On August 1st, we took a group of meeting planners from HelmsBriscoe on a tour of meetings experiences in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, DC. The planners, most of whom live in the region, were blown away by the experience. “I had a wonderful time in Arlington these past few days. It was a spectacular experience!” One planner said. “I am grateful for the education about Arlington and about CVB relationships. I value our connection and look forward to building a tighter bond as I bring business to this civic-minded, spiritually charged, technologically advanced, historical, culinary mecca!”
If you are looking to bring your own group to Arlington, check out some of the event's highlights:
After breakfast at The Westin Arlington Gateway, we were whisked away in an Adventure Tours coach to begin our day of group-friendly activities. We started off with at with a docent-led tour of the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.
Our two docents wove an intricate narrative of personal stories and historical facts about the events that led up to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Most of the attendees were in tears at the end of the moving experience.
After the Pentagon, the group took a short drive to visit the Air Force Memorial where we were treated to blue skies and gorgeous views of the city. We enjoyed the memorials beautiful setting and took in the meaningful inscriptions on the walls.
A few minutes later we arrived at the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) where we walked around the newly restored monument and saw panoramic views of Washington, D.C., the Potomac River and Virginia.
After an action-packed morning, we were ready for lunch and drove over to Kona Grill. We dined in a sleek private dining area on Asian-inspired treats tuna poke bowl and mouth-watering Cuban sandwiches.
We grabbed some delicious desserts and walk down hill to The View of D.C. The views are INCREDIBLE. The floor-to-ceiling windows offers never-before-seen vantage points of Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. We stepped out on the deck to take pictures with the National Mall and the Potomac River as our backdrop. The tower even has a photo station to make sure you get that Instagram-worthy shot with the view.
We wrapped up our selfies and made our way to the MedStar Capitals Iceplex and Capitals Team Store. Home of the Stanley Cup Champions Washington Capitals, the Iceplex has a series of event spaces and plenty of options for a team building on the ice. We then got a sneak preview of Ballston Quarter, the new shopping, dining and experiential venue in Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood.
After a quick break and a reception at Pinzimini in The Westin, we closed out the amazing day with a magical nighttime tour of the monuments with Big Bus Washington D.C. As the day came to a close, one planner said “Looking forward to sharing all that I learned with my clients and hopefully will be able to send some groups your way!”
Author: Talia Salem
Located on a beautiful hillside vista in Arlington, VA, the Air Force Memorial honors the service and sacrifice of America’s Airmen.
See the sights of the nation's capital on this Hop On - Hop Off from an open top bus.
