Pacific Northwest: Inviting Venues, Regional Flair Make for Unforgettable Meetings

When specialty foods and cookware retailer Sur La Table was looking for a destination for its annual leadership conference, attended by approximately 500 employees and vendors, Director of Store Operations Lara Trepanier didn't have to look very far. "As we've grown, we've had to look for bigger and more flexible spaces to meet all of our needs, and that's what took us to Bellevue, WA."

The Seattle-based, national retailer hosted its 2014 conference at the Meydenbauer Center and plans to return in 2015. Trepanier said she was initially drawn to Bellevue because of its proximity to Seattle, as well as its "walk-able downtown core." "I had very limited ground transportation arrangements that I needed to make," she says. "People could just walk through most of the conference. It saved us on expenses and time."

The variety of hotel properties available, as well as dining options, only added to the advantages for meeting in Bellevue. "The staff at the Meydenbauer Center (see sidebar on this page) was phenomenal," Trepanier noted. Sur La Table's group used the entire facility to put on a trade show, as well as conduct training seminars and keynotes. Trepanier's attendees were also impressed by the food and beverage served at two different evening events: "We're a food company -- food is important to us -- and the chef at the Meydenbauer Center was amazing. People were raving about the food."

In Portland, OR, the Entomological Society of America had a similarly successful convention thanks to easy accessibility and plenty of regional flavor. In November, the society held its annual convention for approximately 3,500 attendees in Portland. Attendees were spread out across 12 different hotels throughout the city, and most events were held at the Oregon Convention Center. To get from place to place, most attendees used the city's efficient MAX light-rail service, says Rosina M. Romano, director of meetings. "Our attendees really embraced using MAX to get around," she says. "We didn't have to spend money on shuttle service; I'd recommend other planners purchase passes for attendees so they can get around everywhere."

The 2014 annual meeting was the society's second-largest in terms of attendance numbers, and Romano attributes it to the fact that, as she says, "Everyone loved the vibe of Portland; it just fit our membership. She adds, "We were really close to setting record-breaking attendance numbers. People were really engaged in going out to Portland; it's a travel destination that people often overlook, but one that people will go to, and attendees will get excited about."

The insect-studying professionals relished participating in local tours such as a snowshoeing activity and an alternative 5K hosted in partnership with Fit Right Northwest, a local running and walking specialty retailer. "We partnered with them to host a fun run/scavenger hunt on Sunday morning," Romano explains. "Those who walked or ran collected raffle tickets and different checkpoints throughout downtown Portland and were entered into different prize drawings."

New Developments
For meeting planners, Romano and Trepanier, the Pacific Northwest is a region filled with a variety of accessible and enjoyable destinations -- many of which are welcoming new updates and developments. Here's a closer look at just a few.

In Bellevue, the Meydenbauer Center is set to embark on a $12.5-million capital improvements plan that will commence on June 15 and should be completed by September. The city also welcomed a 128-room Hampton Inn Bellevue, and in March, a new 384-room Seattle Marriott Bellevue, is expected to open with 21,000 square feet of meeting space. This month, the $5.2-million, three-part renovation of the Hyatt Regency Bellevue should be completed; the hotel recently completed upgrades to its 381-Cascade Tower guest rooms and will have a new lobby and refreshed pre-function and meeting space. The Larkspur Landing Hotel has recently completed a $10,000-renovation. The Residence Inn by Marriott Bellevue Downtown is also undergoing a $1-million renovation that is slated for completion in March, as is the Sheraton Bellevue's current guest room and public space renovation. Next month, the Embassy Suites - Eastgate will be renovating its meeting space.

Not far from Bellevue in Seattle, a number of new hotels are also in the works. Storied Seattle developer R.C. Hedreen Co. recently announced plans to give Seattle a second headquarters hotel, just two blocks north of the Washington State Convention Center. The Ninth & Stewart project is expected to be the largest convention hotel north of San Francisco and is expected to open in early 2017. It will have 1,200 guest rooms and 150,000 square feet of meeting space. A hotel operator has yet to be selected as of press time.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants also recently announced plans to open a new four-star, 97-room hotel in downtown Seattle, not far from Pike Place Market. The hotel, Kimpton's fourth Seattle property, will be an adaptive re-use of the landmark Palladian Building, which was originally built in 1910 as the Calhoun Hotel. It will have 1,100 square feet of meeting and event space and is expected to open this year. A 142-room Hotel indigo is planned for the upcoming mixed-use Potala Tower complex that will be built in the downtown Belltown neighborhood. Ground recently broke at the upcoming SLS Four Star hotel in downtown Seattle, which will have 184 rooms, a luxury spa with pool, and 15,000 square feet of meeting space.

Seattle's Washington State Convention Center is nearing the completion of its $20-million refurbishment, and a designer was recently selected for the center's expansion plans, which will double the size of the existing venue. The new facility, which will be built northeast of the current building, will have 300,000 square feet of heavy-load exhibit space 135,000 square feet of meeting/break-out space, and an additional ballroom. Construction on the new expansion will begin in early 2017 and should wrap up by 2020.

In March 2014, downtown Portland welcomed the 100-room Sentinel boutique hotel, which comprises two historic buildings that underwent a $6-million renovation. Later this year, in the city's Lloyd District, the Hotel Eastlund is scheduled to open in May. A former Red Lion Hotel, the hotel is undergoing a complete $10-million gut renovation and will have 168 guest rooms, two boardrooms, two private dining rooms, a ballroom, and 1,000 square feet of new retail space. Hilton's newest brand -- Curio -- will be making its debut in downtown Portland in late 2016.

Currently, the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower is refreshing its guest rooms and lobby, as well as its Salon Ballroom level. The DoubleTree by Hilton Portland is also renovating its lobby and guest rooms, and through March, the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront is renovating its rooms.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, Eugene, OR, is welcoming a new 124-room Hyatt Place Hotel at the Oakway Center, just north of the city's downtown core. This summer, Spokane, WA, is expected to welcome the Davenport Grand Hotel, which will be a part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection. It will be located across the street from the Spokane Convention Center and will be connected to the center. Pronghorn, an Auberge Resort in Bend, OR, also recently opened a new 6,100-square foot Event Island -- a literal island situated on a lake between the resort's first and 18th holes on the Tom Fazio Golf Course. It offers 360-degree views of the nearby Cascade Mountains and can host up to 300 seated guests for meetings and events. The resort is also in the process of building a new $20-million guest lodge, spa, and overall resort refreshments, which should be completed in late 2015.

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