Smart Meetings

And while acres of available land may have spurred them on, the new state of Oregon must have seemed a paradise when they finally arrived, with its vastly varied landscape of high-desert mountain areas, endless stretches of evergreen forests and rugged coastline, not to mention the verdant Willamette Valley that has since turned to gold for the many vintners in the region.

For groups visiting Oregon today, they may feel they’ve reached their own slice of Eden in a state that has led the charge in the green movement, besides offering a range of venues and amenities. From the urban convention centers of Portland, to the college-town feel of Eugene and remote lodges in one of several national parks, Oregon has something for all types of meetings groups. And with a local spirit that’s both independent-minded and decidedly laid-back, Oregon can be a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the typical big-city convention and meeting scene.

The state, like its Pacific Northwest neighbor to the north in Washington, is roughly divided into three main geographic zones running the length of the state from north to south, with each easily drivable from downtown Portland (and Portland International Airport in 90 minutes (or less)). The western shoreline of Oregon is a wet and largely undeveloped (and uncrowded) zone of wild beauty and smaller towns, ideal for small-group retreats. The middle section of the state—from Portland south along Interstate 5 and encompassing the cities of Salem, Albany, Eugene and Medford—is a verdant valley of rivers and forests and the most populated region (Oregon’s population is nearly 3.8 million). The area also includes the Willamette Valley, which is known for its wineries that produce some of the best pinot noirs in the world. The valley begins just southwest of Portland in Washington County and extends south of Salem, and is also a major hops grower—evident in the many microbreweries found in Portland and elsewhere in the state.

To the west of Interstate-5 is the Cascade Mountain Range that runs like a spine through the center of Oregon and includes several notable peaks, such as Mt. Hood near Portland and Mt. Jefferson to the south. The high desert spans out just to the west of the range and covers much of the rest of the state, with Bend the most important city in the area for meetings, as well as numerous resorts for skiing, golf and other outdoor activities. The drier and mild weather in the region, with warm days and cold nights, along with snowy peaks during the winter, make for an alternative to the wetter and more temperate climate to the west.

Portland

With the Willamette River slicing through the city’s center, the often-visible Mt. Hood hovering in the distance and the evergreen forests that encroach on the city from all sides, Portland definitely has one foot in the boundless Pacific Northwest nature that seems to sprawl out every backdoor. But besides towering fir trees, the state’s largest city and economic center also has many cultivated gardens, and is known as The City of Roses for the numerous varieties that thrive here. The annual Portland Rose Festival takes place in the International Rose Test Garden, which dates back to 1917 when the city had 20 miles of rose-lined streets. The garden can also be used for private events (along with other city parks).

But lest one think that Portland is all trees and flowers, the city has its other foot placed firmly in the modern, high-tech world, with more than 1,200 technology companies located in the region, including computer behemoth Intel. And it’s a foot that could easily be laced up in a Nike or Adidas running shoe, with both sportswear giants headquartered in the area. The combination of a high-tech setting and active outdoor lifestyle is the yin and yang of the city, and the image of young techies packing away their laptops as they head for the hills (with mountain bikes and kayaks in tow) is a common one. For visiting groups, this means that Portland is well endowed with all the high-tech infrastructure any meeting would need, while having easy access to outside attractions and adventures for those free hours in the agenda.

In a nod to its high-tech lifestyle, Travel Portland recently opened what it calls the Twisitor Center, a cyber-twist on the traditional walk-in information booth that lets visitors tweet questions on where to go or what to do in the city, while informed locals (or anyone else) can retweet suggestions. “[The administrator] finds them and sends you an official response,” says Deborah Wakefield, APR, vice president of communications and public relations at Travel Portland, on tweets to #inpdx. “And anyone who sees that on Twitter can jump in and answer.”

Whether you tweet for your dinner or not, the city also offers plenty for attendees who would rather stay put and prefer a destination where attractions are close at hand. Another moniker for Portland is Bridgetown, for the 12 bridges that cross both the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, each with a unique architectural style. And it’s a big reason the city is so accessible and walkable, with many hotels, venues and attractions easily reached by foot. Another reason is the MAX light rail system, with its blue, red, yellow and recently opened green lines, which runs through all quadrants of the city, including a stop directly to and from Portland International Airport.

“We chose Portland because of the unique downtown—it’s a beautiful city—and the rate package for us was very important,” says Tina Haran, convention and meetings director for the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks - Grand Lodge, whose annual meeting brought 4,000 room nights (on peak) to the city in July. “We look at activities in the city for attendees as well as spouses—for the remainder of the day out in the city, going shopping or to restaurants—and we need to have a lot for them to do.”

