Good News from Seattle

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The 25 Best Places to Travel in 2024

Seattle included in prestigious ‘Where to Go’ list by renowned travel brand AFAR. Recognizing the Emerald City as one of the world’s top destinations for 2024 travel.

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Seattle’s Summit and One-of-a-Kind Vibe Have the Emerald City Soaring

The addition of the Summit building to the Seattle Convention Center (SCC) is one of those game-changing developments that catapults a destination into a rarefied upper range of citywide clients, and the Emerald City was keen to show off it and other meetings and events options to Meetings Today as well as a group from streamlinevents, a San Francisco Bay Area-based experiential events agency.

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Winners of the 2023 Meetings Today Best Of Awards

Visit Seattle and the Seattle Convention Center have both been recognized by Meetings Today as winners of the 2023 Best Of Awards. Recognizing Visit Seattle as one of the Best West CVBs/DMOs and the Seattle Convention Center as one of the Best Convention Centers.

Read the full list of winners here.

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In Seattle, Sports is Part of City’s Culture

In an area that hosted multiple major events throughout this year and with more to come in the months and years ahead, a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest through Visit Seattle showcased the variety of sports the region offers at every level.

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The Best Times to Visit Seattle, According to Locals

Flying fish in Pike Place Market, whale watching in the Puget Sound, and a diverse art scene are just a few reasons that travelers flock to Seattle. The city is an outdoor lover’s paradise packed with plenty of culture thanks to excellent restaurants and world-class museums.

There are reasons to visit in all four seasons: hiking in the summer, leaf-peeping in the fall, snow sports in the winter, and ambling around downtown in the spring. The best time to visit Seattle really depends on your travel goals, but these are the main tourist seasons:

• High Season: May to August
• Shoulder Seasons: September to October and March to April
• Low Season: November to February

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The Best Convention Centers in the U.S.

In a Wall Street Journal ranking of 30 centers, the Seattle Convention Centers ranked among the top 10 best convention centers in the United States. With an overall score of 49.07, and an overall rank of 9th.

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Refract: Seattle’s Vibrant Glass Experience Returns For 5th Anniversary Celebration

Prepare for an enthralling blend of vibrant hues, warmth, illumination, and enthusiasm as Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience comes back to Seattle from October 12 to 15, 2023.

Marking its fifth year, this eagerly awaited occasion presents an impressive lineup of fresh exhibitions, extravagant galas, exclusive studio tours, live showcases, and a chance to connect with a diverse group of emerging local glass artists.

Together, they exemplify Seattle’s reputation as the United States’ foremost center for glass art.

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Food & Wine names Seattle chef among 11 best new chefs in America

The food publication named Chef Aisha Ibrahim of Seattle Canlis restaurant among the 11 best new chefs in America. Ibrahim became the seventh executive chef in the restaurant’s 73-year history. She is the first woman to hold the position.

Ibrahim is also the second local Filipino chef to make this prestigious list, following Melissa Miranda of Seattle’s Musang, who made Food & Wine’s class of 2022.

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From Beachside Boutiques to Seaside Spas, These Are Our Favorite Coastal Retreats

Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, The Edgewater Hotel is the only over-water hotel in Seattle. Channeling its rock-and-roll past (the Beatles and Nirvana stayed here), with amazing views of Elliot Bay, and the excellent Six Seven restaurant offering bayside dining, it’s the quintessential seaside Seattle hotel.

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Seattle Gayborhood is Still One of the Best in the Nation

Capitol Hill is known as Seattle’s gayborhood, though there are also a great deal of straight bars on the hill too, the queer bars are known to be the most prominent and it is the epicenter of pride each year.

Here are a list of recommendations in Seattle’s gayborhood you can enjoy.

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Americans rate Seattle one of safest cities in Gallup poll

Americans think Seattle is one of the country’s safer big cities, according to a new Gallup poll.

In the poll, which surveyed approximately 500 people about their perceptions of safety in metropolitan areas, Seattle ranked in the top three major U.S. cities.

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Why giant trolls are popping up in the Greater Seattle area

The trolls (most of which stand or sit between 12 and 20 feet tall) are the brainchild of Danish environmental artist Thomas Dambo, part of his “Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King” exhibition and the culmination of his recent U.S. tour, in which he is adding 10 troll sculptures — all made from recycled and found materials — to a collection of more than 100 scattered across the globe.

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MLB All-Star Week 2023: Seattle Pulled Out All the Stops for a Successful (and Impactful) Event

From July 7-11, the center of Major League Baseball was Seattle, home to the Mariners and host of the game’s 2023 All-Star Week—one of the most exciting weeks in baseball for fans, and what was surely a home run for the sport itself, its sponsors, and Seattle’s tourism economy.

