Small Market Meetings April 2017

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WELCOME TO A PLACE THAT MAKES ANY AGENDA MORE EXCITING. Located at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge offers a variety of meeting venues of all sizes, and features unique activities for any team to enjoy together.

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Courtesy Jim Cullumber

Volume 18

Issue 4

April 2017

Email Etiquette

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These rules will help you win with electronic communication.

...

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Religious Meeting Insights Faith-based planners share tips for winning and keeping religious group business.

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Falling for Frederick Civil War history is just one part of the Maryland cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charm.

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Courtesy Tourism Council of Frederick Co.

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Indiana Opulence The hotels at French Lick Springs offer distinctive ambiance and amenities.

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A Georgia Ranch Retreat The Rock Ranch blends agricultural heritage with family fun.

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Discover unique hotels, golf destinations and small-town charm of North and South Carolina.

On the cover: Visitors can find charming neighborhoods, such as the French Quarters, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

By Josh Owen

SMALL MARKET MEETINGS is published monthly by Pioneer Publishing, Inc., 301 E. High St., Lexington, KY 40507, and is distributed free of charge to qualified meeting planners who plan meetings in small and medium size towns and cities. All other meeting industry suppliers, including hotels, conference centers, convention centers, destinations, transportation companies, restaurants and other meeting industry-related companies may subscribe by sending a check for $39 for one year to: Small Market Meetings, Circulation Department, 301 East High St., Lexington, KY 40507. Phone (866) 356-5128 (toll-free) or (859) 225-1452. Fax: (859) 253-0499. Copyright SMALL MARKET MEETINGS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of editorial or graphic content in any manner without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited.

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Carolinas Meeting Guide Courtesy The Rock Ranch

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866-356-5128 kelly@grouptravelleader.com

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The Tennessean Hotel to Open in Knoxville in April

Stay, Dine, Courtesy The Tennessean Hotel

World’s Fair Park in Knoxville will be the site of the new Tennessean Hotel.

126 S. Illinois Avenue Carbondale, il 62901 618-529-4451 info@carbondaletourism.org

6

Industry News

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — The Tennessean Hotel will open in downtown Knoxville this month. Benchmark will operate the property, which has 82 guest rooms and 12 luxury residences in the World’s Fair Park. The park sits on the perimeter of the campus at the University of Tennessee, a partner in the new hotel.

“Knoxville is a vibrant, thriving hub for business and leisure travel and now one of the hottest hotel markets in the U.S.,” said Alex Cabañas, CEO of Benchmark.

The hotel is being developed on the grounds of the 1982 World’s Fair Park and adjacent to many attractions in downtown Knoxville. Guests of the Tennessean Hotel can take in the city’s diverse arts, theater and culinary scene; shop in the boutiques of Market Square; take a cruise on the Tennessee River; visit the acclaimed Knoxville Zoo; and visit several historic sites in the area.

The Park Pavilion, located adjacent to the Tennessean, offers 16,000 square feet of indoor venue space, with an option for outdoor space at Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park.

Event breakout spaces, prefunction space, floor-to-ceiling air curtains and hidden service hallways make this flexible space suit-

able for events, functions, conferences and receptions. Within the hotel is the Boardroom, which features butler service.

The Tennessean uses sustainable culinary practices and features meats, cheeses and produce from the region in the Drawing Room, the hotel’s lounge and bar. These farmto-table menus change with the seasons.

Tennessee’s whiskey and locally brewed craft beers bring a new dimension to the hotel’s bar offerings, which feature Knoxville’s largest selection of Tennessee Small Batch Whiskey. The Drawing Room offers views of the World’s Fair Park; Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Smokey Mountains; and the iconic Sunsphere. www.thetennesseanhotel.com

Correction An article in our March issue incorrectly stated the size of the Peoria Civic Center’s exhibit space as 10,000 square feet. The center actually has 110,000 square feet of unobstructed exhibit space.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Historic Cavalier Hotel to Reopen After $75 Million Update VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia — A Virginia icon, the Cavalier Hotel, will reopen its oceanfront doors this spring/summer after a massive $75 million restoration that includes nearly 3,800 square feet of meeting space.

Inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and built in 1927, the Cavalier Hotel was designed by Norfolk, Virginia-based architect Clarence Neff and became an instant landmark that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During its heyday, the Cavalier changed the landscape and social scene of Virginia Beach’s oceanfront, playing host to 10 U.S. presidents and dozens of celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Muhammad Ali and Frank Sinatra. It also was a major venue for performers in the big-band era, like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller.

In 2014, developer Gold Key/PHR began the extensive renovation and restoration of the Marriott property overseen by Norfolk-based architecture firm Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas. The remodel will bring new life to many of the original Neoclassical features

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that made the Cavalier a visual oceanfront icon. Exterior details, like the pedestals and finials, the iconic-style pilasters and the portico with Classical columns, have been meticulously and respectfully restored. Much effort went into salvaging each of the original windows on the first floor and in public spaces, which required several hundred hours of work, completed mostly by hand.

Inside, much of the original paneling, plaster ornamentation, terrazzo flooring and painted ceilings was also thoughtfully reconditioned to historical accuracy.

To accommodate the needs of today’s guests, many additions and modern improvements have been made, too. The original hotel design had 195 guest rooms that have been reconfigured to create the more spacious 85 standard rooms and suites that will make up the new Cavalier. Each of the suites will be individually designed with historically precise materials to reflect a famous guest or notable event from the hotel’s past.

Meeting and event space will include a 2,490-square-foot ballroom and two salon

Courtesy Cavalier Hotel

Virginia Beach’s newly reopening Cavalier Hotel was constructed in 1927. rooms that can be adjoined to create almost 1,300-square-feet of additional space.

A new distillery on-site will delight guests with a tasting room, distillery tours and the opportunity to create and distill their own barrels, as well as purchase the Cavalier’s signature bourbon, gin and vodka made onsite. The historic Raleigh Room will feature a fireplace, along with billiards, game tables, drink carts and seating along a tall and luminous back bar. Foodies will be delighted by Becca, a restaurant and garden where inspired farm-to-table fare made with local ingredients is served. www.cavalierhotel.com

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April 2017

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Meeting Leaders: Loren Gold b 26 28 2017 September 26-28,

By Rachel Carter

T

hough he is the executive vice president of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Loren Gold is not above hopping behind the wheel of the CVB’s Loren Gold van and taking visitors for an hourlong “windshield tour” to show his passengers the sites of his adopted city.

“Call me a step-on guide, I guess,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve got it down pretty good.”

Gold’s foray into the meetings and hospitality industry came with an early break right out of college. After growing up mostly in northern Virginia right outside of Washington, D.C., he decided to go west for college. Upon graduating from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication, he got “a break right out of the gate.” He and his then-sweetheart-nowwife were looking to move back to the D.C. area, and Marriott Hotels was looking for support sales managers. Gold was accepted into the company’s sales training program.

But his introduction to both the hospitality business and meetings industry came much earlier.

“Actually, a little bit of it was in my roots, in my blood, if you will,” he said.

His mother worked for The Ritz-Carlton in Chicago and The Watergate Hotel in D.C. when he was young, and his father ran a trade association. Growing up, he often went with them to annual conventions and “saw the working parts of the meetings industry,” he said. “I quickly fell into understanding the nonprofit worlds.”

