region Tourism works a bit differently from many Convention and Visitor Bureaus in that their organization does not require local businesses to become members or order to have their services offered as a resource to incoming meetings.

“We work very hard to gain a full understanding of the client’s needs and business objectives. Once we have that understanding, we can connect the client to all the options in the region. We don’t have to limit our options or resources to only those who “pay to play.”  Clients appreciate that our suggestions are not limited by a membership. We’re able to provide them with a comprehensive overview of the area,” McGrath said. 

If you are looking for a second-tier location with all the amenities of a first-tier convention city, be sure to include a stop in Richmond, Virginia when planning your site visits.