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Seattle is ready for its sports moment with women at the helm

As a sports town, Seattle is rising anew, and female bosses are taking up space. Don’t dare consider it a coincidence.

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Sleepless in Seattle 30th anniversary events set for Empire State Building, Space Needle

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the iconic Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan rom-com, New York City and Seattle — where the stars’ characters reside while becoming enamored with each other via radio broadcast — have partnered to host special events to honor the Nora Ephron classic.

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Former Microsoft exec and wife donate $200M worth of art to Seattle Art Museum

When the famed physicist Albert Einstein visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the story goes, an abstract mobile by the celebrated American sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976) stopped him in his tracks. He reportedly stared at the moving wire sculpture for 40 minutes, transfixed.

More than a decade later, Jon Shirley experienced a similar thrill when he encountered Calder’s work at the museum as a young man.

Shirley would later become a Microsoft executive, a prominent Seattle art philanthropist and one of the world’s foremost collectors of work by Calder, perhaps best known to Seattleites for “The Eagle,” his soaring red sculpture at Olympic Sculpture Park​​​.

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6 New Venues in Seattle for Spring 2023 Meetings and Events

Here’s a closer look at Seattle’s newest eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces available for events this spring. The new and renovated Seattle venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fundraisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, team-building activities, conferences, meetings, and more.

Take an inside look at these trending restaurants, resorts, meeting and event spaces, and more recently opened in Seattle.

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Seattle Office of Arts & Culture invests $400,000 in Street Art

This summer the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) launches the Spatial Justice through Street Art as its first project under Mayor Harrell’s exciting Many Hands Art Initiative. ARTS in partnership with the Seattle Office of Economic Develop is awarding $400,000 to fund 7 arts organizations to create street murals across the city that reflect our city-wide values of creativity, and belonging through arts.

Murals will be created across the city including Ballard/Interbay, Bitter Lake, Downtown Seattle, Rainier Beach, and SODO. Spatial Justice through Street Art seeks to create new public artworks, provide funding opportunities for creative workers and encourage youth voices in the program to explore and create street art. The selected organizations will create 2D works, foster community among street artists, and create equitable and collaborative spaces to nurture emerging voices.

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This Online Tool Helps Travelers Find Small Businesses in Diverse Communities Across 35 States

Intentionalist is an online small business directory on a mission to guide people toward conscious consumerism. Now, five years later, travelers and community members can easily access recommendations to more than 4,000 local businesses thanks to founder Laura Clise’s community-driven guides.

The platform has recommendations for cities across 35 U.S. states — and the list is growing. Travelers can use the site to find a wide selection of restaurants, cafes, and boutiques to visit. The online directory also has an interactive map with filters to search for veteran-, Indigenous-, LGBTQ+-, Asian-, Latinx-, Black-, or disability-owned businesses. And the site’s blog spotlights business owners and their stories.

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Inside the 21st Century Convention Center

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), the industry is undergoing a “continuing but choppy and uneven recovery,” with 14% of shows last year surpassing their prepandemic levels. In fact, CEIR is predicting that its Total Index – which tracks how much space conventions are using, total attendance, number of exhibitors and revenues – will continue to show improvement, moving up to just 10% below 2019 levels this year and getting close to normal by 2024 at just 3.5% below 2019.

All this bodes well for U.S. convention centers, many of which have been renovating, expanding and finding new ways to meet evolving demand.

Visit Seattle’s senior vice president and chief sales officer, Kelly Saling, said that, even prepandemic, “we saw planners doing progressive and intentional design, taking advantage of spaces outside traditional session rooms and exhibit halls. Lobby, foyer and prefunction areas are often where the magic happens!” Seattle Convention Center’s new addition, Summit, takes that concept a step beyond with The Hillclimb, a functional staircase adjacent to facility escalators that features built-in seating, USB ports and outlets, plus full city views.

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Visit Seattle CEO Tammy Blount-Canavan sells the city to the world

Tammy Blount-Canavan, a veteran of destination marketing, had long hoped for the opportunity to succeed former Visit Seattle President and CEO Tom Norwalk, an industry colleague of hers who led the organization for 15 years before retiring last year.

She interviewed for the job on March 8, 2022 — International Women’s Day. A few weeks later she officially got the job, making her the first woman to lead the city’s nonprofit tourism advocate.

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How the AWP writers conference in Seattle generated an estimated $15M

Woodstock for writers. South by Southwest for scribes. Comic-Con for wordsmiths. AWP Conference & Bookfair, the annual gathering of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, has been likened to a host of cultural touchstones in its 50-year history.