Working as a national sales manager for Marriott Hotels — “one of the best companies in the industry from a training standpoint,” he said — led to his customercentric philosophy that he preaches to this day. CVBs must look at their destination and their actions both from an internal perspective — the

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Conference Report

Courtesy Greater Raleigh CVB

Loren Gold, bottom center, poses with Al Roker and Raleigh volunteers during a bluegrass music event. hotels, attractions, restaurants and businesses that are their clients — and from an external view, i.e., the meeting planners, attendees and visitors coming to the destination.

After leaving Marriott, Gold ran his own company providing regional DMO services before joining Wyndham Hotels and Resorts in 2002 as the director of national accounts.

Then, after 32 years in northern Virginia, Gold left the hotel industry and D.C. behind and moved his wife, two sons and daughter to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he accepted a position as director of sales for the Greater Raleigh CVB. Now, nearly 12 years later, Gold describes Raleigh as “a big city with a small-town heart,” adding, “Southern hospitality is part of what we do.” But the city and surrounding area are also home to three prestigious universities: North Carolina State University in Raleigh; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Those schools and the cities they call home form the anchor points of Research Triangle, a region known for its highly educated workforce, research facilities and high-tech companies.

“We are very much driven by passionate minds and creative minds — people who tap into intellectual capital,” Gold said.

The region is teeming with “people who are looking to do the next big thing in their industries,” and that trickles down to the local makers and creative entrepreneurs, including CVB staff, who are always looking for new

ideas and new opportunities.

One example of that entrepreneurial spirit and one of the accomplishments of which Gold is most proud is the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA’s) annual convention, which moved to Raleigh from Nashville, Tennessee, in 2013.

“We pitched them on that entrepreneurial spirit,” Gold said. “We said, ‘Come to Raleigh; let us help you reboot it; let us curate a weekend music festival that will elevate your brand.”

Now, in addition to the IBMA business conference and awards ceremony held at the Raleigh Convention Center, the event includes a weekend bluegrass music festival that drew 100,000 people in its first year. Last year, attendance was 180,000 people, making it the city’s biggest festival. Raleigh will host the event again this year and next and is in negotiations for long-term extensions after that, Gold said.

When he takes visitors on his signature windshield tour, Gold likes to show off Raleigh’s extremes. That could be Big Ed’s City Market, a Raleigh institution that dishes up country cooking at its finest, or one of the six downtown restaurants run by Ashley Christensen, who won the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast. He also likes to showcase the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, where the Nature Research Center expansion, which opened in 2012, features state-of-the-art technology such as the three-story theater that explores the wonders of Earth or the submersible simulator that takes visitors deep into the Atlantic Ocean.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Executive Profile NAME Loren Gold

TITLE Executive Vice President

ORGANIZATION Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau

LOCATION Raleigh, North Carolina

BORN Chicago

EDUCATION Arizona State University, Bachelor of Arts in organizational communication

CAREER HISTORY National sales manager for Marriott International; director of national accounts for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts; director of sales, then executive vice president for the Greater Raleigh CVB

FAMILY Married to wife, Molly, for 26 years. Three children — Sam, 21, Christopher, 19, and Abigail, 13 — and two dogs: Lord Stanley, a Cairn terrier, and Teddy, a lab-husky mix.

HOBBIES Travel that includes sports, great food and places off the beaten path; playing golf; and cooking barbecue

Meeting Tips from Loren Gold • Source your meeting RFPs to an unbiased, local destination expert from your preferred city’s convention and visitors bureau — not just a resource for big citywide meetings but all meetings. Whether it’s 25 people or 2,500, CVBs can offer insight into all your hotel and facility options, including some great independent hotel options sometimes overlooked when focusing just on the top lodging brands.

• If you choose not to source the lead through the CVB, at least copy the CVB so you can access the latest information on the destination’s unique experiences, receive assistance with local service vendors, employ tools to measure the economic impact of your meeting and utilize strong marketing resources for meeting attendance promotion.

• Work with a CVB to connect to local knowledge and the intellectual capital community of any destination. It is a great resource for planners to access speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and local-industry-specific content.

April 2017

9

Make your emails short and sweet, but don’t omit the common courtesies

By Vickie Mitchell

onsidering that businesspeople spend about a third of the day just reading emails, we could all likely do our jobs better if we improved our email skills. In the second of a two-part series on email, etiquette expert Lynne Breil shares more advice on how to be a more polite and productive email communicator. If you missed her tips in last month’s (March) column, visit www.smallmarketmeetings.com and read the digital edition.

Here are Breil’s tips:

C

Failing to respond is just plain rude.

Email makes it easy to avoid people or issues, and that is bad business. When we don’t get responses to our emails, we begin to waste time and brain power with worry. We think: “They no longer want my business,” or “He hates my proposal.”

“We can hide behind it and not respond if we choose,” said Breil, “but if you want to maintain your good reputation, then you need to be responsive — radically responsive.” If you aren’t responding because you don’t have an answer or the information the person seeks, instead of delaying Breil recommends sending a “bridge” email. “Just say something like, ‘I got your email, and I’m off-site at a meeting and will get back to you as soon as I return.’”

Emails need greetings and goodbyes.

Breil remembers the time she sent a quick email to a group about a meeting. “It said, ‘We are meeting at 11:30.

Bring your notes.’ One of the recipients fired back, ‘Well, good morning to you, too!’”

“People like a greeting because it is a common courtesy,” Breil said. But it doesn’t have to be the traditional ‘Dear.’ “It can be something that flows naturally, like ‘Thanks, Vickie, it is good to hear back from you’ or ‘Great idea, Vickie!’” Breil said.

A fitting ending is harder. Breil is not a fan of “regards” (“Who still says that?” she said), “Best” (“It doesn’t say

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MeetingPoint

anything”), “Warmest regards” (“Gushy”), or “Sincerely” (“Seems fake”). Instead, she recommends a closing that blends with the conversation, such as “Give me a call, and thanks.” She sometimes adds a P.S. for information that is more personal. An example might be: “P.S. I know your vacation is coming up; I hope you have a great time!” or “I heard you were honored by the chamber of commerce. Congratulations!”

Contact information is critical.

One of Breil’s pet peeves is emails that lack the sender’s contact information. She suggests creating several signature lines that fit different audiences and occasions.

“I have a long version and a short version of mine,” she said. She’s not a fan of fancied-up signatures that include colored backgrounds, photos and, especially, words of wisdom. “If I want a quote of the day, I will buy the calendar,” she said. Make sure your signature line appears at the end of your message; as Breil points out, you don’t want a recipient to have to scroll down through a string of 20 messages to find your phone number.

Know when to dial instead of type.

Email isn’t appropriate for every message. Don’t use it, Breil said, if you are giving criticism, discussing job performance, relaying emotionally charged information, expecting a response after business hours, notifying others that you are running late or trying to solve a complex problem. “If I have gone back and forth three times on email with the same subject, it is time to pick up the phone,” she said. “Email is not one-size-fits-all for business.”

To reach Lynne Breil, call 717-755-3333 or visit www.theprofessionaledgeinc.com.

Vickie Mitchell is the former editor of Small Market Meetings. If you have ideas for future columns, contact her at vickie@smallmarketmeetings.com.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Reaching the Religious Veteran planners share tips for attracting and executing faith-based meetings Courtesy Jim Cullumber

By Savannah Osbourn

Faith-based groups often use circular seating to create more intimacy in small sessions or breakouts.

lanning religious meetings often requires more attention to detail than the typical event; planners must often consider factors such as dietary restrictions, tight budgeting and family travel. To understand some of the ways that planners can engage more effectively with this market, we spoke with three faith-based meetings experts.

