It’s easy to see why the great outdoors take center stage in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho: The Rocky Mountains provide sensational vistas; Yellowstone and other legendary parks showcase nature’s wonders; and mighty rivers and rolling plains add to the pleasure of visiting even the big cities. If it’s time to take an event to new heights, these western states are just the place to do it.
While group business is the first priority of these states’ resorts, convention centers and hotels, any of their destinations will offer planners an abundance of exciting year-round activities. As Rachel Kelley of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, which rotates its meetings throughout the region, pointed out, “The beautiful scenery puts a positive spin on meetings wherever you go.”
Western Montana: Take the High Road
Western Montana’s varied landscape—from Glacier National Park, which spans the Continental Divide, to the picturesque college city of Missoula—means planners can create diverse experiences for events. Groups in this corner of the state often include a trip to the park, whose lodges and vintage Red Bus service are now run by Xanterra Parks & Resorts and are being updated and refurbished. In West Glacier, at the park’s western entrance, the Glacier Raft Company offers new Paddle & Saddle day trips that combine whitewater rafting on the Flathead River with trail rides.
Because the park’s half-dozen lodges are open only during certain parts of the year, groups can look to Whitefish, which is just 25 miles west of the park and home to several properties with meeting space. The renovated Grouse Mountain Lodge is one of the largest, featuring 11,000 square feet of meeting space. The Montana Judges Association recently met at the Grouse Mountain Lodge and enjoyed it immensely, according to the association’s Shauna Ryan. The judges also enjoyed an off-site dinner at the Boat Club Restaurant at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, another popular choice for meetings. Other organizations that have held events in the area include the Montana Construction Association and the Montana Association of Realtors.
North of town, the Whitefish Mountain Resort at the base of Big Mountain welcomes year-round meetings with snowy slopes in the winter and an Aerial Adventure Park with zip lines during the summer. And just west of downtown, the Bar W Guest Ranch features guest cabins for up to 22 people and event facilities that include a 6,250-square-foot lodge, a 6,000-square-foot indoor arena and an outdoor arena. Nearby (closer to Beaver Lake) is the new Whitefish Mountain Bike Retreat, with a bunkhouse, fire pits, gathering space for up to 50 people and 22 miles of wooded terrain for biking and hiking.
Western Montana has seen a growth in the local spirits industry and now boasts 16 breweries. The Kalispell Brewing Company in downtown Kalispell, south of Whitefish in the Flathead Valley, is a convivial place to gather, with a tasting room and rooftop deck. Alternately, the new Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn & Suites (formerly the White Oak Grand Hotel) has function space for up to 650 people. Off-site venues include the 7,000-seat Majestic Valley Arena and the restored Museum at Central School, which welcomes meetings of up to 100. South of town, on Flathead Lake planners can charter boat cruises.
On the northeast side of the lake, the town of Bigfork beckons groups with shops, galleries and the Bigfork Summer Playhouse. Associations can stay at Averill’s Flathead Lake Lodge, which has meeting space for up to 125 guests.
Farther south, Missoula is filled with culture and nightlife. The Great Burn Brewing Company is the latest addition to its collection of wineries, breweries and distilleries. The University of Montana is home to the largest combined space in the city, 37,000 square feet, but there are several other notable off-campus venues downtown: Caras Park Pavilion on the banks of the Clark Fork River, which can host up to 3,500; the Roxy Theater, which can seat up to 140; and the Missoula Art Museum, ideal for events of up to 200. Northwest of town, an 18-hole championship golf course called the Ranch Club can host events of up to 300. Planners might also consider the Montana Snowbowl for a day of skiing, mountain biking or zip lining; the resort also has summertime event space for up to 400 people.
The Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, 60 miles south of Missoula, knows how to impress. The ranch can accommodate up to 50 guests with 23 cabins, 1,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa and world-class restaurant and secluded acreage in the Bitterroot Mountains.
Additional guest ranches in the area include the 37,000-acre Resort at Paws Up, 30 miles east of Missoula in Greenough. Groups of up to 150 can rent the ranch for exclusive use of its meeting venues, activities, restaurants and lodging, which includes six new luxury tent suites overlooking the Blackfoot River.
Near Seeley Lake, 20 miles north, the log-and-stone Montana Island Lodge welcomes overnight retreats of up to 25 people on its small private island or can host receptions of up to 125. Southeast of Missoula, near the town of Philipsburg, the Ranch at Rock Creek is a luxury retreat property with a variety of accommodations and space for small meetings.
