Meeting Planners Take Note: These Two Small Wyoming Towns Offer Big Value for Events

When prospective attendees receive announcements about an upcoming meeting, one key question is on their minds: Is the destination going to be appealing enough to justify their time and money? For many of them, getting to a “yes” relies on choosing a place they may not be able to point to on a map. When Skift surveyed millennial and Gen Z travelers in the U.S., 70 percent indicated that they are looking for travel experiences their friends and family have not heard of — a shift echoed by recent Priceline research highlighting an increased appetite for discovering lesser-known travel and meeting places. 

One of those places is Campbell County, Wyoming. Nestled in the northeast section of the state along Interstate 90, the area has seen a surge in interest over the past five years, emerging as a hub for youth sports competitions that range from weekend events to multi-week experiences. 

Part of the increase in activity stemmed from the pandemic, according to Jessica Seders, CEO of Visit Gillette Wright. “We stayed open while everybody else had pretty much shut down,” Seders says. “It exposed a lot of teams to our facilities, and they were quite surprised when they saw them.”

Top-Tier Venues in an Unexpected Location

Some of those offerings include state-of-the-art venues like the CAM-PLEX, a 1,000-acre facility with a fine arts theater, a convention and exhibit hall, two multi-purpose pavilions, a racetrack and rodeo grounds, and more than 2,200 hotel rooms that can accommodate a wide range of budgets. More importantly, those pandemic-era participants were able to experience something even more meaningful than a new venue. 

“Gillette is kind of an island,” Seders, a former Midwesterner who has lived there for the past 15 years, says. “It’s two hours to the next substantial town from here. Whatever the town has needed or wanted over the years, they have had to build it. The people here are so welcoming because they want to tell their story.”

An Authentic and Experiential Event Backdrop

That story begins as a place where a surveyor identified a spot to be part of a westward railroad expansion, but Gillette and Wright are no longer a place to pass through; they are now destinations in their own right with offerings for corporate events and retreats. Home to the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr Coal Mines, the area is one of the country’s most significant energy sources. The production process — which also includes reclamation efforts to restore lands — is proving to play a significant role in shaping the business events that are coming to Campbell County. 

When 100 leaders come together for the Wyoming Working Together Conference this fall, part of the program will include a tour of the mine to see the entire process, from extracting the coal to turning on a light switch. 

The opportunities to experience the region’s culture and history here extend well beyond work, though. Groups can host private dinners at Durham Bison Ranch — a family-owned 55,000-acre estate 39 miles south of Gillette — and Barlow Ranch, where attendees can gather around a large farmhouse table while gaining an appreciation for more than 125 years of history. In town, the Rockpile Museum and Frontier Relics and Auto Museum are both ideal spots for casual cocktail receptions. For attendees looking to spend time in under-the-radar destinations, the environments are all a refreshing break from the standard ballroom-style experience found at so many meetings and events. 

Small Town, Major Event Capabilities 

With a population of around 30,000 residents, Gillette feels like a friendly section of Main Street, but don’t let its size fool you: It has the ability to welcome the kind of massive numbers that seem reserved solely for first-tier urban cities. In August 2024, the town welcomed more than 66,000 attendees for the International Pathfinder Camporee, a five-day camping-focused gathering that occurs once every five years. After spending the last 20 years in Wisconsin, organizers spent more than three years making regular trips to Gillette to make sure the town could handle such a large group. 

“What we heard over and over again was how surprised they were with all the facilities and the amenities we had to offer,” Seders says. 

Another key point that made the program, which welcomes participants from more than 100 countries, a reality: Getting to Gillette is surprisingly easy, thanks to twice-daily service from Denver to Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport. And once they arrived, the town’s commitment to making everyone feel right at home was clear. 

“The partnerships we have with local government, CAM-PLEX, and our hotels make a big difference,” Seders says. “We heard from Camporee that they were really impressed with seeing how everyone works so well together.”

Evolving to Meet the Demands of New Events

When Seders compares downtown Gillette with her arrival in 2010 to now, the development — particularly in the culinary and hospitality scene — is staggering. A craft meadery and brewery, a former food truck operation that is now a wood-fired pizza destination, an Indian and Nepali restaurant, and more offer flavors that cater to the diverse needs of any group. While new doors have opened, the town has managed to maintain its charm with old-fashioned bakeries and mom-and-pop staples. 

“We have some pretty great restaurants with the great stories that you don’t find in too many towns anymore,” Seders says.

Looking ahead, the town will be adding new accommodations to continue writing its own story as a place that can deliver unforgettable experiences for attendees. Seders expects more hotel rooms at a conference-style property within the next two years. As it continues to grow, though, Gillette still delivers the kind of surprise-and-delight factor that will send attendees home with bragging rights about the opportunity to experience such a unique corner of the country. 

“It still has that small-town feel downtown,” Seders says. “It’s a lot like a Hallmark movie.”

While those cinematic classics may only run during the holidays, Gillette proves that the most wonderful time of the year can be any week on the calendar.

Click here for more information about what makes Gillette and Wright an ideal meeting destination.

This content was created collaboratively by Visit Gillette & Wright and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.