弗吉尼亚会展新场地与团体体验：从亚历山德里亚到弗吉尼亚海滩

Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film, The Odyssey, took the world—and the actors—by storm this summer, featuring many scenes where Odysseus’ men found themselves being pummeled by rain and enduring Poseidon’s angry seas. 

The retelling of Homer’s ancient tale follows Odysseus’ decade-long voyage home. The film’s character and ambition both shocked and inspired fans around the world, rekindling public interest in history and epic voyages. 

Nolan’s big screen adaptation of Odysseus’ voyage brought the ancient epic to life in modern ways that a meeting planner can mimic by designing a voyage for attendees themselves, and the state of Virginia has the perfect balance of history and innovation for such a program.

In 1607, English colonists embarked on a historic voyage that led to England’s first colonial settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. But before the settlers headed upriver, they initially stopped at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. The ship’s landing in 1607 earned the state park a spot on the National Register of Historic Places list.

Much like Nolan’s film, Virginia’s history and character can launch meeting groups on an inspiring voyage across the state’s storied venues, but rest assured, your attendees’ trip will not keep them on the road as long as poor old Odysseus! 

From Northern Virginia to Virginia Beach and the state’s capital in Richmond, follow along for a voyage of Virginia’s rich storytelling that attendees are sure to love.

Northern Virginia

The Virginia voyage begins at a central hub for meetings and events near the nation’s capital. 

Alexandria, Virginia, is anchored by two airports: Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) and Dulles International (IAD). A major suburb of Washington, D.C., Alexandria offers a portfolio of hotels that average a 33% lower hotel daily rate compared to D.C., and offer more than 130,000 square feet of meeting space. 

[Related: Taking Off: Meetings Are Up in Alexandria, Virginia—Here's Why]

Alexandria’s historic venues guide guests through a 1852 Greek Revival neoclassical gallery, Athenaeum, which features 24-foot-tall ceilings and can host up to 100 guests in its upstairs galleries. 

Also known for its grand, historic scale, George Washington Masonic National Memorial & Galactic Panther Art Gallery offers contemporary meeting spaces. Groups can take advantage of the venue’s conference room, Grand Masonic Hall, Memorial Theatre and Memorial Hall, which features a 17-foot statue of George Washington. 

“Alexandria doesn’t just host meetings; we bring them to life,” said Todd O’Leary, president and CEO, Visit Alexandria. “Perfectly sized for intimate yet impactful gatherings, Alexandria makes it easy for attendees to connect with one another in a city that is historic, not static.”

Alexandria’s history also paves the way for activity-driven networking. Manumission Tour Company’s Black history tours, for example, provide insight into Alexandria’s pre-Civil War history, visits sites connected to the early Alexandria slave trade and also includes stops at the Freedom House Museum, with enough time in between stops for attendees to get to know one another. 

Loudon—located 20 miles from IAD—also invites attendees to be a part of an engaging, activity-driven atmosphere.

 In addition to enjoying the county’s 50-plus wineries, groups can now also take advantage of the new luxury bowling suites the destination debuted this summer. Pinstack is an entertainment venue with a high ropes course, darts, laser tag, giant foosball, bumper cars, a rock-climbing wall and meeting space for 200. 

“The unique setting encourages team bonding, innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Heidi Hallows, director of sales, Visit Loudoun.

Northern Virginia is also home to Arlington and Fairfax. Fairfax hospitality news includes the addition of Virginia’s first JW Marriott property, the 247-room JW Marriott Reston Station, which offers more than 46,000 square feet of meeting space and opened last fall. 

Attendees can also connect at the Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center, which wrapped a $14 million renovation of its 300 fashion-inspired guest rooms this spring. Amenities at the hotel include six spaces for meetings and events, the largest of which is the 7,000-square-foot Regency Ballroom.

In Arlington, a new 12,000-square-foot venue opened earlier this year. Concorde, which is located next to the Pentagon, features an aviation-inspired design and onsite culinary programming. Plus, high-tech infrastructure at George Mason University offers attendees ample opportunities for innovative meetings in Northern Virginia.

