Colorado is Open for Meetings and Events

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Colorado is Open for Meetings and Events

Get the latest scoop with this industry update, including an upcoming webinar, examples of great meetings happening, regulations easing up, the state’s stimulus package for gatherings and more.

By Beth Buehler

It’s a happy day when there are several positive items to report in regard to the meetings and events industry in Colorado. Around the country and world it’s been like solving a complicated maze when attempting to figure out what groups can do where, how many people can gather at once, what the travel requirements are, and more. To make the lives of planners easier, Destination Colorado has teamed up with its member venues, hotels and suppliers as well as organizations like the Colorado Tourism Office and Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association to provide up-to-date information about the Centennial State.

Regional meeting planners attend Marriott International’s Connect with Confidence event at the Sheraton Denver Downtown in late February 2021. Courtesy Sheraton Denver Downtown.

Learn about success stories and lessons learned 

First, Destination Colorado is hosting a meeting planner webinar on March 26, 2021 from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. MST to demonstrate how Colorado is creatively hosting inspirational, safe and successful meetings during these curious times. Members and meeting and event planners can attend for free and register here. “Valuable stories, lessons and tips that you can apply to your own planning needs are the focus of the webinar,” says Destination Colorado Executive Director Kelly Layton.

The lineup of experienced industry representatives from around the state who will be speaking includes Pepper Dombroski, director of sales for The Broadmoor, which recently added 125,000 square feet of additional indoor meeting space to its 3,000 acre resort in Colorado Springs; Tracy Blair, director of sales and marketing for the newly remodeled Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel; Callie Cornell, director of group sales for Gateway Canyons, located within the beautiful palisades of the state’s Western Slope; Justin Ball, founder and president of Denver-based Bespoke, an experiential marketing firm; and Artem Nikulkov, CEO and executive producer for Earth Coast Productions, a video production and media strategy company located in Boulder.

During the meeting, presenters will provide outstanding examples of meetings held during the past year and lessons learned, participants can share their plans and insights during polls taken throughout the webinar, and data gathered will be shared at the end along with a Q&A session. We’ll also have a follow-up blog sharing highlights of information shared during the webinar.

The team from Kinsley Meetings at Marriott International’s Connect with Confidence gathering in Denver. Courtesy Sheraton Denver Downtown.

Helpful information and resources

As mentioned, Destination Colorado is partnering with the Colorado Tourism Office and Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association to create a Colorado Safe Meetings and Events Guide, which will be shared and made available on this website. In addition, Destination Colorado has a web page devoted to the latest Colorado Covid details that features an inspiring video and links to various state and local resources.

At this time, the number of participants allowed at meetings and events is anticipated to increase in April but is dependent upon many factors. The vaccine rollout has been efficient and included more and more Colorado resident, and the state legislature recently passed a $700 million “Build Back Stronger” stimulus package. This legislation includes $10 million to incentivize and retain meeting and events held in Colorado in 2021 through a 10 percent credit against hard costs like hotel rooms, food and beverage, and audiovisual expenses.

Colorado continues to deliver the inspiration, connection and bucket list experiences groups can rely on, and Destination Colorado is the one-stop Colorado resource for meeting and event planners. Connections to meeting service providers and find statewide RFPs, detailed destination descriptions, property searches and more here. All this is provided at no cost to planners. What are you waiting for?

Outdoor activities in the fall splendor were a highlight at Destination Colorado's 2020 Customer Appreciation Event in Aspen.

Beth Buehler has been editor of Colorado Meetings + Events magazine for 16 years and helped launch Mountain Meetings magazine in 2013. She has planned numerous meetings and events and enjoys exploring Colorado.