Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

Philadelphia

New & Coming Soon to Philadelphia

• The Pennsylvania Convention Center has devoted $78.8 million to capital investments over the past four years in an ongoing effort to improve every facet of the venue. Upgrades have included efforts to reduce the center’s environmental impact, including the addition of an energy-saving reflective roof, energy-efficient LED lighting, reduced water use and streamlined management of HVAC, lighting, power, elevators and escalators. In addition, the center has been been ranked No. 1 for walkability by the Wall Street Journal.  

• Getting readied for a 2025 debut, Calder Gardens will be the first site exclusively dedicated to the art and ideas of Alexander Calder, a native Philadelphian who is considered one of the most innovative and influential artists of the 20th century. With galleries illuminated by natural light, in a structure ensconced in a flowing landscape of native and flowering species, the attraction will present a rotating selection of masterworks from the Calder Foundation in New York, including mobiles, stabiles, monumental sculptures, and paintings.

• The 295-room W Philadelphiais among the city’s newer properties. Housed in a distinctive 51-story tower in the city’s downtown, the hotel sports an extensive art collection, a heated pool, the signature Dolce restaurant offering regional Italian fare, and the Away Spa with five treatment rooms. Meeting and event space totals 45,613 square feet across 36 meeting spaces, including a 5,418-square-foot ballroom that can host up to 500 people for a reception and 330 for a banquet.
• The recently-opened Element Philadelphia Downtown has 460 spacious guest rooms with fully-equipped kitchens, signature Westin Heavenly beds and spa-inspired bathrooms. The hotel forms a complex with the W Philadelphia and affords access to the latter’s more than 45,000 square feet of meeting space.
• Set within an historic 19th century building, the new 236-room Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia Center City lies in the Midtown Village neighborhood, two blocks from Reading Terminal Market and a half-mile from Independence Hall. The property is surrounded by dining outlets and offers guests complimentary bicycles to explore the area. Planners will find 2,606 square feet of total event space spread among four meeting rooms.
• The city’s largest hotel, the 1,408-room Philadelphia Marriott Downtown recently completed an extensive renovation and has introduced new amenities such as Liberty Lanes, a bi-level bowling alley offering cocktails and light fare. The property has 17 meeting rooms, including a grand ballroom that accommodates up to 900 guests and provides easy access to the Pennsylvania Convention Center via skywalk.
• Among Philadelphia’s many notable buildings, the Loews Philadelphia Hotel stands out as an early example of stunning art deco design, having opened during the height of the Depression by the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society. The former bank now sports 581 newly renovated guest rooms, along with dining provided at Bank and Bourbon, serving traditional American fare with a modern twist, and the full-service Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa & Salon. Approximately 47,000 square feet of function space includes three spacious ballrooms.

More Meeting & Event Venues in Philadelphia

• Nestled within the picturesque Rittenhouse Square Park, the 306-room Sofitel Philadelphia at Rittenhouse Square is imbued with French elegance and wows guests at the outset thanks to a well-appointed lobby that includes an impressive art gallery. The hotel has more than 16,000 square feet of meeting space among several venues, including a sumptuous 4,636-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate up to 300 people for a banquet featuring contemporary French cuisine.
• Convenient to most major city attractions, the Aloft Philadelphia Downtown Hotel is in the restored 1925 Liberty Title & Trust Co. building. Whether meeting at the adjacent Pennsylvania Convention Center or the property’s own 1,226 square feet of event space, attendees can relax afterward in the on-site WXYZ bar. The hotel’s 179 guest rooms feature a loft-inspired design, lots of natural light and tech-forward amenities, including plug-and-play hubs for entertainment.
• It may be directly across the street from the Liberty Bell, but the 268-room Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia is a thoroughly modern, globally inspired venue with a rocking rooftop lounge, the celebrated three-meal Red Owl Tavern and 13,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 3,300-square-foot ballroom flooded with natural light and a picture-window view of Independence Hall.
• Within walking distance of major sports  and entertainment venues including Xfinity Live! and Lincoln Financial Field, the Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia features 206 deluxe guest accommodations; more than 510,000 square feet of varied gaming; dining via iconic Philly eateries such as Prime Rib, Lorenzo and Sons Pizza, Termini Brothers and Sang Kee Noodle Bar & Kitchen, and more. The property’s 15,500-square-foot Event Center can host up to 1,000 attendees.
• In the midst of the many shops and restaurants that fill the bustling Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, the Hyatt Centric Center City Philadelphia has 332 stylish guest rooms, including 22 spacious suites, with locally inspired art incorporated throughout the building. The hotel also offers more than 5,000 square feet of customizable meeting and event space, with a 2,700-square-foot ballroom able to host up to 200 guests.

• Founded in 1824 in honor of America’s first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute teaches about science and technology through attractions such as “Wondrous Space,” an immersive, multisensory experience that has visitors enjoying the free-floating fun of zero gravity and virtually traveling through the universe, as well as the Fels Planetarium and the Franklin Theater. The venue offers seven event spaces and can host gatherings for up to 5,000 guests.
• Founder’s Hall at Girard College is a unique museum preserving the legacy of Stephen Girard (1750-1831), a businessman and philanthropist whose extreme wealth kept the young United States solvent through the War of 1812. The campus he founded is a complex of classic architecture. Planners will find private event space for up to 5,000 guests in a variety of modern meeting rooms, a rooftop deck, the majestic Benjamin Franklin National Memorial Hall (with its 82-foot-high ceiling) and more.
• Known as the “Birthplace of American Medicine,” the College of Physicians of Philadelphia on South 22nd Street offers a varied mix of exhibits, concerts and more, housing as well the Mütter Museum, devoted to the history of public health, and the Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden. For meetings and events, the college offers spaces such as the ornate Ashhurst, a stately hall that accommodates dinners for up to 150 people. The Thompson Gallery is decorated with artwork and can host receptions for up to 150 guests.
• One of America’s oldest public markets, Reading Terminal Market on North 12th Street, located just steps from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, is a foodie paradise featuring more than 80 merchants of art, crafts and gifts; restaurants, baked good and confections; flowers, plants and much more. Housed since 1893 in a National Historic Landmark building, the market also hosts numerous festivals tied to the seasons and can be transformed into an after-hours event space.
• One of the world’s greatest collections of work by one of the world’s greatest sculptors can be found at the Rodin Museum, housed in an elegant Beaux-Arts-style building and garden on Philly’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Visitors know the place is special when they encounter Rodin’s famed ‘The Thinker” sitting right outside the entry doors.
• A must-go for any student of American history, the historic Independence Hall houses the room where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed. Among other landmark events that took place here, George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and the Articles of Confederation officially took effect in 1781.
• A short distance from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, attendees can find the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.