The Springfield Civic Center, currently the city's largest event facility, comprises an arena seating 10,000 people, an exhibition hall with 38,500 square feet, a banquet hall, and meeting rooms. The center is undergoing a $71 million expansion and renovation that will transform it into the MassMutual Center, scheduled to open in late 2005. MassMutual will offer more than 40,000 square feet of exhibition space, 9,000 square feet of meeting space that can be divided into up to five rooms, and an arena that can seat up to 8,000 people. Additional conference space is offered by both the Springfield Symphony Hall and the not-for-profit CityStage, both of which can accommodate meetings, receptions, and presentations.
Major hotels include the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place, with 27,000 square feet of conference space, 19 meeting rooms, and one of the largest ballrooms in western Massachusetts; and the Springfield Marriott, which features 265 guest rooms and more than 15,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space; it is connected to Tower Square shopping.
One of New England's major multiuse sites, the 175-acre Eastern States Exposition, with three buildings and 275,000 square feet of space, is located in nearby West Springfield. The University of Massachusetts in Amherst features the University Conference Services, with 116 guest rooms and 36 meeting rooms, and Mullins Center, a state-of-the-art facility with 10,500 set arena and 40,000 square feet of exhibit space and meeting rooms.
Convention Information: Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1441 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103; telephone (413)787-1548; toll-free (800)723-1548; fax (413)781-4607; email info@valleyvisitor.com