By Kathy Fort Carty
You selected Colorado for a meeting for a reason. With 300 days of sunshine, natural beauty around every corner and an endless amount of activities, this is the place to be. We all know meetings can become stressful and long and sometimes, it is difficult to keep attention spans on point. Luckily, there are always ways to improve on the traditional meeting. Here are three of my favorite ideas to break up a day of meetings with some Colorado-style amusements.
Get Up from Your Chair & Experience the Outdoors
It can be hard to concentrate and stay engaged during a full day of meetings without having the opportunity to stand up, stretch your legs, and unwind for a minute. Take attendees to an outdoor meeting space for an AM break that is a fly-fishing demonstration. Fly fishing is one of the biggest sports in the state of Colorado, and if you’re driving along a river, you are sure to see multiple fishermen with their waders and fly rods hungry for their next catch. Enlist a pro to teach attendees casting methods, entomology, river etiquette, trout habitat and characteristics, and much more. Provide your attendees with the demo of a lifetime and maybe they’ll think about hitting the river before their next day of meetings!
Re-Energize Yourself
Here in Colorado, we are all about fresh, raw, organic, farm-to-table cuisine. During a full day of meetings, it is always a great option to have something for your attendees to snack on throughout the day. Instead of offering sweet, sugary and salty treats, mix it up and bring in a fresh, local juice bar stand. Allow attendees to refresh themselves with an apple, carrot, ginger, lemon juice or even a make-your-own concoction! After enjoying a delicious, homemade juice, attendees return to their next meeting feeling invigorated and full of energy. My Vail favorite is Green Elephant Juicery.
De-Stress the Day
Your PM break is the perfect time to give attendees some time to wind down. What better way to take a few minutes of relaxation than to meet our very own locals, the avalanche dogs! Offer attendees the opportunity to meet and greet with some of our mountain resorts’ furry heroes. These friendly dogs are ready for photo ops and are also great at creating conversation starters. Attendees can talk with a dog’s master about the training process and duties on the mountain; plus, don’t forget to give the canines workers a good petting or friendly pat. These adorable, smart and safe avalanche dogs are sure to help attendees unwind.
About the Author
Kathy Fort Carty, President of DSC, has built Destination Services from a one-person office in 1986 to a multi-million-dollar operation with offices throughout the western Rockies. With a strong leadership style and visionary approach to the destination management company (DMC) business, she spearheads DSC’s strategic business development and has an active role in the company’s sales and marketing efforts. Fort Carty is respected and known worldwide as an innovator, leader and entrepreneur.