Bring the Kids Being family-friendly means making corporate meetings more fun for children.

Families are welcome at the Marriott Ranch in Hume, once a private retreat reserved for the chain's founder. Photo by Mark Rhodes

By Sally Kirby Hartman
It’s been several months since 3-year-old Tyler Ball visited the Marriott Ranch in Hume, but the Georgia boy still goes to sleep talking about the fun he had at "the horsy farm" and begs to go back. Riding a tractor, seeing ranch animals up close and spending a week being doted on by both his mom and dad are all reasons why Tyler gives his autumn trip a big thumbs up.

Tyler was in Virginia because of business — a sales meeting of Oil-Dri Corp. of America planned by his father, David Ball. Tyler’s dad, who also is Oil-Dri’s sales and marketing manager, knows carving out family time is critical to keeping everyone happy. His Atlanta staff is on the road about 90 nights a year. When the sales team hits its annual goal, the company treats entire families to a week-long trip. This fall the 18 people who took over the Virginia ranch for the week included five children as well as spouses.

Two years ago the Oil-Dri staff spent a week at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Fla. While there, families could check out the island’s sea turtles or float on inner tubes in the pool while watching movies.

Ball stumbled upon the Marriott Ranch as a destination while cruising the Internet. "I was looking for something a little different," he recalls "I wanted a place where everyone could come with their families." This led to the week at the retreat that, until two years ago, was the Marriott family’s personal getaway. While there, the Oil-Dri guests easily mixed business with pleasure. Employees attended daytime strategy sessions while their families wheeled around the 4,000-acre working ranch in golf carts or rode horses. Free time for everyone included a nearby international polo match, a hayride and dinners prepared by a personal chef.

The hybrid business meeting/family vacation is a trend that has emerged during the past few years. It is fueled by busy two-career families hard-pressed to squeeze in vacations. Also contributing to it are road-weary executives sick of getting to know hotel staff instead of their children. Last year business travelers hauled their families along on 32 million trips, according to a study by the Travel Industry Association of America. That number has tripled in the past decade.

Families have created new demands for multi-age entertainment, and conference destinations are rising to the occasion. They are equipping themselves with children’s activities and marketing themselves so the entire family will want to come along. Virginia has a head start with hotels that have long courted family vacationers and destinations that are naturally child-friendly. For much of the commonwealth’s convention industry, wooing the extended corporate family doesn’t require much extra effort.

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Since 1957, the Marriott Ranch has catered to family relaxation as well as business meetings. But until two years ago it was for only one family — that of Marriott founder J. Willard Marriott. The ranch was one of his favorite places to entertain business associates and to spend time with his family fishing, horseback riding and hiking. The rolling land in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is still a top vacation spot for Marriott’s current chairman, John Marriott, and his family. But these days he happily shares the working ranch with corporate executives looking for a retreat.

Guests stay in an 1814 manor house or 18th century cottages. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a bed and breakfast, even though there are meeting rooms that hold 40 people. Children may groan when they find no TV in their rooms, no swimming pool on the grounds and no nearby mall. But they recover when they attend a cookout at the ranch’s miniature cowboy town or roam the property in a stagecoach or on a horse. For adults used to high-stress jobs, the highlight of the stay may be gazing at the mountains while rocking on a porch.

"There is such a focus now on both spouses working that people like the idea of coming with their families and being in this environment," says Dan Neja, director of marketing. Because the ranch is only an hour from Washington, D.C., corporate visitors don’t have to travel far to feel like they are a million miles away.

Today’s children are far better traveled than their parents, who were lucky to get a few nights in a low-budget, roadside motel on their way to visit Grandma. Frequent flier miles have made children savvy travelers as their parents take them along for a free ride and stays in elegant hotels. More than solving child-care dilemmas back home, these trips allow parents to give children a glimpse of their working life while also providing special family time.

One recent fall weekend at The Tides, the venerable Irvington resort, children were everywhere as part of a program sponsored by Virginia Continuing Legal Education of Charlottesville. While one parent delved into the intricacies of business law, the other was pushing a swing on the playground or challenging a teen-ager to a game of golf or tennis.

For more than 50 years, The Tides has prided itself on its family atmosphere. In 1999, The Tides was named "Family Friendly Resort of the Year" by Lanier’s Directory, which focuses on family travel and resorts around the globe. While families used to come to the Northern Neck resort for extended vacations, these days they are more likely to check in for conferences. Their stays are usually shorter, but they also may be taking several trips a year to different locations determined by business commitments.

"Last July was the best month we ever had in the history of the property. There was a good mix of group and social business," says John Dufour, The Tides director of sales and marketing. "The summer months are becoming big conference months."

One reason is The Tides’ long-standing summer children’s program — free to guests at The Tides Inn and available for a fee to those staying at The Tides Lodge. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, high-school and college-age counselors entertain children daily. They take them fishing, crabbing and swimming or play games with them in an upscale version of summer camp. Other options include golf, tennis or sailing lessons. Structured programs make it possible for children to come with only one parent but still stay entertained while Mom is in business meetings.

