Directory of Meeting,
Banquet, and Event Facilities
in Central Illinois
Here are a few
of my favorite Event Locations in the Central Illinois area. These are all
locations where I've worked for various groups. Based on my
experiences with them, they're all ones I feel comfortable recommending
as facilities for your event.
Forté
& inPlay at the Maxam
Downtown Peoria
This facility has a lot
to offer, and I'm really impressed with their approach. The
recently renovated Maxam is the former Kirby Risk Building, which I
believe was previously a warehouse. It's right downtown in
Peoria, a block from the Riverfront. It's a full
service entertainment and event complex with state of the art
amenities, a newly opened restaurant/ nightclub called Icons, a variety
of banquet and meeting facilities, and the enormous 2-floor
entertainment complex which even has it's own rock climbing
wall. They offer many different packages for a wide range of
events, from birthday parties to weddings to corporate meetings and
banquets. Their on-staff event planning team can help you
find creative solutions to your needs.
- Buffet or sit down catering w/ full bar service and
customized menus!
- Meeting/ hospitality suite, conference rooms, and banquet/ conference center can
accomodate groups from 12 to up to 350 for a "sit-down" meal.
- Customized decorating, top of the line modern technology for business support,
A/V, and other needs.
- Specialty packages for birthday parties, weddings, proms, and other social events.
Forte and inPlay
at
the Maxam
316 SW Washington
Peoria, Illinois 61602
Phone: 309-676-1000
Fax: 309-672-1976
E-mail
Website
Hotel Pere Marquette
Downtown
Peoria
Promoted as Peoria's premiere
hotel, the Pere Marquette recently celebrated its 75th year in
business. After extensive renovation and restoration in 1981,
it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The beautiful interior and banquet rooms reflect grandeur and
elegance. It's right across from the Peoria Civic Center, and
only 4 blocks from the riverfront attractions, in the heart of Peoria's
downtown business district. They offer extensive catering
menus, and have two adjoining ballrooms and several smaller meeting and
banquet rooms, and can accommodate groups of any size up to
850. My experiences of working with them have been of
professionalism and high quality.
- The elegant Marquette
Ballroom seats up to 1100 for theatre seating, or up to
700 for banquets.
- Carnegie's,
The
American Cafe, and the Rendezvous
Lounge offer a variety of in house dining and bar choices.
- Some
audio/ visual and staging equipment available. Call for
details.
501 Main
Street Peoria, Illinois 61602 (309) 637-6500 1-800-447-1676
(Reservations Only) Website
Par-a-dice Hotel
East Peoria
Adjacent to the Par-a-dice
Riverboat Casino, the Hotel is pretty impressive in it's
own regard. I was impressed with both the facility as well as
the professionalism of the staff. They're really on the ball
from what I can tell. Since it's such a new facility, they
have the most up to date of services and state of the art audio visual
equipment. And of course, if your guests like gambling, it's
just a short walk over to the boat!
- Large Ballroom which seats up to 700 for banquets and can be partitioned into
smaller sections, 2 Meeting rooms, the brand new Plaza Room, and a
Boardroom offer over 17,000 sqare feet of total space for a variety of
choices.
- Sit-down or Buffet style catering by award
winning chefs available.
- Top notch in house audio
visual and other equipment, such as dance floors, etc. available.
21 Blackjack Blvd.
East Peoria, IL 61611
1-8004FUN-777
309-699-7711 Website
Wildlife
Prairie State Park
Hanna City/ Peoria
If you're looking for something really different, this may be just the
ticket. Well known for it's variety of native wildlife and outdoor and
nature events, Wildlife
Prairie State Park also offers several diverse
options and locations for meetings, banquets, and other events. Rustic
settings, expansive views, and scenic backgrounds give a touch of
uniqueness to events. Several indoor and outdoor facilities available.
- Really unique settings for your event, from the
"Prairie Hall" to the "Parkside Pavillion", the "Log Room" and at least
nine other equally interesting event settings. See descriptions of each
on their website.
- In house catering provided by Heart of America.
-
A variety of special events at the park offer other activities to plan
your events around.
3826 N. Taylor Road
Hanna City, IL 61536
309-676-0998
Website
Crowne
Plaza Hotel
Springfield
If you're
looking for high quality in a modern, spacious setting, the Crowne
Plaza offers over 55,000 square feet of convention space including a
30,000 square foot street level plaza, a 15,000 square foot column free
ballroom, and an entire floor of private conference rooms. All meeting
space offers permanent walls that offer flexibility for breakout
sessions, hospitalities and small board meetings.
- Professional staff to help in planning and running
your event.
- State of the art sound and media equipment.
- Located just off I-55 in Springfield, easy to find
and get to (it's clearly visible from the freeway.)
3000
South Dirksen Pkwy
Springfield, IL 62703
Toll-Free: 8005892769
217-529-7777
Website
Ravina-on-the-Lakes
Peoria
This is a charming little
get away sort of location. It's really beautiful for a wedding, a
reception, or any other private function where you're looking for a
really nice setting. They're set on a private 120 acre park set amongst
a small forest of trees and surrounding a scenic lake. They have both
indoor as well as outside sheltered facilities, and their friendly
staff is great to work with.
- Specializes in weddings, receptions, reunions, and
business functions.
- Indoor, year round banquet hall seats 300.
Screened in Pavillion seats 600.
- Lakeside arbor, baseball diamond, sand volleyball,
playground, make a great location for large picnics and other casual
"outdoor" gatherings.
- A variety of interesting catering options,
including creative theme events.
5326 W. Charter Oak Road
Peoria, IL 61615
309-692-3530
Website
www.springfield-il.com
Springfield
Though this website isn't just about event facilities, if you're
planning your event in the Springfield area, the site has a great
variety of resources and information on the area. It does have a
listing of banquet facilities, hotels, and attractions, as well as
ideas on lots of things to do while in Springfield. Overall a
great resource!
Would you like your facility listed in my directory?
Contact me to submit it for consideration:
EMAIL
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