Boston

Why Boston for Your Next Meeting or Event?

Boston combines a historic city center with a strong selection of hotels, convention facilities and event venues. The Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center and Hynes Convention Center accommodate large-scale events, while hotels and venues throughout the Seaport, the Back Bay and downtown give planners options for everything from large meetings to smaller receptions and group events.

Groups can explore Boston’s history along the Freedom Trail, visit museums and gardens, catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, cruise the harbor and explore the city’s food. With historic neighborhoods and many attractions within easy reach, planners can build a full itinerary without spending much time in transit.

Source a Boston Hotel

Transportation in and Around the Area

• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is about 5 miles from downtown and serves as a primary gateway for Boston and the New England region.
• Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) is less than 50 miles north of Boston and with flights available from American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
• The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) offers multiple train lines with stops all over the city. The Silver Line runs from South Station to Logan International Airport and Boston’s Seaport neighborhood. It connects with the Red, Green and Blue Lines, and provides access to all Logan Airport terminals, the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center and the shops, hotels and restaurants in the Seaport.
• The MBTA also operates an extensive bus network that connects Boston’s neighborhoods and surrounding communities.
• Shuttles: Boston Charter Bus Company, GOGO Charters Boston and National Charter Bus Boston are among the companies offering everything from 15-passenger sprinter vans to 56-passenger motorcoaches for events and corporate shuttles.

With two major convention centers, more than 90 major meeting hotels and approximately 347 event venues, there is no shortage of sites in Boston for your next meeting.  

Meeting Hotels

• Omni Boston Seaport Hotel: Connected to the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center, the property offers 1,054 guest rooms and more than 120,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
• The Westin Boston Seaport District: Also connected to the MCEC, the 793-room property has more than 90,000 square feet of meeting space, including options with outdoor terraces.
• Boston Marriott Copley Place: With 1,147 guest rooms and more than 70,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel is connected to the Shops at Prudential Center and is part of the group of hotels serving the Hynes Convention Center.
• Sheraton Boston Hotel: Also connected to the Hynes and the Prudential centers, the 1,053-room property features more than 118,000 square feet of meeting space.
• InterContinental Boston: The 424-room hotel offers more than 32,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Several event rooms overlook the waterfront.
• Fairmont Copley Plaza: A historic setting in Copley Square, this property features 383 guest rooms and multiple meeting and event spaces, including the 6,092-square-foot Grand Ballroom.
• Renaissance Boston Seaport District: This 471-room hotel has more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Its location near the convention center and Boston Harbor makes it a practical option for groups meeting in the Seaport.

Venues

• Hynes Convention Center: Located in the Back Bay, the Hynes Convention Center has 176,480 square feet of exhibit space, 38 meeting rooms, a 25,000-square-foot ballroom and a 4,000-seat auditorium.
• Exchange Conference Center: Set on Boston's historic Fish Pier, the Exchange Conference Center offers waterfront space for smaller meetings, receptions, galas and other events.
• State Room: On the 33rd floor of 60 State Street, the State Room features sweeping views of Boston's skyline and the harbor. The venue has multiple event spaces for receptions, dinners and meetings.
• BCA Cyclorama: Part of the Boston Center for the Arts, the Cyclorama is a circular space in Boston's South End that can be used for receptions, dinners, performances and other private events. The site, built in 1884, hosts seated events for up to 500 and receptions for 1,000 people.
• Saunders Castle at Park Plaza: This historic castle-like venue in the Back Bay offers a 20,000-square-foot event space for receptions, exhibitions and corporate gatherings. Its unusual architecture gives planners an alternative to a traditional hotel ballroom.

Art and History

Follow the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail past and through 16 historic sites, including Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church. The Freedom Trail Foundation offers private and custom tours for groups.

Visit the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum for its replica ships, interactive exhibits and a reenactment of the events of Dec. 16, 1773.

Explore the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, one of the city's largest cultural institutions. Groups can arrange guided visits and explore collections spanning thousands of years.

Enjoy the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where European and American art is displayed throughout a Venetian-style palace surrounding a central courtyard garden. The museum also offers performances, talks and other programming in its modern wing.

Local Activities

Take in panoramic views from View Boston at the top of the Prudential Tower. The observation deck looks out over the Back Bay, the Charles River and Boston Harbor, and is available for private events.

Get out on the water with a harbor cruise, whale-watching excursion or sunset sail. For groups, Boston Harbor City Cruises arranges private sightseeing, dining and evening events.

Go behind the scenes at Fenway Park with a guided tour of the historic ballpark, including such areas as the press box, the Green Monster wall in the outfield and the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Cross the Charles River into Cambridge for a guided tour of Harvard University and Harvard Yard.

Visit Boston Common, the country’s oldest public park, and head to the Frog Pond for seasonal activities. The pond becomes an outdoor ice-skating rink in winter.

Take a Ghost Tour through some of the city's older neighborhoods and burial grounds. Meet Boston lists ghost tours among its specialty group-friendly tour options.