Plan Your Meetings

Watch for:

• Delta Airlines now offers expanded, nonstop air service between Atlanta and Aspen/Pitkin County airport.
• Frontier Airlines began roundtrip service from Denver to Aspen/Snowmass.
• The Doerr-Hosier Center opened in June 2007 as part of the Aspen Meadows Resort campus. It has three meeting rooms, patio and private banquet space, and is LEED Gold-certified.
• The $1 billion Snowmass Base Village, scheduled for completion in 2011, has been opening in phases. It is being constructed to LEED standards and will have 15,000 square feet of conference space. The Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Center, a two-story, 25,000-sq. ft. activity center for kids, is open.
• The ski-in/ski-out Viceroy Snowmass Hotel, to open in 2009 in the Snowmass Base Village development, will have 236 rooms, a 7,000-sq. ft spa and will apply for LEED Silver certification.

Want unusual venues?

Private clubs, such as the Aspen Mountain Club and the Caribou Club, are elegant options for group functions and private dinners. Hold a high-end, exclusive event in one of the private residences on Red Mountain. The Aspen Historical Society’s Wheeler/Stallard Museum, a Queen Anne-style Victorian mansion, along with its grounds accommodates up to 250; its Holden/Marolt Barn, Mining and Ranching Museum has outdoor event space for 250 people. Top of the Village on Snowmass Mountain has a fireplace meeting room, a 900-sq. ft. tented outdoor pavilion and spectacular views. Eight miles from Aspen is the town of Woody Creek, best known for former resident and gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson; unusual venues here include the WC3 Woody Creek Community Center (formerly the Woody Creek Store & Gallery) — which has a commercial kitchen and an art gallery — and the Woody Creek Tavern, Thompson’s favorite hangout.

Want cultural activities?

The Wheeler Opera House has been Aspen’s cultural center since 1889; lobby and theater space also may be rented. The Aspen Music Festival and School presents a series of concerts throughout the summer, featuring some of the world’s best professional and student musicians. Jazz Aspen Snowmass produces a summer festival, a Labor Day festival, educational performances, and free concerts in both villages. The Aspen Institute specializes in leadership seminars and a fascinating array of public programs on topics such as arts and ideas, business and society, and energy and the environment. Every summer, the Anderson Ranch Arts Center offers more than 130 workshops between Memorial Day and the end of September, when world-class artists are in residency; from October through April, the center presents gallery shows and a lecture series. Victorian museum, ghost town and West End walking tours are available from the Aspen Historical Society.

Want to break out of the boardroom?

Encourage attendees to relax by kicking the day off with a pajama breakfast or on-mountain yoga classes. The Maroon Bells Lodge & Outfitters at the T-Lazy 7 Ranch offers Western-themed dinners, dances, wagons, sleigh rides and trail rides year-round. The Cooking School of Aspen lets attendees prepare their own gourmet multi-course dinners. Create your own private dinner theater or comedy club in the Silvertree Hotel’s Cabaret Room.

Want to meet green?

The City of Aspen sells Canary Tags to offset the carbon footprint of traveling to and doing business in the city; planners should check Aspenzgreen.com and stayaspensnowmass.com for details and current green meetings packages. The Doerr-Hosier Center is LEED Gold-certified. Boutique properties Sky Hotel and Hotel Jerome have green meeting packages and initiatives in place. Other LEED-certified venues include the Snowmass Golf Club, the Snowmass Club, Aspen Meadows Resort and The Sundeck Restaurant. The Aspen Ski company has been a green pioneer for 10 years, installing micro power stations, extensive recycling programs and biodiesel-powered machines at its on-mountain ski runs and properties. The entire Snowmass Base Village Project is being constructed to meet LEED standards for sustainable living.

Want to on-mountain dining?

Winter or summer, The Sundeck atop Aspen Mountain is accessible by the Silver Queen Gondola and has views of the Elk Mountain Range. Krabloonik Restaurant & Kennel picks diners up from Snowmass Village Mall and transports them to this mountainside eatery by dogsled or jeep; kennel tours are available in the summer, and the restaurant also is accessible by hike or ski. The Lynn Britt Cabin has nightly entertainment and panoramic views of the Snowmass Valley, and connects to an intermediate-level ski run; planners also can arrange for snowcats or jeeps to transport diners to the 60-seat log cabin. Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro overlooks one of the most photographed local sites, the Maroon Bells.

Want active group adventures?

Blazing Adventures provides destination management as well as group rafting, kayaking, biking, hiking, hot air balloon, jeep, horseback, historic mine and fly-fishing tours (Roaring Fork Valley is known for its gold-medal fishing). The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) leads group ski, snowshoe, hiking and naturalist tours. NASTAR ski runs can be reserved for private group competitions; the Aspen Chamber also can create on-mountain treasure hunts, race camps and help planners arrange group picnics at the Spider Sabich Picnic Palace. The Elk Camp Meadows Learning Area recently opened a beginner’s ski park and six-acre learning area on Snowmass Mountain. For groups traveling with families, Snowmass’ Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Center is a treasure trove of quality educational and active programs.