FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. โ As autumn approaches and tourist season winds down in West Virginia (except near its ski resorts, which are nearing their winter boom), operators of tourism businesses are working to attract groups and conferences.
Thanks to the discovery of the Mountain State as a vacationland during the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses with outdoor recreation options have found a healthy market to appeal to.
One of the state's best-known outdoor adventure resorts, perched on the rim of the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia, is opening its meeting centers to conference organizers who seek a rejuvenating atmosphere for guests.
Roger Wilson, its CEO, says Adventures on the Gorge has established meeting spaces at the resort's "Lookout Post" that take advantage of its proximity to a national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
โWe built the Lookout Post with the intention of providing a space for inspiration and rejuvenation,โ Wilson said.
โFew meeting places in the U.S. offer such a stunning combination of natural beauty and a national park vibe.โ
The Lookout Post is a small-group conference center overlooking the park and offers a combination of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces and after-meeting activities for planners.
Year-round, the space is combined with the resort's restaurants, swimming pool, and various decks to create an overall venue with more than 5,000 square feet of multi-use space. The conference center provides an integrated meeting venue featuring up to five meeting rooms with a flexible design that can accommodate 200 people theater style.
Renowned as a destination for outdoor recreation, Wilson said resort activities work well for group events. The resort is best known for its whitewater rafting excursions on the New and Gauley rivers, but it also offers canopy tours, an obstacle course, rock climbing tours, and an opportunity to walk the catwalk beneath the nearby New River Gorge Bridge.
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