According to Haran, some of their attendees came early or stayed after the official event, and sailed out of Seattle on cruises bound for Alaska, although the city and surrounding area also offered plenty of options for them. “I loved the convenience of the walkable downtown, where you could walk down the block and hit several restaurants. The MAX rail really connected you to everything. I wish there were more cities that had that transportation system available, to get around without having to provide transportation for everyone,” she says. “It really allowed our attendees to socialize, going from one hotel to the next—a really big plus for Portland.”

Major Meetings Venues

For hotels and meetings, Portland has three main regions where meeting venues tend to be clustered, starting with the area around the 20,630-seat Rose Garden Arena and Oregon Convention Center, which has 255,000 sq. ft. of event space. The center is also LEED-EB Silver certified, and has a sustainability coordinator on staff to assist groups interested in green meetings. Nearby is the 476-room Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland - Lloyd Center, which has 46,500 sq. ft. of meeting space, including its new 8,500-square-foot Executive Meeting Center.

Just east across the Willamette River is the downtown area with the city’s largest hotel in the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower, offering 782 guest rooms and 66,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Other options include The Benson Hotel, with 287 guest rooms and 16,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, and The Nines, housed in an old Macy’s department store building and offering 331 guest rooms and 13,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The third primary hotel zone is north of downtown in the Jantzen Beach area along the Columbia River, and just across from Vancouver, Wash. Red Lion Hotel on the River - Jantzen Beach is the largest property here with 320 guest rooms and 34,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Unique Venues and Attractions

As one of the greenest cities in the U.S. (in both the actual and eco-friendly sense), it’s little wonder that Portland has numerous parks in and around downtown, totaling 10,000 acres, with many available for private groups. The International Rose Test Garden is the most well known of the city parks, and sits inside the 400-acre Washington Park, which also includes the 5.5-acre Portland Japanese Garden and the Hoyt Arboretum. The World Forestry Center is also found here, and includes tree farms, the World Forest Institute and the 20,000-square-foot Discovery Museum, with the museum and the center’s several large rooms available for meetings and events.

Other unique venues in Portland include the iconic, 590-seat Bagdad Theater & Pub, originally opened in 1927. And the Bridgeport Brewpub + Bakery is a fine example of the many microbreweries found in the city. Housed in the historic Landmark Building, the brewpub is available for private events and comes with the latest A/V equipment and high-speed Internet.

Washington County

Directly to the southwest of Portland and part of the metro area is Washington County, home to Beaverton, the official headquarters of Nike and numerous technology companies, including the Linux Foundation. The county also spreads out into the rural northern section of the Willamette Valley, which means a number of wineries are found within its borders, and a wine tour can easily be organized by the Washington County CVB. Such an itinerary might include the scenic David Hill Winery and Vineyard, which feels as though it’s far from the maddening crowds of downtown Portland despite the close proximity. The winery can accommodate private groups of up to 50.

To take advantage of some of the great golfing offered in the county and enjoy some world-class wine, the Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club has 36 holes of PGA-worthy golf; its Vintage Room restaurant is available for private events. For groups that want a more unique venue, McMenamins Grand Lodge, built in 1922, has 77 guest rooms and 17 meeting and event spaces for groups as large as 150 indoors and 500 outdoors.

Eugene

Less than a two-hour drive south from Portland is Eugene, Oregon’s second-largest city. It’s home to the University of Oregon and at the center of Lane County, which stretches from the Cascade Range to the coast. The county’s diverse geography is reflected in Travel Lane County’s new brand name: Eugene, Cascades & Coast. “We’re going to that more defined organization name, but really establishing a brand name that’s more recognizable, by putting Eugene in the forefront,” says Lisa Lawton, director of community relations for Travel Lane County. “The coast and Cascades also define our Lane County landscape. The second part of our rebranding—real adventures real close—sets us apart with the destination, afforded by our diverse landscape. If you’re in Eugene and you want to go to the coast, it’s about an hour away, and if you want to go to the mountains, they’re also about an hour away.”

The largest venue in the area is the Hilton Eugene & Conference Center, located downtown near the university campus, and offering 269 guest rooms and 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Another option is the Valley River Inn, located on the banks of the Willamette River, with 257 guest rooms and 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Salem

Oregon’s capital city, Salem is an hour’s drive south of Portland along the I-5 corridor in the heart of the Willamette Valley, with a quaint downtown featuring a number of boutique shops and restaurants. Planners should take note that the native Kalapuyan tribe referred to the area as Chemeketa (meeting or resting place), which means meetings have been taking place here for centuries.

