When you plan your next meeting or conference in Greater Lansing, you’re not just selecting a venue; you’re choosing a community. Incorporating Lansing’s locally owned, small businesses into your event adds authenticity, flavor, and heart. Think locally roasted coffee breaks, hand-crafted attendee gifts, homegrown entertainment, and custom décor inspired by the region. 

Partnering with small businesses enhances the attendee experience, and it strengthens your event’s connection to the destination, leaving a lasting impression on your attendees.

Here’s a sampling of small businesses ready to help you create a one-of-a-kind meeting experience in Greater Lansing.

bakery case filled with baked goods

Local Bakeries

  • Flour Child Bakery and Cafe – Known for their small-batch pastries, cookies, and cakes, Flour Child adds a comforting, homemade touch to your morning breaks or dessert tables.
  • Mitten Raised Bakery – A Lansing favorite specializing in handcrafted donuts, creative confections, and seasonal treats—perfect for brunches or snack stations.

DJ and entertainment center set up for an event

Entertainment

  • Cherry State Entertainment - Brings energy and professionalism with DJ, lighting, and event production services tailored for everything from galas to corporate celebrations.
  • Angry Talent Entertainment - Provides live music booking services which connects talented music professionals with venues, organizations and events throughout the state.

Ballon arch with LAN in the middle by Stellableu Designs

Custom Décor & Branded Swag

  • LollyBean – Custom balloon arches and décor that add color, fun, and personality to any space.
  • Stellableu Designs – Specializes in creative event design, offering custom balloons, florals, and signage.
  • A. Dean Watkins Company – Celebrating 75 years of local service, this Lansing mainstay offers expert printing and high-quality branded items to keep your event materials polished, professional, and proudly local.
  • Jungle Jane Promotions – recommending how promotional products can be part of the solution. Branded clothing, hats, drinkware, eco-friendly items,  bags, party gifts, table items 
  • BRD Printing – full service Lithography specializing in brochures, catalogs and direct mail pieces plus logoed items like totes, etc.

Colorful Ice Cream Flight from the MSU Dairy Store.

Local Gifts

  • The Beeswax Barrn – Offers eco-friendly candles and products made from Michigan beeswax, perfect for sustainable gift bags.
  • House of Promise – Handcrafted soaps made by survivors of trauma, adding a meaningful, impactful story to your attendee gifts.
  • Hanovers Chocolates – Gourmet artisan chocolates with the option for custom logos, making them a delicious and branded takeaway.
  • MSU Dairy Store – Feature iconic local ice cream or honey from the Michigan State University campus for a true Lansing signature touch.
  • Sweet Encounter Bakery - Gluten-free cupcakes in a jar as endorsed on Shark Tank!

Attendees at the 2023 Choose Lansing Annual meeting at The Venue by Eleven 11 Events.

Venues

  • The Windsor Room (Dimondale) – A charming, flexible space ideal for intimate gatherings, with a warm, local feel.
  • The Venue by Eleven 11 Events – A versatile, modern location with the added benefit of in-house décor and event design services.
  • Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood – Creative event spaces that merge arts and community, perfect for receptions, performances, or team-building sessions.

Catering dishes from Social Sloth Café featuring Turkish cuisine.

Catering & Beverage Highlights

  • The Soup Spoon Café – Locally owned and loved for its scratch-made soups, farm-fresh entrées, and warm hospitality.
  • Peculiar Coffee – A woman-owned mobile espresso bar that brings crafted coffee drinks and personal service right to your venue for morning sessions or networking breaks.
  • Social Sloth – A family-owned Turkish restaurant offering authentic dishes like köfte (meatballs), tavuk kebabı (chicken kebab), and mantı (Turkish ravioli). Their flavorful menu of wraps, soups, and homemade baklava creates a memorable culinary experience with global flair and local heart.

By choosing local for your meetings, you create events that reflect regional character, boost local jobs, and circulate money within the community. This thoughtful approach not only enriches the attendee experience but also makes a positive, lasting impact. Embrace local businesses in your event planning to foster a vibrant, connected community everyone benefits from.

Choose Local. Choose Lansing. Plan on something Greater.