Lake County offers the perfect backdrop for your next meeting
Lake County, Illinois, bordered by Lake Michigan on the east and the Chain O' Lakes on the west, offers unique spaces and inspiring places for meetings, conferences, expos, reunions, and team building experiences. Lake County boasts more than 200 lakes and rivers and 30,000 acres of forest preserves.
Events become memorable experiences when enhanced by elegant settings or spectacular lake views, and options abound for free time outdoor activities from garden walks to boating or charter fishing for small groups.
Impress clients with a meeting on the stage of the Genesee Theatre, stroll the striking gardens at the Chicago Botanic Garden during a meeting break or plan a fun team building event at the Libertyville Sports Complex complete with a rope climbing wall.
The oldest outdoor music festival in North America, Ravinia, serves as a beautiful backdrop for group events in the summer.
Other unique venues include the Independence Grove Forest Preserve, Greenbelt Cultural Center, Viper Alley, the new immense Venue One facility in Deerfield, the Gold Pyramid House and the Lake County Fairgrounds. You could also consider a club house at a lush golf course as the backdrop for a meeting or special event.
Built in 1927, the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan is a magnificent, historic theater which was exquisitely restored to its original regal splendor and reopened in 2004. Patrons are stunned by the beauty of this grand venue. The theater is available for private functions and features auditorium style seating for 2,400. The facility offers seven lounges for meetings and receptions of up to 200 each, and the stage provides a unique setting for banquets of up to 150.
Viper Alley in Lincolnshire is a private event venue with an industrial-chic atmosphere, a stage, six bowling lanes and a floor plan with catering for up to 650 people. A new option for special events is Venue One Northshore in Deerfield. Open in May 2016, this facility with 85,000 square feet of customizable space is the former practice center of the Chicago Bulls.
For an exceptionally unique occasion, The Gold Pyramid House in Wadsworth is available for tours and private functions of up to 100. The six-story, 17,000-square-foot architectural oddity is considered one of the most curious homes ever constructed.
The Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, located within walking distance of two commuter rail lines to Chicago, offer many options. The Event Center features a 62,000 square foot expo hall and several rooms plus the grounds provide outdoor possibilities from corporate picnics to car shows, 160 acres of property and 12 acres of paved surface.
With more 8,500 guest rooms, Lake County also offers a variety of hotels and three resorts.
Lincolnshire Marriott Resort, located on 175 wooded acres, boasts 40,000 square feet of meeting space, an 18-hole PGA Championship Golf Course, and the award-winning Marriott Theatre. The hotel will undergo a $22 million transformation beginning in mid-December. The renovation will include a new front entrance and lobby, a new spa, a full-service Starbucks, two new restaurants and the overhaul of all 389 rooms.
Illinois Beach Resort on the shores of Lake Michigan offers 92 rooms and a perfect setting for retreats and reunions. KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort, with 414 guest suites, is located near Gurnee Mills and Six Flags Great America. The resort, with a first-class spa and meeting space for 20-500, combines business with pleasure.
Other full-service hotels in Lake County are the Hyatt Regency Deerfield, Marriott Suites Deerfield, Embassy Suites Deerfield, Doubletree By Hilton in Mundelein, and the Holiday Inn and Conference Center in Gurnee.
In addition to its 700,000 residents, Lake County is home to 30,000 businesses, including 11 Fortune 500 companies such as Walgreen Co., Mondelez International, Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Baxter International, CDW Corp. and W.W. Grainger. Lake County is also home to Naval Station Great Lakes with the only navy recruit training facility in the country.
Visit Lake County is the official destination marketing organization for the county. Check out VisitLakeCounty.org.
• Maureen Riedy is president of Visit Lake County.