[Related: Fairfax, Virginia, Meetings Industry Veteran Dean Miller to Retire] 

Richmond

Virginia’s capital city offers rich storytelling across new and enhanced venues for groups. From outdoor parks and recreational areas to sports venues and other entertainment spaces, meeting attendees are sure to enjoy an enriching time in Richmond. 

Conex RVA, which opened near the end of last year, is a beer garden, outdoor art gallery and indoor/outdoor restaurant with five event spaces for groups of up to 600. Built out of shipping containers, the venue offers live music, local food truck vendors, multiple bars and seasonal programs such as ice skating in the winter. 

For more fun, CarMax Park opened in April. The new baseball field is home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double A-affiliate of MLB’s San Francisco Giants. The ballpark is also home to a beer garden, art walk, lawn and picnic terraces as well as a 6,000-square-foot lounge for corporate conferences. The Atlantic Union Bank Lounge offers panoramic views of CarMax Park. 

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features 50 acres of gardens and six spaces for corporate events. The largest space is the Bloemendaal House, for up to 300. Other event capable spaces include multiple terraces and the Kelly Education Center, Massey Conference Center Auditorium, for up to 200. 

New to the botanical gardens this year is an expanded conservatory that doubled in size and introduced new exhibits highlighting historic and threatened plants. 

Also on the horizon, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is adding 173,000 square feet of space that is expected to open in 2028. The monumental renovation is the largest expansion in the museum’s history, adding photography and European art collections.

Virginia Beach 

“We have a very beautiful story to tell that involves many different areas,” said Anissa Ladd, vice president of sales and services, Visit Virginia Beach. “We do have our beautiful oceanfront story where we’re the longest pleasure beach in the world, and the boardwalk is over three miles long. We have a number of beautiful hotels that are all along that beach where every room has a view.”

Plus, there’s plenty more points of interest and group experiences for planners. Attendees may even stumble upon some hidden treasures.

“You can go kayaking with dolphins [and do] just about anything you can imagine,” Ladd said. “You can take your e-bikes through the trails and go see all those places where Blackbeard may have hidden his treasure.”

Other group experiences include oyster farm tours at Pleasure House Oysters. The three boat tours have capabilities for groups up to 14. Located on Lynnhaven River, the table is set for an oyster dining experience while diners wade knee-deep and pull the oysters from the water beneath them. The three- to four-hour experience includes a meal and a boat ride. 

“We also look to support our meetings agenda and culture in the way that matches what we have here, because we have a very diverse population here in Virginia Beach and a lot of diversity in our businesses as well,” Ladd said. 

For welcome amenities, the DMO keeps it local and sources gifts from local coffee shops, breweries, bags from the North End Bag Company, etc. This offers attendees a sense of place from the moment they arrive. 

Groups find success stories on Virginia Beach’s oceanfront. The destination is home to the Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships, which is the oldest continuously running surf competition in the world. 

Because of this long-standing event, groups can learn to surf at Atlantic Park Surf, a private lagoon and wave area that Ladd emphasized was created so beginners wouldn’t have to learn how to surf in the ocean. The surf park offers private cabanas, private lagoon rentals for groups of 40 and teambuilding experiences. 

Then there’s the sustainability story. The Virginia Beach Convention Center—with more than 250,000 square feet of programmable event space—is a LEED Gold-certified facility. The convention center even has a sustainability staffer onsite to help meeting planners go green. 

From hidden treasure to sustainability and every group experience in between, the goal is for every attendee to gain a “unique and eclectic” Virginia Beach experience.

“Our services team is open to being challenged by the groups who come in [and want] the experience to be an authentic Virginia Beach experience,” she said. “We want everyone to walk away feeling like they were not only visiting our community, but they experienced our community.”

Read more meeting and event news in Virginia

About the author

Madeleine Willis joined Meetings Today magazine in September 2025 as a content developer, departments and social media. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa where she studied Journalism and Mass Communication with a certificate in Event Management. She writes for news departments: "The Buzz," "Industry Intelligence," "Going Places" and "New & Renovated." Her contributions to Meetings Today's Next Gen initiatives include her involvement as the editor and producer of the Eventualists podcast. Willis also oversees the publications social media platforms.