Marty and I were in Des Moines, IA this week for a site visit as we prepare for GROW! 2024 on February 6-8, 2023. We visited RJ Lawn & Landscape, our tour hosts, did a walk-through of what will be our event space, and enjoyed the city. Here are my thoughts as I sit in the airport waiting for my flight home:
An Easy City
The entire trip was low-hassle, which is my favorite kind of trip. Marty and I walked nearly everywhere we went while in town, mainly using the skywalk system that connects so much of downtown Des Moines to explore the city without having to step outside, including our hotel options and the event space. It was clean, safe, and easy to navigate.
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When our group is in town for GROW! we'll have shuttles available for anyone flying into town to get to and from the airport for free, and if you're driving in, garage parking was plentiful and affordable throughout downtown Des Moines and our hotels.
Great Meals
Every meal we had was delicious while we were in town, and it was easy to walk in and get a table quickly. We had lunch at Fresko, with options like omelets, brunch sweets, sandwiches, and salads. Dinner we enjoyed at Django, which was equally delicious. Both restaurants would be great atmospheres for teams to enjoy dinner together when you're here with us. We'll have dine-arounds available for attendees who want to meet new people and network (watch for the sign-up link for these before the event), or if you'd rather go out to dinner with your team, you can pick options and make reservations to do that!
To everyone already registered:
Take a moment this week to ensure you’ve also booked your flight (if needed) and hotel room. The closest hotel to the Iowa Event Center will be the Hilton, and rooms are quickly filling up in that room block. If you wait to make your reservation, you may instead be staying at the Renaissance Savery Hotel or the Marriott. Both are still great options, Marty and I stayed at the Renaissance and loved it, and it was such a short walk through the skywalks to get to event sessions. Here's the details on this year's hotels:
The Hilton Des Moines Downtown ($179)
Connects to Iowa Events Center via skywalk.
Comfort Inn and Suites Event Center ($149)
Located across the street from the Iowa Events Center.
The Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel ($199)
A skywalk system connects this hotel to the convention center, about a 10-minute walk.
The Des Moines Marriott Downtown ($179)
A skywalk system connects this hotel to the convention center, about a 12-minute walk.
I hope to see you at GROW! 2024 on February 6-8, 2024. We have a record number of landscape pros signed up so far, and we’re expecting this year’s event to be our biggest and best yet!
Emily Lindley
Content & Events Manager
The Grow Group