Meetings Focus talks mountain meetings trends with Destination Colorado board members Kristin Kenny, director of sales at RMC Aspen, Bruce Horii, director of sales and marketing at Beaver Run Resort and Thad Carlson, sales manager at Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa.
What recent meetings trends have you noticed in the Colorado Mountain towns?
Kristin Kenny: It has been a very busy summer with a combination of corporate and association bookings. Groups are booking anywhere from six to 18 months in advance.
Bruce Horii: There is a renewed interest in the mountains to get out of the city and offer a more balanced program allowing some fun to be mixed with business in order for groups to reenergize and get more creative. Outdoor activities, team building, and health and wellness programs are more prevalent.
Thad Carlson: With groups, even the ones that had money during the recession and downturn were a little hesitant–just because of perception–and now we’re starting to see more people doing meetings again.
There has been media coverage of wildfires and now severe flooding/storms causing damage in Colorado. Have the weather conditions been cooperative overall and has this impacted meetings?
Kenny: This summer has been beautiful and a much more typical weather of a Colorado summer with blue-sky days and afternoon rainstorms.
Horii: Weather has been cooperative other than the very early stages in the Colorado Springs area we have had minimal wildfire danger and conditions have run at the low to moderate danger levels.
Carlson: The fire danger is very real in the state of Colorado just because it’s a dry climate and of course we’ve had wildfires in the past … We started our own forestry department at Devil’s Thumb to cut out dead pine needle trees and strategically replant new trees to prevent loss in case of a fire.
What are people looking for in particular who book a Colorado meeting in the mountains?
Kenny: Groups are drawn to Colorado for the quality properties, along with a wide variety of activities which incorporate both the thrill seeker as well as someone who wants to enjoy the spa.
Horii: Winter tends to be those looking to enjoy the snow sports, but more than just skiing and snowboarding. They are looking for dogsledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and even winter fly fishing. In the summer people are looking to escape the heat and humidity around the country, while participating in outdoor and cultural events.
Carlson: The majority of groups like to go outside and do something adventurous … They want to take advantage of the beautiful scenery.
What are some exciting things happening in the Colorado area right now for meeting planners?
Horii: The variety and number of music festivals ranging from popular to classical is very prevalent and each community boasts a huge variety for all audiences. Culinary has evolved in mountain towns as well and food festivals and culinary showcases are found in almost all the mountain towns.
Carlson: Definitely food is a huge part of any event, regardless of whether you’re going to use the spa or the stables, the groups are going to eat. People in Colorado are all about food and accommodate for dietary restrictions, including gluten-free options and sustainable fish. The farm-to-table movement is also very prevalent.