Robin Ware organizes meetings and events through the dReam Center Church in Marietta, Georgia, and has over 25 years of experience in planning, sales and hotel service. Jim Cullumber serves as the vice president of communications at the Christian Church Foundation in Indianapolis. And in addition to planning meetings, Rachel Eble has more than 15 years of experience in sales, catering and hotel service.

She is now a senior account manager at Arrowhead Conferences and Events in Redlands, California.

with these needs.

“It’s really important that you understand the dynamics of that religious faith so that you don’t offend,” said Ware. “For instance, we would never suggest planning a meeting during Holy Season.”

Often, any special requirements or dietary needs are outlined in the request for proposal, though it would be prudent to clarify these with your client just in case, especially during religious seasons and holidays when many people fast.

Another way to learn more about a particular group’s background is to become involved with local religious organizations as well as industry conferences, where planners can be educated on the nuances of working with the religious market.

P

Cater to Cultural Sensitivities Every faith-based group has different habits and values that affect the planning process, from serving fish on Fridays during the season of Lent for Catholic organizations to avoiding pork or shellfish for the Jewish community. It is crucial for planners to become acquainted

April 2017

Be Flexible on Dates and Locations To avoid competing with the corporate market and maintain an affordable budget, religious planners must be willing to compromise when it comes to narrowing down the time and place of their meeting.

“Flexibility is key for groups getting what they need at the price point they need,” said Eble.

Instead of choosing a destination first, planners can ensure attendees

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find cheaper flight options by looking for airports in cities where lowfare carriers fly. Likewise, some states offer tax exemptions for religious meetings, so finding a location where your group is eligible for exemptions on lodging, food and beverage, and audiovisual equipment can make a huge impact on budget costs.

According to Cullumber, one of the best ways to get great deals is by building strong relationships with hotels and tourist offices, especially through networking at trade shows, and being ready to fill rooms whenever hotels have an off week.

“Perseverance and patience are key,” said Cullumber, describing how it took three years to nail down a venue in San Diego recently for the right budget.

On a similar note, Eble mentioned how much easier it is to book an event in Orlando, Florida, during the first week of January, rather than a week or two later.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

DE E P R A C FERENCE

CON

DIEM

Courtesy Jim Cullumber

Price sensitivity might lead religious groups to book venues outside of traditional convention centers or conference hotels.

“Many of our groups often desire to be in a prime location at a peak time of year,” said Eble. “By making a slight change to date and/or pattern, we’ve been able to fit more of a lead time for the hotel, which allows them to offer sometimes drastic differences in rates and concessions that they cannot offer even just days earlier or later.”

Provide Different Price Packages Because religious meetings are typically more price sensitive, giving attendees a variety of package deals can also draw more interest to the event.

“You’d be surprised what people are willing to pay for a memorable experience,” said Ware.

She described one faith-based women’s conference that offered several different price options during registration. The VIP option enabled guests to attend sessions in a hotel with catered food service, and the

April 2017

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general package directed women to more affordable sessions at a local church. Later in the evening, both groups joined together for a worship service.

“Some people want to pay for convenience, so you want to give them that option,” said Ware.

Give Hotels Incentives to Host Your Group

Courtesy Rachel Eble

Allowing flexibility for group prayer or moments of reflection can be an important part of planning faith-based meetings.

If groups have a tight dining budget, planners can propose a chef’s choice menu to the hotel or venue, which involves customizing the meal to meet a certain price point.

“Let’s say you wanted to have a three-course luncheon on a given budget. Then you would allow the chef to present some options to meet that price range,” said Eble.

Once the price is set in stone, the hotel can count on that revenue, which provides both parties an advantage to the arrangement.

Since attendees often travel to religious conferences with their families or spouses, it is also worth noting to hotel representatives that this will mean more room reservations.

“One request that is usually of high importance across most meetings we plan is the number of double-double accommodations required,” said Eble. “It is rare to have single-occupancy rooms for religious meetings. This can be a benefit to hotels as they often will see increased revenue in their outlets due to the higher number of guests staying in their hotels.”

Make Transportation Easy Older groups and families tend to gravitate toward destinations with walkable attractions, so to make more reclusive retreats a success, it helps to provide all-inclusive meals, meetings space and transportation.

Ware described how she helped coordinate an event at the Brasstown Valley Resort, which is approximately an hour from Atlanta. She arranged bus transportation from the airport by adding just $15 to the price of registration, dividing the price of the bus tickets by the number of attendees. This added convenience dramatically increased attendance, since many people prefer to avoid the hassle of travel, especially in an unfamiliar town or neighborhood.

“It worked out great,” said Ware. “We did activities on the bus so everyone could get to know each other.”

When the bus brought everyone back afterward, they stopped at a local church service, where they arranged a lunch and discussion with the pastor. The group was able to appreciate the shared experience, and attendees didn’t have to worry about driving to each location.

14

Managing Meetings

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F rrederick, ary la n d, Frederick, e d e r ic k , M Maryland, ss su u urr iis surrounded rro un d ed bbyy vil War War sites siitt es C iivil

By Katherine Tandy Brown

By C. Kurt Holter

Roddy Road Covered Bridge is one of numerous historic sites throughout Frederick d i k County C County. t

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Destination Showcase

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

“Frederick is best known for its role as a Civil War hospital city because there were important battles all around.”

L

ocated in the heart of Maryland’s Civil War Heritage Area — mall, the 167-room Hampton Inn Frederick weighs in with nearly 7,000 Washington, Frederick and Carrol counties — the town of square feet of meeting space, including a 4,500-square-foot ballroom Frederick is so steeped in history that it’s easy to imagine Union with a 250-guest capacity. and Confederate troops marching through back “We’re not your normal Hampton Inn,” said in the 1860s or being carried there, due to its Chenee Stone, catering sales manager. “Most are proximity to Antietam battlefield, site of the small without much meeting space and no resbloodiest single day in American history, when taurant or bar. We can host from 200 in our 23,110 soldiers were killed, wounded or went ballroom to 10 in our boardroom.” missing.

A privately owned restaurant, the Beacon, “Frederick is best known for its role as a Civil with an outside patio and wraparound winWar hospital city because there were important dows, is next door to the Hampton, and planbattles all around,” said Becky Bickerton, direcners get a choice of eating there or catering by tor of sales and marketing for Visit Frederick. the hotel’s commercial kitchen. Another plus, “We’re 23 miles from Antietam, 35 from with a reserved block of hotel rooms comes a Gettysburg and 35 from South Mountain. Only personalized Web page to facilitate easy attendthe Battle of Monocacy, known as the battle that ee reservations. saved Washington, took place there.

“Visitors can learn about how the town cared Elegant Off-Sites for all those wounded soldiers at the National An elegant off-site meeting option only 20 Monacacy National Battlefield Museum of Civil War History.” minutes from downtown Frederick, the Inn at Through 7,000 square feet of lifelike exhibits, Stone Manor Country Club is set on 114 rolling this well-designed museum interprets the harsh Courtesy NPS acres in the Middletown Valley. Sporting nine conditions and brilliant innovations of medical fireplaces, this 18th-century manor home is treatment in the field and the beginnings of great for a corporate retreat, with six bedrooms, emergency medicine in the United States. a spacious meeting room, terraces and a LOCATION “After the battle of Antietam, the thousands of 300-capacity, carpeted permanent tent complete North-central Maryland, 45 minutes from wounded brought here doubled the town’s with elegant chandeliers.