Central Montana: History in the Making
Helena, the state capital, was home to more millionaires than any other U.S. city during its 19th-century gold boom. Today, visitors can view the mansions built with this wealth on the Sidewalk Tour of Historic Helena, coordinated by the Lewis & Clark Preservation Office; planners should note that some mansions are available for special events. Another reminder of those grand days is the Helena Civic Center, a 1920 Moorish Revival landmark that is now the crown jewel of the city’s convention facilities. Its ornate interior features a 1,925-seat auditorium and a ballroom for up to 1,500. Additional space is available at the 15,000-square-foot Gateway Center or the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds, which makes available a 36,000-square-foot exhibit hall.
Another Helena claim to fame is geocaching. Last year Rand McNally named it the best town in America to geocache—a great way to use technology to explore the town—and, with groups in mind, the Helena Tourism Alliance is happy to organize geocaching team-building treasure hunts.
In Butte, a copper boomtown 65 miles to the south, the Copper King Hotel & Convention Center offers 17,000 square feet of meeting space and can host up to 2,700 people in its Copper Dome.
Lewis and Clark’s legendary journey in the early 1800s comes to life in Great Falls, 90 miles north of Helena. The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center marks the spot overlooking the Missouri River where the adventurous duo spent time. The facility includes a 5,500-square-foot exhibit hall and a 158-seat theater. Equally impressive is the C.M. Russell Museum, dedicated to the western-themed work of artist Charles Marion Russell; it hosts up to 100 people for after-hours events.
One of Great Falls’ largest function venues is the Montana ExpoPark, home of the Montana State Fair. It offers 18 buildings and an array of lawns to accommodate up to 7,400 people. The Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts houses a 1,782-seat theater as well as the Mansfield Convention Center, which can accommodate up to 2,200 people or 92 trade-show booths.
Southern Montana: Action-packed
Exceptional outdoor recreation—from fly-fishing and kayaking in the summer to skiing and snowshoeing in the winter—and excellent meeting facilities keep associations returning year after year to the city of Bozeman and its nearby resort towns. Large venues in Bozeman include the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University, with 50,000 square feet of space, and a favorite small site is the Museum of the Rockies, with space for up to 215 people.
The resort of Bridger Bowl, 16 miles north, is great for small gatherings. The mid-mountain Deer Park Chalet is available for summer conferences of up to 300 people, and the Jim Bridger Lodge, at the resort’s base, has facilities for up to 150. Just 13 miles southwest of Bozeman, in Gallatin Gateway, the 320 Guest Ranch on the Gallatin River has a new conference center, and recently hosted the Association of American Feed Control Officers.
Big Sky, farther south, is home to the Big Sky Resort, now considered the nation’s largest ski complex since its merger with Moonlight Basin. The resort continues to host all kinds of organizations each year including the 2011 conference of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the annual conference of the North Dakota Academy of Family Physicians, which has met in town for the last 38 years.
Features of the resort include some 55,000 square feet of function space. Other notable Big Sky properties suitable for gatherings include Bucks T4 Lodge, which has hosted the Montana Newspaper Association and Leadership Montana and features remodeled guest rooms and 8,500 square feet of indoor-outdoor function space, and the all-inclusive Lone Mountain Guest Ranch, with 31 guest cabins and two small indoor meeting spaces.
Associations looking for a metropolitan vibe will find it in Billings, the state’s largest city. The largest facility is MetraPark, which features a 77,400-square-foot Expo Center and a 28,800-square-foot pavilion. More intimate spaces downtown include the Petroleum Club, available for groups of up to 300; and the nearby Yellowstone Art Museum, for events of up to 400 people.
Other options include the Northern Hotel, a historic property that was completely renovated and opened last year with 160 guest rooms, dining options and 12,000 square feet of meeting space. Newly expanded is the Big Horn Resort, which now offers 13,000 square feet of indoor event space and additional outdoor space. The resort also has a large indoor water park.
Northern Wyoming: Free Spirits
The Wild West is alive and raring to enliven any agenda with adventure in Yellowstone National Park. Hiking trails, horseback tours, birding and rock climbing are just some of the things that can be added to seeing the park’s geological highlights. Meetings within Yellowstone can be held in both the summer and winter months at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins and at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins, each of which offers event space for up to 100 attendees.
