Meetings Today LIVE! West ventured to the rapidly growing destination of Boise, Idaho August 4-7 for a hosted-buyer event.
From experiences at our host Hotel Renegade to educational sessions, one-on-one appointments, site tours and more, discover the highlights from the event!
Opening Reception
Meetings Today LIVE! West got off to a festive start with a first-night reception at the brand-new Hotel Renegade, which has already transformed the downtown hospitality scene only a little more than two months after opening.
MT LIVE! West’s 122-key, eight-story boutique host hotel boasts a rooftop ballroom and outdoor event space overlooking all of the development activity reshaping downtown Boise—including an AC Hotel/Element property rising across the street—and is just two blocks from the city’s primary convention facility, Boise Centre.
The Hotel Renegade, adorned with warm, retro design elements expressed by wood tones and leather—you can smell its “newness” in every room—is also bringing new dining options to Boise, headlined by the Baraboo Supper Club, where Wisconsin supper club culture is on the menu, from brandy old fashioned cocktails to luxurious cuts of prime rib.
During the event, our VP & Chief Content Director Tyler Davidson had the chance to catch up with one of our great hosts, Visit Boise Director of Sales Andrew Heidt, to learn more about how Idaho’s capital city is growing by leaps and bounds, with new hotels, meeting venues and other exciting attractions opening downtown. Watch the video to hear more!
Day One
The first full day of Meetings Today LIVE! West was really the start of our journey into Boise, with a two-block walk from Hotel Renegade past the AC/Element construction site and on to the city’s primary convention space, Boise Centre. But before arriving at Boise Centre for our one-on-one buyer/supplier appointment sessions, we stopped at The Grove Hotel for a site inspection after breakfast on its rooftop event space overlooking downtown and the mountains to the east of town. The roof is also crowned with a whole floor of suites.
Attached to the Idaho Central Arena—home of the minor league hockey Idaho Steelheads—The 250-key Grove offers 16,500 square feet of meeting and event space, with the adjoining 5,000-seat arena adding another 20,000 square feet. The Grove and arena are part of an ownership group that also operates the 340-room Hotel 43, which recently wrapped a major renovation. Downtown properties now offer 1,600 rooms, with 2,000 total once the AC/Element opens in 2026.
Once at Boise Centre, the group took part in a very engaging educational session delivered by Jessie States, vice president of MPI Academy. States, who frequently uses Meetings Today LIVE! to showcase new session themes, spoke on “Meetings Unbound, a Catalogue of Inspiration to Fuel Creativity for Next-Era Events.” Both planners and suppliers broke into groups to brainstorm “The Great Debate” presentations that took a comic turn in most cases, only amplifying the engagement.
Following one-on-one sessions in the Boise Centre, the group lunched and learned while Freeman Company’s Sherry Huss shared details of the events giant’s Boise citywide, dubbed “Camp Buck,” which leaned into the compact and safe convention district and even had attendees using it to produce hilarious video skits as part of a teambuilding exercise.
A tour of the award-winning Boise Centre saw planners explore the modern facility’s 86,000 square feet of space and 31 meeting rooms, all conveniently located right in the downtown action within walking distance of the major hotels.
The official proceedings ended with dinner and live music entertainment at Hap Hap Lounge, sponsored by TMN events, with some of the group peeling off for a nightcap and to sample downtown’s nightlife.
During the day, Davidson sat down with Jussi Santa, general manager of Hotel Renegade, to learn more about our host hotel for the week that is making a splash downtown and what it can offer meeting and event planners in Boise. Watch the video below to learn more!
Day Two
The last full day of Meetings Today LIVE! West programming got off to an inspirational start via an educational session by Courtney Stanley, creator and host of Meetings Today’s Dare to Interrupt podcast.
The women’s empowerment advocate delivered an emotionally powerful presentation, “The Awakened Leader: Building Trust Through Empathy, Vulnerability & Servant Leadership,” that found participants authentically connecting with fellow attendees as well as within themselves to discover how developing stronger empathy skills can result in deeper leadership skills.
The group then retreated into Boise Centre’s main ballroom for a second round of one-on-one buyer/supplier appointments before heading back to the Hotel Renegade to prepare for one of two offsite activity options: a tour of Boise’s Sunnyslope Wine Trail or a whitewater rafting excursion on the Payette River with Cascade Raft & Kayak.
Some attendees who at first were weary of running the rapids soon found themselves “riding the bull” (sitting on the very front of the boat) and eliciting shrieks of joy as their rubber rafts bounced up and down Class 3 rapids. Although groups can opt for more-challenging rapids, our excursion was designed for a less-challenging run, no helmets required yet wet and wonderful with opportunities to bail out and float alongside the rafts in calmer stretches.
Cascade Raft & Kayak co-owner Debbi Long, matriarch of the family that runs the company (and which employs her offspring in key positions) gave an inspirational address following the two-hour float. Long detailed the personal touch her family provides to its clients and its ability to host hundreds for raft trips and even cookouts and conviviality following group runs down the river.
And while the Meetings Today editor attending MT LIVE! didn’t partake in the winery tour, reports from attendees pointed to the quality of the experience not only because of the wines tasted but also for the opportunity to see some of the scenery outside of Boise proper.
After a day on the river or shuttling between wineries, attendees freshened up and headed off for dinner at one of Boise’s newest group F&B options, The Warehouse Food Hall.
Being right across the street from Boise Centre, the food hall taps into one of the hottest new restaurant trends: food hall dining that allows participants to select from multiple cuisines from local restaurants and then gather at communal tables for eating and socializing. From terrific barbecue to cuisines representing cultures throughout the world, attendees shared their experiences from earlier in the day with whatever was left over on their provided credit cards gathered and given to charity at the end of the evening.
Want to learn more about Boise Centre? During the event, Davidson spoke with the staff to learn more about the impressive venue. Watch the video below!
With all of the activities, education and networking provided by Meetings Today LIVE! West, and the experiences curated by Visit Boise, attendees were pleasantly surprised by this rapidly growing destination that is gathering major momentum as a meetings and events option.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
- Visit Boise
- Boise Centre
- Hotel Renegade
- The Grove Hotel
- TMN Events
- Geronimo Hospitality
- The Warehouse
- Southwest Idaho Travel Association
- Visit Idaho
- The Brandit Agency
- Wandering Maverick Photo + Film
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