The Bristol Event Center officially opened for business last month and is ramping up activities heading into what’s expected to be a busy 2024.
After several pandemic-related construction and development delays, the $25 million Bristol Event Center at 112 Century Drive, next to the DoubleTree by Hilton, hosted several events in late October and has more than a dozen scheduled for next year.
“It’s been great. We were able to stack some business for 2023, and then looking ahead into 2024, we already have 17 or 18 events booked on the calendar, which is awesome,” said Julia Miller, general manager of the Bristol Event Center.
The first event at the property was technically a wedding in September, but Miller said there were still a few final steps in construction. The facility “officially” opened with a series of events last month: a women’s conference Oct. 21, a bridal showcase Oct. 25, and a chamber of commerce dinner Oct. 26.
More events are scheduled for November and December, Miller said.
“We’ve had a sales team in place for close to a year, so we can attribute that to the success of having events on the calendar at this point,” Miller said.
Prestige Hospitality Group (PHG), of New York, manages the property. The company owns, develops and manages more than 30 hotels and hospitality properties across the country.
Miller, who formerly worked for the Connecticut Convention Center, said she expects the venue’s busy season to be in the fall and spring during “peak” wedding season. The facility also has space for social events.
The 30,000-square-foot conference and event center features a 9,400-square-foot main ballroom area and thousands of square feet of other lecture and function space. There’s also more than 8,000 square feet of outdoor gathering space.