The scenery is equally inspiring south of Yellowstone in Grand Teton National Park, which occupies a majority of the Jackson Hole Valley. The Jackson Lake Lodge is the largest of the park’s lodging options, with 385 guest rooms and 17,000 square feet of meeting space.
About 35 miles south, in the town of Jackson, attendees can amuse themselves with chic Western shops, restaurants and nightspots. One of Jackson’s must-see attractions is the National Elk Refuge; depending on the season, groups can take horse-drawn wagons or sleighs across the meadows to view some of the 11,000 migrating elk. Overlooking the refuge is the National Museum of Wildlife Art, which features more than 13,000 square feet of event space, including a 200-seat auditorium.
Groups that need larger space will find it at the Snow King Resort Hotel & Grand View Lodge, which reopened in December following a $17 million renovation. The downtown property offers a new restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows, an expanded spa and a new year-round activity center; for meetings, groups can make use of 40,000 square feet of updated function space within the hotel and an additional 9,000 square feet of event space within its lodge condominiums.
In 2012, the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association met at the Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa in Teton Village, located just northwest of Jackson at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. According to Rachel Kelley, the group’s planner, attendees were “very impressed by the visual beauty.” The Four Seasons Resort/Jackson Hole is also in Teton Village and can arrange custom activities that range from wildlife photo safaris to fly-fishing soirées on the Snake River.
It’s hard to be any more Wild West than Cody, a town of about 10,000 located 50 miles east of Yellowstone and founded in 1896 by Buffalo Bill, the quintessential Western showman. Delegates can stay in the renovated room once occupied by Annie Oakley, or in Buffalo Bill’s own suite, at the Irma Hotel, which Cody built in 1902 and named after his daughter.
Newly renovated and expanded is the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, featuring five museums and a 160-seat auditorium. Cody’s largest meeting venue is Buffalo Bill Village, composed of three hotels: the historic Buffalo Bill Cabin Village, a Holiday Inn and a Comfort Inn. Together, the property offers 346 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of conference space.
Sheridan, in the eastern foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, was also named after a historic figure—Civil War General Philip Sheridan. Major spaces for events include the renovated Sheridan County Fairgrounds, whose largest spaces are a 9,000-square-foot exhibit hall and a grandstand for up to 4,200 people; and the newly updated Holiday Inn Sheridan Convention Center, with 12,000 square feet of function space.
Thirty miles south, Buffalo is the real-life inspiration for “Longmire,” the A&E Network’s fictional mystery series. The downtown Busy Bee Café appears regularly on the TV show and is attached to the historic Occidental Hotel—the “Ox” as it’s referred to by locals—which has 15 guest rooms and can accommodate groups of up to 60 in its dining room and saloon. Additional sites include the Historic Bozeman Crossing & Conference Center, with function space for 200, and the Johnson County Fairgrounds.
Farther east, in Gillette, the 1,100-acre CAM-PLEX offers 202,887 square feet of event space, and the Boss Lodge Restaurant & Business Center has 19,000 square feet of space. On the campus of Gillette College, groups are welcome to use the 91,000-square-foot Technical Education Center, which is home to a culinary training center that has banquet space for up to 300.
An ideal destination to unwind is Thermopolis, home to the nation’s largest hot springs. In town, the Days Inn Hot Springs Convention Center has its own indoor hot springs pool and spa along with meeting facilities for up to 250. Kirby, 12 miles away, boasts the state’s first distillery, Wyoming Whiskey, with tours and a tasting room.
Southern & Central Wyoming: Roping in Attendees
Cheyenne, the state capital, is mere miles from both Nebraska and Colorado, making it ideal for regional gatherings. Groups interested in heading to town during the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration, though, should book well in advance; the summertime event, held at Frontier Park, is one of the world’s largest outdoor rodeos, celebrated continuously since 1897. The rest of the year, planners can hold events at Frontier Park. Features include an arena for up to 19,000 people and a 30,000-square-foot exhibit hall. Nearby, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is available for events of up to 100. Additional venues in town include the 1,500-seat Cheyenne Civic Center and the restored 1886 Cheyenne Depot Museum, which can host up to 300.
The North Platte River runs through the heart of Casper, Wyoming’s second-largest city. The three largest meeting hotels are the Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre, which has remodeled guest rooms; the Best Western Ramkota Hotel; and the Ramada Plaza Casper Hotel & Convention Center.
