From white water rafting and mountain biking through the Ozarks to scenic hiking and rock-climbing trails, Arkansas is an outdoorsman’s paradise. And across the Natural State, venues are optimized to host corporate events of all types outdoors.
From team-building activities and business retreats to large-scale conferences, company celebrations and product launches, moving away from traditional planning can make an event more memorable and engaging.
Beyond the Boardroom
Team-building events are a tool to strengthen a business, improving communication between employees and giving leadership the opportunity to engage with their workforce on a different level.
Bringing team development out of the office and into the sun can be a game-changer for businesses seeking to improve morale, cultivate company culture and reinforce relationships among colleagues.
McKinsey & Co., a global management consulting firm, reported in 2022 that clients participating in sister company Aberkyn’s Wilderness Trails remote outdoor retreat program reported enhanced connection, cohesion and performance.
“I think when we break out of our norms, we learn more about each other. When you see people in the outdoors, you might learn something about their personalities, their skill sets, leadership abilities,” says Danny Collins, founder of Bentonville-based guided adventure company 37 North.
“You can break out of some of these traditional office relationships.”
Alicia Sandage, an account executive at Arkansas Business Publishing Group, has been part of the company’s events planning committee for several years, playing a role in planning its annual retreat. The two-day training and team-building forum has a pretty even split between development activities and recreation, and Sandage says finding a venue that can facilitate both is crucial.
“We’re looking for something that’s both nestled in the beauty of the Natural State, that maybe has some outdoor activities, pavilions, some kind of waterfront, something that’s away from the city, but we also use that time for very intentional training, so we need something that has a solid indoor space, where it’s going to accommodate the training, presentations, seminars,” she says.
In past years, ABPG has utilized the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at Petit Jean Mountain, as well as the Vines Center in the Ouachita Mountain foothills. Collins says he’s organized events at Bentonville’s Red Barn Farm. In the southern part of the state, Lookout Point Lakeside Inn on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs can accommodate small business groups for meetings and retreats, as can the Five Oaks Duck Lodge in Humphrey and others.
“We’re so lucky and fortunate to live in such a naturally beautiful state,” Sandage says. “And having our retreats in that environment, I think, makes for a nice mental health break. Our office is in downtown Little Rock, in the hustle and bustle of the city and the business environment, so it’s nice to escape that city life and get outside, feel the sun on your body, breathe the fresh air. It makes a big impact.”
Hosted Events
In south Arkansas, natural resources were a top priority when El Dorado’s Murphy Arts District was being designed in 2014. The site drew the attention of petroleum refinery Delek US for its 100th anniversary celebration in El Dorado. Company officials in 2022 chose the MAD Amphitheatre, a 7,500-person outdoor venue in the heart of the city square.
“It would have been a different feeling had Delek’s event been inside,” says Kelsie Madison, hosted events manager at MAD. “There was even a torrential downpour right after the gates opened, but we got everyone under our pavilion, waited it out and they had a phenomenal time the other four or five hours they were out there.”
Madison says the Amp has been used as an event space by several corporations based in or operating out of El Dorado, including Murphy USA and Topanga Scents, which in 2024 held its annual convention kickoff there. Community groups have also utilized the facility for worship services, family reunions and more.
The Amp is outfitted with state-of-the-art audio/visual technology, including a PA system; theatrical lighting; a large, main stage and a smaller, mobile stage; projectors and screens; as well as production staff. Argenta Plaza in North Little Rock, likewise, lends itself to outdoor community and corporate events with similar amenities.
When Delek celebrated its refinery’s anniversary, it utilized both the Amp and the indoor First Financial Music Hall.
“The beautiful thing about MAD, indoors and outdoors, is that it’s a unique, blank canvas to work with – you can go as minimal as you want and it’s still a nice place to host an event, or you can go to the nines like our corporate event clients do,” she says.
When considering whether to host an indoor or outdoor event, Madison says organizations should think about how they want to make their guests feel.
“When I see the Amp at night, with the lights on or the sunset behind the stage, that alone is good enough decor for any event,” she says. “Going outdoors for an event can be intimidating, but there’s an opportunity there to take a creative path, so you shouldn’t be intimidated by it.”
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