We won’t waste your time by telling you about what a great place for an event Colorado is. If you’re reading this, we’re sure you already know all about that. Instead, we’re assuming that you’ve already chosen Colorado, and we wrote this article to teach you how to host a successful private event here. Really, these rules and guidelines can apply to most places, but we’re in Colorado, so we’re claiming it for the home team.
Select a Great Venue
We don’t mean to toot our own horn, but we happen to have a great venue here in Leadville, one of the most picturesque, quirky mining towns in all of the Rockies. We’d even dare to claim that it’s one of the best event venues in Colorado. If nothing else, it’s definitely memorable. But you don’t have to choose us. We’re happy just knowing that you’re here in Colorado. ⛰️ As far as venues are concerned, you’re going to want to make sure a few things are covered…
First, you should be sure that your logistics are sorted out so that everyone can actually get to the venue. Some venues are closer to an airport, and some are faaaaar away. So if you’ve got people flying in from out of state, consider that before you make reservations. Realistically, if you’ve got people flying in from elsewhere, you’ll probably want to reserve a venue that’s near an airport. Besides Denver, most popular cities here (such as Leadville, Aspen, and Grand Junction) have their own airports, and the ticket prices aren’t crazy.
*Note: Be sure to confirm that the venue can host the number of people attending your event.
Organize Outdoor Activities
This is Colorado. Did we mention that? Or maybe you’re not in Colorado. Either way, we’re sure you can find some beautiful scenery and landscapes within an hour or so of whichever venue you’ve reserved. And that’s great because it means you can probably get everyone involved in one or two fun outdoor activities. We really can’t write a whole article about how to host a successful private event in Colorado without mentioning outdoor stuff. I mean, natural scenery and outdoor stuff are pretty much Colorado’s whole thing.
If you’re near water, you’ve got options like rafting, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and so on. For something relaxing and low-stress, standup paddleboarding on a calm lake is like meditating with your eyes open – restful while somehow also being invigorating. You can also just have a picnic beside a lake or river. At the very least, you can hire a local yoga or meditation instructor to guide everyone through a group class by the water. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
If you’re not near any river or body of water, there’s a greater than 0% chance that you’re not too far from a ranch of some kind. That means you can go spend time with some horses or maybe even make a deal with a local rancher to have them show you around and let you pet the cows or donkeys in exchange for some kind of admission fee. Anything with animals is already nice, and since it doesn’t require everyone to be in peak physical condition, animal-related activities are usually pretty easy to arrange without anyone feeling left out. You can call it something about conservation or environmental protection, but you really don’t need an excuse to want to pet a donkey. Donkeys are cute.
If there are somehow no pettable animals within a 1-2 hour drive from your venue (where the heck are you?), then you can do some non-water-related outdoor adventure activities. Those are huge here and include everything from hiking to mountain biking, bouldering, and rock climbing. In our area, hiking and mountain biking are easily at the top of the list during the warmer months, while skiing and other winter sports are at the top during winter. You’ll be able to find loads of other things throughout the state, and what you’ll find really depends on where exactly you are.
Create a Menu Filled With Locally-Sourced Ingredients & Recipes.
Anyone can lazily draft a menu based on cheap, processed Frankenfood with unpronounceable chemicals and other deeply concerning substances listed on the ingredient labels. Those things might be acceptable to feed to captured war criminals and the people who ruined Star Wars, but you care about your event attendees more than that,… don’t you?
Of course, we presume they’re not a bunch of your most hated enemies from the past who don’t recognize you because you’re in disguise and you’ve gotten facial surgery to alter your physical appearance. And we’re taking it for granted that you probably haven’t legally changed your name to something Slavic-sounding so that you could invite all these enemies of yours out to some remote location in the mountains without them recognizing your name for the purpose of unleashing some ironically twisted revenge plot that you’ve been concocting and tailoring specifically to each of them ever since they wronged you decades ago. We understand that we’re making a lot of assumptions about your character and your intentions toward these people. But we at least want to hope that you’re not intending to poison your guests by feeding them the sorts of insidious things that would probably be served in a public school cafeteria in Gary, Indiana. We’re sure you’re not trying to do that… Please don’t do that…
Hopefully, we’re correct about you being a conscientious law-obeyer and not some villainous fiend unhindered by the psychological limitations that normally restrain the more antisocial impulses of the human heart. If that’s the case, then, wow, what a relief! Colorado is generally a pretty safe place, and we hope it remains that way for at least another solar cycle. And, supposing that you’re a well-meaning do-gooder in possession of a conscience, we recommend that you get in touch with a local caterer and work with them to design a menu that heavily incorporates as many local ingredients as possible. This shouldn’t be a hard thing to do because local game and produce abound in the Rockies, and the chef will really be the one doing most of the work on this front. If it’s available, we recommend asking for trout.
Get Out There and Have a Blast!
As you can see, there really isn’t much to learning how to host a successful private event in Colorado (or anywhere else). For the most part, your venue will arrange things for you or at least assist you by giving you the contacts of the local caterers and other providers you’ll need or working with them on your behalf. That’s why choosing your venue comes first and is the step we feel is the most important in most cases. The people running the venue are used to hosting events and know what’s required. As long as you’ve got a great venue with helpful staff to walk you through the process, you’ll be alright, and your event will be loads of fun.