Washington, D.C., and Baltimore population,” said Katie Reichard, reservations The outdoor setting lends the property to coordinator. “The museum tells a beautiful story team building, which can be arranged by the ACCESS of compassion during an incredibly dark time client or the inn.

Baltimore/Washington International in our history.”

“The Inn at Stone Manor is a perfect place to Thurgood Marshall, Washington Dulles Rental of a 60-capacity conference room get out of the office,” said representative Brian International and Ronald Reagan comes with a tour of the museum, which is but Childs. “The hassles of the day will not interrupt Washington National airports; one of a number of sites in the area that welyour meeting here.” interstates 70 and 270 come meeting and conference groups.

Nor will they at another venue he represents that’s also 20 miles from Frederick — the MAJOR MEETING SPACES Springfield Manor Winery and Distillery, which Full-Service Events Center Clarion Inn Event Center, Hampton Inn sits tucked onto 130 acres in Thurmont that Frederick’s largest meeting venue, the Clarion Frederick include vineyards and lavender fields set at the Inn Event Center, offers 13,000 square feet of HOTEL ROOMS base of the Catoctin Mountains. Begun as a 1765 meeting space and a 156-room hotel with five 2,000-plus in Frederick County estate, its renovated manor house has eight suites, a full-service restaurant with a specialty suites, 10 fireplaces, period furnishings, a perof crab cakes and an indoor heated swimming OFFSITE VENUES gola, a fountain and meeting space for 15 to 20. pool to entice attendees to bring the family. The Springfield Manor Winery and Distillery, Lunch and dinner are served in a solarium. The ballroom can host up to 800 guests for a recepClaggett Center, National Museum of Civil main house is connected to a 300-seated-capaction, and the Garden Courtyard holds up to 300.

War Medicine, Mountainside Challenge ity ballroom by a serpentine sun porch.

“We’re right off I-270 and I-70 and an hour Retreat Center, Inn at Stone Mountain A restored barn houses a winery, with reserfrom all three major Washington, D.C., airports,” Country Club vation-only tours and tastings, and event space said Mark Wright, general manager. “And our CONTACT INFO for up to 150. If one winery is not enough, both staff is the friendliest in Frederick and the surVisit Frederick properties are located near seven wineries on rounding area, bar none.”

800-999-3613 the Frederick Wine Trail.

Also near Interstate 270 and close to shopwww.visitfrederick.org “At both venues, we always go the extra mile ping, movies and dining at Westview Promenade

Frederick, Maryland

April 2017

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Courtesy Tourism Council of Frederick Co.

Frederick visitors can learn about battlefield medical care at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. and try to be affordable for what we give and what you get,” Childs said.

Outdoor Appeal At another venue in Maryland’s scenic outdoors, attendees will probably walk that extra mile. A former summer camp on a 115-acre farm, Mountainside Challenge and Retreat Center takes supporting the environment seriously. Ten minutes from Frederick, this multifaceted facility is team-building nirvana, with a 50-foot climbing tower, dual 700-foot zip lines, high and low ropes challenge courses, a 3-D Spider’s Web, Incomplete Bridge, a swimming pool, well-groomed fields and a wooded amphitheater. In addition, participants can get harnessed to a partner to be pulled back to a height of 25 feet on the Giant Swing or take the Leap of Faith from a pamper pole to catch a trapeze bar 30 feet up.

Groups that want only to chill can come for a day of relaxation and enjoy hiking on nature trails, playing sports and lunching poolside.

Overlooking the swimming pool, the greenhouse and gorgeous mountains, Mountainside’s sustainable main building, which is all about renewable energy and reducing the carbon footprint, has an auditorium that seats 250 to 300 people or 150 at tables. A smaller meeting room with lots of windows holds up to 18.

“Our mission is to get people back outside, to reconnect with nature and disconnect from phones and the internet,” said Joe Richardson, owner. “Our facility is not a hotel. I’ve got to have windows. I’ve got to be able to see outside.”

Also 10 minutes from town, the Claggett Center is a retreat and conference facility on 268 acres with a working farm and stunning views

18

Destination Showcase

of Sugarloaf Mountain, the Monocacy River Valley and daily sunrises.

Meeting spaces include nearly 3,000 square feet in Monocacy Hall for groups of 15 to 200. The building’s conference room has seven conversation areas and two rooms with private balconies and mountain views, plus a fireplace and a wraparound porch with comfy rockers.

Five separate cottages with individual meeting rooms and a 60-room inn offer overnight accommodations. Guests eat all meals in a dining hall with customized group menus.

Amenities include hiking trails, a seasonal outdoor pool, basketball courts, a ball field, and a pavilion and barn with tables, 200 chairs and a stage for skits. Team building takes place at nearby Upward Enterprises on a 25-acre challenge ropes course.

Groups that would rather watch than participate can take in a baseball game in town of the Frederick Keys, a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

Team-Building Opportunities For indoor team building in Frederick, the Kitchen Cooking School offers a Mystery Basket exercise for 10 to 18 participants that’s pure fun. Team members work without a recipe to prepare a meal using specific, fast-cooking ingredients. Each member participates, and the staff drops lots of hints along the way.

“True colors really shine,” said Christine Van Bloem, the school’s enthusiastic owner. “Everybody has different skill levels in the kitchen that have nothing to do with company hierarchy. I love to see how leaders emerge and how the food turns out. At the end, we make sure everyone has an overwhelming feeling of success.”

For another option, the school partners with the Flying Dogs

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Brewery, the state’s largest craft brewery — with 20 beers on tap — where groups can tour and taste. In this class, participants cook with beer, taste that beer and sip beer paired with the meal they’ve prepared.

Attendees can learn more about this history-rich region on a Taste Frederick Food Tour, a winning combo of food tasting from local restaurants and specialty food shops, and downtown Frederick’s history that’s sure to include how loyalist Dame Barbara Fritchie booed the Johnny Rebs as they marched through her town. More information about the area’s history can be found on a Civil War tour of surrounding battlefields; a ghost tour of historic Mount Olivet Cemetery, where Francis Scott Key, who penned the national anthem, is buried; and at the National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton, a beautiful basilica dedicated to the first American-born saint.

Because of its plethora of churches, Frederick is known for its “clustered spires” skyline. With a 50-block historic district, its downtown is alive with specialty shops, art galleries, theaters and restaurants, among them Volt, Celebrity Chef Bryan Voltaggio’s award-winning flagship eatery housed in a 19th-century Victorian mansion with private dining for 12 in its oval-shaped Conservatory.

The city adds a fascinating dimension to its downtown with murals in various sizes painted by trompe l’oeil artist William Cochran. His most extensive “canvas” is the Community Bridge, with fool-the-eye images that give the new structure the appearance of an old, ivycovered one.

“Frederick is truly the perfect destination for a meeting,” Bickerton said. “We have great places to meet and plenty to do for attendees, their spouses and their kids.”

Courtesy Tourism Council of Frederick Co.

A bridge in Frederick showcases a local artist’s vision.

