If there is a “business meeting bucket list,” Lake Placid nestled in the Adirondacks, the largest protected natural area in the lower 48 states is on it. The Conference Center at Lake Placid, now in its fifth year of operation, has proven to be an ideal venue for hosting high-level retreats, large group meetings and rarified team-building experiences.
When the Conference Center at Lake Placid opened in 2011, it added a much-needed contemporary facility with diverse meeting space and services to the destination, conveniently all under one roof. Momentum is growing, as meeting planners who are organizing large meetings – many of whom showed interest when the Conference Center first opened – are currently reserving space and hosting their meetings in the destination. In April and May 2016 alone, more than 5,600 meeting and convention participants are expected to visit Lake Placid.
The very words “Lake Placid” conjure images of soaring Adirondack mountain ranges, serene crystal lakes and deep, unspoiled forests. For more than 100 years, Lake Placid has hosted a range of noteworthy events, from large-scale, world-class events including two Olympic Winter Games to intimate meetings for smaller groups. The Conference Center at Lake Placid has roughly 90,000 square feet of interior function space and more than six million acres of pristine, outdoor entertainment space.
“The Anytime Fitness conference will bring 2,800 people to Lake Placid this fall, and like most groups, they chose our destination for a combination of reasons,” said Maryjane Lawrence, marketing and operations director for the Conference Center at Lake Placid. “Truly distinct activities, the gorgeous landscape and the fact that they will essentially have the entire Lake Placid village to themselves – they are factors have already boosted attendance from the group’s international members.”
Lake Placid offers groups distinct and unique team building and corporate challenge activities that just can’t be found in other destinations. In addition, many groups have shown interest in opportunities to give back to the community. As a result, one group activity is a bicycle build where finished bikes are then donated to local children.
Many conference groups build strong relationships to the destination, and Renzi Foodservice, which recently hosted more than 1,500 attendees at their Food Show, is an excellent example. In 2014, the company established a charitable partnership with the Northern New York Community Foundation in an effort to formalize their community reinvestment efforts in support of nonprofit organizations and schools. In Lake Placid, that has included food donations to both the local school and to the food pantry.
The sales strategy for the Conference Center at Lake Placid is conducted cooperatively by the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) and the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). The strategy includes attracting a combination of regional day business and multi-day, town-wide conferences.
