Ready for Action: Meeting and event spaces prep for busy 2025
February 2025
Some of us get to live here. The rest have to settle for a visit. And while the bulk of those visits come from those on vacation, the Grand Traverse region has long been a very strong draw for conventions, events, and other professional gatherings that bring countless thousands of additional folks Up North each year.
The TCBN checked in with some of the region’s notable event venues to see what’s in store for 2025.
The Grand Traverse Resort, Acme
Katie Leonard, Director of Sales
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
As with many industries, the meetings and events space world continues to face supply chain challenges, particularly affecting property maintenance and repairs. In a good way, availability for large groups is another concern, as we have contracts extending through 2031 – so the demand is there and we are booking far out. Despite these challenges, we see opportunities in curating unique experiences by introducing new packages and ticketed events tailored to our group guests. Adapting to the evolving needs of large-scale gatherings will remain a priority.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
In August 2024, we began an exciting partnership with the Detroit Lions and unveiled the new Touchdown Suite in November. This has been exciting for all guests, including group business. Additionally, we have enhanced our marketplace with an improved guest experience and expanded offerings – a very popular spot in the morning for guests and throughout the day for a pick-me-up. Significant updates also include the refreshed outdoor Pavilion venue with new landscaping and a tent cover, as well as upgrades at Spa Grand Traverse, such as a brand-new plunge pool. These enhancements aim to provide elevated experiences for all guests.
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
This year, we are hosting several large company employee appreciation events, with many bringing 500-700 attendees. We’ve also seen an increase in national programs, driven by the expansion of our airport and additional direct flights. Notably, we have events drawing up to 2,000 attendees.
Great Wolf Lodge, Traverse City
Tori Piersante, Director of Sales and Catering
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
Our beautiful meeting space combines with a waterpark to allow us a truly unique option to enhance the experience of our guests. Many hospitality experts cite enhancing the guest experience as their priority for the coming year. We continue to be challenged to elevate the experience for our planners and their guests, offering new technologies like remote check-in and mobile ordering in our outlets, keeping convenience and efficiency in mind. Anticipating evolving expectations continues to be our goal, and we love the challenge.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
We continue to offer day waterpark passes, which is a great way for our community to enjoy our waterpark. We also offer indoor cabanas and premier seating for an enhanced waterpark experience. We are an excellent day and social meeting option for local organizations, who rave about our food, quality of meeting rooms and ease of working with our sales department.
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
We are very honored to host some incredible groups! Some of the larger groups include: North American MGA Register 2025 GT 50 Car Club, Great Lakes Veterinary Conference, Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Michigan State Association of Letter Carriers, and Impact 100. In addition to large groups, many host meetings to discuss topics of influence on various aspects of our society. We are all privileged to play a small role in providing a welcoming setting to these groups.
Hagerty Center, Traverse City
Chad Schenkelberger, NMC’s Director of Food Services
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
Staffing continues to remain the biggest issue facing the hospitality industry. While it has gotten better over the last few years due to wage increases, we still struggle with maintaining an adequate staffing level throughout the entire year.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
The Hagerty Center has recently completed a renovation of our courtyard. This includes the addition of lighting, a patio area for entertainment, resurfacing of the courtyard and new outdoor furniture. We are excited to offer a space that will allow our clients to fully enjoy the beautiful northern Michigan summers!
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
The Hagerty Center is looking forward to hosting several events that are tied to NMC academic programs. As a professional development center, we take pride in being the home for the Great Lakes Culinary School’s Taste of Success and the Lakebed Conference held in partnership with the NMC Marine Center. Our largest event is the Cherry Festival’s Great American Picnic, which happens to be one of longest-standing community partnerships.
Kirkbride Hall, Traverse City
Chelsea Harland, Sales and Social Media Manager
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
I suspect technology and audio visual will continue to bring us more options to make it easier to bring people together. For groups looking into venues but unable to view them in person, there are a lot of great options to see spaces virtually that we didn’t have before. Additional opportunities in the rise of immersive experiences and more hybrid events, but with continuing challenges of the high cost of living in TC in terms of finding and retaining talent.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
It’s an exciting year for audio visual. We have a new 85” TV screen for our 18-person conference room, and are in the process of replacing our projector with a higher-lumen, laser projector which will enhance presentations in Kirkbride Hall. We’re confident this will help further provide a great meeting experience in a venue with plenty of natural light, which is often a rarity to find for large groups. For clients looking for fun ideas to present their group, we continue to see a rise in private group tours on property, and are able to get creative and flexible with their needs while offering them a fascinating tour of one of the most historical places in Traverse City.
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the Candlelight Concert series, bringing additional string quartet concerts in the winter months. Additionally, we have a handful of non-profit events that will bring in over 150 people per event.
Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville
Julie Oatman, Director of Sales
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
In 2025, it will be important to prioritize sustainability and wellness. Attendees are increasingly seeking venues that align with their personal values, such as eco-conscious practices and wellness offerings including healthy dining and fitness classes. Crystal Mountain certainly checks these boxes with its bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly design, year round recreational activities, and LEED-certified spa, but it will be imperative to explore new initiatives and showcase our commitment to sustainability.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
Crystal Mountain continues to invest in all aspects of the property from maintenance and operational projects to room renovations. In addition to last year’s completion of the Crystal Center renovations, guests will also notice a fresh look in the Hamlet Hotel rooms. Nearly two dozen units received new furniture, flooring and accessories for a more modern look. The remaining rooms will be renovated in the spring. Also new, the Crystal Coaster Dual Alpine Slide now offers double the fun with two 1,700-foot tracks. With new dips, turns and tunnels, this thrilling experience will enhance any visit to the resort!