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19

A Retreat in the Hoosier Hills

By Kristy Alpert

N

estled among the central hardwoods of Hoosier National Forest, French Lick Resort encompasses two properties, the French Lick Springs Hotel, with 443 rooms, and the West Baden Springs Hotel, with 243 rooms. The history of French Lick Resort reads like a rubbleto-riches story: The hotel rose from piles of ash and debris on more than one occasion before becoming what is now known as one of the top-rated resorts in Indiana. Multiple fires and economic hardships have tried to dampen the resort’s resolve over the past century, during which the West Baden Springs Hotel was once sold for $1, but the spirit of the property has always prevailed.

The French Lick Springs Hotel first opened in 1845, when physician William Bowles constructed a three-story, woodframed hotel that would act as the home base for his patients who came to the area to soak in the healing waters of French Lick’s sulfur springs. Noting the success of the hotel, another doctor, John Lane, decided to build his own health resort one mile away, just five years after Bowles’ hotel opened.

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Hospitality Showcase

Photos courtesy French Lick Resort

The two hotels operated separately until 2005 when Indiana Landmarks, the largest nonprofit preservation group in the nation, partnered with philanthropists Bill and Gayle Cook to make a permanent, positive impact by breathing new life into the properties and polishing them up as to be the crown jewels they had always been at their core.

After a $560 million renovation, the resort now boasts two nationally historic hotels, four challenging golf courses with 63 playable holes of golf, two rejuvenating spas, more than a dozen dining facilities, a state of the art casino with Vegasstyle gambling and more than 163,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The meeting and event center at the resort debuted its own $20 million renovation in 2015; it featured 38 meeting rooms, among them boardrooms, conference rooms and large-scale ballrooms.

Whether it’s an industry conference, a private party, a charity event or an executive golf retreat, events and meetings at French Lick Resort are planned with precision, passion and a lot of personality.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

French Lick Resort Meeting Space French Link Resort features more than 163,000 square feet of flexible meeting space spread throughout 38 rooms and spaces of varying sizes. At the French Link Springs Hotel, the spaces include the Exhibition Center, with up to 200 booths; the Hoosier Ballroom, for up to 2,260 guests; the Windsor Ballroom, for up to 1,568 guests; the Clifton Ballroom, for up to 700 guests; and 18 breakout rooms. The West Baden Springs Hotel features 11 meeting spaces, including the Atrium, maximum 3,000 guests; the Hotel Lobby, the Veranda and the West Baden, maximum 200 guests each; the EB Rhodes, maximum 180 guests; the Caddy Sinclair, maximum 75 guests; the Dolly Ballard, maximum 70 guests; the Oliver Wescott and the Lillian, maximum 48 guests each; the Harrison Albright, the Caldwell and Drake, maximum 12 guests each.

Location French Lick, Indiana Size 686 rooms Meeting Space 163,000 square feet of flexible space Access The resort is one hour from Louisville International Airport, one and a half hours from Evansville Regional Airport and two hours from Indianapolis International Airport.

Contact Info 866-706-4354 www.frenchlick.com

Golf French Lick Resort is a golfer’s paradise, with three challenging golf courses designed by what can only be referred to as the perfect trifecta of prolific course designers: Pete Dye, Donald Ross and Tom Bendelow. Golfers from all over the world travel to southern Indiana for the chance to play the rolling hills that make up these stunning and challenging courses. The courses include the Pete Dye Course, established in 2009 with 18 holes; the Donald Ross Course, established in 1917 with 18 holes; Valley Links, established in 1907 with nine holes; and Sultan’s Run, established 1992 with 18 holes.

April 2017

Catering Each event held at the French Lick Resort comes with a dedicated conference concierge who can help arrange custom menus tailored to match the occasion. The culinary team in charge of catering offers menu options that range from gourmet French cuisine to hearty Amish dishes for all meals throughout the day. Along with healthful wraps, deli sandwiches and an assortment of freshly baked breakfast pastries, the resort offers an eclectic menu with international options, including Vietnamese meatball skewers, German bratwurst steeped in beer and onions, Caribbean spiny lobster, Italian chicken bruschetta, Thai chicken spring rolls with sweet chili sauce and Mexican three cheese enchiladas. Alcohol is available.

Fun at French Lick Left: Meeting attendees participate in a culinary challenge at French Lick Resort.

Right: An outdoor dining spot at the resort is great for relaxing after hours.

Opposite page: The atrium at West Baden Springs Hotel makes an impressive exhibit or banquet area.

Along with complimentary shuttle service to and from all resort venues, the resort also offers comprehensive event planning where the events team can arrange for a variety of group experiences or team-building activities. Favorite group options include culinary challenges such as company chili cook-offs and cooking classes, wacky Olympics, geocaching and Roaring ’20s murder-mystery parties held after a day of meetings. The resort’s casino and award-winning spas act as a playground for adults before and after events, but for the younger guests ages 6 to 12, KidsFest is the place to be, with its exciting and educational events supervised by trained counselors.

21

Head for the

By Kristy Alpert s a destination known for bold adventures and active holidays, it’s almost hard to believe the Rock Ranch is most popular among a demographic best described as “chickins.”

But these people aren’t fainthearted or easily intimidated; rather they’re simply fans of the celebrated chicken franchise Chickfil-A. The ranch was founded by the late S. Truett Cathy, who started Chick-fil-A back in 1946, and its more than 1,500 acres have been dedicated to “growing healthy families” since it opened in 1989.

Located just 40 minutes from Macon and an hour from the Atlanta area, the Rock Ranch is in Upson County, where it operates as a working cattle ranch and an “agritourism” destination for groups, families, school groups, businesses and more. Run with the same fun-loving passion and creativity from the minds behind Chick-fil-A, the ranch offers a unique escape into a world of zip lining, train riding, pillow jumping, pony riding, berry picking and cane-pole fishing.

Despite its rural setting, the ranch offers excellent amenities and facilities at an often surprisingly affordable price. There’s no such thing as a typical day at the Rock Ranch, where groups of up to 7,500 guests are free to meet in any of the five meeting spaces throughout the property. The variety of meeting facilities and amazing array of customizable activities make the ranch the perfect setting for team-building events, meetings, stockholder banquets, small planning or leadership retreats, Christmas parties and the ranch’s specialty, corporate family days and company picnics.

A

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Venue Showcase

Photos courtesy The Rock Ranch

Above: Visitors pose with a cutout of professional wrestler “The Rock” during a meeting at The Rock Ranch in Georgia.

Left: The Rock Ranch hosts a hot-air balloon event.

The Rock Ranch is a place where visitors of all ages can find an activity or event suited for them, whether they are a group of business professionals enjoying a few days away from the city for a productive weekend of bonding on the paintball field or a family looking to learn some new skills at the archery area. The mission of the ranch is to create pleasant memories and enriching experiences. Through the programs and sizable meeting space, groups are sure to come home healthier and happier.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Rock A small train takes visitors on sightseeing rides around the ranch.

Meeting Space The gathering areas and meeting spaces are spread throughout the more than 1,500 acres and can accommodate up to 7,500 guests comfortably in climatecontrolled indoor spaces and shaded outdoor spaces. Planners can group multiple venues to create the perfect space for an occasion, including Truett’s Barn Main Dining Room, for up to 1,000 guests; the Covered Side

Rock Ranch LOCATION The Rock, Georgia

TYPE OF VENUE Off-site, ranch

CAPACITY 7,500

NEARBY ACCOMMODATIONS Hilltop Garden Inn Forsyth, Georgia

CONTACT INFO 706-647-6374 www.therockranch.com

April 2017

Wing of Truett’s Barn, for up to 200 guests; Truett’s Barn Upstairs Meeting Room, for up to 100 guests; the Chick-fil-A Pavilion, for up to 180 guests; and the Carousel Pavilion, for up to 120 guests. The spaces can be configured with picnic tables, chairs, tents and even seating on the lawn or patio with views of the scenic pond.

