When Judy Booth moved from her previous job at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center to become vice president of sales at Boyne Resorts four years ago, she saw a whole new, non-urban dimension to winter meetings and events.
“In the wintertime, we get people that come up here that want to build skiing into their agenda, whether it’s for team building or spouses,” she says in describing Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls’ cold-weather activities, which now include the new SkyBridge Michigan that is open year-round. “And it’s not just skiing, but snowboarding, cross-country skiing, tubing—they can do all kinds of fun things with snow.
“People go snowmobiling, ziplining, snowbiking. Or you can sit in front of the fire and drink a hot toddy if that works too. There’s a ton of stuff you can do in the wintertime.”
It’s much the same at The Highlands at Harbor Springs, where she says there are “beautiful” snowshoe trails, among other attractions for those attending winter meetings and events. “At the Highlands, they do the Aonach Mor dinner at the top of the mountain,” she says. “They do a wonderful fine-dining experience up there.”
As part of the dinner, participants take a sleigh ride from the mountain’s base to the top of The Highlands’ North Peak. They arrive to a bonfire before dining on a three-course meal served by candlelight in a cozy cabin as an acoustic guitarist plays.
Booth also cites The Highlands’ Enchanted Trail as another experience winter meetings and events attendees might like. It’s a two-mile walk along a path illuminated with lights and interactive displays with a stop midway at a yurt for a warm beverage and finale of a bonfire with s’mores. Group events can be arranged for those onsite for meetings.
Should it get too cold for you, though, there’s always Boyne Mountain’s Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, where, Booth says, “it’s 82 degrees all year round.”
Multiple other resorts around northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula offer similar experiences for winter meetings and events that complement conference schedules with outdoor recreation. Visit michigan.org/meetings-michigan for more ideas.
