Napa Valley Wine Country Welcomes Groups

For many years, Northern California's award-winning wine-producing region, Napa Valley, has achieved world renown for its excellent varietals, and equally outstanding cuisine. But there's more to this wine country than just wines, according to Clay Gregory, president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley.

"There's a whole array of different things to do aside from wine and food in Napa Valley," Gregory says. "There's a real art culture here -- an art walk in Napa and in Yountville, for example, and three performing arts centers where there weren't any 10 years ago. We also have very nice golf courses, and thousands of acres of trails for hiking and off-road biking. We've got balloon rides, kayaking, great spas, and hands-on culinary experiences, too."

Gregory notes that a strong wellness movement has emerged in Napa Valley. Beyond hiking and biking, there's a significant spa culture, which makes sense considering that the first tourists to Napa were going to Calistoga for the hot springs. Visitors can enjoy those same mineral baths today, or try some of the new Pilates and yoga programs on offer from a number of wineries.

Jody Brandes, senior meeting planner for South San Francisco-based GenenTech, echoes Gregory's sentiments. "There are wine tastings and dinners, yes, but there's also bike riding and so many other activities for groups to do," she says. "I personally haven't done it, but I know some people have hosted groups on the Napa Valley Wine Train (see sidebar). There are just so many different options, and the weather is always better in Napa. You can plan on outdoor activities so easily."

Brandes plans multiple events in Napa Valley throughout the year, the majority of which are sales and marketing meetings with employees from all over the U.S., including the Bay Area. Group sizes range from as few as 50 to up to 150.

She urges planners to take advantage of the area's offerings. "I feel like every time we go to Napa, we go somewhere different," says Brandes. "You can have a different experience, and do different things every time because there are so many options."

When the 2014 South Napa earthquake struck on Aug. 24, many worried that the idyllic wine country's tourism industry would suffer. However, says Gregory, Napa is "doing really, really well." He emphasizes that the only places where visitors can tell there was an earthquake are a few specific blocks of downtown, and a handful of residences that were affected. But, he says that "downtown Napa is doing fine," with no damage to the towns to the north and south.

The earthquake also had minimal impact on the annual harvest period, which takes place from late August to October, and is the region's most popular season for tourism.

Napa's low season, which lasts from November through April, offers great value, especially for visiting groups. "It's quieter and easier to get reservations and it's arguably the most beautiful time of the year," says Gregory. "Once it rains, the vineyards in the valley fill up with wild mustard and there's just this sea of yellow. I think it's the prettiest time of year and, by coincidence, it's also the most affordable."

When hosting a meeting in Napa, "you just have to be flexible with timing, whether that be the time of the year or the days of the week," adds Brandes. "Harvest season is definitely going to be more expensive, for example. But if you can be more flexible with your dates, you can find more availability."

The last meeting that Brandes planned for GenenTech in Napa Valley was in July; it was for 25 people from her own meeting and convention services department and it was held at the newly renovated Silverado Resort & Spa.

Earlier this year, the 380-room resort completed renovations to its 12,000-square-foot conference center, its PGA Championship North Course, and all of its guest rooms. These rooms now include such features as open-kitchen designs, new artwork, redesigned fireplaces, new bedding, and new bathrooms. The lower-level conference rooms, now known as Napa Hall, resemble a wine cellar with custom wine racks and exposed brick, and each room also has new seating, tables, and faster Internet bandwidth. In total, the property has 17 meeting rooms that comprise 15,000 square feet of space.

Brandes has an upcoming January meeting planned for The Meritage Resort & Spa, but says she most often hosts her meeting groups at 180-room The Westin Verasa Napa. "The Westin's location is great because it's walking distance from downtown Napa and the Oxbow Public Market (see sidebar), which is a destination in itself," Brandes notes. "The guest rooms at The Westin are also very large." The Westin Verasa Napa offers more than 21,228 square feet of combined indoor/outdoor meeting and event space and can host groups of up to 240.

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This article appears in the December 2014 issue of Successful Meetings.