Catering The Rock Ranch has a professional kitchen on-site that can do it all, from fancy food for wedding receptions and proms to picnic favorites like pulled-pork barbecue and hamburgers. The Rock Ranch even has its own Chick-fil-A production kitchen, so Chick-fil-A sandwiches are an obvious choice for fans of the restaurant. Many of the sides and desserts, like homemade potato chips and homemade blackberry cobbler, are prepared with ingre-

dients grown on the farm. The ranch grows garden vegetables, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, and raises its own hormone-free, antibiotic-free premium beef on-site. It also operates the Farm to Office farmfresh meal delivery program for its groups, along with a farmers market where groups can purchase farm-fresh produce.

Alcohol is not allowed at events at the Rock Ranch.

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Extras The Rock Ranch provides its guests with a one-of-a-kind atmosphere along with an unsurpassed servant spirit from its passionate and energetic staff.

Each event is looked after by a designated “amazing-day coordinator” who ensures everything runs smoothly before, during and after events. The coordinator

helps arrange for groups to experience the more than 35 attractions and games on-site, including locomotive train rides, pony rides, zip lines, a petting zoo, a carousel, pedal boats, cornhole games, hayrides, rock-wall climbs, fishing, sand court volleyball, archery, horseshoes and magic shows.

Unique Add-Ons

The sun sets over the beautiful Rock Ranch.

There’s a reason companies and families rave about their time spent at the Rock Ranch, as the sky is the limit when it comes to what the event staff can make happen. Along with experiences from the farm, like youpick berry excursions, fireworks shows over the lake and exploring the themed playhouses at Tiny Town, the ranch also works

with a team of preferred vendors to take events to new heights.

Groups can add unique and sometimes obscure offerings to their events by tapping into the ranch’s great relationships with vendors. Favorites include liveaction Wild West shows and gunfights, hot-air-balloon rides and professional monster-truck rides.

Add some soul to your next meeting and experience everything Macon has to offer. A vibrant downtown with a thriving nightlife awaits. Come see why Macon is more than a place on a map.

It’s a vibe all its own.

24

Venue Showcase

Downtown Macon

www.smallmarketmeetings.com 800.768.3401 | VisitMacon.org

Hold your group’s next conference or ministry event in the beautiful surroundings of Billy Graham’s retreat center in Asheville, N.C. The Cove’s gracious accommodations, distinctive meeting spaces, and exceptional service help provide an ideal, distraction-free atmosphere so your group can relax, refocus, and be renewed through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our year-round facility rests on 1,200 secluded acres of rich forest, woodland streams, and hiking trails. Book your event today—visit TheCove.org or call our Guest Group team at 828-298-2092.

458-Seat and 119-Seat Auditoriums • 14 Additional Meeting and Breakout Rooms • Warm and Inviting Guest Rooms Complete Audio and Visual Capabilities • 24-Hour Complimentary Beverages • Delicious Cuisine A ministry of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

©2017 BGEA

“… that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

—ACTS 3:19, NKJV

The Carolinas’ Signature Stays

By Rachel Carter

Courtesy The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

Charleston’s Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel dates back to 1853.

W

hether they’re fourdiamond or five-star, luxury hotels deliver the best of the best in the Carolinas.

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Though high-end properties aren’t right for every meeting, luxury hotels and resorts deliver elegant event spaces and unparalleled experiences. Attendees can take in the view from an ocean dune observation deck, take a lagoon cruise in a canopy-covered electric boat or take a stroll in the garden of a Gilded Age mansion.

Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel Charleston, South Carolina The seven-story, salmon-pink Mills House first opened in 1853 and served as Gen. Robert E. Lee’s field headquarters during the Civil War. When the Great Fire ravaged Charleston in December 1861, guests ran from the hotel into Meeting Street, certain the building would burn down. It didn’t.

“I think the history and the decor and the story of the hotel — people who take the extra couple minutes to learn it, appreciate it,” said Joe Kramer, director of sales and marketing for the hotel.

Mills House, which had been a Holiday Inn, became a Wyndham Grand Hotel and reopened in 2014 after undergoing a $14 million renovation that redid all 216 guest rooms, renovated the Barbadoes Room dining area and later created a bar at the rooftop pool.

The hotel itself has 5,000 square feet of function space, the largest of which is the 2,500-square-foot Signer’s Ballroom, but the Mills House is next door to

Carolinas Meeting Guide

Hiberian Hall and provides all the catering for the historic Greek Revival-style, 6,000-square-foot ballroom. www.millshouse.com

Sanderling Resort and Spa Duck, North Carolina When guests arrive at Sanderling Resort and Spa in Duck on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, they’re flanked

by Currituck Sound on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.

“There’s really not a bad spot in the entire resort because you’re just surrounded by water,” said group sales manager Alisa Hurt. “Imagine driving and seeing water on both sides and knowing you’re going to have a couple days of this beauty.”

The resort straddles the thin stretch of land, offering guests waterfront spaces and water views on both sides.

Guests can watch the sun set over the sound from the pier at the 4,500-square-foot, climate-controlled Soundside Pavilion. On the ocean side, just steps from the Atlantic, the 1,500-square-foot Event House has a large deck that leads down to a fire pit. Groups of 180 can reserve the event lawn, where an observation deck perched on the dunes delivers ocean views.

The full-service Lifesaving Station restaurant, housed in a historic 1874 life-saving station, reopened in March after undergoing renovations, and the Keeper’s Loft on

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Courtesy Kitty Hawk Kites

the station’s second floor is available for events for up to 50 persons. www.sanderling-resort.com

Montage Palmetto Bluff Bluffton, South Carolina Montage Palmetto Bluff just unveiled its $100 million expansion and renovation that added 150 guest rooms for a total of 200 and expanded its meeting and event space to now offer more than 16,000 square feet.

The Inn, the resort’s newest building, opened in August and sits on an expanded lagoon where guests can take rides in electric boats with candy-striped canopies. The 152-room hotel features a restaurant, a bar, a spa, a lobby lounge, two pools and lagoon-side dining. Event space includes the 6,700-square-foot Wilson Ballroom and two second-floor rooms that can be combined for 1,000 square feet.

In the River House, the 1,800-square-foot Oak Ballroom opens onto a wraparound veranda, and the River Room offers another 1,400 square feet of meeting space. “Large doors and windows and that surrounding veranda all look out over the May River; a lot of natural light comes into those spaces,” said Christine Wrobel, public relations and marketing manager. Groups of 50 can also gather in the wine cellar.

Groups have a host of outdoor options at the resort,

April 2017

which sits on 20,000 acres in the low country. Staff will set up the resort’s food truck; its custom s’mores bicycle; and the Little Brown Wagon, a vintage teardrop camper turned bourbon bar. www.montagehotels.com/palmettobluff

Guests at the Sanderling Resort and Spa enjoy activities such as stand-up paddle boarding.

Inn on Biltmore Estate Asheville, North Carolina The Biltmore Estate covers nearly 7,000 acres near Asheville, North Carolina, and the Biltmore House is George Washington Vanderbilt II’s 250-room French Chateau-style mansion centerpiece completed in 1895.

