The mountains have long conjured up images as a destination for holidays and skiing, but they are now changing their game plan to appeal to a wider audience. In an effort to diversify the range of activities on offer and create greater added value from their infrastructure, mountain resorts are developing new services and solutions for business customers. Seminars, conferences and corporate events can be held in destinations drawing on a versatile range of facilities to deliver an all-season experience.

Giving seminars a change of scenery

Nowadays, a seminar in the mountains can be so much more than simply booking a function room in a hotel with views over the summits. The trend today is all about the “experience”. After the teams have wrapped up their seminar’s morning session, they can engage in various sports activities, enjoy a high-altitude lunch and discover the local area before heading back to the working spaces.

It goes without saying that during the winter, skiing is still a tremendous way of building stronger ties between employees, but it is not the only option, since snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, dog sledding, biathlons and other recreational activities can be used to put together a programme that will appeal to everyone.

The summer months open up an even wider range of possibilities for a seminar in the mountains. Instead of making do with their hotel’s swimming pool, participants can go hiking, mountain biking, mountain climbing, trail running and white water rafting, as well as checking out the local heritage or signing up for an environment-related experience. This wealth of opportunities means that companies can craft a bespoke seminar and treat their teams to other experiences.

The dining services provided can also foster greater social interaction during the event. A mountain-top restaurant, a dinner in a unique setting or a private evening party can easily turn into one of the seminar’s highlights.

Laax turns the mountain peak into a working space

Illustrative photo – Unsplash

In Switzerland, Laax has taken this approach to the next level. Standing at an altitude of 2,252 metres on Crap Sogn Gion, the ski resort has developed the Galaaxy events venue right inside the ski area. The concept speaks volumes about the new ways in which people are using the mountains. In addition to a hotel, the Galaaxy Bridge offers meeting spaces for teams, modular workshops, and open working spaces set around a fire pit. Meanwhile, the Galaaxy Hangar can accommodate teams of up to 165 people for seminars, with the option of booking the venue for private corporate events. The restaurant boasts 360° panoramic views and can cater for up to 320 people. It even features a DJ space for organising festive events in the mountains.

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Gurgl’s community-driven project for a convention centre

Another model can be found in Obergurgl in Austria’s Tyrol region. Gurgl Carat has been designed as a real alpine convention centre. Perched at an altitude of 1,930 metres inside Obergurgl’s ski resort, the diamond-shaped building hosts conferences, meetings, seminars, concerts and events. What makes the venue so special is its integrated approach. In other words, Gurgl Carat offers an all-in-one service, with support for organising events, modular spaces, hi-tech equipment and dining facilities.Such versatility shows how a ski resort can transform an events facility into an appealing location for corporate customers rather than just offering a simple venue for a conventional business seminar. The centre has also developed the concept of green meetings for taking environmental issues into consideration when organising events.

France transforms seminars into experiences

In Val Thorens, some corporate seminars are designed along the lines of a field mission. The resort offers an immersive team-building activity called “Mission Avalanche“, which uses mountain rescue operations as its source of inspiration. The teams need to analyse a situation, use sensors and take group decisions. These activities are light years away from the traditional hotel-based seminar and represent an original way of improving danger awareness while helping create tight-knit teams.

Illustrative photo – Unsplash

In La Plagne, seminars can also use a facility that has forged the ski resort’s identity, namely the Olympic bobsleigh track. Company employees can experience what it feels like to control a bobsleigh, in addition to taking part in other skiing activities and winter sports. In this resort, the sports facilities are used as events venues to offer teams an experience that would be hard to replicate anywhere else. This approach has the effect of renewing the seminar model while showcasing the resort’s existing sports heritage.

From skiing to all-season events

These four examples ultimately reveal the same trend. When it comes to attracting business customers, resorts can no longer rely on their picture-postcard surroundings or the quality of their ski area. They need to propose an end-to-end array of products and services that can meet the teams’ expectations before, during and after the seminar.

Illustrative photo – Getty Images

Skiing continues to be a popular activity for winter seminars, but alternative activities, catering, accommodation, meeting venues and cultural experiences are climbing ever higher up the priority list. This form of diversification can also shine the spotlight on both the resort’s facilities and local expertise.
The mountains provide companies with the ideal setting for building team cohesion, as well as countless ways for bringing their events to life. For ski resorts, business tourism offers their teams an additional pathway for developing all-season activities and thereby reducing their dependency on the peak tourist season.

Adapting business models to harness new trends

Broadening the range of activities to align with new trends and practices is exactly what has caught the attention of the professionals attending Mountain Planet, the leading international event driving development in the mountain industry, whose next edition is due to take place in 2028.

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Behind every corporate seminar lies a hive of activity as organisers aim to make the venues more accessible, create modular spaces, connect the equipment, come up with new activities and allow local stakeholders to work together.s