Montgomery County, MD is home to a broad scope of America’s favorite pastimes. With endless art, entertainment, attractions, and some of the country’s most beloved historical sites, it is close to the action, yet a world apart.
The county consists of several popular locations, including: Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville and Bethesda, which was just named one of the top 20 “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” by Money Magazine.
According to Visit Montgomery, the area’s CVB, small meeting and larger groups here have a wide range of options when it comes to the types of ven- ues available for hosting meetings and events, such as mansions, museums, theaters, gardens, parks, farms and conference centers.
Among the working farms in the area, Butler’s Orchard in Germantown provides opportunities for country gatherings that includes experiences like seasonal fruit picking, private tractor-driven wagon rides, tours, picnic areas, and educational fun.
The Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda is home to intimate artistic programs presented by
Small meetings come together for a variety of purposes and with a range of goals, Jackson continues. “For example, we excel in hosting team building retreats with the goal of bringing cor- porate teams together in a relaxed atmosphere - outside of the formal office setting - where ideas and creativi- ty are allowed to flow freely.”
“We also experience a lot of ‘Think Tank’ meetings,” observes Jackson. “Imagine bringing in a small group of new board members or newly formed sales teams and placing them in one of our five- or six-bedroom/bath condo- minium units and giving them the free- dom to meet out on the deck with a BBQ pit - all while overlooking nature and strategizing about their next fiscal marketing plan or budget. Combine this with the mountain fresh air and you have a setting designed to stretch the limits of the 'way we have always done things'.”
Jackson adds that small meetings are most effective when they have a desired plan and outcome already in mind. So, he says, it is important to know the “why” of the meeting before it ever begins. Without a focused plan,
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Strathmore in the Dorothy M. and Maurice C. Shapiro Music Room, exhibition spaces, outdoor pavilion, and sculpture gardens.
Another option is to experience Little Seneca Creek Park in Boyds, MD, which is home to a 505-acre lake as well as the wildlife that make the lake their home. The park, comprised of 6,300-acres, extends along 14 scenic miles of Seneca Creek as it winds its way to the Potomac River, and contains many scenic areas, such as the 90-acre Clopper Lake, which is surrounded by forests and fields.
Montgomery County also offers a wide-range of attractions that both educate and entertain. Established during the Civil War, one such example is the National Museum of Health and Medicine, which showcases specimens for research in military medicine and surgery on exhibit.
the meeting - no matter its size - has less chance to succeed.
"We have had the opportunity to host small meetings of 8-10 professionals over the past few months where the goal was to sort out a new product launch in the medical field,” explains Jackson. “Another small meeting was looking to heal some emotional wounds that had occurred within the group and the planner felt a change of scenery would help promote healing.”
He goes on to say that there are literal- ly hundreds of scenarios in which smaller groups can interact and get the job done. “We in the Poconos are poised to handle this type of adventure as a natural way of doing business."
When it comes to all meetings in the Pocono Mountains, lead times in gener- al have averaged between 8- to 12- months, but smaller meetings average closer to a 4- to 6-month range. “As a four-season destination, the Poconos are in a constant peak season with smaller shoulder season pockets com- ing in mid-May to early June, right after Labor Day, and in the month of November, before Thanksgiving."
Nevertheless, he says that smaller meet- ings are given the same time and atten- tion that larger groups are afforded. In fact, he notes that smaller meetings may require even more effort at times.
“For example,” Jackson explains, “when we host a high-level board retreat, all the attendees are used to receiving the best of care, and naturally they all may want the best room with a view. Organizing this type of high-level group requires a great deal of expertise and care. Of course, this is where the Poconos excels, and why it has sur- vived as a top hospitality destination for nearly 200 years."
In Delaware County, Pennsylvania, the Best Western Plus Concordville Hotel serves as a prime example of the stan- dard and flexibility of county’s venues available for small meetings and con- ferences. The hotel is home to 114 guest rooms, and its conference space features three ballrooms, the largest of which can seat up to 400 guests.
“About 60 percent of the meetings we host are for groups with between 15 and 20 attendees,” notes Meg Rowe, general manager of the Best Western
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