If you’re meeting in Reno or Lake Tahoe and don’t have outdoor activities on the agenda, you’re doing something wrong.
Straddling California and Nevada, both sides of Lake Tahoe offer jaw-dropping scenery and nature-based activity options, with the Nevada side providing all the amenities of a gaming destination: myriad dining and entertainment choices along with ample sleeping rooms.
Reno, about an hour away from Lake Tahoe and the major air entry point via Reno-Tahoe International Airport, boasts an even larger casino-resort inventory but also prides itself on outdoor pursuits, with many taking advantage of the Truckee River that runs straight through downtown.
[Related: Explore the Unexpected Side of the Reno Meetings Scene]
We checked in with officials at both destinations (represented by three DMOs) to get the skinny on what’s new in each, as well as how to get your groups out and about in the great outdoors.
Reno
In contrast to its southern Nevada gaming-destination counterpart Las Vegas, Reno benefits from a climate that ensures four-season fun.
“We are so fortunate that we truly get the benefit of amazing summers, great falls, beautiful springs and a winter that attracts a wide variety of consumers, whether they be meeting planners or whether they be [transient],” said Mike Larragueta, president and CEO of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA). “When you look at summer, for instance, we have the Truckee River running right through the heart of downtown Reno. We’ve had groups do float trips down the river. They basically start quite a bit away from [downtown] and then they float all the way down the river.”
Other fun Reno outdoor activity options can include an excursion to Greater Nevada Field for a Reno Aces AAA baseball game or taking part in the city’s numerous annual events, such as the immensely popular Hot August Nights—billed as the largest nostalgic car show in the world. September’s International Camel and Ostrich Races, held in the authentic Old West town of Virginia City, about 20 miles from Reno, brings visitors to a town chock full of historic saloons and mansions, along with tours of mines from the 1880s Silver Rush.
Because of its proximity to Reno and Reno-Tahoe International Airport, the RSCVA also promotes Lake Tahoe in general, which excels in outdoor activities year-round.
[Related: Reno-Tahoe Is Welcoming Major Resort and Event Venue Additions]
“The hiking, the mountain biking—it should be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, in my opinion. It’s just gorgeous and we’re so lucky to have that in our backyard,” Larragueta said. “And then when you go into the winter, we have the skiing and the snowshoeing and the snowmobiling and the sledding, or just going up and enjoying the winter in the mountains—so many attractions.”
Larragueta detailed a number of new meetings happenings in Reno, including the Grand Sierra project, which will bring a new 10,000-seat arena, multilevel golf facility akin to Top Golf and a minor-league hockey team.
Another large downtown development is Jacobs Entertainment’s transformation of the former Sands Regency into the J Resort and a $1 billion, 20-block mixed-use redevelopment dubbed the Neon Line District.
In addition to the casino-resort, the project calls for 12 youth soccer fields, new restaurants, a 400-seat food venue and a Vegas-style showroom. A major component planned for the development is called Glow Plaza, an outdoor festival venue that can be pressed into service for events.
“The other thing that’s really moved the needle for Reno, Tahoe and Northern Nevada is that our ownership groups within the gaming and non-gaming entities are really putting a lot of money back into their product and it’s showing really well,” Larragueta emphasized.
He added that Reno-Tahoe International Airport is in the midst of a $650 million expansion and improvement project that just broke ground on two new concourses that will nearly double the size of the airport’s existing concourses.
“You’re going to have floor-to-ceiling window views of the Sierra Nevada mountains,” Larragueta said. “It’s going to be gorgeous.”
South Shore Lake Tahoe
The southern shore of Lake Tahoe, like the northern end, is divided into California and Nevada (gaming) sides, with the preponderance of casino-resorts on the South Shore.
“What makes the South Shore stand out is that it has the most versatile options in terms of lodging, dining and attractions,” said Ross Bertolone, sales and services manager for Visit Lake Tahoe. “So, you can kind of have it all here, and because we have the new Tahoe Blue Event Center that opened in late 2023, we can host large-scale conferences and groups, as the maximum capacity of the Event Center is 5,200, including a full concourse floor for expositions and upstairs breakout rooms.”
The destination also features numerous smaller properties that are primed for incentives, board meetings and the like.
As with its destination counterparts, South Lake is an idyllic area for numerous outdoor group and individual activity options.
“We have Heavenly [ski resort] right here,” Bertolone said. “So, lots of outdoor recreation, whether that’s in the wintertime with skiing or during the summer taking the gondola up to the overlook. There’s a world-class golf resort here, too, at Edgewood, along with many other golf options. And boating’s a big one—cruises, wine cruises, sport fishing.”
Major meetings property news includes the ongoing transformation of the iconic Harveys Lake Tahoe into Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino, with phase two of the $200 project slated for a summer completion. The second phase will introduce enhancements to the resort’s pool experience and meeting and convention space, along with a new bar and lounge concept, Tessie’s Cocktails & Chords, in partnership with Clique Hospitality.