The Casper Events Center offers seating for nearly 10,000 people and more than 29,000 square feet of exhibit space. Unique reception space can be found at the National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, which offers an overview of the area. Downtown, the restored Wolcott Galleria has three function rooms. In the revived Old Yellowstone District, an art gallery called Haven can host groups of up to 150 people, and the restored Tate Pumphouse Trail Center offers space for up to 250 people.
In Lander, the Pronghorn Lodge has event space for up to 200 people, or small groups can head to the Sinks Canyon Center at Central Wyoming College, which can host up to 300.
Boise, Idaho: Where Ideas & Opportunities Arise
Urban yet outdoorsy, Boise earns high marks with planners who want to incorporate both into their agendas. The downtown Boise Centre welcomes all kinds of groups each month including, more recently, the Coalition of Idaho Charter School Families, the American Heart Association and the Ada County Association of Realtors. The facility currently offers 50,000 square feet of exhibit and convention space, and city leaders recently announced plans to expand the center’s offerings.
Adjacent to the center is the Grove Hotel, which offers its own 36,000 square feet of event space and is attached to the 5,000-seat CenturyLink Arena. Fronting the arena is Grove Plaza, which hosts upwards of 60 events each year.
Just south, across the Boise River, is Boise State University. The expanded Student Union can accommodate up to 1,000 people, the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts seats up to 2,037, Taco Bell Arena has 7,472 square feet of exhibit space and the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame can host groups of up to 300. West of campus, the historic Boise Depot can accommodate up to 300 guests in its Great Hall.
Near Boise Airport, the Boise Hotel & Conference Center has more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space. Eight miles south, the World Center for Birds of Prey offers an interesting look at falcons and endangered species. It also welcomes groups with outdoor function space.
Northwest of downtown, Expo Idaho has 84,000 square feet of function space, and a few miles west, in Meridian, the 60-acre Bogus Creek Outfitters has beautifully landscaped outdoor facilities for up to 1,500 people.
And in Nampa, the 100,000-square-foot Idaho Center has an arena that can seat up to 12,279 people and a 10,500-seat outdoor amphitheater. Other Nampa venues include the Nampa Civic Center, with an auditorium for up to 640 people.
Northern Idaho: Legendary Luxury
The landmark Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene finished a recent multimillion-dollar renovation in mid-2012. The resort offers 32,000 square feet of conference space, including the 11,000-square-foot Hagadome Event Center at the Resort Golf Course, featuring floor-to-ceiling retractable windows with lake views. Planners might also be interested in the 2,500-square-foot suite with cathedral ceilings and a glass-bottom swimming pool.
Association events for groups of up to 5,000 people can be arranged at the Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, just north of Coeur d’Alene. And 30 miles south, near Worley, planners will find 40,000 square feet of conference space at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel.
Central & Southern Idaho: Active Endeavors
Sun Valley is another sought-after destination. Founded in 1935 as the “American Shangri-La,” this resort town now has a long list of sports activities. The Sun Valley Resort offers 530 guest rooms and condominiums and meeting space for up to 1,000. Down the road from the main resort, in Ketchum, is the renovated Knob Hill Inn, with indoor-outdoor meeting spaces that can accommodate up to 130 people.
About 50 miles northwest of Sun Valley, near Stanley, is the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch, which is set on 900 acres and able to accommodate as many as 50 guests for retreats.
Another outdoorsy destination is that of McCall, set on Payette Lake. Fly-fishing is popular in the summer and winter fun includes an annual carnival. In town, the Shore Lodge offers 13,000 square feet of event space, as well as complimentary cruiser bicycles for guest use. It recently opened a three-room guest cottage, increasing its room count to 77.
At Idaho State University in Pocatello, groups can meet at the L.E. & Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center, home to a 1,200-seat concert hall, a 450-seat theater and a 200-seat theater.
In scenic Idaho Falls, eastern Idaho’s largest metropolitan area, associations frequently meet on the banks of the Snake River at the Shilo Inn Suites Hotel, a property with 10,900 square feet of function space, or near the Idaho Falls Airport at the Hilton Garden Inn, which has 16,520 square feet of meeting space.
A Fresh Perspective
The spectacular natural beauty of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, combined with the lore of the Wild West and a myriad of outdoor activities, can turn what may have been sedate meetings into exciting group functions.