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When business people and other professionals attend meetings and conferences, more and more attendees are bringing their families along for the trip and dubbing it a “mini-vacation.” For those who market Wisconsin hotels and resorts, these additional guests are quickly becoming another important target market to serve.

Melanie Platt-Gordon, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau, works to promote the Wisconsin Dells area as a place to host meetings, conferences and conventions. “Wisconsin Dells is a huge attraction by itself,” Platt-Gordon says. “No matter who is going with a meeting attendee, his or her family will be well-entertained in the Dells area.”

With the economy still suffering from a downturn, all hotels and resorts are striving to provide added value for both attendees and families. “Wisconsin Dells in particular becomes a great value, especially in these times,” Platt-Gordon says. “The biggest built-in amenity of all is the waterpark,” she continued.

In fact, waterparks help attract people to Wisconsin Dells throughout the year. “We really have an experience that is weatherproof,” she says, alluding to the indoor amenities at many area properties. “We have a saying that it is always 85 degrees and sunny in the Dells.”

One of the hotels that Platt-Gordon promotes is the Kalahari Resort. Director of Sales John Chastan says that meetings and conferences are extremely important to their resort.

“They are definitely a big part of what we do here,” Chastan says. In fact, the resort hosts approximately 1,200 meetings each year. “We focused on meetings from the start.”

The Kalahari Resort, which will be 10 years old in May 2010, has always realized the benefits that meetings and conferences have to the property. With an 110,000 square-foot indoor theme park, a spa and several restaurants, the Kalahari Resort has many activities geared towards both spouses and children.

“We have many family activities; our biggest selling point is that there is so much added-value at our resort,” Chastan says.
Family activities are also a key focus at The Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva. “We really focus on family activities all year round,” says director of marketing Allen Anderson. “We’re basically new and improved.”

The Abbey Resort went through a virtual one-hundred percent renovation in 2005, though the hotel was established in Lake Geneva in 1963. The Abbey Resort has become a popular destination for meetings and conferences, especially for those companies based in the Milwaukee and Chicago area.

“The majority of our market is within a 60 to 90-mile area from the resort,” Anderson says. The proximity to this large metropolitan area is one way The Abbey Resort competes with other destinations like Wisconsin Dells.

“As a non-waterpark resort, we know we have to offer extraordinary programming,” Anderson says. He notes that sometimes families attending meetings actually prefer to stay at a resort that offers activities other than a waterpark.

“We do programs that are highly-structured and defined,” Anderson says. “It’s a part of our regular programming.”

Sue Thune, director of activities at The Abbey Resort, coordinates the family-friendly programming that occurs at the resort.

“First, the lake itself gives us very unique opportunities,” she explains. Family friendly activities include guided walking tours, bonfires and scavenger hunts. These activities are ongoing events planned at the hotel, whether or not there are meetings and conferences also occurring. Thune also points out that activities can be customized, depending on the particular group that is meeting at the resort.

“We really try to tailor the activities to what the group wants to do,” she says. “I like to learn about the meeting itself and the company who is hosting the event.”

Thune, who has a background in education, feels like she is able to utilize this experience in her position. Thune adds that people sometimes see these conferences as a mini-vacation for the family.

“We truly do always have something going on,” she says. One of the ways that Thune tries to bring families together is through a hall that features traditional board games. Thune feels that this is a lost art and is a relaxing way for families to spend time together.

“People really get a lot of enjoyment out of the board games,” Thune says.

Making sure meeting attendees and families are having a pleasant experience is the job of Terri Bain, director of sales and marketing at the Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sheboygan. According to Bain, the overall foundation of the resort is focus, food and fun.

“Through our unique brand of creativity, we strive to provide a professional environment that nurtures focused productivity while celebrating, rewarding and refreshing attendees,” Bain says. Not only are activities planned on-site, the staff at Blue Harbor also assists families with off-site activities.

“We customize activities for every age and background, including: charter fishing, golf, cooking classes, scavengers hunts and craft-making activities,” Bain says.

As with the other resorts, Bain adds that many conference attendees are bringing their families along as a way to relax and enjoy a getaway closer to home.

“The ability to bring the family along and extend a trip into a mini-vacation is an attractive option that many other types of hotels or event spaces are not able to offer, especially under one roof,” Bain says, adding that Blue Harbor includes an indoor waterpark, several restaurants, a confectionary café and an arcade.

While the theme is focus, food and fun at the Blue Harbor Resort, the theme at Grand Geneva Resort and Spa is quite different. “Our activities speak to both rekindling and renewing,” says Amy Idsvoog, director of sales and marketing at Grand Geneva.

“These are goals for the 1,000-plus meetings that are held at Grand Geneva each year. We really do have an entire program geared around the Grand Geneva experience.”

Part of that experience can include the Timberland Ridge Lodge and Waterpark, which is another place to stay on the Grand Geneva campus. This gives meeting attendees an option; families may choose to stay at Timberland, while those traveling alone may choose to stay at the Grand Geneva itself. “We do offer our guests the ability to experience both properties when they stay on-site,” Idsvoog says. “Our benefit is that we have 1300-acres of endless activities.”

Activities at Grand Geneva include bonfires, golf lessons for both adults and children, a ski hill and many additional children’s activities at Timberland, including story time and a rock-climbing wall. As the fall season comes to an end and the holiday season begins, many holiday activities are planned for hotel guests, including a Christmas in the Country celebration. Grand Geneva is known for its traditional light display, which is presented each year along its winding entrance road.

“Many people aren’t able to take a major vacation right now,” Idsvoog says. Because of this, Idsvoog and her team are even more dedicated to making the experience at Grand Geneva a memorable one.

No matter where a meeting or conference is held, more and more families are attending. This may be in place of a major vacation or simply to spend more time together as a family. One thing is certain, if the meeting is held at a major resort in Wisconsin, there should be no shortage of activities.

“In Wisconsin, we truly have great hospitality and customer care,” concludes Platt-Gordon of the Wisconsin Dells Convention and Visitors Bureau.

By Heather Rothbauer-Wanish

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