Located in the heart of the casino floor, Tessie’s—inspired by the mythical creature rumored to lurk in the depths of the second-deepest lake in the U.S.—will serve up craft cocktails and feature an extensive beer and wine list, along with live music. Other F&B options include Wolf by Vanderpump and Gordon Ramsay HELL’S KITCHEN. The meeting-space renovation will include 25,000 square feet of indoor event space framed by the stunning beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The resort will also feature an all-new, state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center with space for yoga and other group exercise programs.
Edgewood Tahoe Resort is also making news, announcing a major clubhouse expansion that will include a new lakefront ballroom.
The lakefront clubhouse expansion is set to debut in late 2026 and welcome private events the following March, increasing its offering to nearly 45,000 square feet. The new Stillwater Grand Ballroom, formerly known as the South Room, will be able to accommodate more than 350 guests in its 5,600 square feet of space. The property is also adding the Lakeshore Room, a lakefront private dining room that will be able to host up to 40 and boast a 2,100-square-foot heated outdoor deck for events year-round framed by Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevadas.
Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe introduced significant improvements at the end of 2025, including the renovation of its Sunset Tower and refreshed dining and entertainment spaces. The former Hard Rock property is also renovating its 14,300 square feet of meeting and event space.
North Lake Tahoe
The northern end of Lake Tahoe is cherished for its wide mountain vistas and premier skiing areas such as Northstar California Resort and Palisades Tahoe, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics. This area of the lake is also huge for incentive travel programs.
[Related: Sacramento and Lake Tahoe Offer Two Distinct California Experiences for Groups]
“Incentive programs typically head to one of our two mountain villages of Palisades Tahoe or Northstar California,” said Bart Peterson, director of sales, Lake Tahoe Travel. “In winter, both allow attendees the ability to ski directly from the properties of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe and Everline Resort & Spa. But it’s not just skiing and snowboarding. We also have guided snowmobile tours through Lake Tahoe Snowmobile.
“Summer allows attendees access to 10 golf courses,” he continued. “If sourcing a summer program in Tahoe, groups will want to see the lake, so a dinner on the shores at Gar Woods or Sunnyside is always a hit, and a sunset boat tour on the Wild Goose, Tahoe Gal, Tahoe Sailing Charters or Sierra Cloud Catamaran are crowd-pleasers. We also have a handful of fantastic DMCs who can help bring a program to life at spectacular offsite venues such as High Camp at Palisades.”
Peterson added that Lake Tahoe Travel is offering a “cash back for room production incentive” during the destination’s spring and fall shoulder seasons, with bonuses ranging from $500-$2,000 depending on the number of actualized rooms. To qualify, the meeting RFP must be submitted directly through the Lake Tahoe Travel sales team for distribution to two or more North Lake Tahoe lodging properties.
[Related: Lake Tahoe DMO Rebrand Unites Several California and Nevada Towns]
A Mountainside Margaritaville
One of the most talked about newer properties on Lake Tahoe is Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, where “changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes”—Jimmy Buffett’s ode to the laid-back lifestyle—may need to be refreshed to “changes in altitude.” Its December 2023 opening represented the highest mountainside property in the Margaritaville portfolio, at 6,200 feet.
The 399-room all-suite resort is adjacent to the Heavenly Mountain Gondola and is popular with incentive groups and retreats (with a 4,200-square-foot ballroom) and beyond.
“We get the gamut,” said Alicia Cavallo, director of sales, Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe. “We’ll get corporate business, we get association business, we get government business, we get continuing education business. We get a lot of social business especially in the summer months, and then in the winter, we host a ton of ski groups.”
Cavallo said the one commonality with her group clients is the desire to get outside and enjoy activities in the great outdoors.
“It’s an outdoor wonderland up here—it’s just amazing. It’s endless in all seasons,” she said. “Skiing is the big thing, and we have a company here called Ski Butler that is on property that can set you up, and we also offer valet services for skis and snowboards. Besides skiing, there’s ice-skating, there’s snowmobiling, there’s snowshoeing, there’s cross-country skiing—it’s endless outside, and that’s just winter.”
Getting out on Lake Tahoe is a must-do if it can fit into the agenda and budget, including dining cruises on one of the most pristine alpine lakes in the world.
Cavallo said the area also recently welcomed Lake Tahoe Epic Curling, a sport that is trending as a social activity.
Margaritaville also hosts numerous activations for guests and groups, such as movies every night by the indoor pool at sunset and yoga on the weekends, along with special happy hours that are in keeping with the Margaritaville ethos.
Cavallo added that Margaritaville typically works with local DMC Terramar to arrange teambuilding activities such as snowshoe races and tubing on the snow in winter, and boating, waterskiing and parasailing in summer, among other options.
For groups that require more meeting space, the Tahoe Blue Event Center is located only a few blocks away, and for attendees that want to try their luck at gaming, the Nevada side of the lake is only across the street.
“It’s not that casino environment at Margaritaville, but we’re close enough for them to go there and make their deposits to the state of Nevada,” Cavallo joked.
Connections
