Approximately 1,900 in-person attendees traveled to St. Louis June 18-20 for this year’s MPI World Education Congress (WEC)—me included! As a first-time visitor and conference attendee in the Gateway City, I knew I had more than the iconic Gateway Arch to see.
A dedicated meetings media fam experience with Explore St. Louis gave me the opportunity to experience St. Louis’ meetings and events offerings, attractions, dining and more beyond its renowned monument and outside the doors of the newly expanded America’s Center Convention Complex.
Read on for a recap of all the St. Louis sites and bites the Explore St. Louis team squeezed into our media fam agenda, and what made each a memorable choice for meetings and events.
[Related: MPI WEC 2025 Wraps Its St. Louis 'Rally']
Day One: A Future-Focused City Where Past Meets Present
Back-to-back trips made my travel schedule a bit of a pain to work with, but the Explore St. Louis team didn’t miss a beat in ensuring I saw as much of the city as I could. They worked closely with me to confirm my availability and customize an itinerary that included site visits to some standout St. Louis event venues before the conference kicked off, and the fun started the moment I arrived.
When I landed at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), it was straight to baggage claim and over to the rideshare pick-up area, where I caught a 25-minute Uber to the 917-room Marriott St. Louis Grand located directly across the street from the Washington Avenue entrance of America’s Center Convention Complex. Known originally as the Statler Hotel upon its debut in 1917, the property is registered as a National Historic Landmark and offers more than 74,000 square feet of meeting space across 40 event rooms and 32 breakout rooms.
It's also as conveniently close to the America’s Center Convention Complex as it can be, which made Marriott St. Louis Grand an ideal hotel for MPI WEC attendees. Just across the street, America’s Center Convention Complex beckoned with top-tier education curated by MPI and a new 72,000-square-foot exhibit venue, Hall 4X, where the show’s general sessions took place.
I made my way over to America’s Center Convention Complex shortly after dropping my things off at Marriott St. Louis Grand, and after a quick peek around the MPI WEC tradeshow floor, I was off with Explore St. Louis on our way to the Saint Louis Art Museum. The three-story building in Forest Park dates to 1904, when it opened as the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
Today, the Saint Louis Art Museum offers free admission, a comprehensive collection spanning 5,000 years of cultures and genres and unique event venues to give your meeting in St. Louis an artistic touch. The 7,500-square-foot Sculpture Hall is a popular option, serving as the grand entrance to the museum’s Beaux Arts building that was designed by famed architect Cass Gilbert. The space features Roman arches and vaults and can accommodate 250 seated or 400 for a cocktail reception.
After some free time to peruse the museum’s rooms and exhibitions—and a brief pause to take in the views of Forest Park’s 1,300-plus acres—we stopped at St. Louis Union Station for a cocktail at Grand Hall, a space with 100-plus years of history. The “crown jewel” of St. Louis Union Station, Grand Hall features a sweeping archway, fresco and gold leaf detailing, mosaics and art glass windows, as well as a unique and innovative 3D experience projected on its ceiling. The space measures just under 9,000 square feet and can host 400 for a banquet or 600 for a reception.
We ended the day with drinks and dinner at 360 Rooftop Bar at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, which is available for private events and group gatherings of up to 300. Soaring 400 feet above St. Louis, overlooking the Gateway Arch to one side and Busch Stadium on the other, we sipped on craft cocktails and beer, snacked on Brussels sprouts and smoked mac and cheese, and watched the colors of the sky fade over the mighty Mississippi River.
[Related: Continued Growth and Infrastructure Projects Put St. Louis in the Spotlight]
Day Two: Culture and the Cardinals
Before MPI WEC’s opening general session, Explore St. Louis took us on an adventure through City Museum, “an all-ages architectural playground” housed in the former International Shoe building in St. Louis’ Washington Avenue Loft District. The brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur, City Museum opened in 1997 and offers 600,000 square feet of possibility, with hidden tunnels that twist and turn, rooms built to make you wonder, and a sense of youthful adventure that can turn any adult into a kid again.
City Museum is home to 29,000-plus artifacts from around the world that’ve been collected to turn the museum into what it is today—an airplane soars high above the parking lot, a bus seems to dangle off the roof, thousands of scraps from Boeing hang from the ceiling of one room to create a rippling water effect, and donated oyster shells turn a column into a sea-themed mosaic. At City Museum, everything has the potential to be something.
