Successful Meetings - Nevada September 2013

winter sports, an interesting option for attendees is snowmobiling, just one of many winter adventures in store.

Warmer weather outings include dune buggy racing, paddleboarding in Lake Tahoe, and scaling the world’s tallest outdoor climbing wall in downtown Reno. Many planners may not realize it, but Reno is a cultural center, with both philharmonic and chamber orchestras, as well as its own ballet, opera, and repertory theater. So add a little culture to the pre- or post-meeting options.

A can’t-miss idea is bringing a group to one of Reno’s many festivals, which include German, Italian, Celtic, and Basque cultures. There are also music and jazz festivals and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Reno’s fascinating Artown packs more than 300 performance and visual art events in 82 locations every July.

Meeting planners dream of finding a unique and innovative venue that’s just the right place with just the right charm. Reno-Tahoe has plenty of them.

Indoors or out, many places can afford any group
both focus and fun.

Featuring more than 200 vintage cars, the National Automobile Museum can accommodate groups as intimate as 50 or as large as 1,200.

There’s a 157-seat theater with a 19-foot-by-11- foot high-definition screen. The Nevada Museum of Art can host meetings and events for groups from

30 to 500. The museum features a rooftop patio,
a lecture hall and theater, and elegant reception
rooms. The Wilbur D. May Center combines a
museum, an arboretum, and the Great Basin
Adventure. Indoor and outdoor spaces can host
meetings up to 200.
Thunderbird Lodge is an historic Lake Tahoe
estate with a 50-foot waterfall. Built in the late
1930s, it offers approximately 5,400 square
feet of meeting space in six rooms, including a
400-square-foot outdoor patio with views of the
lake. The lodge can serve groups of 300. ■
Tahoe

There’s a new property at South Lake
Tahoe that is anything but a rook-
ie when it comes to meetings and
events. After 22 years under the um-
brella of a major international hotel
brand, the ownership of Lake Tahoe
Resort Hotel has declared its inde-
pendence. In addition to the same
great staff and the same beautiful
facilities and amenities, the resort is
now is at liberty to get more creative
and unique with meeting planners
while taking customer service to an
even higher level. On the immediate
horizon are plans for a $5-$7 million
property-wide upgrade.

All reservations include stays in a comfortable two-room suite, free breakfast buffet and a popular evening happy hour. Planners have access to full audio-visual tools, a meeting venue that spans 10,000 square feet and a banquet menu that is fresh, seasonal and complemented by a variety of theme ideas.