Smart Meetings

Oregon was so much the promised land that when it looked like England was going to try and expand its Canadian holdings as far south as the Columbia River—Oregon’s northern border—it took a while for anybody to get terribly worked up about it. Surely once you’ve seen Oregon—the perfect combination of sea, mountains and high plains—what did anyone need with anything farther north?

And Oregon remains a one-stop shop, a landscape so diverse that it holds everything from desert to old-growth forest, from the country’s deepest lake to some of its highest volcanoes. Th e state has a coastline that somehow seems featured on ads in every magazine you might pick up—the impossibly wild scenery interrupted only by the curious heads of seals. Plus, it’s famed as a windsurfing destination, not for its ocean but for the long reaches of the Columbia River, with water still mysterious enough to hide giant sturgeon, fish the size of sofas.

The state divides into seven regions: the eastern part of the state is a  nearly pristine wilderness of small, friendly towns and mountain vistas that go on past the curve of the earth. Moving west into the center of the state, the forests give way to a high desert plateau, a landscape unlike any other in the nation, as if the Grand Canyon turned itself inside out. The state’s northwest regions take in the Columbia River Gorge, where the wide, fast river is bounded by mountains with seemingly endless shades of green, all of it watched over by the snowcapped Mt. Hood. And then there’s Portland, one of the most progressive cities in America, a town of bookstores, cafes and bike paths that also just happens to be the power
center of the state.

Moving south, Portland gives way to the Willamette Valley, Oregon’s bread basket, and if you’re tired of bread, the Willamette also features more than 200 wineries. Southern Oregon has perfect weather, Crater Lake and farming towns where it seems like every dog gets its own truck. Finally, there’s Oregon’s famous coastline, maybe the only one in the country that draws as many visitors in winter as in summer. For those bringing groups in the warm months, the beaches stretch on forever in the sunshine, perfect for relaxing after a day of sessions. In winter, the dramatic storms explain why some people get addicted to the Weather Channel: the sky seems to fall into the rising sea one minute, and the next, all can be calm under soft winter light. Oh, and the entire coast is public access: there’s not a single barrier along its 400-mile length.

In short, whatever you’re looking for, Oregon has it, in spades. The state is also one of the easiest to reach destinations in the West, equidistant for people coming from Washington, California and the states of the central west. Portland is a major hub airport, and Interstate 5 lines the western edge of the state.

A few strictly practical aspects to Oregon: there is no state sales tax, which, when spread over the standard costs of a meeting, can save organizations a considerable amount of money. Portland has one of the best public-transit systems in the country; compare the ease of the $2 light rail trip from the airport to downtown versus the hassles of many other cities. And for planners where green matters matter, Oregon is at the forefront of implementing sustainable technology in new buildings and public spaces.

Oregon has always been that dream destination, from the time Thomas Jefferson sat in his office looking at a map of the continent, wondering how to get to the other side. Lewis and Clark reached their destination here. And people are still finding exactly what they’re looking for in Oregon.

PORTLAND
Portland might just be the greenest major city in the United States. Bike paths are a way of life here; the town was the fi rst to institute anti-sprawl laws, and it has the highest recycling rate of any town in the country. It was also the fi rst city in the United States to put in place measures to reduce greenhouse gases, setting targets well below the Kyoto Protocols as far back as 1993—which it easily came in under.

But it’s not just a city of hyper-recyclers. Portland has a vibe all its own: considerably more relaxed than Seattle, with which it’s usually compared. The town also has more than its share of quirks. If Seattle has become defi ned by Starbucks, Portland’s single most famous business may well be a bookstore—the massive Powell’s, which bills itself as “the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world.” And why not take your book outside to read in what the city calls “the world’s smallest park”: the 102-inch diameter of Mill Ends Park. (If that seems a little too cramped, Forest Park is the largest urban park west of the Mississippi, covering more than 5,000 acres of land fi rst described by William Clark himself.)

Of course, Clark wouldn’t have been here if not for the river that runs through the town, the Columbia, which gives the city part of its civilized wild feel. Ships head inland past the downtown high-rises, windsurfers work the reaches and bridges strand out from the city like the fi ngers of a supportive hand.

And those bridges, which connect Portland to the rest of the state, are also part of the city’s greatest attraction: how easy it is to go from a fi vecourse dinner to the deep woods. Ocean, river, forest—they’re all minutes away.

MEETING VENUES
Travel Portland, the CVB, off ers one-stop planning assistance, with everything from venue selection to pre- and post-conference chances to get attendees into the Oregon landscape, whether for a day or a week. So why Portland? The city is the center of Oregon’s biggest draw: low-cost green, in a beautiful, luxurious setting. "If you have green meeting specifications," says Deborah Wakefi eld, APR, the CVB’s vice president of communications, "it's easy to stage a sustainable meeting in Portland."

