We checked in with business travel experts for their top choices for the best places to host corporate meetings, conferences and retreats.
Click here to read How to Pick the Right Venue for Your Corporate Retreat
Nevada
Las Vegas’s sheer offering of hotels and rooms make it a premier and functional place to host large meetings and retreats, according to Terry Sloan, director of meetings for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a business travel management company.
“It has the most hotel rooms in North America, even globally,” he says. “The infrastructure is built around meetings.”
Ravella at Lake Las Vegas’s "Anything Goes" allows meeting planners to name their own price for a meeting and then works with them to accommodate requests within their budget.
Canada
Some of the best meeting space can be found in Vancouver, British Columbia, due to the high volume of new, state-of-the-art venues built for the 2010 Winter Olympics. But the top-of the-line meeting places don’t come cheap, Sloan warns.
Montreal can also offer an international experience without huge costs.
“Gorgeous city, beautiful mountains, extremely European in style,” says Janet Fallon of PR Options in Washington, D. “It's a great walking city, with colorful history, a casino reminiscent of Monaco and plenty of meeting space options. Slightly more exotic and bucolic is Gatineau, also in Quebec.”
San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco’s array of funky and diverse meeting spaces in and around the city makes it an ideal corporate retreat destination.
Tami Forero, CEO of Forte Events, recommends companies find locations that provide a unique experience, like a vineyard with great views, food and staff.