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The Sky is the Limit for Groups at Saddlebrook Resort
This is the first in a series of "Ellen On-Site" articles, where Editor Ellen Thomas will conduct site inspections from a planner's perspective of properties around Florida.
Saddlebrook Resort Tampa was designed as a destination meeting resort, and it shows. Tucked away on 480 acres of natural countryside, yet conveniently located just 30 miles from Tampa International Airport, the resort offers a world of options for meeting professionals.
In preparation for this article, Al Martinez-Fonts, the resort's director of marketing, attempted to fill me in on all that Saddlebrook offers to groups, but he stressed that you really have to experience the resort to understand. After a recent site inspection, I understood exactly what he meant. With so many meeting and event venue options to choose from, planners can book an outstanding variety of meeting spaces and creative indoor and outdoor event settings throughout this award-winning, 800-room "walking village."
As a planner, I was impressed by the convenience and ease of flow throughout the conference area, especially how all 95,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space is located just steps from the lobby area. The Royal Palm Ballroom at 12,500 square feet, the Pegasus Ballroom at 7,790 square feet and the 17,743-square-foot Grand Pavilion each have a different style and feel to change up the mood during your group's program. Executive boardrooms, flexible breakout spaces, terrace and courtyard areas and the 5,763-square-foot, all-glass Lagoon Pavilion, with panoramic views, provide an assortment of choices for groups of all sizes.
But it doesn't stop there. Saddlebrook is a multifunctional canvas upon which planners can create events. Upon my arrival, Director of Group Activities Yvonne Bohannon told me that the group whose program ended the previous day chose to set up their general session outdoors on a large field near the Sports Village, complete with staging and audiovisual. In addition, progressive dinners that meander from hole to hole on one of two championship golf courses, cocktails and croquet set on the lawn of the Grand Marquee ClearSpan tent, a reception at the Fountain Terrace overlooking the 18th green of the Saddlebrook Course or a Wimbledon-themed event on a grass tennis court are just a few of the choices available to groups.
You can also plan a poolside gala around the one-half-million-gallon Superpool, hold a private VIP dinner in the intimate Bordeaux Room or host a dinner in Dempsey's Steak House, the namesake restaurant of resort owner Thomas L. Dempsey.
One of America's top tennis resorts, Saddlebrook Resort is home to two championship golf courses and a European-style spa. In the next issue of Florida Update, I will focus more on the resort's recreation and teambuilding options in "The Science of Teambuilding."
Learn more about Saddlebrook Resort http://meetings.visitflorida.com/property_search/moreinfo.php?ID=934&detail=acc |