The yearly book bonanza, which travels to a different city each year, was also an economic boon to the city — and an example of the kind of financial and cultural impact such conventions can have. During its four-day run, roughly 9,000 visitors (most of whom traveled from out of state) fanned out over the brand-new convention center and the city to sample more than 300 on-site and 250 off-site events at various bars, restaurants, bookstores and cultural venues.

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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Once Again Named Best Airport in North America by Skytrax

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the best airport in North America for the second year running. The honor was announced by international air transport rating agency Skytrax today at the 2023 World Airport Awards.

Additionally, over the next five years, SEA is embarking on a suite of capital projects to Upgrade SEA with a focus on improving the traveler experience across the airport.

SEA is currently certified with Skytrax’s prestigious 4-Star Airport Rating. It is only the second large hub U.S. airport (serving 40 million or more passengers per year) to be recognized at the 4-Star Rating level.

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Woodstock for writers another win for resurgent Seattle

The annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference may sound dry. But authors refer to it as Woodstock for wordsmiths. It’s the biggest such gathering of its kind in the U.S., a festival of all things literary, including onstage interviews with luminaries like Min Jin Lee and hometown favorite Lindy West.

Seattle has more than numbers at stake here. The city was rated America’s most well-read (yes, by Amazon), with a higher-than-expected number of independent bookstores, so it’s a natural site for a massive writer’s conference.

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Consider These Women-Led Businesses in Seattle for Your Next Event

Seattle has many strengths for meetings. The new Summit Building at Seattle Convention Center has bolstered the city’s ability to host large groups, and the city’s commitment to sustainability is evident throughout its LEED-certified venues and walkable downtown—more than 5,900 rooms within 11 blocks of the convention center makes it an easily accessible destination for attendees.

Standing out, too, is Seattle’s commitment to inclusion. During Women’s History Month this March, it’s worth noting that Seattle is home to the highest share of women-owned businesses in the country at 40%. It’s no surprise that, with this knowledge, the city has been ranked No. 1 in Best Cities for Women Business Owners by Forbes and No. 1 Best City for Women Entrepreneurs by Inc.

If you’re in the process of sourcing vendors in Seattle, consider these few of the many pioneering women in its tourism industry, whose services you can leverage for your next meeting or event.

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Smart Meetings announces 2023 Smart Woman in Meetings Award Winners

Smart Meetings believes in celebrating these epic leaders so others can learn from their bold journeys. Now, more than ever, we need to share the stories of the fulfilling lives of women in the industry so others can visualize the possibility and join us on the path. That is why, for the eighth year, we are featuring the women who inspire us during Women’s History Month and all year long.

Visit Seattle’s President & CEO Tammy Canavan is inducted into the Smart Women in Meetings Hall of Fame while SVP & Chief Sales Officer Kelly Saling is recognized with an Industry Leader Award.

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3 Trends for the Future: Zero-proof Lifestyles, Supercircular Design, and Rewirement

The circular economy model continues to influence businesses and industries striving to operate more sustainably and efficiently.

But what does supercircular design look like in the world of event venues? It’s using furniture crafted from recycled materials, or on a grander scale, repurposing an entire roof from a venue originally constructed for the 1962 World’s Fair for Seattle’s new Climate Pledge Arena. Last year, Convene explored how this $1.15-billion venue — which opened in October 2021 and has set out to become the first International Living Future Institute-certified zero carbon arena in the world — sets the tone for how venues are evolving toward a more sustainable future.

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Kraken partner with Muckleshoot Indian Tribe for jersey ad

The NHL’s Seattle Kraken have partnered with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to put the tribe’s logo on their jerseys and help increase Indigenous youth participation in the area.

The Kraken will be the first team in the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to feature the name of a Native American tribe, unrelated to a casino, on jerseys since advertisements became commonplace in recent years.

The multiyear agreement also involves the construction of a sports court on the Muckleshoot Reservation, more Indigenous art at Climate Pledge Arena and the creation of hockey programs for Indigenous youth in the area.

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Come for the sports, stay for the scenery in Seattle

The tide is high in Puget Sound for an influx of Canadian travellers – especially if diving into sports is on the itinerary.

By car from nearby British Columbia or a flight from further East, Seattle is a wide open field to watch your favourite team play the Kraken, Mariners and Seahawks.

Come for the games, but stay for many great attractions, set against the ocean, mountains and tall timber.

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Summit, Seattle’s New Convention Center Addition, is Ready for Larger Groups

The new $2 billion Seattle Convention Center addition, Summit had its grand opening on January 25, 2023. And “grand” doesn’t do this stunner justice. Witness, for example, its prestigious 2022 World Design Award from the International Architecture Awards Platform, awarded before it even opened its doors.