Children’s programs also help bring conference business to The Homestead in Hot Springs. The resort’s year-round KidsClub features a different theme each day. Parents can enroll children until either noon or 4 p.m., depending on their schedule. During the winter months, Mondays are international mystery days. Children study artifacts and slides from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, learn hieroglyphics and make a pyramid or mummy. Tuesdays the focus is on pottery as children mold clay jewelry and pots and have their work fired in a kiln. The session ends with a swim in the indoor, spring-fed pool and an ice cream sundae party. Other themes round out the week; no two days are alike. When they do get a break, working parents can take everyone to the resort’s ski slopes or try snow tubing. On-site golfing, ice skating, bowling, horseback riding and swimming provide plenty of other diversions.

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Many parts of Virginia naturally lend themselves to family business trips. The Hyatt Regency Reston is part of Reston Town Center. Inside is a conference center that can handle hundreds of participants. Outside is a fun world for the rest of the family — an ice skating rink, a 13-screen movie theater, bikes to rent and Gap Kids and Talbots Kids shops. Neighboring upscale restaurants come equipped with crayons and children’s menus, with some offering free kids’ meals. Most any part of Northern Virginia is just a quick jaunt to The Smithsonian museums — the ultimate low-cost educational paradise.

Last year one in five parents who took a trip let their children miss school so they could go along, according to a study by the Travel Industry Association. If you’re going to take a child out of school, the trip might as well be a learning experience.

Total immersion in Virginia history is a big selling point for Colonial Williamsburg. "We actively promote bringing families as one of the strong features of having a conference here," says Richard Tate, director of conference services for The Williamsburg Inn. "The key is planning a meeting when it’s convenient for kids."

Tate finds that during the past 12 years, corporate planners have become much more attuned to family demands. "People booking conferences are looking for an appealing site and at what’s in the area. ... They are looking to leave visitors with a memorable experience. The opportunity to blend a meeting into a family vacation is important, since it helps give people a worthwhile reason to be away from home."

At Colonial Williamsburg children can attend special programs to learn what 18th century life was like. They can dip candles, go lawn bowling and herd sheep. Boys may opt to spend part of a day in the militia, while girls may follow in the footsteps of a typical 10-year-old Williamsburg girl. A staff of interpreters and storytellers lets groups tailor-make just about any program they want at any time of day or evening. If visitors tire of all that, Busch Gardens, Jamestown Island and Yorktown are only a short drive away.

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For the first time this winter, Virginia Beach is marketing itself as a great spot to bring the family to a meeting. "We have always pitched this as a family destination," says Ron Kuhlman, director of marketing and sales for the Virginia Beach Department of Convention and Visitor Development. But the marketing focus tended to be on the vacation traveler, not the corporate guest.

"We found out in focus groups that vacations are getting shorter. The two-week vacation is history," Kuhlman says. Although working parents have trouble scheduling vacations, children also are guilty of keeping families tied to home. "If you have two kids in sports, then the kids are so active you can’t get away," Kuhlman says. A mandatory business meeting provides a great excuse to skip a softball game and go on a family outing.

Bringing along a spouse and children also provides a boon to city coffers, which is why Virginia Beach created its new marketing strategy. If business travelers arrive with family in tow "they have a tendency to stay longer and spend more money," Kuhlman says. Rather than have one person in a hotel eating only banquet food and sitting in meetings, family members are buying restaurant meals, shopping and paying admission to the Virginia Marine Science Museum and other attractions.

With its 38 miles of sand and surf, Virginia Beach has a built-in attraction. That’s the main reason the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians has headed to the oceanfront four straight summers for its continuing education program. It will return again this year for an extended July weekend, bringing about 300 physicians with their 900 family members. After that, the group will evaluate whether it’s time for a change of venue or if the beach is the best place to be.

"We have found that if we don’t make meetings family-oriented, people won’t come," says Terry Schulte, executive vice president of the Richmond-based association. While physicians are in daytime meetings at conference headquarters at the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel, spouses and children can stroll to the beach or skate on the boardwalk outside the hotel. In the evening everyone gets to have fun without worrying about attending formal banquets or listening to after-dinner speeches.

Last July family dinners included entertainment by ventriloquists, magicians and other performers. The meeting ended with four theme events taking place simultaneously. One room had Mexican food complemented by a salsa band and a piñata. Next door to the fiesta, a country and western band and cloggers entertained as guests chowed down on barbecue. Steel drums and island food held court poolside while a jazz band and New Orleans cuisine were positioned in another room.

For its weekend winter meetings, the physicians’ group typically heads to Wintergreen outside Charlottesville. Meetings there are carefully scheduled to end at noon, which leaves plenty of time for skiing with the family.

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Not everyone likes to have every minute filled with planned activities. After all, part of the reason for tagging along on someone’s business trip is to relax.

"People want to know what’s available and what they can do together," says Teri Wiley, director of sales and marketing for the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center. Although the resort has a children’s program and is happy to arrange crab races and other diversions, it also caters to guests’ individual whims. The center has a full-time concierge dedicated to providing an insider’s view on what families can do to enjoy their time together.

With its location on the Chesapeake Bay, "we like to say we have the natural thing right here," Wiley says. If they’re bored building sandcastles on the beach, guests can rent jet skis or paddle boats or check out the resort’s tennis center. Complimentary bikes let them ride to wooded trails at First Landing State Park or visit its new Chesapeake Bay center.

Having all those amenities in the neighborhood helps Wiley convince conference planners "to make their meeting a family event."