Destination | Aspen, Colorado

2007-04-18T22:34:28Z

While Aspen and Snowmass have seen the rise of many worthy competitors—including Sun Valley, Telluride, Vail, and other upstarts—the town still holds its own as one of the world's elite destinations for skiing and conferences.

The town of Aspen is located about 165 miles west of Denver on I-70, and 40 miles south on Hwy 82. Most of the county's 15,000 year-round residents live in or around the town of Aspen, home to about 160 retail shops, including plenty of boutique stores as well as 30 art galleries.

Aspen does not actually have a civic convention and visitors office. Instead, the local chamber of commerce formed the Aspen Groups ( www.aspenchamber.org), formerly the Aspen Group Sales Alliance, which encompasses the Aspen Lodging Association (ALA), the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA), and Stay Aspen Snowmass Central Reservations (SAS). The organization handles marketing, promotion and, of course, on-the-ground hookups for meeting planners.

Aspen not only functions without a CVB, but also without a central conference center. Instead, most meetings take place at the nearby lodges and hotels, many of which provide the top tier of quality (at commensurate prices).

One great choice for a gathering is the recently renovated Sun Deck, at the Aspen Mountain Club, at the Little Nell (thelittlenell.com). A private and ultra-exclusive lunch club during the day, this beautiful room is available for private parties all day during the summertime and for evenings in the winter. Attendees cruise up (and back) via gondola to 11,200 feet in altitude, where the 7,000 square-foot Club includes a full bar and fire-lit living room, as well as a dining room for up to 125. The adjoining wedding deck and large terrace have full mountain views.

Another interesting place to meet is the Lynn Britt Cabin (aspensnowmass.com), which can accommodate up to 60 people. During the winter, groups can be taken up to the cabin in a snowcat or be pulled in a sled. And during the summer, groups can walk around on the mountain outside the cabin.

Another option is the smaller Burlingame Cabin (aspensnowmass.com), which is primarily used for outdoor meetings (and cowboy-style meals and sing-alongs) around the campfire, complete with marshmallows, smores, and star-gazing in the clear winter air.

For an event closer to town, contact the City of Aspen Special Events Department (aspenrecreation.com), which can help with organizing festivals, balls, tournaments, races, private parties and even birthday parties. Facilities managed by the city include the Aspen Golf and Tennis Club, the Aspen Recreation Center, the Ice Garden, Wheeler Opera House, and parks such as Wagner and Rio Grande Skate Park.

Destination | Fairbanks, Alaska

2008-10-02T11:23:53Z

In winter, fairbanks is a key spot for aurora viewing. At many hotels, you can request a wake-up call if the aurora starts to become active. And in the summer, more than 20 hours of sunlight in the day. You can play 100 holes of golf, or you can attend a midnight sun baseball game where there are no lights in the stadium. Fairbanks can be reached by either the Parks or Richardson highways or by the Alaska Railroad, though most prefer to fly.

The Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.explorefairbanks.com) can also provide a ton of useful services, like meet-and-greets, online room selection, and more. Another web site with information is fairbanks-alaska.com.

The Westmark Hotel & Conference Center Fairbanks (www.westmarkhotels.com)was rebuilt in 2004 to the tune of $34 million, with 264 added rooms (for a total of more than 400) and a whopping 20,000-square-foot meeting area. The Westmark has 13 function rooms, with over 16,700 square feet.

The Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge (www.princesslodges.com/fairbankslodge.cfm) has six full-service meeting rooms; the largest, the Edgewater Room, accommodates meetings for up to 400 guests.

Wedgewood Resort (www.fountainheadhotels.com) has a variety of one- and two-bedroom suites in a landscaped, wooded campus. The resort is close to downtown and the university, but has access to plenty of nature.

It isn’t every day that your hotel package includes unlimited gold panning, but at A Taste of Alaska Lodge (ATasteofAlaska.com) that’s just the beginning. The intimate (8 room), AAA Three-Diamond-rated 280-acre property just outside of Fairbanks is committed to providing an experience that goes beyond accommodations and meals. Not only can guests freely pan for gold at the property’s 17-acre patented gold mine, but there’s also the 45-minute Alaskan huskies mushing tour, plus the chance to truly view the Aurora Borealis without the city lights to take away from the experience.

Meeting spaces in Fairbanks range from spacious arenas and historic sternwheelers to yurts. One great venue for a special event is the newly expanded University of Alaska Museum of the North (www.uaf.edu/museum).

Another option for parties is to consider a riverboat tour. The Riverboat Discovery (riverboatdiscovery.com) holds 800 people, while Greatland River Tours (greatlanddrivertours.com) runs tours on a boat that can hold up to 100 people for dinner events.

For tours over the Arctic Circle, contact Alaskan Arctic Turtle Tours (wildalaska.info) or the Northern Alaska Tour Company (northernalaska.com). For a unique team-building exercise, consider a team-based dog sledding experience by PAWS for Adventure Sled Dog Tours (pawsforadventure.com).

Smart Meetings | Cold Tag Feed

Destination | Aspen, Colorado

Destination | Fairbanks, Alaska