Upcoming Events

Destination Spotlight: Lane County, Salem & Portland

October 1, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Get an inside look at three of Oregon’s unique meeting destinations—Lane County, Salem, and Portland. Representatives from each destination’s Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) will share what’s new, what’s changing, and what government meeting professionals should know when bringing meetings and events to their communities.

This session will go beyond hotels and meeting venues to explore how CVBs can serve as a valuable destination resource. From local events and transportation to new developments, dining, activities, community resources, and other factors that may have an impact on your attendees’ experience, your CVB can help you better understand what is happening in a destination before and during your event.

Government meeting professionals will also be encouraged to connect with their agency or organization’s Ethics Office to understand the guidelines that apply to working with CVBs and determine how they can appropriately take advantage of the resources and services available to them.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

1. Discover what’s new in Lane County, Salem, and Portland and identify the unique characteristics, resources, and experiences each destination offers government meetings and events.
2. Recognize CVBs as an ongoing destination resource and understand how they can provide local knowledge and assistance before, during, and around an event—not just during the site-selection process.
3. Identify the destination information that can impact a successful meeting and learn what questions to ask a CVB about local events, transportation, development, dining, activities, and other factors affecting the attendee experience.

Location
Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center
Room: Columbia 1
375 NE Holladay St.
Portland, OR 97232, USA 

Speakers
Gregory Heinze, CMP, PDM, is the Vice President of Meetings & Conventions at Travel Salem, where he spends his days convincing meeting planners that Oregon’s capital city is a pretty great place to bring a few hundred of their favorite people. With 15+ years in hospitality, meetings, sales, and destination marketing, Greg’s career has taken a few plot twists of its own — from hotels and global hotel sales to third-party sourcing and now destination leadership. He’s also a professional facilitator who believes strategic planning doesn’t have to feel like a root canal. When not at work or facilitating, you’ll find him traveling the globe or finding the best place to have an easy hike with his husband, Steven,  and their best friend, a  95-lb labradoodle, Martin. 

Heidi Albertson is a seasoned hospitality and tourism professional with more than 30 years of experience serving the Oregon meetings, events, and visitor industry. She currently serves as the Convention Sales Manager for Travel Lane County, where she works to attract meetings, conferences, and special events that contribute to the economic vitality of Lane County and the Eugene-Springfield region.

Kayla Hall is a National Account Manager with Travel Portland, where she works with meeting planners and industry partners to bring meetings and conferences to Portland. With more than a decade of experience in the destination and hospitality industry, Kayla specializes in connecting planners with the right local resources and helping make the planning process seamless from start to finish. She is passionate about Portland, building strong industry relationships, and creating successful experiences for meeting professionals and their attendees.

Monthly Fundraising

1. Monthly $1/ticket Drawing Theme: Spooky Halloween. Bring in your orangey, Pumpkiny, Spooky little items for the  $1.00 ticket drawing! Or Big Items. Big Items work too!

1. In addition, this fall we have TWO $5 Ticket drawings! One will be drawn monthly, compliments of the host venue or board; the other will be drawn at our December meeting:
   1. “Monthly Host or Board Basket”: Purchase $5 tickets for the opportunity to win this lovely surprise basket from our meeting host or the board at the end of lunch!
   2. “Clam It Up Seaside!”: Purchase $5 tickets from September – December. We will draw a winner at the December meeting! Included:
   1. Guided razor clamming experience for 2, in Seaside, in spring or early summer 2027 (clamming closes July 15th each year). *Approximately 2-3hrs *Provided by Tina Eilers
   2. Reimbursement for 2 Oregon Resident Annual Shellfish Licenses (Typically around $13.00/license, you have to create your own account and purchase via ODFW website. Tina will reimburse cost.)
   3. Use of 2 clam guns and instructions on how to dig for clams. Timing needs to be coordinated with Tina to dig during a negative low tide.

Tickets for drawings may be purchased online when you register, or at the meeting. Thanks, and see you SOON!

Register Online

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January 2027

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Gregory Heinze - The Room is the Resource
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February 2027

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Women's Health
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March 2027

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April 2027

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June 2027

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