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Winter Destination Ideas- January 2008With the holidays behind and a whole new year ahead, it’s time for event and meeting planners to gear up for a new set of challenges. Don’t let your clients and colleagues give in to those winter doldrums. Kick off the new year by organizing a group outing to a winter spot that promises to inspire, refresh, revive and rejuvenate. Following are suggestions on how make your winter events sparkle.
TAKE AIM AND FOCUS
Let creativity be your guide as you start the planning process. First step, of course, is to clarify the goals of the event, but think of all the possibilities, all the different ways to accomplish those goals. Let your creativity run wild, then narrow down your options for practicality’s sake, but make sure you keep some inspirational fun and creative elements in the program. Then concentrate on the details of guest list, time frame, execution, and of course, budget.
Group getaways can take many forms. Will yours involve both work sessions and leisure activities or will it be strictly recreational? Is the focus to provide a comfortable out-of-office setting to discuss new company initiatives, get press coverage for the launch of a new product, fire up team spirit and enhance collaboration between departments, celebrate a business anniversary or a new client, or reward employees for hard work by inviting them and their families to a place where everyone can relax and have a good time? Once you establish the priorities and parameters, determine who will attend, and know how much money you have to spend, you can move on to the fun part of designing the program and finding a great event site.
IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
Brighten up the dark days of winter with events that celebrate the unique features of the season. Winter destinations make exquisite event sites for a ride range of occasions from recreational group outings to product launches and fashion shows. Following are a few suggestions.
• Hold the launch party for a new beverage—a new brand of bottled water or a crystal-clear vodka made from glacial waters—on an outdoor ice-rink with skaters bringing chilled drinks to spectators after their performance.
• Have a fashion show for the season’s best boots right next to the slopes or have models on the gondolas flashing the finest in fashionable ski wear.
• If you’re at a family resort, you could even tie the event in with a funny-hat runway exhibit after the show with the kids modeling their most amusing caps. Give prizes to the winners.
• Or, look to the season ahead and hold a spring fashion preview for new swimwear or sunglasses at a ski resort’s heated outdoor pool.
• If there is a spa on the premises, launch a skin-care product client’s latest renewal cream and have guests test the new line and share their feedback.
• If entertainment is your focus, stage your own show for a group on the ice with professional skaters twirling and ice-dancing to show tunes or have your own skating party on a nearby rink with guests playing crack-the-whip and relaxing afterwards in a warm spot to sip hot toddies.
• For a more formal event, have a cocktail party in a sparkling winter-palace setting, which could be an exquisitely decorated hotel ballroom with tiny white lights twinkling through dry-ice induced clouds. For a more rustic look, rent the great room in a cozy lodge with roaring fireplaces by the slopes. Or, erect a winter-white tent (indoors or out) with gobos casting fantastic images of perfect mountain pine forests on the walls.
• For outdoor group/family activities test drive toboggans or old-fashioned flying saucers at chutes, runs and slopes on snowy hills in the area, then serve hot beverages and old-fashioned snow-cones in assorted colors and flavors.
• Team-building challenges can be great fun in winter: head for the trails with cross-country ski- or snowshoe-clad participants weaving their way through an obstacle course designed just for the occasion.
• Have families (or office departments) compete in a relay race, winter scavenger hunt, or murder mystery game, where part of the challenge is to use several modes of transportation to get from one point to another: ice-skates, snowshoes, skis, an old-time sled.
• Treat your guests to an ice-sculpting display by a professional who can chisel an ice block into a shape suggested by your group. • Turn challenges into opportunities for enjoyment: don’t let icy roads block your path—have your guests bundle up and transport them from one event to another by horse-drawn sleighs that jingle as they go. The delightful contrast between the brisk outdoor air and cozy indoor settings will only enhance the experience.
THE SITE SEARCH
Your event could take place anywhere from an urban ice-skating rink with après skate refreshments at a restaurant afterwards, to a hotel or resort that truly celebrates the season’s chill. More and more destination hotels and resorts are attracting groups of all ages by expanding their facilities and incorporating a wider range of restaurants, recreational options and spas.
