Smart Meetings

Though it was primarily known as a logging town due to its many thriving lumber mills, Portland eventually transcended its arboreal origins, going lately to the other extreme as home to a burgeoning high-tech industry. In addition to calling companies like Intel residents, the city is America’s most “unwired” because of its pervasive wireless Internet capability.

Despite their nearly 600,000 city residents—two million if including the surrounding metro area that contains Vancouver, Washington—the town has not sacrificed the natural character that first attracted settlers. The city boasts 37,000 acres of parkland in the metro area, 288 public parks and 166 miles of hiking trails. Parks abound in Portland, from the 24-inch Mill Ends Park, the world’s smallest dedicated park, to the 5,000-acre Forest Park (both: portlandparks.org), the nation’s largest urban wilderness.

The term gigantic is usually an exaggeration, but at nearly 1 million sq. ft., the Oregon Convention Center (oregoncc.com) is just that. Doubled in size after a $116-million expansion in 2003, the largest convention center in the Pacific Northwest offers 255,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, 50 meeting rooms, two grand ballrooms (one 25,000 sq. feet, the other 35,000), a full in-house catering service and a covered parking garage with 800 spaces. It is also accessible with its own designated MAX station. People can walk one block from their hotel, get on the light rail which runs every five to eight minutes heading over to the center.

The Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center (expocenter.org)is much smaller than the OCC, but its five interconnected buildings and 7,500 sq. ft. of exhibit space have served businesses very well for over 30 years—proven by the 500,000 visitors and 100 events annually. Flexibility is one feature here, with numerous breakout rooms to configure any desired arrangement, as many as 1,500 booths. The practice of sustainability also extends to Portland’s cuisine, which is unparalleled in its partnership with local suppliers.

This is certainly true at Wildwood (wildwoodrestaurant.com), a Northwest cuisine eatery located on Restaurant Row in the sophisticated Nob Hill district (nobhillbiz.com), just blocks west of Pearl. Like many Portland eateries, Wildwood has strong alliances with local farmers.

To go along with all the edible goodies, Portland has more than enough beverages to quench your thirst. Portland has been called the beer capital of the world, with 23 micro breweries within city limits alone (34 if counting the metro area)—more than any other city in the world. It’s a Mecca indeed, judging from 80,000 attendees each year at downtown’s annual Oregon Brewers Festival (oregonbrewfest.com). Wine is catching up in terms of prominence, particularly Pinot noir, the state’s signature grape.

Willamette Valley Wine Country (willamettewines.com), just a 30-minute drive from downtown Portland, sits at the same latitude as France’s Burgundy wine region and includes over 300 local wineries. Unlike more commercialized wine regions, the Willamette Valley is folksy and free of pomp, with many of the wineries being family-run by clans with a personal connection to the land and the grapes. In addition to year-round tasting and tours, employees have even been known to teach visitors the art of clipping vines.

Getting There

Portland International Airport (flypdx.com) is served by 17 airlines with nonstop service to 49 cities worldwide, including Tokyo, Frankfurt and Guadalajara. There are five rental car companies on site, as well as various shuttle services going to the Portland Metro area. The airport is approximately nine miles from downtown Portland.

Not To Be Missed

Easily accessible from Portland, the beautiful Columbia River Gorge takes visitors along an 80-mile wending highway past countless waterfalls, including Multnomah Falls, the second-highest year-round falls in the United States. Contact the Columbia River Gorge Visitors Association (crgva.org) for more information.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is the largest expanse of coastal dunes in the United States, spanning 40 miles from Florence to North Bend (near Coos Bay). The dunes rise to 400 feet in some places. Groups can enjoy the dunes on nature hikes or on dune buggies, either renting their own or taking a tour from outfitters like Sand Dunes Frontier (sanddunesfrontier.com) and Sandland Adventures (sandland.com.)

Oregon has several rivers that are ideal for white-water team-building adventures, whether on the Deschutes, Clackamas or treacherous Sandy Gorge. Everything from half-day to multiday trips can be arranged. Contact an outfitter like River Drifters (riverdrifters.net) which has been in business for 26 years.

Oregon has hundreds of wineries scattered across the state, in the high desert, along the coast and in the Columbia Gorge, and produces more handcrafted beers than any other state. Most of the wineries have small tasting rooms that tend to be casual and welcoming.(oregonwines.com)