Although guests can’t stay in the mansion, which remains the largest privately owned home in the nation to this day, they can come close. The Inn on Biltmore Estate opened in 2001 in response to years of visitors’ asking, “Can we stay in Biltmore House?”

The sprawling estate offers many venues. The Inn itself has several meeting rooms, the largest of which is the divisible 1,800-square-foot Vanderbilt Room, and guests can dine on estate-raised beef and lamb in the dining room.

After touring the Biltmore House, groups can have a rooftop reception at the mansion or in one of the gardens. Antler Hill Village was and still is the bustling heart of the estate. The Barn at Antler Hill Village, which dates to 1900, is one of the estate’s most historic

27

Courtesy The Biltmore Co.

facilities and offers more than 12,000 square feet for indoor events, as well as two courtyards. Guests can also stay at the Village Hotel, just steps from the winery.

Lioncrest was built in the 1930s as a barn and was transformed in 2006 into an event space with a ballroom and a veranda. www.biltmore.com/stay/inn

Grandover Greensboro, North Carolina

Courtesy Grandover

Top: Horse-drawn carriage rides are one of many activities available to groups staying at the Inn on Biltmore Estate.

Above: Grandover features two 18-hole golf courses in Greensboro.

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Carolinas Meeting Guide

On the southwestern outskirts of Greensboro, North Carolina, the Grandover resort is as green as it gets. Its 1,500 acres span forested hills and rolling golf courses.

With 45,000 square feet of function space, meeting planners have no shortage of venues. The Grandville Ballroom is the largest, with 13,000 square feet that can be divided into four sections. Groups can reserve the 4,300-square-foot Carlisle Ballroom or the Grandview Ballroom, with 4,386 square feet and doors that open onto a private stone terrace that overlooks the grassy, green event lawn, which is available for barbecues or receptions. At the golf clubhouse, the Griffin Room has timber beams, a stone fireplace and windows that look out on the putting green.

Guests can play golf on two 18-hole courses, swim in the indoor-outdoor pool or get a treatment at the spa.

Attendees can face off in a game of tennis on four clay courts or go head-to-head during a game of croquet or bocce ball. www.grandover.com

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Golf the Carolinas

By Rachel Carter

Courtesy Pinehurst Resort

Pinehurst is synonymous with golf in North Carolina.

E

veryone knows business gets done on the golf course, but it also gets done in the conference centers, meeting rooms and restaurants at golf resorts and in clubhouses.

30

Golf destinations in North Carolina and South Carolina are experiencing an uptick in meeting business as more companies and organizations are once again including golf in their conferences.

Pinehurst, North Carolina Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, is arguably the most famous golf resort in the nation, and it’s one of the oldest. The United States Golf Association was founded in 1894, and Pinehurst was founded the next year. That history makes it a draw for planners who want to capitalize on Pinehurst’s golf heritage.

The Carolina Hotel has more than 61,000 square feet of indoor event space and another 22,000 square feet outdoors. The largest of the hotel’s 20 indoor meeting areas is Carolina Hall, a 14,000-square-foot space with a terrace; that is followed by the 9,600-square-foot Grand Ballroom, which can be split into five smaller spaces.

The 82-room Holly Inn has five meeting rooms ranging from about 400 square feet to nearly 1,100, as well as an outdoor-pool terrace for receptions. Across the resort, the Pinehurst Clubhouse has two ballrooms — the larger one is about 5,200 square feet — that work well for receptions or meals before a round of golf or a shotgun. Groups can also arrange for putting contests, golf lessons, night-light golf or a round of Beat the Pro

Carolinas Meeting Guide

that pits attendees against Pinehurst professionals. www.pinehurst.com

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Golf initially put South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island on the map back in 1969 when Arnold Palmer won the first Heritage Golf Classic at Harbour Town Golf Links, and “you couldn’t ask for a better person to win the first one,” said Jack Reed, director of sales for Hilton Head Island Visitor and Convention Bureau.

In addition to the Harbour Town course, the Sea Pines Resort’s 36 holes also include the Pete Dye-designed Heron Point course and the Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III, a complete reconstruction of the resort’s historic Ocean Course. The resort has also invested millions in recent years rebuilding and renovating various facilities. The Harbour Town Clubhouse features wraparound terraces and a 2,200-square-foot ballroom. The new Sea Pines Beach Club has an upstairs 2,000-squarefoot event room overlooking the ocean, and the Plantation Golf Club’s 1,900-square-foot Magnolia Room features floor-to-ceiling windows with golf views.

The Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort boasts three golf courses, and the resort has several event venues, including the Dunes House with a deck overlooking the ocean. www.hiltonheadisland.org

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Courtesy Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Groups that gather at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, with its five golf courses and a plethora of event spaces, never have to meet in the same place — or play the same hole — twice.

“We have such a tremendous variety of venues and activities to offer because of the setting we’re in,” said director of sales Marty Couch.

Just 45 minutes south of Charleston, the gated resort features the Sanctuary Hotel, a luxury oceanfront property that has 255 guest rooms and a variety of ballrooms and meeting rooms that can accommodate events for up to 750 people. The East Beach Conference Center can welcome 800 guests in the 6,960-square-foot Governor’s Hall.

Couch said that of its five golf courses, three work especially well for meeting groups: the Ocean Course, the Turtle Point Golf Course and the Osprey Point Golf Course. Groups of 60 can meet in the upstairs PGA Room at the Ocean Course Clubhouse or have a reception on the 4,600-square-foot event lawn where “the backdrop is the Atlantic Ocean, and it absolutely doesn’t get any better than that,” he said. Mingo Point is a rustic outdoor venue overlooking the banks of the Kiawah River where groups can enjoy a low country oyster roast or barbecue. www.kiawahresort.com

Over the past 50 years, Myrtle Beach has grown from 10 golf courses to nearly 100. According to Chris King, spokesman for Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, “The pace of life is a lot slower down there; it’s a different feel.” Five of the 18 holes on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the Pawleys Plantation Resort are located along the scenic saltwater marsh that separates the island from the mainland. And that’s the same view guests can enjoy during meetings and events in the 6,500-squarefoot conference center, with a foyer for registration or receptions and a veranda that delivers views of the 18th hole.

The Marina Inn at Grande Dunes is a AAA FourDiamond hotel that sits just across the Intracoastal Waterway from the Grande Dunes 18-hole golf course.

The inn can accommodate events for up to 700 people with a variety of function spaces, among them the 5,100-square-foot Nautilus Ballroom, an outdoor covered loggia and an event lawn with waterway views.

The Barefoot Resort features four golf courses, two clubhouses and a hotel with condominium units.

Nearby, Barefoot Landing sits on the banks of the Intracoastal and features more than 100 shops and restaurants. www.golfholiday.com

April 2017

A chef prepares an oyster roast at Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Mingo Point.

31

Sunset Beach, North Carolina Just across the state line from Myrtle Beach, Sunset Beach in North Carolina is home to 180 holes and seven courses. Three of those, each of which has 18 holes, are located at the Sea Trail Resort, where guests can choose from 300 suites and vacation rentals and where groups will find the area’s largest meeting venue.

The full-service Sea Trail Convention Center has 40,000 square feet of meeting space, the largest of which is the flexible, 10,000-square-foot Carolina Ballroom.

The center also features smaller flexible breakout rooms, the Carolina Promenade and Gallery for vendor booths or registration, and an outdoor piazza overlooking the 18th holes of the Rees Jones and Willard Byrd golf courses, as well as an event garden and a gazebo.