The Convention Center and many hotels are LEED certified (in fact, the convention center was recently recertifi ed as LEED-EB Silver, a higher rating), and green is simply a way of life in Oregon. But, she adds, green needn’t cost more. “With no sales tax, whatever quote you get is the price you pay, and it’s going to be less expensive than in bigger cities.”

Gary Turner, a training manager for the Environmental Protection Agency, agrees. He brought his group to Portland “for a whole group of reasons, including the ease of flying in from around the country, and how affordable it was.” He raves about the town’s rail system: “That little train is just the bee’s knees. It’s an incredibly affordable and green way to get people into the city.”

The town’s main venue is the Oregon Convention Center the largest convention facility in the Pacific Northwest, clocking in at nearly a million square feet in all, including up to 255,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space. In addition, the facility off ers 50 meeting rooms, two grand ballrooms and full catering facilities. The ballrooms—one at 35,000 sq. ft., the other 25,000—are divisible into eight and four sections, respectively; the larger of the two also has a 16,000-square-foot lobby. Exhibition space has drive-in access. The facility also has some unique green features, such as its Rain Garden, which acts as a water-scrubber.

Finally, for large meetings, where a number of hotels are needed, the Center is on Portland’s light rail line, and is part of the town center’s free-ride area, easing transportation worries.

For those looking for smaller spaces, downtown Portland off ers multiple options. Gary Turner from the EPA brought 440 attendees to the Doubletree Portland Lloyd Center “They understood the government client,” he says, “and worked with us.” Best of all, considering his group of environmental engineers, “They’re green throughout.” The venue’s location was also a draw: “It was easy to get to, and easy for everybody to go out in the evening for food or to entertain themselves.”

The Nines is Portland’s newest luxe lodging, and the hotel features more than 13,000 sq. ft. of meeting space; the largest single room is 7,200 sq. ft., and unlike so many other conference rooms, buried deep in buildings, this one comes with windows and natural light. The Hilton Portland & Executive Tower, like The Nines, is connected to virtually the whole city through the MAX rail system, and it off ers 66,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, confi gured so sessions can be going in as many as 30 rooms at once. The Benson Hotel is regularly voted one of the best hotels in the Pacific Northwest; the meeting space adds up to 14,000 sq. ft., and the hotel can easily handle groups as large as 400 attendees.

UNIQUE VENUES AND ACTIVITIES
As far as unusual off-site locations, Portland has a few choices that you simply might not find elsewhere in the country. The Portland Classical Chinese Garden reflects the multiculturalism of the Pacific Northwest in a beautiful setting of pagodas, ponds and lotus blossoms. Best of all, after regular business hours, the garden becomes a perfect meeting facility, able to accommodate up to 125 for seated events or 300 for receptions. An additional option is to rent the Teahouse, which off ers space for up to 50 in more intimate surroundings, with garden views in every  direction. Oregon is all about the outdoors, so here’s a chance to be both indoors and out at the same time.

Another option would be the Museum of Contemporary Craft, which has just moved into a new facility with rooftop meeting space, featuring stellar views of the city and beyond. Or you can just go for the serious outdoors, at The Resort at the Mountain, on Mt. Hood, about an hour outside of town. With facilities for groups up to 500, and 18,000 sq. ft. of multiuse space, the Resort is at its best in winter meetings, where Mt. Hood offers everything from easy to double-diamond runs. One of the best things about the Pacific Northwest coastline is the way mountains dominate the sky—might as well see one up close.

For those looking for that once-in-a-lifetime venue, Portland has you covered there, as well. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry can handle meetings as large as 750, with single rooms equipped for groups from 30–150. But the venue really shines outside the usual meeting spaces: rent the planetarium, where up to 200 can meet under the stars, or book the USS Blueback submarine—the same sub used in the movie Hunt for Red October—and give attendees a glimpse at life under water.

BEND
Bend (Central Oregon Visitors Association) lies in almost the geographic center of the state, on the banks of the Deschutes River. The Cascade Mountains, which stop the horizon to the west, are reason enough to come to the town. They’re a magnet for hikers, skiers and people out to raft the Class III waters of the Deschutes, which winds its way in the mountains’ shadows. Bend is regularly named one of the best towns to live in for outdoors-minded people, whether their idea of outdoors is to hit the links at one of the town’s many golf courses, or to participate in the annual Pole Pedal Paddle race, which requires skiing, biking, running, paddling and then more running, over a 30-mile course from the top of Mt. Bachelor into town.

For meeting planners, Bend’s Riverhouse Resort is right downtown, on the banks of the Deschutes. Featuring more than 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, the main ballroom, at 16,000 sq. ft., can accommodate a sitdown dinner for a thousand people, or split into as many as 10 rooms; much of the space overlooks the river, which off ers a great getaway space on breaks, as well.

The Sunriver Resort, 15 miles out of town, combines a beautiful setting with the Northwest’s largest resort conference center—more than 44,000 sq. ft. of space, including some outdoor venues, which makes
this an ideal spot to lure attendees. The resort has its own golf course, trails lacing through the surrounding wilderness and plenty of other after-meetings recreation.

