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Boise, ID Event Planning

Key Highlights

Hotels 44
Total Sleeping Rooms 4,644
Committable Sleeping Rooms* 303
Committable Meeting Rooms* 15
Convention Center Space 50,000 Sq. Ft.
Largest Exhibit Space 75,000 Sq. Ft.
Largest Ballroom 34,000 Sq. Ft.
Average Hotel Room Rate USD $83
Average Daily Meal Cost USD $46
Average Weekly Car Rental USD $246
*Maximum for a single hotel
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Boise, ID Meeting Planning Overview

Welcome to the Cvent Meeting and Event Planning Guide to Boise, a city guide for meeting professionals. As Idaho's capital city and a popular destination for both meeting and leisure travel, Boise offers the perfect blend of urban amenities and a hometown feel. The City of Trees serves as the vibrant urban center of Treasure Valley and the government, business, cultural and entertainment hub of the southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon region. The city sits at the foot of the scenic Boise Front in southwest Idaho, and features a number of unique venues and attractions, plentiful museums, year-round outdoor recreation and diverse cultural offerings—all of which prove fantastic for group events and outings. Boise residents and visitors enjoy the city's pedestrian- and bike-friendly setting, which is a unique feature for the largest metropolitan community in the state.

Boise is located along Interstate 84, just 57 miles from the Oregon border, 157 miles from Sun Valley, 336 miles from Salt Lake City and 431 miles from Portland. The Boise Airport, situated within a 10-minute drive of the downtown area, serves Boise and the surrounding region with such major nonstop destinations as Chicago, Los Angeles, Spokane and Denver and offers free terminal-wide Wi-Fi. Groups can meet at the airport's Snake River Conference Center, which spans five conference rooms measuring from 294 to 1,800 square feet. The airport is served by the regional public bus system, ValleyRide, which also provides service throughout downtown Boise and Ada and Canyon Counties.

Boise Airport is located just four miles away from the city's convention center, the Boise Centre. Boasting 50,000 square feet of flexible meeting and exhibit space, Boise Centre features a 350-seat auditorium, a 24,000-square-foot ballroom and 20 meeting rooms with capacities for 20 to 2,900 people. The Boise Centre is located in the heart of downtown Boise, with a variety of restaurants, shops, attractions and 800 hotel rooms all within walking distance. What's more, the Boise Centre is situated mere steps from the popular Grove Plaza, which hosts events throughout the year and is two blocks from the Boise River.

Many of Boise's unique venues and attractions celebrate the city's riverside location, natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Groups can tour the Idaho Capitol Building, a striking Renaissance Revival structure that houses the state's legislative body, as well as offering space for private events in its meeting rooms, Capitol Auditorium, Second Floor Rotunda and Jefferson Street steps. For a group event with a twist, gather at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, one of only four U.S. territorial prisons open to the public. Visitors can visit the site's solitary confinement area, cell blocks and gallows, learn about prison conditions and daily life, view one of the nation's largest collections of historic arms and hold events in outdoor and indoor penitentiary spaces.

Boise is situated 16 miles from the Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area, which welcomes outdoor enthusiasts to ski, snowboard and tube during its winter season, as well as explore its hiking and biking trails during the off-season. The recreation area's three day lodges are available for summertime private events, while one is available for wintertime events. Boise's strong athletic scene is home to a minor league baseball team, minor league hockey team and NBA Development-League Idaho Stampede basketball team. Group outings can be held during game and non-game days at Memorial Stadium, which is home to the Boise Hawks minor league baseball team. The stadium is open for public tours, as well as group picnics and on-field events. CenturyLink Arena serves as the home of the Idaho Steelheads and Idaho Stampede, as well as welcoming groups to its luxury suite space and arena floor event space.

Boise's strong economy rests on wholesale/retail trade, government, educational, manufacturing, financial and high-tech services. The city is home to such major corporations as Boise Inc., Micron Technology, URS and Hewlett-Packard, as well as the College of Western Idaho and Boise State University, which is located along the Boise River and within minutes of the downtown area.

About Boise, ID / Additional Info

A fantastic destination for conferences, meetings, family fun, recreation and "retail therapy," Boise is known for its vibrant downtown area, bursting with stops, restaurants, art galleries and unique venues woven amongst offices, government buildings, historical buildings, residences and green spaces (many of which are situated along the scenic Boise River). The city's world-class parks and trail system span nearly 2,000 acres and features the 25-mile Greenbelt river path, perfect for biking and walking. Visitors and residents alike delight in being able to swim, fish and water-ski in the Boise River.

Boise owes much of its early prosperity to its riverside location. The city's roots predate to the Gold Rush days of the 1800s; Fort Boise was established by British fur traders in 1834 and gold was discovered in the Boise Basin in 1862. Boise became the capital of Idaho in 1864 and, thanks to its location along the Oregon Trail and irrigation expansion in the early 1900s, also became a commercial center and experienced rapid growth. By the late 1930s, the city experienced a massive migration of Basques from their native home in the Western Pyrenees Mountains. Today, Boise enjoys the largest concentration of Basques per capita outside of the Pyrenees Mountains, and celebrates its diversity at the downtown Basque Museum and Cultural Center.

Boise is graced with a cultural and entertainment strength typically experienced in a larger urban area, thanks to the fact that it houses more museums per capita than any other city in the U.S. Boise is also home to community and professional theater groups, as well as a philharmonic orchestra and opera, ballet and Shakespeare companies. The Idaho Shakespeare Festival has presented professional Shakespeare productions every summer since 1977. Productions are offered in an outdoor 770-seat amphitheater that is nestled beside the Boise River. Visitors can also catch a show at the Boise Contemporary Theater, which presents contemporary shows in an intimate 230-seat black-box space in a renovated historic warehouse.

Many of Boise's highlight attractions celebrate the outdoors. The World Center for Birds of Prey welcomes visitors to take part in daily live demonstrations with hawks, falcons, eagles and owls, learn about the ancient sport of falconry and explore the breeding of endangered California condors and Aplomado falcons. Zoo Boise welcomes visitors to participate in such interactive experiences as giraffe and sloth bear encounters, as well as view its more than 200 animals representing 83 species.

When it's time for some retail therapy, visit downtown Boise's many shops or venture to the Boise Towne Square, Boise Factory Outlets and Vista Village shopping areas. The city's unique dining scene is home to a variety of high-quality restaurants and cuisines. Angell's Bar & Grill Renato highlights seasonal ingredients and regional flavors in its classic cuisine with a modern touch, while Boise Fry Co. uses natural and local products in its burger and fry creations. The downtown Cottonwood Grille boasts a patio overlooking the Boise River, while Bardenay serves as the nation's first restaurant distillery. Finally, Fork is housed in an old downtown bank building and practices an Americana and farm-to-fork approach in its regional cuisine offerings.

 
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