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Occasion planners face the problem of making ever extra immersive and thrilling occasion experiences however on a tighter finances. Portland’s zero gross sales tax, outside-the-box pondering, thriving foodie tradition, and diversified occasion venues are serving to them to reply the decision.
This content material was created collaboratively by Journey Portland and Skift’s branded content material studio, SkiftX.
Because the Expertise Economic system positive factors traction, occasion planners at present are met with each a problem and an thrilling alternative: to rework their occasions into memorable, attractive, and extraordinary experiences that really stand out from the group. In a current Freeman Trends Report, 65% of respondents mentioned that immersive experiences got here out on high as the largest issue influencing a optimistic occasion expertise, underlining the necessity for planners to get artistic.
Nevertheless, this progress in experiences is going down towards a background of finances cuts and growing strain on occasion planners to attenuate prices. In accordance with the Cvent Planner Sourcing Report, 48% of North American planners say that cost-saving measures would be the greatest issue shaping their occasion planning priorities in 2024. In accordance with the AMEX 2024 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, 67% of respondents anticipate assembly spending to extend.
So how will you stability these two conflicting priorities? Town of Portland, Oregon — a bastion of free-thinking, neighborhood, and creativity inside the U.S. — presents a ready-made resolution: Each the state and the town have an across-the-board zero gross sales tax coverage. The median charge of gross sales tax for different main western area states stands at 7.8%, which means that Portland’s zero charge represents actual value financial savings of 1000’s of {dollars}, a lot of which might be redirected in the direction of artistic occasion experiences.
Rosina Romano, Chief Working Officer for the Entomological Society of America, not too long ago ran a convention that benefited from Portland’s zero-tax coverage. She explains, “The zero tax charge is a direct financial savings which means you’ll be able to present higher worth in your members. I used it as justification for not needing to extend registration charges, for instance.”
And in a metropolis recognized for its foodie credentials, distinctive venues, and experiential choices, there’s no scarcity of concepts for designing an immersive occasion expertise that attendees will keep in mind — and hopefully return to.
F&B: Wow Attendees With A few of the Nation’s Prime-Rated Delicacies
Portland’s DIY ethos and variety of individuals, backgrounds, and cultures are mirrored in its foodie scene. It celebrates mom-and-pop companies, world delicacies, and a neighborhood bounty of components sourced within the Pacific Northwest. There’s a powerful dedication to farm-to-fork eating and Cascadian delicacies in keeping with Portland’s emphasis on sustainability and neighborhood, with many eating places selecting to make use of components from inside a neighborhood radius.
Foodie Highlights
Probably the most notable options of Portland’s foodie tradition might lie in its thriving meals truck scene. Standout examples embrace Stretch the Noodle, Baon Kainan, Kee’s Loaded Kitchen, Frybaby, and Tierra Del Sol. In addition to permitting guests to pattern numerous cuisines, these carts additionally provide entrepreneurial cooks — typically from BIPOC communities — the possibility to check their finest concepts on a small scale earlier than transferring on to open brick-and-mortar institutions.
With an identical sense of neighborhood spirit, lots of Portland’s high cooks showcase nice satisfaction in regionally sourced components. Neighborhood eateries like cozy brunch spot Sweedeedee, for instance, champion the farms that present their fare. With sustainability and provenance more and more vital to occasion attendees world wide, these values are one thing to shout about.
And this motion isn’t going unnoticed. In accordance with WalletHub’s survey of 180 cities in the U.S., Portland has persistently ranked among the many high foodie locations, clinching the number-one spot in 2022 and coming second in 2023. WalletHub has additionally topped Portland the number-one city for vegans and vegetarians for a number of years, a logo of its inclusive strategy to eating and a draw for numerous occasion audiences.
Attendees can attempt vegan pizza at Virtuous Pie, wholesome juices at Kure Superfood Café, Asian-inspired bowls at Native Bowl, or vegan ice cream at Kate’s Ice Cream.
If you wish to impress attendees with extra elevated choices, Portland is house to a number of James Beard Award-winning cooks and institutions. Attempt Kann, a “live-fire,” gluten-free, and dairy-free restaurant by Chef Gregory Gourdet conveniently situated near the Oregon Conference Heart, Japanese-Korean fusion delicacies at Janken, or “tiki Thai barbecue” joint Eem, a favourite from James Beard nominee Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom. Portland’s resort scene can also be heating up, with in-house eating places just like the acclaimed City Farmer and rooftop Departure eating places at The Nines Lodge, and homegrown flavors at Northwest Pacific-inspired Beautiful Rita at The Hoxton.
Beverage Standouts
Past its eating places, Portland additionally has over 75 craft breweries, distilleries and wineries all through the town, with a median of 4.4 breweries per 100,000 people — greater than triple the common American metropolis. From the counterculture taprooms of Gigantic Brewing Firm to the merchandise flying out of Oregon’s 725 wineries, due to worldwide acclaim, there’s loads for beer and wine lovers to discover. And for spirit aficionados, Portland has the world’s highest focus of indie craft distilleries.
Lastly, and maybe unsurprisingly for a metropolis typically fondly satirized for its hipster credentials, Portland’s vibrant espresso tradition has seen it ranked the number two coffee city in the U.S. Its cafés and roasteries provide every part from conventional espresso to chilly brew to Vietnamese Ube Lattes. For the final word native expertise, high them off with a go to to Blue Star Donuts for artisanal treats in uncommon flavors.
