Summit County is a powerhouse of great opportunities for meetings and events, made up of mountain towns like Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Keystone, and Silverthorne. It is a collection of year-round destinations and resorts that offers so many venue and activity options it is almost mind-boggling.
In Summit County, groups can go back and forth between four ski resorts—Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Copper Mountain, and Keystone Resort—for the ultimate in skiing and snowboarding adventures for incentive trips or alongside meetings. There are Nordic centers for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the towns of Breckenridge, Keystone, and Frisco, and a host of other winter and spring activities like tubing, snow-mobiling, ice skating, and fat biking. During summer and fall, golfing, hiking, mountain biking, and fishing are among outdoor amusements. Plus, there are plenty of local breweries and distilleries for tastings and off-site receptions.
Since there is so much to share, Colorado Meetings + Events stuck to a high-level overview of the Summit County locations with the most to offer groups—Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Keystone—although a few other communities are certainly noteworthy. Do not hesitate to check out Dillon with its Dillon Amphitheater, Dillon Lake, Dillon Marina, and Homewood Suites by Hilton Dillon. Meanwhile, Frisco contains event venues like AC Hotel Frisco, Frisco Bay Marina, Frisco Nordic Center, and The Grand Hotel, and Silverthorne provides plenty of meeting space at the likes of Bluebird Market, Hotel Indigo, Silverthorne Performing Arts Center, and Summit Assembly.
Breckenridge’s Rich Heritage
If your group prefers historic backdrops for gatherings, head to the town of Breckenridge, which was established in 1859 during the height of the Colorado Gold Rush. Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center offers condominium-style lodging and the most meeting and event space in town with 40,000 square feet. The property can be paired with the 205-room Hotel Alpenrock Breckenridge, Curio Collection by Hilton, across the street to host larger meetings. This former DoubleTree completed a top-to-bottom renovation and rebranded in time for the 2024-25 ski season. In addition to 10,000 square feet of function space, the hotel features a spacious restaurant and bar called Edwin and a hidden speakeasy dubbed Canary.
“Hotel Alpenrock truly redefines the lodging experience in Breckenridge as the only high-end hotel in the area,” says General Manager Meredith Ash. “We’re creating a year-round experience like no other that captures the charm of our historic mountain town while harnessing the excitement of the outdoor pursuits found throughout the area.”
The Lodge at Breckenridge; Main Street Station; One Ski Hill Place, A Rock Resort; Residence Inn by Marriott Breckenridge; and Village at Breckenridge also have lodging and function space. For something with a hipster appeal, consider the 60-room Gravity Haus Breckenridge, where eatery Cabin Juice and a 12-person boardroom are the main spaces to book for groups. Buyouts are available, and the property might be paired with the nearby Village at Breckenridge to increase capacity for hosting.
Other venues to consider are the Riverwalk Center and Breckenridge Ski Resort’s eateries Ten Mile Station and The Maggie. Italian restaurant Radicato, led by Summit County chef Matt Vawter, offers dining-room buyouts. Or book a tour and host an event at Country Boy Mine, a historic gold mine opened in 1887.
Vibrant Copper Mountain
Copper Conference Center in Copper Mountain is one of the few ski-in, ski-out conference centers in the U.S. Situated at the base of American Eagle and American Flyer chairlifts, the conference center has more than 15,500 square feet of function space and a slopeside deck. Additional event space is available at Copper Station, Village Square, Jack’s Slopeside Grill at Copper One Lodge, and the mid-mountain Aerie lodge that opened in December 2023. After-hours buyouts of the 25,000-square-foot Aerie can be booked during the winter season, and groups of 25 or less can rent the private dining room and deck space on the upper level.
Copper Mountain’s three centralized pedestrian villages, each with lodging, dining, shopping, and activity options, make it easy for attendees to walk between everything on the agenda and beyond. Plus, it has the unique distinction of being home to an Official Training Center for U.S. Ski & Snowboard Olympic and Paralympic athletes, Woodward Copper, a 19,400-square-foot indoor action sports facility with trampolines, foam pits, skate ramps, and BMX and scooter zones. Groups might book two-hour sessions to experience Woodward Copper’s central hub, The Barn, during the winter or offseason.
For groups with golf aficionados, Copper Mountain celebrated the grand reopening of the 18-hole Copper Creek Golf Course last August after redesigning several holes on the back nine.
The golf course transitions into skiing and snowboarding terrain in the winter, with the highest tee box at about 9,900 feet. “The redesigned holes offer new challenges and spectacular views that truly set Copper Creek apart as a premier high-altitude golfing destination,” says Zach Dobrota, the resort’s head golf professional.
Keystone on the Move
Keystone—a ski area that is now an official Colorado town—has the most meeting space in Summit County, with more than 100,000 square feet at Keystone Conference Center and the upcoming addition of Kindred Resort. Slated to open late this summer, Kindred Resort features a slopeside ballroom, two meeting rooms, pre-function space, and a private patio, as well as an outdoor pool, hot tubs, and a fitness center. Three new restaurants, retail shops, 95 luxury residences, a spa, private club, and the new home of Keystone Ski & Ride School also are part of the resort development located next to River Run Gondola.
“There’s a lot of excitement building in Keystone, with the new terrain of Bergman Bowl opening last year, the new town of Keystone that incorporated last year, and now Kindred, the new base area that will open this year,” says Shervin “Shevy” Rashidi, a development partner of Kindred. “Kindred is the first new major development in Keystone in the past 20 years, and we’re confident it will further help put the new town of Keystone on the map.”
Hyatt Place Keystone/Dillon and Keystone Lodge & Spa also are options, and two fine-dining experiences that groups might consider are Ski Tip Lodge and Keystone Ranch. Ski Tip occupies a stagecoach stop from the 1800s, and the ranch’s restaurant is in the original homestead property.
Planners and groups are noticing Keystone’s progress and range of options. Keystone Resort hosted the 2025 National Brotherhood of Snowsports (NBS) Annual Summit that brought 58 member clubs and between 1,500 and 2,000 registered participants and their guests to town in late February. The summit raises funds to further the organization’s mission “to identify, develop, and support athletes of color who will win international and Olympic winter sports competitions representing the U.S. and to increase participation in winter sports,” says 2025 NBS Summit Chair Andrea Yowman.
After hosting its 2017 summit in Keystone, NBS elected to return due to the town being easily accessible from Denver International Airport, family friendly, and capable of hosting a large group, Yowman shares. “Our two main venues are the Keystone Conference Center and Mountain House,” she says. “However, we are working with the venues in the River Run area to promote Keystone and give participants an amazing experience. For example, we will have an exciting pub crawl with bars and restaurants that have expressed an interest in participating.”
Yowman adds, “Keystone and its partners have been creative to make the summit exciting and engaging. For example, Steep Brewing & Coffee Co. is working with us to develop a recipe for NBS-branded coffee and beer, with part of sales being donated to our Olympic Scholarship Fund.” Themed après-ski parties, a barbecue event, live entertainment, sleigh-ride dinners, snow tubing, a Sneaker Ball, and family-friendly activities are among the many other event happenings.