EUGENE
If you grow up in the Pacific Northwest, you dream of going to the University of Oregon, in Eugene (Lane County CVB). The city is ridiculously bucolic, a perfect locale that combines a small town feel with all the culture a college town needs, from worldclass performances to nightlife that doesn’t stop until the night does. Th e town’s premier venue is the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, which off ers a variety of spaces and configurations, including the 3,000-square-foot studio, which can seat up to 225. Bigger events move outside of town to the McKenzie River Conference Center, part of the facilities for the United States Basketball Academy—which means it’s a perfect site for teambuilding exercises. Th e main hall is 9,000 sq. ft. and the center has accommodations for up to 250 people. Or, if even that isn’t large enough, the Lane Events Center, which is where they hold the county fair, offers up to 75,000 sq. ft., full catering and even an ice rink if you want things to get slippery.

ASHLAND
Ashland off ers another kind of paradise for travelers to Oregon: some of the best theater in the West. Ashland hosts the annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival; the plays keep going year-round, from classics in tights to ultra-moderns in jeans, making the town a cultural hotbed. For meetings, the Ashland Springs Hotel has 5,700 sq. ft. of meeting space.

WASHINGTON COUNTY
Yet another choice for meeting groups is Washington County, just minutes from downtown Portland. Home to companies such as Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Intel, it is situated picturesquely, and conveniently, between Portland and the Oregon Coast.

Here you’ll find more than 50 hotels and 5,050 guest rooms, with properties ranging from luxury to business hotels. Th ere’s more than 116,875 sq. ft. of meeting space, as well (check in with the Washington County Visitors Association for assistance in site selection and post-meeting activities like golfing at any of 12 premier golf courses and numerous other outdoor pursuits). The county, some 727 square miles, is also a gateway to Oregon’s wine country, which includes the world’s only Americanowned
and operated saké brewery.

COASTAL OREGON
Maybe no other state in the country is as defined by its coastline as Oregon: the crashing waves and the looming sea-stacks make the postcards, but Coastal Oregon also has long sandy beaches and endless summer days that do nothing but distract. And if there isn’t enough sand on the beaches, the Oregon Dunes fill 40 miles of shoreline with sand drifts that can be 500 feet high. Th e entire coast is dotted with beautiful hotels and B&Bs that make for excellent retreat venues. Outside of the main towns, large facilities are a bit more rare; the 400-seat Florence Events Center is a good choice; and Astoria has a wide variety of more casual venues.

SALEM
Salem is Oregon’s second city, almost as easily reachable from Portland’s airport as Portland itself. Travelers come to the city for the marvelous wildlife that surrounds it—the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge is a waterbird paradise, as is the Baskett Slough Wildlife Refuge. And of course, the Willamette River may keep its biggest attractions under the surface, but that doesn’t stop people from flocking there and throwing strings at the water.

"What’s best about our city," says CVB director of sales Debbie McCune, "is the diversity. We have the beautiful downtown, but in 10 minutes, you can get out in the country, with wineries, the Oregon Gardens and Silver Falls State Park [which has its own conference area]."

For meeting planners, the city boasts more than 450,000 sq. ft. of available space, venues for everything up to groups as large as 7,000. The Salem Conference Center has spaces from 1,500 to 30,000 sq. ft., with banqueting facilities that can set up to 700. Th e center is connected to the Phoenix Grand Hotel, which has its own 150-seat theater and 80-seat classroom. If that doesn’t offer enough space, the Oregon State Fair & Exposition Center has nearly 100,000 sq. ft. of space, including a single room of 48,000 sq. ft., capable of holding a banquet with up to 3,200 guests. The town’s newest venue is the Oregon Garden Resort, which opened in September. Each of the 102 rooms features a private, landscaped patio, and the resort features 18,000 sq. ft. of indoor/outdoor meeting space. Best of all, it’s next to the Oregon
Garden, 80 acres of botanical wonderland, topped off with the only house in Oregon designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

MEDFORD
Medford is southern Oregon's gem. The largest town in the bottom half of the state, it's roughly halfway between Portland and San Francisco, with easy air connections from either direction. Located inland, it’s drier than the usual Pacific Northwest stereotypes, and perfect weather means the area is home to more than 40 wineries. Th e town has more than 2,000 hotel rooms and a full range of spaces for small to medium-sized meetings. Eden Valley Orchards and EdenVale Winery has room for meetings as large as 70 in a restored 1890s house, with outdoor meeting space for 350 in the Outdoor Ballroom, or as many as 1,000 in the grassy amphitheater.

And when the work is done, one of the Northwest’s wonders is a short drive away: Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the country, with the water dropping 1,943 feet in what was once the center of volcanic Mount Mazama.

For more than a century, Oregon was the focus of nearly every dream in North America, the promise of the Oregon Trail leading to a landscape of endless beauty and bounty. Th e simple truth is, nothing has really changed since.

Getting There