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
We have a wide variety of groups coming this summer, from large associations and corporate groups to weddings, family reunions and golf outings. We look forward to welcoming groups of 20-400.
Park Place Hotel & Conference Center, Traverse City
Zack Beeler, Director of Sales and Marketing
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
With Traverse City growing and more and more hotels opening, staffing would be the number-one challenge to operate a full-service property like ours. Some of the newer hotels will have event space where smaller groups like corporate retreats and other smaller events will migrate to them as they are the new and upcoming hotel. Being a historic hotel/landmark sets us apart from these new modern hotels where groups would want to try the new and updated hotel over a historic hotel.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
It took us a while as a full-service property to have all of our outlets open seven days a week. Our restaurant and roof top bar are now open seven days a week with a full team in place to operate all of our guest's needs. Being located right downtown and a block away from the beaches, shopping, and restaurants is a huge draw for most of our groups.
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
This year we have booked a record amount of room nights and group revenue for 2025 with some of the largest groups we have ever seen, with a couple of groups maxing out our conference center of 450 people and one international conference. We do not like to share our groups as competitors may reach out to them.
Shanty Creek, Bellaire
Tracey Ramsey, Vice President, Lodging and Sales
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
The meetings and events industry in 2025 presents robust opportunities, particularly in our group meetings and group golf segments, which are showing unprecedented demand for spring through fall bookings. The challenge comes with the opportunity, which includes managing capacity for both segments during our peak seasons.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
Our signature OneRate guarantee continues to be a game-changing differentiator in the industry, offering transparent, all-inclusive pricing that eliminates hidden fees and unexpected charges. This straightforward approach streamlines the planning process and provides peace of mind for our group organizers. The rate includes everything needed for a successful event, from meeting spaces and audio-visual equipment to dining and recreational amenities.
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
We're proud to host the prestigious Hall Financial Michigan Open Championship this June, showcasing our world-class golf facilities to members of the Michigan PGA. Our largest group event remains the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police conference, a cherished partnership for more than 30-years that brings together the state's largest gathering of law enforcement leadership at our facility.
Hotel Indigo, Traverse City
Lisa Monache, Area Director of Sales and Marketing
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
The Traverse City and Michigan meetings market offers significant opportunities in 2025, thanks to our scenic beauty, vibrant downtown and unique venues that cater to experiential and eco-conscious events. Investments in infrastructure and our focus on sustainability position us to attract corporate and social gatherings year-round.
However, challenges remain. Rising costs and wage inflation impact competitive pricing, while the tight labor market complicates staffing for complex events. Additionally, shifting perceptions of Traverse City as a seasonal destination is crucial to drive demand in quieter months.
As hybrid and virtual meetings evolve, continued investment in technology and training is essential. Despite these challenges, Traverse City and Hotel Indigo are uniquely positioned to adapt and thrive with strong collaboration between tourism boards, venues and the business community. By leveraging our natural assets and innovative approaches, we can solidify our place as a premier meetings destination in 2025.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
Hotel Indigo Traverse City is excited about several updates aimed at enhancing our offerings for the meetings and events market. This winter, we’re undergoing a soft renovation, refreshing our public spaces, guest rooms and meeting facilities to provide an elevated experience. Additionally, we’ve partnered with a national audio-visual company to install state-of-the-art technology in our meeting spaces, ensuring they meet the latest standards for seamless hybrid and in-person events.
Looking ahead to summer, we’ll be reimagining our rooftop deck with new décor, creating a refreshed, stylish space for gatherings and celebrations with stunning views of downtown and the bay. These updates underscore our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for meeting planners and guests alike, further positioning Hotel Indigo as a premier choice for events in Traverse City.
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
Hotel Indigo will see the return of loyal groups with 50-140 attendees, as well as quite a few new programs this in 2025 and 2026. The majority will utilize our ballroom, which also allows for two breakout rooms. The district boardroom seats up to 10, and our extremely popular boardroom capacity is 25. Every space has an abundance of natural light, with the ballroom and boardroom featuring views of West Grand Traverse Bay.
Delamar Traverse City, Traverse City
Taryn Miracle, Director of Sales and Marketing
What opportunities or challenges do you expect in the meetings/event space world in 2025?
There is growing demand for experiential events that go beyond the ordinary, providing tailored experiences. There is also significant opportunity to capitalize on the shift toward regional and smaller-scale meetings, offering personalized service and unique local touches that make each event feel special. One of the biggest challenges will be navigating tighter budgets which could affect the scale of events. Additionally, staying ahead of technological advances, such as AI-driven event platforms, will require ongoing investment and training. Lastly, the heightened focus on sustainability means venues must proactively adapt their operations to meet greener standards which, while rewarding, can also involve upfront costs and logistical hurdles. At Delamar, we are focusing on creating dynamic and bespoke options for meetings and events, leveraging our beautiful location, culinary expertise and commitment to sustainability and wellness to address these trends and challenges.
What's new or exciting in terms of your facilities, services or amenities this year?
We are really excited about our new national and local partnerships. We have been working with Moet + Chandon, Veuve Clicquot on a partnership so you’ll see several experiences throughout the year with that partnership, including our upcoming Veuve Cozy Cabana. We also recently partnered with Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery, locally. They are featured in our new Winter in the Vines package and will be featured in our spring and summer experiences. Both also offer plenty of opportunity for our group teambuilding program.
Please name a few interesting groups you have booked for this year, along with the largest in terms of attendees.
We are grateful and proud to be home for the Detroit Red Wings during their time in Traverse City every September for Training Camp. Additionally, we have booked our first hotel buyout for a company’s incentive trip which will bring nearly 200 people on property.