In the Jones/Byrd Clubhouse, a 4,500-square-foot ballroom can be split into three smaller spaces and opens onto a 5,000-square-foot patio.

Thistle Golf Club boasts 27 holes and a clubhouse designed to mimic a traditional rambling 1800s Scottish clubhouse. Groups can hold events on the private lawn or in the clubhouse’s pub, boardroom or dining hall, which accommodates up to 120 guests. www.visitsunsetbeachnc.com

Grande Dunes sits on the Intracoastal Waterway in Myrtle Beach.

Courtesy Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday

NOT YOUR ORDINARY MEETING EXPERIENCE.

From five attendees to a hundred thousand, we’ll put your meeting in the Winner’s Circle. Our 28 hotels add up to over 2,800 rooms. Here, you’ll find world-class venues, convention space and services fit for champions.

Contact Selah Havard at 704-456-7970 or Selah@VisitCabarrus.com © 2016 Cabarrus County, NC and ® 2016 Stewart-Haas Racing

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Carolinas Meeting Guide

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Carolina Charm

By Rachel Carter

Courtesy Pittsboro-Siler City CVB

The new Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center offers 6,000 square feet of meeting space in Pittsboro.

B

ig cities offer a dizzying array of hotels and event venues, but the hustle and bustle — and price tag — can be mind-boggling.

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Bigger isn’t always better, especially when planners want to imbue their events with small-town charm, hometown charisma and downhome friendliness.

These North Carolina and South Carolina destinations greet guests and groups with historic downtowns, fresh fare and charming character.

Pittsboro, North Carolina The North Carolina town of Pittsboro offers meeting planners “some great contrast,” said Neha Shah, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention and Visitors Bureau. Just a 45-minute drive from Raleigh and Chapel Hill, the 4,000-person town and surrounding area provide “rustic elegance” along with a small-town downtown, a local foodie culture and some funky finds.

The newly built Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center opened this year, marking the county’s entrance into the meetings and conference business. Groups can reserve all or part of the 6,000-squarefoot exhibit hall, the lobby area or one of four meeting rooms ideal for 30 to 40 people.

When it comes to dining, local is king. Chatham Mills is a converted historic mill that houses Chatham Marketplace, a co-op grocery store, the Oak Leaf restaurant and event space with exposed bricks and beams. Just steps away, visitors can sample honey wine at Starrlight Mead.

Carolinas Meeting Guide

Located on a former working farm, Fearrington Village today is home to a 32-room luxury inn, a finedining restaurant and a spa. Meeting groups will find small meeting suites tucked in historic buildings around the property, the largest of which can hold up to 35 people, and guests will also find a bookstore, boutiques, a cafe, a coffee shop and a beer garden. www.visitpittsboro.com

Beaufort, South Carolina In the coastal South Carolina town of Beaufort, historic buildings and palm trees line Bay Street, the main downtown thoroughfare, and brick-paved side streets lead to a waterfront park on the Harbor River with views of the downtown marina and Woods Memorial Bridge.

The Beaufort Inn’s variety of lodging and event venues “are the best way to meet in Beaufort and be in the center of downtown in the middle of it all,” said Robb Wells, director of tourism, of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The inn transformed a vacant neighboring grocery store into Tabby Place, a modern event venue with indoor space for up to 320 guests and a large patio.

Nearby, Tabby Garden can accommodate 300 guests, and just behind the historic inn, groups of 80 can gather beneath patio lights and palm trees in the brickpaved Garden Courtyard.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Beaufort Regional COC

Historic Beaufort is among the most scenic small towns in South Carolina.

Planners can use classrooms or the 461-seat theater at the University of South Carolina’s arts campus in historic Beaufort, and groups can tour and reserve meeting space at the 50-acre Penn Center. www.beaufortsc.org

Blowing Rock, North Carolina Blowing Rock is a quaint resort village nested in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina that’s “been in the business of hospitality for 150 years, and we’re pretty good at it,” said Tracy Brown, executive director of the Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority.

Year-round, Blowing Rock has 1,200 residents and “just a couple stoplights.” But in the summer, the population jumps to nearly 10,000 with summer residents — the number of stoplights stays the same. Main Street is “Norman Rockwell-esque, with beautiful post-World War II architecture,” he said, and plenty of restaurants and boutiques.

The 87-acre Chetola Resort has a variety of accommodations, including its hotellike lodge, bed-andbreakfast-style inn and multibedroom condos. Planners will find several types of conference and meeting

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Carolinas Meeting Guide

rooms, including the 1,925-square-foot Evergreen Room with a stone fireplace. Nearby, the Meadowbrook Inn and Suites’ Four Seasons room can seat 200 at rounds for meals and can be combined with the lounge and other spaces to accommodate events for up to 350 guests.

Known as the Grand Dame of the High Country, the 1891 Green Park Inn is a shining-white historic hotel with a green roof and function space for events for up to 195 people. www.blowingrock.com

Greenwood, South Carolina In Greenwood, South Carolina, uptown, not downtown, has been enjoying a major revitalization, and the catalyst was the renovation of the 1911 red-brick Federal Building, now a community and cultural hub that houses the visitors and arts centers.

That project has led to other major investments in uptown, where visitors will find “unique restaurants, boutiques, an open-air farmers market and a pretty large cultural arts component,” said Lindsay Burns, director of sales for the Greenwood Visitors Bureau.

www.smallmarketmeetings.com

Courtesy Greenwood VB

A small group meets at a gallery in Greenwood.

The 25,000-square-foot Arts and Visitors Center of Greenwood has a large art gallery that can be used for lunches or receptions, and the reception hall can seat up to 150 people for a meal or 200 theater style. Two conference rooms can each accommodate about 20 people. The Visitors Bureau offers the use of the building and its meeting spaces for free to groups that book room nights.

Next door, the Greenwood Community Theater seats up to 300, and a courtyard that connects the two buildings can be used for receptions and lunches. Next to the theater, the Greenwood Museum also welcomes special events and meetings.

Two blocks down, the 48-room Inn on the Square is a renovated full-service property where groups can reserve the 2,500-square-foot ballroom, the outdoor covered patio or the executive boardroom. www.visitgreenwoodsc.com

Highlands, North Carolina Located in Nantahala National Forest, Highlands,

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Carolinas Meeting Guide

North Carolina, is known as the Aspen of the East â&#x20AC;&#x201D; minus the ski slopes, said Jennifer Cunningham, visitors center director with the Highlands Chamber of Commerce. But it offers the same level of fine dining, high-end shopping and natural wonders, such as White Side Mountain and Dry Falls.

Old Edwards Inn and Spa is popular for meetings groups, she said. There, Edwards Hall can host events for up to 125 in its five rooms, which include a boardroom and an outdoor terrace. The 1,230-square-foot event barn opens onto a 4,900-square-foot stone patio, and events with up to 150 attendees can book the Springhouse. Groups can also use the wine cellar and the golf clubhouse.

The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts also welcomes events at its six-building, six-acre campus, where guests will find a covered bridge, a nature trail and an outdoor terrace. The main 27,500-square-foot building is a combination of an 1838 barn with modern stone and glass materials. www.highlandschamber.org

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6:45 pm - Off-Site Reception at Wichita Art Museum

THe moment Your Event became a masterpiece

Authentic and unique off-site venues for event attendees

Brick-lined Old Town entertainment district

Headquarter hotel attached to convention center

800.288.9424 VisitWichita.com