The museum has spaces for groups from 40 to 2,000-plus people. The First Floor and Mezzanine levels offer an oceanic-themed space with mermaids and sea creatures that swim and swirl across the mosaic floors. The space can host 100 seated or 200 standing. The second-floor Vault Room stuns with a marble bar, bank vault doors, historical St. Louis relics and a kaleidoscopic hallway of mirrors. City Museum also has plans to open a new ballroom in the next year that is set to accommodate up to 600 seated and 800 standing.
We spent the remainder of our afternoon at City Foundry STL, the first food hall in St. Louis and featuring 20 kitchens helmed by all-local chefs and serving up a variety of feasts and flavors. The creative complex is housed in another storied property in St. Louis, purchased 100 years ago by Century Electric Company.
Our tour of City Foundry STL included stops at:
- 18Rails | THE venue @ City Foundry STL: Named after the former hub on which it sits, where 18 rail lines once connected St. Louis to the rest of the country, 18Rails offers 6,724 square feet of space for up to 700 standing and still maintains its industrial roots while offering a modern aesthetic and meetings amenities.
- City Winery St. Louis: A culinary and cultural experience, City Winery is known for its signature intimate concerts and live performances, food and wine experiences, upscale dining options and private event offerings for up to 350. The concert venue seats 180 while the main dining room can accommodate 60 seated or 80 for a reception.
- Puttshack - St. Louis: This tech-infused mini golf adventure offers four, nine-hole mini golf courses; shareable bites; crafted cocktails; and private, customizable event spaces for groups.
- None of the Above: Tucked away deep within the historic underground tunnels of City Foundry STL, None of the Above is a sophisticated speakeasy and exclusive upscale cocktail concept curated by Niche Food Group Bar Manager Fionna Gemzon. Groups of up to 16 can take over the Library, an intimate, tucked-away space with a mix of soft seating and tables, curated decor and warm lighting. Full facility buyouts across the Library and the Lounge are available for groups up to 50.
Baseball was the theme of the evening, which ended with MPI WEC’s opening celebration at Busch Stadium, home of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. Attendees snacked on peanuts, cracker jacks and toasted ravioli (a St. Louis staple!) while exploring the Cardinals locker room and showing off their swings in the batting cages.
[Related: Q&A With Explore St. Louis' New President & CEO Brad Dean]
Day Three: High-End Hospitality and St. Louis Spirit
My final full day in St. Louis started with a tour of Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, a luxury five-star property downtown on the banks of the Mississippi River. The hotel’s 200 guest rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows, bedding that looks like clouds and soaking bathtubs deep enough to swim in. Guests can enjoy poolside cabanas with a view on the hotel’s Sky Terrace, unwind in one of 12 treatment rooms at The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis or sip and snack in the lobby lounge.
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis offers 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 7,308-square-foot ballroom with space for 480 banquet-style and the 1,216-square-foot Sixth Floor Terrace, with space for up to 150 for a reception.
The property is also home to Ramsay’s Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, where Explore St. Louis and the Four Seasons organized a private media lunch at Chef’s Table. Tucked behind the restaurant and accessible only through the working kitchen, Chef's Table seats up to 10 guests and features a glass-enclosed wine cellar, original artwork on the wall and high-quality levels of service.
We were greeted with a welcome mocktail, the Lychee Cooler, made with lychee, grapefruit, lime and elderflower syrup. Our menu consisted of sticky cauliflower, tomato burrata, a seasonal compressed melon salad, chickpea tikka masala and the signature RK Burger, with caramelized onions, American cheese, mayonnaise and a pickle spear on a toasted brioche bun.
That evening was my last in St. Louis, and it ended with a colorful, musical celebration at The Pageant for MPI Foundation’s fundraising and networking event, Rendezvous. The world-renowned concert venue in the Delmar Loop opened in October 2000 and offers 33,000 square feet of space that can be transformed for private events of up to 2,000 people.
For us, it transformed into a singalong dance party with a live band, smoke machines, light-up sunglasses and rubber rings, all tied together with that special St. Louis spirit.