For meetings, the Salem Conference Center, the largest venue in the area, offers 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space with stunning modern architecture and an abundance of natural light. Adjacent to the center is the 193-room Phoenix Grand Hotel, with 29,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Alternative venues include the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Gordon House, available for private functions for groups up to 80, and the Willamette Valley Vineyards, with event space for up to 350.

Albany

Another city conveniently located along I-5, between Salem and Eugene, the town of Albany is known for its plethora of historic buildings (nearly 800), with many open for tours through the CVB and some available for private events. Two such venues are The Venetian Theater, which dates from 1913 and can accommodate groups up to 650, and the 200-seat Pix Theatre, which was built in 1892 as a livery stable. For large events, the Linn County Fair and Expo Center offers 201,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space.

Bend

Due east of Eugene across the Cascade Range is the high-desert city of Bend. Represented by the Central Oregon Visitors Association, the region is a popular meetings destination with several resorts and a range of outdoor activities, including skiing, mountain biking and kayaking. But just because the area is classified as desert doesn’t mean there’s no precipitation, proven by all the snow dusting the nearby mountains during the winter months. Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort is popular for skiing and other outdoor sports, and the nearby Mount Bachelor Village Resort offers groups the 5,400-square-foot Oregon Conference Center, while the Seventh Mountain Resort has 170 guest rooms and 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

For larger events the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in nearby Redmond has several venues, the largest of which is the Hooker Creek Event Center with 279,000 sq. ft. of total event space, seating up to 7,500 concert-style. Just south of Bend is Sunriver Resort with 375 guest rooms in multiple configurations, from cabins to lodge suites, and 36,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

The Coast

The 350-mile long and lightly developed Oregon coast is a nature-lover’s dream, especially for groups who like their beaches wild and untamed (and wet and wind-swept in winter). Planners can learn more about venue options from the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, but a sure bet for groups is the Salishan Spa & Golf Resort directly west of Salem and less than two hours from Portland, offering 205 guest rooms and 16,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Also nearby is the oceanside Inn at Cape Kiwanda, with 35 guest rooms and 2,750 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Closer to the southern end of the coast is Coos Bay-North Bend, a destination that offers several parks including the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and Shore Acres State Park, as well as the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport with direct flights from Portland and San Francisco. Groups can meet and stay at The Mill Casino, offering 200 guest rooms and 14,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, or choose a more natural setting at the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, with numerous trails and boardwalks throughout, plus meeting space for up to 50.

Ashland/Medford

The farther south you go in Oregon, the wilder and less populated the landscape becomes, and where you’ll find the towns of Ashland and Medford. Ashland has become famous for its annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which offers 780 performances each year, drawing some 400,000 people over the season. The historic Ashland Springs Hotel is one of the higher-end properties in the area, with 70 guest rooms and 5,700 sq. ft. of meeting space.

A short distance north of Ashland along I-5, Medford is the largest city in southern Oregon and is a popular destination for outdoor activities such as white-water rafting and fishing along the Rogue River. For meetings and events, the Eden Valley Orchards and Winery has both indoor and outdoor venues (besides award-winning wines) that can accommodate groups up to 1,000. Meetings hotels include the Rogue Regency Inn & Suites, offering 203 guest rooms and 1,820 sq. ft. of meeting space, and the Red Lion Hotel Medford, with 185 guest rooms and 9,552 sq. ft. of meeting space.

For more information on properties, venues and attractions in Oregon, visit smartmeetings.com/showcases/oregon. Back to Top

Getting There

Portland International Airport is served by more than a dozen carriers, with nonstops throughout the U.S. Connections can be made easily through Seattle, which has flights leaving for Portland almost hourly. Oregon’s other towns all connect with feeder airlines through Portland International; alternatively, Interstate 5 links towns along the coast. Back to Top

Not To Be Missed

• Powell’s Books in Portland, the world’s largest new/used bookstore, an Oregon institution
• The International Rose Test Garden in Portland, with more than 7,000 rose bushes and some of the best views of the city
• Rafting the Deschutes River in Bend
• Touring the Oregon Dunes, 40-plus miles of sand formations, near Eugene
• The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, one of the nation’s best theatrical events
• Willamette Valley wineries
• Crater Lake, the deepest lake in North America

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