Distinctive Venues: Placing Structure, Views of Nature, and Interactive Experiences
On the subject of discovering a core venue to host your occasion, Portland advantages from storied structure, sustainably-minded organizations, and nature-immersed areas that enchantment to diversified audiences. Just a few highlights embrace:
- The Kridel Grand Ballroom: This dramatic venue is situated inside the Portland Artwork Museum, which was based in 1892 and is among the oldest artwork museums within the U.S. The ballroom carries a timeless grandeur and may host as much as 1,000 beneath its hovering ceilings.
- McMenamins Crystal Ballroom: A Portland icon that opened in 1914, the ballroom’s standout function is its mechanical “floating dance ground,” which bounces to the motion of the venue’s patrons. According to historian Tim Mills, “It’s a kind of particular locations that has served so many individuals on this metropolis since 1914… to have a constructing final so long as this one has and proceed to flourish now — it’s uncommon, and it’s vital.”
- World Forestry Center: Portland is house to Washington Park, affectionately dubbed “Portland’s yard,” and the World Forestry Heart stands immersed in its lush environment. Escape the town in its banquet and convention rooms, outside central plaza, and Discovery Museum, the place company can take pleasure in hands-on reveals that reveal the fantastic thing about forests world wide.
- The Redd on Salmon Street: A part of the Ecotrust undertaking, the Redd on Salmon “hosts each crucial back-of-house help for socially aware meals companies, and a world-class occasion middle centered on spreading the concepts of the nice meals motion.” The economic-chic venue covers two metropolis blocks and provides 4 separate areas that may both join seamlessly or stand on their very own. Choices vary from intimate cooking lessons to full buyouts for gala occasions and festivals.
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI): Portland’s largest off-site occasion house is a hub for interactive studying, with its personal planetarium and retired Navy submarine to discover. It will possibly host as much as 5,000 company throughout its indoor and outside areas.
- Oregon Zoo: Flip your occasion right into a safari expertise on the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi. It’s house to over 2,600 animals and 215 species, together with elephants, purple pandas, and polar bears. The zoo provides not solely a charming backdrop but additionally indoor and outside occasion areas — together with an amphitheater that hosts as much as 3,500 individuals.
- Hopscotch: Tapping into the burgeoning pattern for immersive experiences, certainly one of Portland’s favourite spots for off-site actions provides an interactive artwork expertise spanning 23,000 toes. Hopscotch’s 14 immersive installations are designed to create a way of pleasure and marvel, with snacks and drinks accessible to additional elevate the expertise.
On-Web site Actions: The Oregon Conference Heart’s Occasion Providers
For these in search of a large-scale, all-in-one occasion resolution, the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) is a best choice. It’s one of many largest occasion facilities within the Pacific Northwest, with 255,000 sq. toes of contiguous exhibit house, 52 assembly rooms, two grand ballrooms, and an 800-space underground parking zone. Moreover, the Conference Heart is situated within the dynamic coronary heart of downtown Portland, the place it matches the town’s power with a contemporary, accessible, and up to date house. The OCC additionally provides a spot to nurture attendee wellness with ample pure gentle and a $2 million artwork assortment impressed by the fantastic thing about the Pacific Northwest.
Simply as importantly, sustainability is on the coronary heart of the venue. It was the primary conference middle on this planet to realize LEED Platinum standing for an present constructing — a certification that it not too long ago renewed. An instance of this dedication is its partnership with Path Water. Collectively, they supply reusable bottles that may be bought at eating places and cafés all through the venue and used at its 17 refilling stations, freed from cost.
As an added bonus, the OCC provides just a few methods to assist occasion planners higher handle their prices. If you use its home AV supplier, Onsite Audiovisual, there’s no cost for energy — and if you end up in want of additional mics or screens final minute, it’s simple for them to supply these with out trying exterior the constructing. Versatile union guidelines additionally imply that there’s no unique decorator, so exhibitors have flexibility with adorning their very own cubicles, which might translate to very large value financial savings. Lastly, the venue has a number of soft-seating and networking areas with free energy.
Exterior-the-Field Occasion Experiences
On the subject of the expertise, the OCC may also present a style of Portland with out leaving the venue. Food & Wine topped Portland the number-one Meals Truck Metropolis within the U.S. in April 2023, and it has over 500 meals carts throughout the town. OCC has a singular partnership with Meals Fleet: On request, they will carry meals vans proper to the door of the Conference Heart. There are two outside plazas accessible to stage with seating, so attendees can have that food-truck expertise with out ever having to go away the convention. And for a enjoyable further twist, the constructing may even be custom-made to fit your occasion. Its “Twin Spires,” giant glass towers atop the constructing, might be lit as much as match the colour of the theme of your occasion. Earlier incarnations embrace pink for Breast Most cancers Consciousness and purple for the Crimson Cross.
Financial savings to Fulfill Cravings
If you happen to’re seeking to max out in your expertise and never your finances, Portland’s hard-to-beat zero gross sales tax, the wealth of immersive and foodie experiences, and character-rich, well-equipped venues present adaptable choices for occasion planners all over the place.
Study extra by visiting the Travel Portland website.
Did You Know?
Portland’s metropolis title was determined by a coin toss — with “Boston” being the choice! For a better appreciation of this fateful coin, you’ll be able to view what’s regarded as the precise “Portland Penny” on the Oregon Historic Society proper within the coronary heart of downtown.
This content material was created collaboratively by Journey Portland and Skift’s branded content material studio, SkiftX.
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