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Take Your Next Event Outside

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 By Kara Horner

Planning to hold an outdoor event for your next board or committee meeting? Here are some ideas to make your alfresco affair a crowd pleaser:

R Plan a picnic in the park (or at a theme park) for members and their families. R Schedule a day at the races.Meet the jockeys and their mounts, watch the races and hold a post-race party on the grounds or in an event tent afterward.
 
R Take them out to a ballgame.Whether you buy a block of seats or have a private VIP viewing and entertaining area, your group can have fun cheering for the home team. R Have your party on a yacht. Yachts in many areas of the country are available for groups from four to hundreds.
 
R Organize a team-building event or team challenge.Hold it at a golf course, on a schooner where your team learns to rig the masts and sail or anywhere outside for scavenger hunts, three-legged races, volleyball games, croquet matches and more. R Head for the zoo or the botanical gardens. Many such facilities are well equipped for hosting events of all kinds from black-tie affairs in the penguin hall to cocktail parties by the seal pool.
 
Go for a hike. Plenty of trails — of various degrees of difficulty — wind through the countryside and along the shore. Go for a bike ride. Bike paths are all the rage, especially along old rail lines converted for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Head for the beach. Organize fun in the sun, from cookouts and clambakes to Frisbee and volleyball games.
 
Book a restaurant with a lovely backyard garden, terrace or outdoor patio for a leisurely cocktail party or laid-back sit-down meal. Attend an outdoor concert and bring plenty of food and drinks for a picnic. Visit a local winery for a wine tasting, a farm to gather fresh herbs and produce or a nursery to select seasonal plants and flowers for guests to arrange on picnic tables or take home as a souvenir of the day. Stage a dinner dance under the stars with champagne and live music. Source: Best Events (http://besteventsmag.com)