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Seattle crowned the safest destination for solo travellers in 2023

Seattle, Washington has topped a list of the safest solo travel destinations in the world, beating the likes of Tokyo, Oslo, and Dublin, according to new research.

The 2023 Solo Travel Safety Index created by Post Office Travel Insurance, identifies the top global cities in terms of safety for solitary tourists based on several metrics including: crime rate, average hostel rating, availability of medical care and WHO food safety ratings. Cities were chosen based on Time Out’s most popular locations for solo travellers.

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Seattle’s new convention center is unusually tall

Seattle may now have the world’s most unconventional convention center.

Most convention center are sprawling behemoths. This one in downtown Seattle is a vertical gem.

Located in the city’s narrow downtown, the Seattle Convention Center has just opened a 1.5-million-square-foot expansion that breaks the mold of large, sprawling, mostly horizontal convention centers. Designed by Seattle-based LMN Architects, the $2 billion project has turned this model on its side, creating what they are calling North America’s first vertical convention center.

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10 destinations where you can learn about Black history in America

Though there may be special events in February, these destinations across the country are excellent places to learn more about Black history and the legendary trailblazers who have shaped Black culture, life and history in the U.S. at any time of year.

With a mission to share the “evolution of its Black community” in the Pacific Northwest, the Northwest African American Museum tells the story of the area’s Black history, present and future through art, artifacts and exhibits.

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The US city that keeps changing the world

There’s something in the air in Seattle. And while at first sniff you might assume that it’s coffee, nose a little harder and you’ll notice that Seattle doesn’t run on caffeine — it runs on innovation.

“There’s always someone in Seattle who can do it a little bit better,” says Leonard Garfield, executive director of Seattle’s MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry), where exhibits include the original hand-stenciled Starbucks sign, and the first commercial aircraft ever made by Boeing.

“We don’t necessarily invent things — we make things better,” he adds.

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Visit UNESCO creative cities across America

When it comes to traveling in 2023, why not think outside the box? You can take a road trip to see each and every one of UNESCO’s uniquely satisfying cultural centers and what they have to offer.

Start your journey in Seattle, home of the Space Needle. As a mecca for music, you can pick up some the biggest names across different musical genres.

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Go inside the $2 billion Seattle Convention Center expansion, viewed as a big boost to downtown

GeekWire was on the ground for the ribbon cutting ceremony of Seattle Convention Center’s Summit building. The sparkling new addition is a $2 billion statement piece in the downtown Seattle landscape.

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You can score major savings at some premiere Seattle attractions in February

If you’ve been thinking about heading to Seattle for a getaway, or you live in the city and want a staycation, February may be the perfect time to do it. Especially if you love exploring museums.

February is Seattle Museum Month. From February 1 to 28, if you stay in one of nearly 70 downtown Seattle hotels you will receive a Seattle Museum Month pass for up to four people, granting 50 percent off admission at all participating museums.

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10 reasons you’ll be blown away by Seattle’s glass scene

Seattle is widely regarded as the heart of North America’s studio glass community. The city claims to have more glassblowing shops than anywhere else in the world outside of Murano Island.

Whether you want to look at, buy or create glass art, here are 10 places that make Seattle the best place for it.

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AARP’s City Guide to Seattle

Iconic landmarks, art and fresh seafood define the Emerald City.

The epicenter of the Pacific Northwest, Seattle overlooks the Salish Sea, one of the world’s biggest and most biodiverse inland oceans. Nature understandably commands the spotlight, but the Emerald City also turns up the heat with creativity (beyond grunge, yes) and technological innovation, from Boeing to more recent upstarts including Microsoft and Amazon. This vibrant metropolis showcases its flair from the iconic Space Needle to glass art, ferries to funky islands, museums galore and the gourmet Pike Place Market. Here are the best ways to explore this lovely, leafy destination.

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9 Amazing Things To Do In Seattle When It’s Raining

I was thrilled to realize that the rain seemed to intensify the entertainment at many of Seattle’s attractions – from the spectacular Glasshouse at Chihuly Garden and Glass to the city’s iconic coffee shop scene.

Here are 9 amazing things to do in Seattle when it’s raining.

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Seattle will officially host the 2024 Winter Classic & here’s what we know so far

The NHL has announced that Seattle will host the 2024 Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at T-Mobile Park, the home of the Seattle Mariners. The Seattle Kraken will face the Vegas Golden Knights in what is sure to be a great matchup between the NHL’s newest franchises.