Driving and Parking Info and (Sat. AM) River Bank Run
1) Hotel Directions and Parking
The Amway Grand is located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at 225 Pearl Street NW (GPS address).
- Driving Directions and Hotel Parking Information (Hotel-provided)
- Alternate Parking: if, unexpectedly, there is no parking at the hotel, there are parking options (pdf) around the city (e.g., park behind Van Andel Arena and take the skywalk from the Courtyard to the Amway Grand, which is at Pearl and Monroe).
2) Fifth Third River Bank Run (for those driving to hotel on Sat. morning)
While the large majority of LOEX 2014 attendees are staying at a downtown hotel, and won't have trouble getting to the conference (because they will be walking), this River Bank Run will affect those driving in on Saturday morning (e.g., you are staying at a friend's house in Kentwood).
This is a large event (over 15,000 runners); it will cause many road closures downtown on Saturday, May 10, mostly between 6:30 - 10:30am. The convention bureau has provided a LOEX detour map (pdf) for those driving in on Saturday morning. This will also be available at the LOEX Reg / Info desk.
We have communicated, multiple times over the past few weeks, with the convention bureau and hotel staff and they have assured us that police are well-aware people attending a conference need to get to the Amway Grand. The police and hotel staff are supposed to ensure attendees, likely after a delay, will be waived through. So if you are driving in on Saturday morning, please give yourself an extra 10-15 minutes.
The roads will essentially be re-opened by 10:30am, so this will not have a meaningful impact on those leaving the conference.
Additional River Bank Run Information:
- Complete Parking & Traffic Info and Course Info/Maps (Run-provided)
