Straddling the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities (Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in Illinois) offer an abundance of venues, accommodations, activities and more, all in a picturesque setting that exudes the charm that can only be found in Midwest river towns. For convenient location, accessibility, and superior hospitality and service, you’ll want to plan your next event here.

1. A River Run's Through It. The Quad Cities is the only place the river runs east to west, changing your view and perspective, creating a majestic backdrop, and inspiring your meeting attendees. Many groups take advantage of a unique off-site venue for their dinner or lunch aboard the Celebration Belle, the largest passenger vessel on the upper Mississippi. The vessel’s galley ensures that food is fresh, hot, and delicious, while on board, there is entertainment, dancing, and a top deck for catching a great sunset.

2. Downtown Mojo. The Quad Cities offers three major convention centers in our riverfront downtowns. Davenports’ Quad Cities Event Center includes the DoubleTree by Hilton Davenport, the historic Hotel Blackhawk, Autograph Collection, and the RiverCenter/Adler Theatre, with a combined 352 hotel rooms and 117,000 square feet of meeting space. Moline’s TaxSlayer Center houses a 12,000 seat arena, a 24,000 square-foot conference center and 11,000 square feet of concourse and lobby space for receptions or additional exhibit space. Right next door is the award-winning Radisson on John Deere Commons - Moline, with 163 rooms and a nearby bike path that leads to the Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center featuring 140 sleeping rooms and 12,000 square feet of additional meeting space. Just across the river in Bettendorf is Iowa’s largest hotel, the Isle Casino Hotel, with 514 sleeping rooms. The Isle Conference Center has 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a hotel that’s connected by skywalk to the Quad Cities’ Waterfront Convention Center, a gorgeous 24,000 square-foot facility.

3. The big green machine. John Deere’s worldwide headquarters are located in The Quad Cities where ag is king and attendees can marvel at the size and scope of the combines and implements that are manufactured there. Factory tours, Deere homes, and The John Deere Pavilion are a few of the popular activities to explore. The John Deere Pavilion depicts the past, present, and future of agriculture, and demonstrates how John Deere is helping feed our growing world population. The Quad Cities is a proud host to many agricultural related meetings and events.

4. Recognizing Excellence. Planners’ jobs are made easy when they count on our award-winning facilities, like the Hotel Blackhawk, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel that has earned the AAA 4-Diamond award, Forbes Travel 2012 and 2013 recommendation, Trip Advisor's Certificate of Excellence, and was included in Startle.com’s list of top 10 historic hotels. The Radisson on John Deere Commons - Moline has earned the Carlson Travel President's Award for cleanliness and customer service for ten years running. Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center has received Trip Advisor's Certificate of Excellence, a many of the area’s full service hotels.

5. Service and Surprises. That's what planners can expect when they consider the Quad Cities for their meeting or event. The sales, servicing, and marketing team at the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau are always looking for ways to enhance the planner and attendees’ experience. We can help with attendance building, facility and hotel room bids, and the site selection process. We’ll connect planners to our local services and like-minded community leaders, as well as create a media buzz when appropriate. We know that every meeting has a specific goal and desired outcome, and so we take time to understand that first, then connect the dots to add to the success of your meeting. We are currently offering a Summer FAM for planners to create their own experience in the Quad Cities. We want to invite planners to enjoy up to two nights, with a customized experience at their own leisure, so they can say, “WOW, I'm really surprised at how much the Quad Cities has to offer.”

To learn more about our Summer FAM offer or to book your event in the Quad Cities, visit our website.