Situated on Oregon’s northern border, a short distance from the rugged Pacific Coast to the west and breathtaking Mount Hood to the east, the scenic “City of Roses” is a West Coast favorite with endless outdoor fun available just minutes from town.
Yet even though its surrounding areas draw attention, it’s what is contained within Portland’s city borders that keeps groups coming back year after year.
The environmentally conscious metro is compact enough for groups to bypass the car rental station at the airport, take a public transit ride into the city and don comfortable shoes while walking its pedestrian-friendly streets. An abundant number of parks are beautifully dispersed throughout the city, serving as perfect post-meeting relaxation spots, as are attractive shops and world-class restaurants for retail-minded foodies.
Just over the Oregon-Washington border is the city of Vancouver, featuring an historical flair that is evident in its group-friendly off-site venues. Serving as a unique alternative to Portland—with the unrivaled convenience of Portland International Airport just 12 miles away—Vancouver proves to be a well-situated group option in the region.
Portland
On the whole, planners are lucky if they are able to zero in on a meeting spot that meets two or three of the following criteria: affordability, convenience, venue variety, diverse activity options, and natural beauty. Portland has it all.
For starters, Michael Smith, vice president of convention sales for the Portland Oregon Visitor Association, says the city is primed for budget-conscious groups largely because Oregon does not have a sales tax.
“Cost is always important, and we are very fortunate that our cost structure is less than our competitors on the West Coast,” he says. “They will save nine to 14 percent on anything they do. If they have a meal function for 7,000 people, that is a significant savings.”
In addition to its cost efficiency, Portland is also well suited for outdoorsy visitors, according to Smith.
“The scenery is gorgeous,” he says, highlighting the city’s tree-lined streets, gardens and Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which runs along the Willamette River. “It is an outdoor city and you are within an hour of everything that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. You could be on Mount Hood in the morning and on the coast in the afternoon.”
Smith says he has known planners to like the city so much, they’ve decided to move there.
“Portland is just a fun, interesting place for people to come and visit,” he says. “It has a livability factor. What happens a lot is that [meeting planners] will come here for a meeting and they will end up moving here. I have been here for 20 years and I have had five planners that have done that.”
Groups visiting the area have plenty of meeting space options, starting with the Oregon Convention Center, offering 50 meeting rooms and 250,000 square feet of exhibit space. The center is one of many Portland buildings that are certified through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The city’s other large group venue is the Portland Expo Center, offering 330,000 square feet of exhibition space and 11 meeting rooms.
Smith says talks are moving forward regarding the construction of a headquarters hotel at the Oregon Convention Center, which is expected to house between 600 and 1,000 guest rooms.
“The hotel will be a Starwood product and probably fly the Westin flag,” he says. “We are very positive that that is going to happen. If we get a headquarters hotel here, I can promise that we are going to be very [competitive] on the West Coast.”
Yet even without its proposed convention center hotel, Portland is already a big player in the meetings industry with its existing hotel product.
Primarily entertaining association groups of up to 2,500 delegates, Portland offers space to meet at several of its properties, including its three largest: the newly renovated Hilton Portland & Executive Tower, the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel and the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland–Lloyd Center, which began an upgrade Aug. 1.
Additional space can be found at The Benson Hotel, the Red Lion Hotel Portland–Convention Center and the Holiday Inn Portland–Downtown Convention Center.
Post-meeting options are abundant in the “City of Roses,” home to a plethora of interesting neighborhoods such as the up-and-coming Pearl District, with its restaurants, art galleries and shops.
The neighborhoods are highly accessible on foot as well as on the city’s mass transportation system.
“We have two light rail systems in Portland. One goes to the airport and it is horribly expensive,” Smith jokes, referring to the Metro Area Express (MAX) Light Rail. “It costs $2.
“The other travels within a 40-block radius in downtown and is free,” he adds, referring to the Portland Streetcar.
Several attractions also provide gathering space for off-site events, including the Oregon Zoo, Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, as well as at nearby wineries.
“Wineries are very popular venues for events because they are so close,” Smith says, highlighting group favorites such as Erath Vineyards Winery and Sokol Blosser Winery, both located in Dundee, Ore., about 27 miles south of Portland. “Within a half-hour, there are a dozen wineries.”
Vancouver
Just north of Portland over the Columbia River in Washington is Clark County, whose largest community of Vancouver offers plenty of space for groups to convene and history to entertain them when meetings break.
Although smaller in size than nearby Portland, the community measures up in group satisfaction, according to Midge Dobbs, director of sales and services for the Southwest Washington CVB.
“We are a smaller city, which I think is a huge advantage for us,” she says. “A lot of groups that come to us will be the biggest fish in the pond. We have the pricing of a smaller city and all of the amenities of a bigger downtown because we have Portland right across the river.”
History is an important part of the culture of Vancouver. The region was visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s, but it wasn’t until 1825 when the first permanent settlers built Fort Vancouver, and the area was established as a trading post by the Hudson Bay Company. The city was incorporated in 1857, therefore celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Groups can enjoy a taste of Vancouver’s past by visiting Officers Row, a stretch of land filled with restored military venues dating back to the mid-1800s. Many now welcome groups for private events, including the Red Cross Building, the Ulysses S. Grant House and the George C. Marshall House.
In addition to its historical attributes, Dobbs says Vancouver is marching into the future with vast improvements to its downtown and its meetings-friendly properties.
“In the past five years there has been a $392 million revitalization to our downtown core,” she says, highlighting the 2005 opening of the Hilton Vancouver Washington as well as the revitalization of the community’s downtown square, Esther Short Park.
“It is the oldest city square in Washington state, and all four sides of the park in the last five years have seen new development,” she adds, accenting improvements such as retail outlets, restaurants and residential space. “Downtown used to be an older business district, but now it is a place where families come on the weekend and visitors come to visit. If someone hasn’t been to downtown Vancouver in the past three years, they are going to be blown away.”
Most often entertaining association groups of between 300 people and 500 people, Vancouver’s three largest meetings properties include the LEED-certified Hilton Vancouver Washington, with a 30,000-square-foot convention center; the newly renovated Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay; and The Heathman Lodge.
Just one hour east of Vancouver is the 175-acre Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Wash. The luxurious retreat offers golfing, a spa and 22,000 square feet of IACC-certified meeting space, all within a tranquil wooded setting.
For More Info
Portland Oregon Visitor Association 503.275.9750
www.pova.com
Southwest Washington CVB 360.750.1553
www.southwestwashington.com
