Kiawah Island Golf Resort (above) sits on 10 miles of pristine Atlantic beach in South Carolina. Courtesy Photo

When you think about hosting a corporate meeting or event at a golf and spa resort, what comes to mind? Exceptionally designed event spaces? Absolutely. Luxury travel? Certainly. Challenging, yet beautiful golf courses? Definitely. And the spas themselves: Tranquil, relaxing respites with fine restaurants, pools, salons and staff that attend to attendees’ every whim.

Golf and spa resorts have long been one of the meeting and event industry’s most popular destinations for corporate gatherings. Offering a refreshing atmosphere with awe-inspiring accommodations, stunning backdrops and an abundance of amenities, these venues offer an ideal location for an event that will draw more attendees and make them want to come back for more.

Certified Angus Beef, LLC, in Niles, MI, hosted its Foodservice Leaders’ Summit at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, SC, last spring. This event brought together 296 people in leadership roles from foodservice distributor partners, who sell Certified Angus Beef products, to restaurants across the globe.

“Certified Angus Beef is all about creating exceptional experiences. The team at Kiawah Island Golf Resort understood our priorities and helped us deliver excellent food and beverage options, as well as incredible customer service,” said Danielle Matter, their director of brand experience and education, who helps design and execute company events ranging from tradeshows to consumer-focused festivals to pasture-to-plate events to leadership summits.

“The [Kiawah Island’s] West Beach Conference Center team stepped up in big ways to ‘wow’ our guests and create incredible culinary experiences that featured the Certified Angus Beef brand and local, southern coastal flavors.”

When deciding to host the leadership summit at a golf and spa resort, Matter recognized the importance of balancing work and fun — something at which golf and spa resorts excel.

“While the Certified Angus Beef’s Foodservice Leaders’ Summit is jam-packed with education and networking, we also want to offer attendees the chance to relax and enjoy the setting,” Matter said. “A golf and spa resort is perfect for striking that balance.”

Kiawah Island Golf Resort also is a brand partner with Certified Angus Beef LLC, with many of their resort outlet restaurants serving Certified Angus Beef dishes, offering a great opportunity to support a partner that Certified Angus Beef LLC values.

“Additionally, we were so impressed by the team’s willingness to create exceptional and memorable food and beverage experiences to really ‘wow’ our attendees,” Matter said. “I can’t say enough about their team. They are responsive and detail oriented, and helped us provide a premium, attendee-first experience.”

Attendees relish Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s 10 miles of pristine Atlantic beach. Not to mention, the well-preserved natural beauty of the barrier island, the resort’s wide range of distinctive dining options, the internationally top-ranked tennis and pickleball programming and instruction, as well as their award-winning recreational and nature activities that can serve as unique team-building exercises.

The resort takes full advantage of the 90,000 sf of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting and event space by offering dramatic outdoors venues that produce memorable events.

The team at Kaseya, a software company in Miami, FL, is also drawn to golf and spa resorts for the excellent staff, the level of detail and attention to amenities they provide. Kaseya holds several meetings a year at Trump National Doral Miami. At the beginning of the year, the company held an internal sales meeting for 1700 people, and during the summer, held one for 200 people.

Ellen Boyer, their director of event logistics and operations, said, “Everyone was incredibly responsive and thoughtful about their jobs, and our event. The resort also offered us a variety of options for meeting structure, breakout rooms, and food and beverage. We chose Trump National Doral Miami, as the sales process was simple and transparent. The attention to detail during my site visit gave me the confidence that they could handle a group of our size. The customer success manager was responsive and creative with our questions and budgets.”

Karen Kunz, global event manager for Syntax, a provider of technology solutions to businesses, and based in the Americas and Europe, recently orchestrated the company’s Syntax 2023 Sales Kick Off meeting for 80 attendees at Trump National Doral Miami.

Syntax chose Trump National Doral Miami not only for its great location, pricing and service, but for being an iconic golf resort since it opened in the 1960s. More than 50 years later, Trump National Doral Miami continues to offer a new generation of style, service and exclusivity infused with the Trump standard of excellence.

During their stay, Syntax’s attendees enjoyed a well-rounded culinary experience, which included everything from breakfast to lunch, as well as morning and afternoon breaks. The event featured a welcome reception, cocktail hour and an awards dinner. Business meetings were held in a main tent. They also had breakouts sessions for focused discussions.

“Although we didn’t make use of the golf and spa facilities, the upscale ambiance perfectly aligned with the expectations of our executive management,” Kunz said.

Laura Reich, an executive assistant for Walsh Construction in Chicago, IL, recently planned a corporate annual meeting for Walsh Construction at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, a golf and spa resort in Lake Geneva, WI. Attendees, including all of Walsh’s senior leadership from across the country, came together to celebrate the previous and current year’s accomplishments; discuss future endeavors and goals; talk about the challenges and how they could do better; but mainly to intermingle and reconnect with peers from other business groups/locations or make new connections.

