Boise, Idaho is an unforgettable meeting destination that is equipped with everything planners need for a successful meeting or convention. From a lively downtown that is walkable, to close proximity to many outdoor recreation opportunities, there’s something for every attendee. Read on for the reasons why meeting planners fall in love with Boise.
1. Walkable & Lively Downtown Area
Many of Boise’s most popular meeting venues are located right in the heart of the city. Attendees can literally walk outside of Boise Centre and venture on foot to cultural attractions, restaurants, breweries and wine tasting rooms, shops and hotels without having to go far. Whether they’re exploring The Basque Block, Garden City or enjoying a stroll or bike ride along the 25-mile Greenbelt path that runs along the Boise River, there’s an adventure for everyone! There are also art and history museums and the Freak Alley Gallery, the Northwest’s largest open-art multi-artist mural gallery.
2. The Boise Convention Center “Neighborhood”
Boise’s convention center “Neighborhood” is a unique event space perfect for large conventions that you won’t find anywhere else. Within the neighborhood meeting planners will find Boise Centre, Idaho’s largest convention center that accommodates groups of up to 2,000.
Just steps away is Idaho Central Arena, a fantastic exhibit hall and sports arena, offering 5,000 seats and 17,000 square feet of trade show space. Meeting planners can combine the two venues for 100,000 square feet of expanded possibilities for larger conferences, keynote sessions, trade shows, concerts and sports events. Not to mention, it’s all centrally located in Boise’s walkable downtown area.
3. Wide Variety of Meeting Spaces
Boise boasts a wide range of meeting spaces for every occasion. Whether you’re planning a meeting for 10 or 1,000, Boise offers comfortable venues for a range of tastes and budgets. In fact, we have more than 6,000 rooms – as many as cities twice our size. From luxury high-rise to locally-owned boutique hotels and intimate meeting spaces to a historic train depot and charming Basque Block, you’ll find that “just right” space here.
4. Year-Round Biz-Cation Opportunities
With biz-cations on the rise, planning your corporate meeting or event in a vacation-destination like Boise is a guaranteed attendance booster. Meeting planners love that Boise has fun and adventurous activities year-round to attract attendees who want to make a vacation out of their business trip. From skiing at Bogus Basin in the winter, to hiking our unique trails through the foothills in the summer, and the Treefort Music Festival in the spring, there’s always a reason for a biz-cation in Boise.
5. Easy to Get Here and Around
Boise is convenient to get to from almost anywhere via eight national airlines including Alaska, Delta and United. Once here, the airport is only 7 minutes from downtown, so if you have attendees arriving at various times, you won’t have to worry about waiting for all parties to arrive before shuttling them to their accommodations. Not to mention, most hotels have a complimentary shuttle service. For events with attendees traveling from across the globe, this is a huge benefit!
6. Diverse Dining Scene
Boise’s food scene is as diverse as it is delicious to satisfy every attendee’s palette. From local restaurants featuring farm-to-table ingredients to swank lounge menus, casual pub bites and ethnic cuisines, meeting planners will find every style of food and flavor. Downtown is also home to a distillery and several breweries and wineries, so attendees can find a perfectly made cocktail or small-batch brews after the day’s meetings.
7. Unique & Memorable Team-Building Activities
Boise’s cozy “small town” feel is the perfect backdrop for team-building activities, giving meeting attendees the feeling like they’re on an intimate retreat together. The vibrant city has every team-building activity you can imagine to appeal to all personality types. Adventure seekers rave about the white-water rafting, zip lines and high ropes courses. Others get excited for glass blowing, Chopped culinary competitions, food and winery tours, and the vertical team slide at Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP).
8. Free Professional Planning Assistance
Meeting planners are grateful to have Visit Boise’s planning assistance throughout the entire process. From finding event speakers to event promotion, hotel contracts, guest activities and complimentary collateral materials, we are at your service. No matter what your needs, you can feel confident our team will make your corporate event a success!
If you’re planning a corporate meeting or event, Boise is truly a destination that can do it all. From the convenience and accessibility, to the variety of event spaces and the culturally rich downtown scene, you won’t find another city like Boise. Reach out at VisitBoise.com/meetings to our team today to learn more about why meeting planners love our city!
