What's a great place to hold a conference in Portland?

June 30, 2010 8:41 PM

I'm helping to plan a weekend conference in Portland, OR next June. We hope to have 300-500 people attend. We'd like to have some sessions in which everyone gathers to hear featured speakers, and we'd like to have breakout workshops featuring smaller groups. Plus it would be great if we were near food and lodging. My question: Where are good locations in Portland to hold a conference? We're not keen on cold, soulless places like the convention center. What about the art museum? The Baghdad theater? The Aladdin? The Kennedy School? What venues can you recommend?
posted by jdroth to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

If you're willing to hold your conference an hour out of town, we got good mileage out of Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. 450+ environmentalists fit quite nicely in the lodge, we had 11 or 12 tracks of workshops, plenaries and other speakers at meals in the ballroom. Nobody complained about spending four days there, and we ran a field trip in to Portland for those who wanted some city time.

In town, check out the Governor Hotel -- they may have enough workshop space.
posted by vverse23 at 9:55 PM on June 30, 2010

The Edgefield, just outside the city, is a McMenamins resort with meeting facilities at very reasonable rates. It's a charming place. Charming.
posted by chrchr at 11:33 PM on June 30, 2010

reed.edu has a beautiful meandering canyon wetland that is perfect for pondering postgres.
posted by mmdei at 11:56 PM on June 30, 2010

whoops. wrong jd in portland who is organizing a conference -- I'm sure reed is just as lovely for pondering cash money, too.
posted by mmdei at 11:58 PM on June 30, 2010

My sister's graduation ceremony was held at the Scottish Rite Centre on SW 15th and Morrison, may be worth looking into?
posted by geckoinpdx at 2:20 AM on July 1, 2010

The Scottish Rite Centre is nice. And downtown, close to hotels, etc.

The Zoo and the World Forestry Center are both popular places to hold events. They're in Washington Park, which is right on public transit, close to downtown, but still in a beautiful park.

The Kennedy School is also a really cool place.

You could also check out the Left Bank Annex, which is fairly new, but good location, etc.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:33 AM on July 1, 2010