New group hopes to attract more business conventions to Central Oregon
Published 12:10 pm Thursday, November 20, 2025
Central Oregon tourism promotion organizations want to make the region top of mind for businesses seeking to host meetings and conventions.
The organizations formed a group Meet in Central Oregon to field questions and help industries and companies find the right place to host their business gatherings.
Conventions can be profitable enterprises for local economies and hotels. Typically, business travelers pay top dollar for their rooms and may return at a later date to bring their family on vacation. Large groups are easier for hotels, who can schedule the right amount of staff and supplies they might need.
“It’s an important market for the business,” said Scott Larson, Visit Central Oregon CEO. “A good rule of thumb is for properties to have about 30-40% of their bookings in groups.”
At Sunriver Resort, meetings and convention business is about a third of its bookings, said Lindsay Borkowski, resort director of sales and marketing. The resort advertises that it has 44,000 square feet of flexible event space that can be indoor or outdoor.
“(Conventions) are an important part of the travel market to stabilize the seasonality and provide off season revenue for our region,” Borkowski said.
As the economy shifts, traditional travelers often hold off booking until the last minute, making it challenging for hotel managers to project staffing levels. Meetings and conventions, by comparison, are booked well in advance and often held during off-peak summer months. Many include downtime for attendees to venture out and experience the community.
The Meet in Central Oregon concept is a step toward ensuring the region is top of mind when meeting planners start envisioning a meeting location, said JoAnna Eisler, Meet Central Oregon executive director.
“By uniting five destination marketing organizations, we’re able to show up in the national meetings and event space with one strong, clear voice,” Eisler said. “Central Oregon has always offered memorable experiences and now we’re pairing that with intentional sales efforts.”
Nate Wyeth of Visit Bend said the plan is to attract more meetings and professional events and drive this business into Central Oregon’s so-called shoulder seasons.
More than a decade ago, Bend was good at this. It attracted national and international sporting events and made a name for itself on the national scene, Wyeth said. But as Bend grew in popularity, the community began to grumble that there was too much congestion, too many cars, too much activity, he said.
The nonprofit marketing agency hired by the city pulled back its convention marketing efforts. It also set up culture and sustainability funds, which uses tourism tax dollars to reinvest in the community’s most loved places, he said.
But as the pandemic has worn off, there is a renewed interest in the meeting and convention business locally, Wyeth said.
“Bend is well positioned for that kind of travel and we provide the unexpected corporate retreat experience,” Wyeth said. “We now are hearing from meeting planners looking for opportunities to host events in Bend.”
Funding for “Meet in Central Oregon” comes from Visit Bend, Visit Central Oregon, Destination Redmond, Explore Sisters and Explore Prineville. Each of the destination marketing organizations are funding the staff to field queries from meeting planners.
“It’s all about a balanced approach to investing in these opportunities,” Wyeth said. “The visitor economy powers the city . If we can draw people in throughout the year, not just in the summer months, that helps provide stability for the economy overall.”