The typical Walsh meeting is between 125 to 200 people and includes two half-days and one full day of meetings with extensive AV, breakfast and lunch (dinners are usually offsite), and extra meeting spaces for breakouts, practicing or other meetings that need to take place with the attendees.

The Blue Monster at Trump National Doral Miami. Courtesy Photo

Reich has found that the staff at golf and spa resorts are known for going the extra mile to meet the needs of both the planning team and the attendees. “Everyone from the director of group sales, event coordinators, the front desk, the porters, the AV professionals, the banquet captains/servers, the restaurant staff and bartenders, and the room service; every single person we encounter before, during, and after, are amazing,” Reich said. “They are responsive to any need at any given time, always checking on you. They are extremely amicable in any situation, and will work with your group’s needs/changes. The food is great, and I know a lot of our attendees appreciate the golf courses, gym and spa.”

The owners of Walsh Construction have property in the Lake Geneva, WI, area and have been coming to the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa for years. The property has two onsite championship golf courses and a full service spa that allows groups to mix both meetings and amenities for fun and networking.

“The group and program started quite small, but both have grown immensely over the years. The location is perfect for all to get to, not to mention the grounds are beautiful, the hotel has everything we need, and we are close to shopping if we forgot something,” Reich said. “Every year brings new memories and good times. Coming to the Grand Geneva has become nostalgic and part of our culture; everyone looks for that invitation each year.”

Last fall, Northwestern Mutual hosted the FORUM Symposium, which is an annual event that celebrated its 25th year at The Phoenician, a golf and spa resort in Scottsdale, AZ. This premier event is hosted for the top-performing 3% of advisors throughout the company. Qualifiers are invited to bring a guest.

As Sheri Paape, senior meeting planner, meetings & events at Northwestern Mutual, explained, the FORUM is a three-day event with general session content delivered by FORUM qualifiers, home office executives and keynote speakers.

“It is a way to recognize and celebrate this special group’s achievements by offering a variety of hosted group onsite/offsite afternoon activities, including experiences like a golf tournament, tennis tournament, Camelback Mountain hike, kayaking and a walking food tour,” Paape said. “The average group is between 500 to 600 people, including guests.”

Celebratory food and beverage experiences and activations are hosted each evening for the group as well. Northwestern Mutual worked with the DMC Hello! in delivering both the evening experiences on property and the offsite afternoon activities.

“The Phoenician was selected, as it is one of Arizona’s luxury resort destinations and offers amenities which align perfectly with the FORUM Symposium experience that we create for our top advisors at this premier event,” Paape said. “Guest room accommodations and resort amenities play an important role in the location decision. The event spaces at The Phoenician are laid out well within the resort grounds and can easily accommodate large groups.”

The FORUM Golf Tournament is critical to the success of the meeting, as over half the group of advisors take part. The Phoenician Course, in addition to the various other beautiful courses in the area, are a benefit to hosting this important meeting in Arizona.

Considerations To Be Made

For meeting planners considering a golf-spa experience for their next corporate and incentive meeting, Matter’s best piece of advice is to be clear with expectations and what will make the event a “win.”

“Golf and spa resorts offer beautiful locations with incredible staff. Take time to outline what will impress attendees and work with the team to achieve those goals,” Matter said. “And, of course, leave a little bit of time to dip your feet in the pool and enjoy the blessings of planning an event at beautiful locations!”

For corporate planners considering hosting an event at a golf/spa resort, Kunz recommends doing an onsite visit. “Even if you’re not taking advantage of the golf and spa, the meeting spaces typically resonate with the upscale character of the venue,” Kunz said. “Based on our experience, I would highly recommend a golf and spa property for a business meeting.”

Boyer also stresses the importance of choosing a golf and spa venue that can be flexible and cater to your needs and the needs of your group. “Make sure you engage parties from all departments so you have cross-functional knowledge about your program,” Boyer said.

Kim Silberman, executive vice president at Executive Capital Summit, an all-inclusive retreat with a relaxed, informal atmosphere, has been orchestrating her firm’s eCap Summit at a golf and spa resort since 2018, specifically at Trump Doral Miami.

“Throughout the years, the introduction of additional amenities and services offered have pushed the conference to another level. Notably, the property’s substantial capacity to accommodate a group of 1,400 attendees was harmoniously balanced by an atmosphere of exclusivity that perfectly aligns with the conference’s goals,” Silberman said. “This layout ensures that while the property is spacious, attendees never feel lost, fostering an environment where each individual’s presence is valued and significant.”

For that reason, Silberman advises planners to really evaluate the goals of their conference and to determine what they want their attendees to experience. Today’s meeting planners are looking for the right golf and spa resort with the right amenities, meeting needs and activities with informal networking opportunities not available in more traditional settings. They are looking for business and fun to meet on the green. C&IT