COLORADO.

COLORADO SPRINGS 

The new Colorado Springs World Arena offers big things to meeting planners, with seating for 8,000 and more than 21,000 square feet of floor space. Meanwhile, several large hotels in the area offer a wide range of facilities, from downtown convention properties to luxury resorts and historic inns.

The largest of them all is the 700-room Broadmoor, setting standards in hospitality since it first opened in 1918. The second phase of its $100 million renovation will be completed later this month, and features some exciting options for groups of all sizes. The resort will increase outdoor function space by adding a partially covered stone terrace that will accommodate 700 guests for cocktails and dinner. Five new state-of-the-art conference rooms have already been completed, and include the latest technical equipment and custom appointments. These rooms range in size from 800 to 1,600 square feet, and can host meetings of 25 to 125 people. In all, the Broadmoor offers more than 114,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, 11 restaurants and lounges, three golf courses, tailored team building programs--and a mountain backdrop that can't be beat.

FREE-TIME FUN

Pike's Peak soars more than 14,000 feet, and features the fabulous view that inspired "America the Beautiful." This scenic spot is easily accessible by car or Cog Railroad, the highest railway in the United States.

DENVER

When planners talk, Denver listens: After a series of focus groups with 45 meeting professionals, the architects for the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center went back to the drawing board and completely redesigned the proposed $268 million project. The result: a simple, user-friendly facility catering to the needs of groups of all sizes. Some of the specific changes involve moving all meeting rooms to the ground level, creating one grand entrance, adding separate loading docks for meeting rooms and auditoriums, and including both square and flexible registration and prefunction rooms.

The expansion is scheduled for completion in 2003, and will just about double the existing center with a total of 584,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition space, 125,000 square feet of meeting space located on one floor, flexible 35,000- and 50,000-square-foot ballrooms, and a 5,000-fixed-seat auditorium.

Plans have also been approved for a new 1,100-room Hyatt across from the convention center. Projected to open in March 2004, the new 35-story hotel will feature a 30,000-square-foot grand ballroom--the largest private ballroom in the city--as well as a 15,000-square-foot junior ballroom, and 25,000 additional square feet of meeting space.

FREE-TIME FUN

Less than 30 miles from the Mile High City is beautiful Boulder, with an elaborate parks system that offers hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, all with gorgeous views. Home to the University of Colorado, Boulder is bustling with cafes, bookstores, art galleries, and some of the state's top street entertainers who perform juggling, magic, and mime.

KEYSTONE 

The largest conference center in the Colorado Rocky Mountains has reached new heights. The Keystone Resort invested nearly $12 million in its award-winning meetings facility, which now features 63,000 square feet of flexible function area. In all, Keystone offers more than 1,500 luxurious rooms and 100,000 square feet of conference space. The centerpiece of the new expansion is a 20,000-squarefoot, state-of-the-art ballroom designed to meet the needs of today's technology. oriented associations with high-speed communication access via T-1 lines, along with in-floor dataports, phone jacks, and electrical outlets.

Nestled in a quiet valley just 90 minutes from Denver International Airport, Keystone offers both the super-sophisticated and the serene, with its surrounding mountains and meadows and some of the best recreational opportunities around. The resort's 152-room Keystone Lodge features a 5,700-square-foot ballroom and 10 breakout rooms, and planners often choose to use the facilities in tandem with the conference center. From the rustic charm of The Outpost to the luxury of the Inn at Keystone, several smaller meeting facilities are available as well.

FREE-TIME FUN

Horseback rides provide a relaxing way to see the sights in and around Keystone Resort, but if horses aren't your thing, consider a guided nature hike through the White River National Forest.