FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Meetings in Grand Junction: The Perfect Blend of Inspiration, Productivity & Adventure
Grand Junction sits amid one of the most beautiful outdoor playgrounds in the country and provides a wealth of inspiring scenery, adventurous excursions and breathtaking vineyards. Centrally located between Denver and Salt Lake City, it is easily accessible via its own regional airport and major highway routes which includes I-70, and provides meeting planners with a wealth of affordable meeting facilities, including board rooms, conference rooms and world-class hotel rooms. In Grand Junction, planners will find big-city amenities and small-town hospitality. Below is a sampling of what’s new in Grand Junction. For more information, visit meetgrandjunction.com
EXCITING NEW MEETING VENUES
• Historic Avalon Theatre Gets a Make-Over: The historic Avalon Theatre, which has been the cornerstone of downtown Grand Junction at 7th and Main Street for the past 90 years, has recently completed a $9.65 million renovation that ensures its position as one of the premier performing arts venues in Western Colorado for years to come. Highlights of the renovation include new seating (the Avalon has expanded from 900 seats to a capacity of 1090 seats, allowing for larger audiences), acoustic and digital audio/visual improvements, the addition of Encore Hall (a smaller space for meetings and presentations) and a breathtaking new rooftop terrace perfect for hosting events or receptions.
• New Covered Arena at the Mesa County Fairgrounds: The covered arena is a great place to host your next event. A large open-air arena gives users the comfort of getting away from the bright sunshine of Western Colorado while also being able to enjoy the scenery of both the Grand Mesa and the Colorado National Monument. A Show Office, located next to the arena, is available for use and is included in the cost of the arena rental.
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES AND TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES
• Farm Dinners in Colorado’s Orchard Country: Started as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program providing fresh locally grown produce to homes throughout Mesa County. They also offer gardening opportunities on their land (planting, harvesting and weeding) as a team building exercise.
• Explore the Banks of the Colorado River via Guided Jet Boat Tours: Jet Boat Colorado offers groups custom tours in an 11-passenger New Zealand style jet boat that sails through the breathtaking scenery of Western Colorado’s canyons. The company’s fun and knowledgeable drivers share the history, geology, wildlife sightings and lore of the Colorado River throughout the ride. There are two options to choose from – adventurous and relaxing.
• Come to Your Senses in Grand Junction!: Experience the adventure of Grand Junction through a team building activity that focuses on the senses. At one of the local orchards, partners will take each other through a string of local attractions and products that they will need to identify via the senses while blindfolded.
• Break-Out of A Typical Meeting with the Epic Escape Game: At Epic Escape, teams are locked in a room where they have 60 minutes to find clues, solve puzzles and escape the room before time is up. The escape rooms are designed to put groups in situations where cooperation and leadership matter. Communication and teamwork are essential during this time pressured activity. It's safer than a 'trust-fall' exercise and so much more fun than the usual corporate retreat.
• Bike or Hike the Beautiful Colorado Riverfront Trail: The Colorado Riverfront Trail System celebrates and preserves the cottonwood groves, wetlands, cattail marshes, gravel bars and islands of the Colorado River. This rich and diverse environment is home to over 200 different species of birds, three endangered species of fish and an abundance of small animals. The trail system provides many recreational opportunities to walkers, bikers, skaters, joggers and bird watchers. There are five distinct sections of the trail, including the Blue Heron & Audubon Section, the Monument View Section, the Parks & Wildlife Section, the Palisade Section, and the Riverside Las Colonias Section. Local bike shops make renting bikes and equipment for groups a breeze.
• Digital Scavenger Hunt on Main Street (Thursday nights during Farmers Market): To encourage your attendees to get out, mingle and explore the area, Visit Grand Junction recommends a digital scavenger hunt along our meandering Main Street. Utilize the permanent Art on the Corner installations, or to really bring intrigue to the game, time it on a Thursday during the summer at the weekly Farmers’ Market. As an example, participants would receive a clue such as: “Get a picture of you with Alida’s savory sensation that is made from local produce in Mild, Medium, Zesty & Spicy”. The scavenger hunt can be tailored to your group by adding a prize for completion or creating your own hashtag for the game.
WINTER INCENTIVE PACKAGE
Visit Grand Junction will partner with area hotels in offering a Winter Incentive Package, which includes meeting space, morning and afternoon breaks, an A/V credit of up to $200, three bottles of Grand Junction Wine, and a local in-room amenity for each attendee. Available January 1 – March 31, 2017. Continue to check meetgrandjunction.com for details on package pricing as they become available.
HOTEL RENOVATIONS
Hampton Inn: Located in the heart of Downtown Grand Junction, next to Two Rivers Convention Center, The Hampton Inn has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation in 2016. Its 80 guestrooms have been modernized as part of the Forever Young Initiative, with bright tones, earth materials and streamline furnishings. The redesigned guestrooms include new lighting, carpeting, artwork, stylish bathrooms, functional workspace, and flat screen HDTV's, in addition to Hampton's Cloud Nine bedding with Serta dream mattress, feather pillows, soft white duvet cover and linens. All rooms now include microwaves and mini refrigerators. The new "Forever Young Initiative" design caters to all generations.
Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn by Marriott: The Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott just completed a multi-million dollar full room renovation and are excited to offer guests brand new rooms with new furniture, appliances and amenities. The Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott are dedicated to give each and every guest the excellent and impeccable service the Marriott Brands have been providing for more than 75 years.
About Grand Junction - Grand Junction is Colorado’s Wine Country featuring 24 wineries with year-round tasting rooms, and boasting more than 275 days of sunshine annually which helps produce much of the state’s peach, grape and fruit crops. It is the largest city in Western Colorado, located at the junction of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers, between Salt Lake City and Denver on Interstate 70. At an altitude of 4,586 feet, warm summers and moderate spring, fall and winter seasons allow for year-round golf, hiking and world-renowned road and mountain biking. Among Grand Junction's spectacular red cliffs and winding canyons are the 11,000-foot Grand Mesa, the world's largest flat-top mountain, the 7,500-foot Book Cliffs including the Wild Horse Area, and the breathtaking 20,000-acre Colorado National Monument. Nearby Powderhorn Mountain Resort provides downhill skiing in the winter and new in 2016 - lift accessible downhill mountain biking. Grand Junction lies in the heart of the Colorado-Utah Dinosaur Diamond and the Grand Circle. Surrounded by an abundance of public lands, Grand Junction is also a mecca for hunting, fishing, dirt bike and ATV riding. Other attractions include three national scenic byways, rafting, boating, extensive public art displays, museums, and a vibrant downtown featuring creative culinary options, shopping, Two Rivers Convention Center and the Avalon Theatre. Visit Grand Junction is a department of the City of Grand Junction and is the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the region.
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