You can find places in a wide variety of styles and prices to satisfy practically any groups’ needs, from basic cabins near the slopes to large, full-service resort/spa/conference complexes.
EVENT REQUIREMENTS
If you are planning an event combining business and pleasure, make sure the site meets your meeting and conference requirements too. If you need dedicated meeting rooms wired for high-speed Internet access and special A/V equipment, make sure the property can offer those facilities and the technology to go with it. Also, make sure they can accommodate your group during the periods you want to use the space. The same holds true for private dining rooms.Also investigate the food and beverage service. Where will your group be during various meal periods? Will they be dining together or on their own? Depending on the length of your stay, an often-used approach is a combination of allowing individuals to make their own dining arrangements and planning a pre-set organized meal or two with cocktail parties, after-ski get-togethers, etc. If children will be attending, make sure there are kid-friendly choices and amenities.
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Expanded facilities at many resorts and hotels have greatly increased group activity options. Guests don’t have to be avid skiers or snow-boarders anymore to enjoy seasonal pastimes at many winter destinations. Places that used to offer just basic ski packages with rustic après-slope lodge and lounge amenities have broadened their operations to appeal to nearly everyone. Some popular ski resorts in the northeast report that on any given day 50 to 60 percent of their guests are actually skiing or snowboarding compared with 85 percent just 10 years ago. That means a lot of their guests are doing other things.
What other things? Relaxing at the spa ranks high on the desired list of leisure options. Mineral pools, hot-stone therapy sessions, steam rooms and saunas, reflexology, facials, aromatherapy and massage are only a fraction of the options offered by these modern pleasure palaces. Those in need of a good workout or athletic challenge can head to squash or racquetball courts, attend yoga or Pilates classes, hit the trails for cross-country skiing or snow-shoeing, hike, and even try a new sport like air-boarding.
Family friendly facilities might provide “fun zones” with indoor and outdoor games, inflatable rides, and various other activities geared for kids, including lessons on the slopes.
The expanding roster of services some facilities provide also includes on-site concierges, plus meeting and event coordinators, who will help organize group outings as well as meetings, plan team-building activities for corporate clients, and advise on other local attractions for those who want to explore the surrounding area.
SEASONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Setting up and staging events at winter destinations involves its own set of seasonal challenges, but the results can be well worth the effort. The temperature is always a factor and good climate control is important. Transportation can be an issue too with icy roads and blizzard conditions threatening to derail your best-laid travel plans.
The best advice is to book ahead, confirm all arrangements, allow plenty of time, cover your bases by having backup plans, and hire vendors, including transportation providers, that have experience dealing with the conditions. Working cell phones, walkie-talkies and the like are also good tools to have on hand.
Take extra precautions to ensure stairs, pathways, etc. are clear and as free of ice and slush as possible, and entryways, interior floors, etc. are not slippery. Make sure to inform your guests how to dress for the occasion, indoors and out.
TRANSPORTATION
Will attendees be getting to and from the site on their own or will you provide group transportation?
If you are organizing group transportation, you have several options, depending on the travel distance, expectations of the attendees, and your budget. For long-distance travel, you’ll need to book airline tickets, preferably well in advance of the trip for the best prices and flights. Be sure to advise travelers to allow plenty of time to check in and brief them on any security and baggage regulations.
When transporting groups to closer destinations, limo service might be appropriate for small parties and coach service for larger crowds. If you opt for coach service, it’s a good time to take advantage of the situation of having everyone together in one place during the trip. Getting there can be half the fun as you provide refreshments, hand out information, brief the group on the agenda, and answer questions.
A SAFE TRIP
Important issues to address when you’re taking groups out of the office, especially to a destination that encourages participation in potentially risky sports activities are legal liability and insurance. Check with your corporate legal department and insurance provider to determine what additional measures such as extra insurance coverage are advisable during this limited time. Also investigate upfront what procedures are in place at the facility you will be using should medical attention be required, and find out where the area hospitals and medical centers are in case someone needs to use them.
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