Successful Meetings - September 2009 - (Page NE26)

meet me in RENOLAKE TAHOE Productive events in picturesque settings are de rigueur for this value-packed destination. By Melissa Burdick Harmon EVERGREENS, THEIR BRANCHES LACED WITH WHITE SNOW IN WINTER, POINT TOWARD THE SKY. Summer brings wild flowers in a palette of pastels, posing against granite outcroppings. Electric blue skies are reflected in the smooth waters of a deeper blue lake. Rugged mountains—in winter they are perhaps better known as ski slopes—tower more than 4,000 feet above serene Lake Tahoe, itself more than a mile above sea level. Sublime natural beauty may not be the first item on meeting planners’ minds when they consider the Reno-Sparks/Lake Tahoe area. Great hotel inventory, outstanding affordability, and a multitude of available activities tend to come up in conversations first. That, however, is simply because the natural beauty is just a given—so obvious, so ubiquitous, that planners often don’t think to mention it. It is a fact that the one-third of Lake Tahoe located in the state of Nevada boasts several great meeting, incentive, and activity destinations—and they are varied enough to meet the needs of every group. Big bustling Reno is packed with casinos, high-rise hotels with space to accommodate mega-conferences, big name entertainment, and the creative talent to put on any theme party that a planner can imagine. Reno now even boasts its own AAA ballpark and a new downtown ballroom perfect for gala events. Smaller Sparks, Nevada’s fastest-growing city, shares a convention center with its larger neighbor to the west, and has a growing number of lively casino hotels with meeting facilities—at great prices. It is also home to a huge new shopping mall, a destination in itself. Incline Village and Stateline are rural and wonderful, with several superb hotels that let groups enjoy nature right where they meet— ski slopes and hiking trails are never far away. If you are looking for superb meeting infrastructure, combined with unspoiled natu- 26 SEPTEMBER 2009 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - September 2009

Successful Meeting - September 2009
Table of Contents
Incentive Travel Report
Convention Centers
Shiny & New
Social Agenda
Meetings Merchandise
Rocky Mountain Resorts
Greater LA
Phoenix/Scottsdale
Caribbean
Monaco
Hawaii: Incentive Planner's Handbook
Hawaii Table of Contents
Paradise Found
No Task Too Big
Golf, Hawaii-Style
Nevada
Nevada Table of Contents
Las Vegas: New and Now
Meet Me in Las Vegas
That's Entertainment
Suburban Sancuaries
Meet Me in Reno-Lake Tahoe

Successful Meetings - September 2009