Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

The Meadowlands, New Jersey

New & Coming Soon to the Meadowlands

• The SureStay Hotel by Best Western Secaucus Meadowlands, located in Secaucus, is slated to complete renovations in May and will be relaunched as a Best Western Plus. The 149-room hotel has 450 square feet of meeting and event space.

• The former Holiday Inn Secaucus Meadowlands is expected to reopen soon with a new identity; the brand of the property has yet to be announced. The 161-room property has eight meeting rooms.

• The Hilton Hasbrouck Heights Meadowlands has completed renovations and upgrades to its lobby and bar/restaurant venue. The 355-room property offers 32,329 square feet of meeting and event space.

• The Holiday Inn Hasbrouck Heights – Meadowlands has updated its public areas and food and beverage venues. The 244-room property has four meeting rooms.

• Air travelers will find a refreshed travel experience if they arrive at the new Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport. The 33-gate, $2.7 billion facility, includes new centralized rental car facilities and dining and retail venues representing some 60 local, domestic and international brands. Among the airlines using the new terminal are Air Canada, American Airlines, JetBlue and United. 

More Meeting & Event Venues in the Meadowlands

• The 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium, hosts an array of large-scale events, ranging from football games to big-name concerts to monster truck competitions and dirt bike Supercross events. The stadium accommodates private events in spaces including the 10,700-square-foot Commissioners Club, 18,000-square-foot EY Coaches Club and the Corona Beach Club and West Mezzanine Club, both of which measure 30,000 square feet.

• Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment is another popular venue for sporting excitement, with year-round harness racing and the FanDuel Sportsbook at its Meadowlands Racetrack. The facility has multiple spaces for private events, including a 6,034-square-foot trackside venue, 3,973-square-foot Skybox Suites and a second-floor Gallery that accommodates 75 attendees.

• The Bergen Performing Arts Center, known as BergenPAC, hosts more than 200 live performances every year, ranging from music to dance to comedy. Planners can make use of multiple spaces within the Englewood, N.J.,facility, including rehearsal spaces, the Sandy Bennett Art Gallery, the 80-person Drapkin Cabaret and Lounge and 1,367-seat main theater. In addition, the Performing Arts School at BergenPAC offers event space.

• Planners can dazzle attendees with big-screen presentations at the Showplace ICON Theater & Kitchen/Secaucus Kerasotes Showplace 14, a multi-screen venue that hosts events including high-tech meetings, presentations and private screenings. Food and beverage options come from ICON’s Lobby Lounge and catering menu.

• The 427-room Hilton Meadowlands has 29,254 square feet of meeting and event space, with 29 meeting rooms, as well as a business center, exercise room, heated indoor swimming pool, restaurant and Starbucks onsite.

• The 126-room Element New York - Wood Ridge, located in Wood Ridge, has 628 square feet of meeting space. The property offers free daily breakfast and features an indoor swimming pool, fitness center and a rooftop bar.

• The 159-room Hyatt Place Secaucus/Meadowlands, located near the Meadowlands Exposition Center, has two meeting rooms and 1,100 square feet of event space as well as an onsite restaurant.

• The 149-room SpringHill Suites East Rutherford Meadowlands/Carlstadt offers a 380-square-foot meeting room, as well as an indoor swimming pool, fitness center and 24-hour business center. 

• American Dream is a three-million-square-foot entertainment and retail complex with attractions and activities for all ages, as well as myriad venues for private group events. The iconic  facility is able to host meetings, conferences, trade shows, award shows, private dinners, parties and buyouts, to name a few possibilities. Among the largest onsite attractions are DreamWorks Water Park, which is billed as the biggest indoor water park in North America, and Nickelodeon Universe, which is advertised as the largest indoor theme park in the Western Hemisphere. Groups can also enjoy sky-high views of the New York City skyline aboard the Dream Wheel, a 300-foot-tall observation wheel with six-person VIP gondolas.

• Groups can hit the lanes at Bowlero, a bowling alley in Wallington with 48 lanes, billiards and pool tables and a sports bar. All spaces are available for partial or full buyouts and catering options range from spring rolls to lamb lollipops to the Behemoth Burger, a six-pound, 14-inch burger piled high with toppings.

• The Liberty Science Center, a 300,000-square-foot museum in Jersey City, features 12 exhibition halls, large aquariums, a 3D theater, a live animal collection with 110 species and what’s described as the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. Planners can make use of venues including a glass-enclosed observation tower, fully equipped theaters and two-story gallery and lobby spaces that accommodate 1,200 guests.

• Planners can take attendees on a trip back in time at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, which is set in a structure resembling an 11th-century castle. Jousting, sword fighting and lively revelry characterize every performance, and groups of 15 or more can join the fun with a variety of packages.

• Groups can satisfy their need for speed at RPM Raceway Jersey City, which offers competitive racing excitement with Italian-made go-karts on a recently upgraded Megatrack, which run more than 2,200 feet. Up to 10 attendees can compete at one time, charging down the track to see who clocks in the fastest lap time. The facility also has racing simulators, arcade games, billiards and a restaurant that specializes in hamburgers, wood-fired pizza, salads and tacos.

• For a peaceful break from faster-paced business and activities, planners might want to treat attendees to some of the region’s natural beauty at Richard W. DeKorte Park, which is part of the Meadowlands District park system. The park has 3.5 miles of walking paths in a setting graced with waterways and wetlands. This is an especially rewarding place for bird watchers; more than 285 species of birds — including egrets, osprey, hawks and blue herons — are among the local residents.

• For a healthy dose of retail therapy, attendees can head to Westfield Garden State Plaza, located in Paramus. Opened in 1957 as the first suburban shopping mall in New Jersey, Westfield Garden State Plaza has transformed into a modern retail center in the 21st century, with an array of international brands represented and major department stores including Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.