Destination: Washington Meeting & Event Planning City Guide

  • Washington

Destination Articles

  • Urban & Outdoor Discoveries in Washington

    By Heather Larson

    November 19, 2012

    The Evergreen State has several claims to fame, including the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980; one of the top three highest wine production areas in the U.S. (with California and New York); the iconic Space Needle, which celebrated its 50th birthday this year; and the town of Forks that served as the setting for the successful Twilight series of books and films. All of these sites are definitely worth a visit, but often the best way to discover more about a place is by peeling back the first layer of popular attractions and delving deeper into what the region or state has to offer.

  • Seattle: Three Ways

    By Jessie Fetterling

    February 27, 2012

    Seattle has long been known for its uber-cool elements, each bringing a tantalizing smell to mind. The city is scented by the crisp freshness of rain, with a touch of ocean air. Its music evokes an energetic crowd, perspiring in a confined local music venue. And its food scene teases tourists with the fragrance of roasted coffee beans on every corner and just-off-the-boat seafood from the fish market. Few other places tempt the olfactory senses quite like Seattle does, or have made such an impact on the ever-growing trends in today’s pop culture.

  • Discovering Washington

    By Heather Larson

    November 29, 2011

    High-octane encounters and low-impact experiences in the beautiful Evergreen State

  • Bellevue, Wash.

    By Nikki Gloudeman

    April 25, 2011

    Last year, when CNN Money released its list of the best U.S. cities in which to live, Bellevue, Wash., landed at No. 4. Among its many attributes, the magazine praised the city’s “embarrassment of arts and entertainment,” “forested cityscapes” and “compact downtown.”

  • Spotlight on Greater Seattle

    By Bill McRae

    February 28, 2011

    Unique is a word that gets tossed around a lot when people describe their favorite cities. But in fact, there is no place quite like Seattle, with its one-of-a-kind Space Needle, Pike Place Market and big-as-all-outdoors setting on Puget Sound. Far more than just another generic American city, greater Seattle offers meeting planners unparalleled facilities and the kind of iconic, one-of-a-kind sights and experiences that make for a truly distinctive meeting or convention.

  • Washington: An Evergreen Favorite

    By Lisa Foster

    November 29, 2010

    Washington offers a cornucopia of destinations as varied as its geography. The sparsely populated Olympic Peninsula boasts gorgeous Pacific coast beaches, the Olympic Mountains and the mossy green Hoh Rainforest. Mt. Rainier, the snowcapped peak visible from Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma, stuns visitors with its towering 14,410-foot-high beauty. Water and mountains are everywhere in western Washington, whereas the eastern portion of the state beckons with rolling hills, vineyards and a slower tempo.

Learn about Washington for Event Venues, Services & Meeting Destinations

Destination Description

The ultimate crowd-pleaser, the state of Washington can be described as nothing less than an adventure. With everything from wine in Woodinville and the Yakima Valley to the Lavender Festival in Sequim to 360-degree views from Seattle’s Space Needle, there’s something for everyone—and that goes for meeting groups, too.

Washington conjures up a host of images, from the constant drip of its rainy skies in winter to the caffeinated concoctions that sparked a coffee-culture revolution around the country. Home to such innovative corporations as Microsoft, Amazon.com, Starbucks, Nike and Adidas, the state is also a buzzing hub of business activity with an infrastructure to match. Venture a few miles outside of the major metro areas, and you’re quickly enveloped by a vast and wild natural landscape.

Wherever you hold your meeting or event, the backdrop will be one of stunning beauty and rugged nature, something Washington has in abundance. There are numerous state and national parks in the region, the only temperate rainforest in the world and hundreds of glaciers (more than anywhere else in the U.S. outside of Alaska). Slicing north to south through the center of both states are the Cascade Mountains (including Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and other active volcanoes), a popular destination for hiking, skiing and other outdoor sports.