The fact that the economy of Idaho is booming shouldn’t come as any surprise, especially since the state’s population grew by 16.5% between 2010 and 2020. After claiming the No. 1 spot for economic growth, according to the 2021 U.S. News Best States rankings , the “Idaho boom” is both a blessing and a challenge.
Because of its pumped-up economy and popularity, the meetings and events industry in Idaho is also seeing major increases. With those increases, meeting the demand is more of a challenge these days.
“What we are hearing from people is that conventions and planners are looking to connect with the community and do placemaking,” said Carrie Westergard, executive director for Visit Boise.
Boise isn’t the only city seeing a high demand for spaces. Idaho Falls , Twin Falls and others also keep attracting more events, and while being popular brings in money, it does present challenges when it comes to meeting the demand.
Boise seeks to provide space
Boise, Idaho’s capital city, has been steadily gaining popularity as a destination for meetings and conventions, driven by its thriving economy, convenient location, and amenities. This growing demand has presented both opportunities and challenges for the city.
According to the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city hosted over 500 conventions and meetings in 2022, a 15% increase from the previous year. These events attracted more than 120,000 attendees and generated an estimated economic impact of over $100 million for the local economy.
The surge in popularity has put a strain on Boise’s existing convention facilities. Boise Centre, the city’s primary convention venue, had 86,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 25,000-square-foot ballroom. However, with the increasing demand, the center often reached capacity, leading to potential missed opportunities.
“We don’t have enough space to meet the demand,” Westergard said. “Our hotels stay at close to 70% capacity all year, and what we really need is someone to build more hotels or new event centers.”
To address this challenge, the city completed a $47.5 million expansion to Boise Centre in 2017, adding additional meeting space, a new ballroom and a dedicated convention hotel with 400 rooms. Today, Boise Centre offers 86,000 square feet of meeting and event space, comprising the original 50,000 square feet and boosted by the 36,000-square-foot expansion. When combined with the neighboring 5,000-seat Idaho Central Arena, meeting planners can utilize 100,000 square feet with both facilities.
“That expansion nearly doubled our space, and we were able to offer the whole neighborhood concept with the Arena too,” Westergard said. “Most of the hotels are within walking distance to the convention center too.”
Idaho Falls feels the boost from new convention center
Idaho Falls, located in eastern Idaho, is also an emerging destination for meetings and conventions as well, offering a variety of venues and facilities to accommodate events of various sizes.
According to the Idaho Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city hosted over 300 meetings and conventions in 2022, with an estimated economic impact of $15 million. Additionally, the occupancy rate for hotels in Idaho Falls averaged around 70% during the peak convention season, indicating a strong demand for meeting and event spaces in the area.
The new 48,000-square-foot Mountain America Center, which opened in 2023, and the 11,000 square-foot Blue Cross of Idaho Conference Center have been gamechangers in attracting more visitors and meetings to the city. The Blue Cross of Idaho Conference Center also has 3,000 square feet of usable pre-function space to accommodate meetings and events while Mountain America has available seating for up to 6,000 people and boasts several flexible seating configurations.
The Hero Arena
“It is growing leaps and bounds,” said Kristi Baughman, founder and president of Free Range Consulting, which works with the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce. “I think the Mountain America Center pushed it over. I really feel like we are on the cusp, and I’m working with Chamber and Mountain America for some bids on some large events.”
Since opening its doors in November 2022, more than 369,000 people have passed through the doors of the Mountain America Center, including events held in both the Hero Arena and the Blue Cross of Idaho Conference Center. Before Mountain America opened in 2022, projections estimated 150,000 guests in the first year.
“We clearly smashed that goal during our first 12 months of operation,” said Kelsey Salsbery, director of Marketing.
“This region has been starved for large-scale, live entertainment, and the proof is in the pudding with these numbers. It is quite clear from our ticket purchaser zip code data that our events are driving loads of folks from not just out of the region, but from out of the state, to eastern Idaho to enjoy a show, concert, convention or game at the Mountain America Center.”
Salsbery said in the past 15 years she’s seen the need for convention space in Idaho Falls first hand. Open dates were harder to come by, in-house amenities were going to the wayside and spaces were not being updated to fit the needs of meeting and event planners. Over the past few years, several rental spaces have opened to the public and the demand for these rental spaces has been immense.
“Our Blue Cross of Idaho Conference Center space is no different than these other new arrivals, and we have been booked with dates exceeding far into 2026, as well as repeat customers who have signed multi-year contracts,” she said. “I think Idaho Falls is a city in which locals love to show off our city to visitors, and tourists flock to because of our ‘small town’ charm paired with close proximity to desirable destinations and outdoor adventures. Regional and national conferences, seminars and corporate trainers are looking for cities just like Idaho Falls to plan their events. Now that we have more space to host them, it is our intention to give them the red-carpet experience.”
However, smaller venues are also boosting the numbers of convention attendees in the area. The Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium, for instance, is one of the largest venues in the city, offering 26,000 square feet of event space. The auditorium can accommodate up to 3,000 people for conventions, trade shows and large-scale events, featuring a 16,000-square-foot main hall, along with several breakout rooms and pre-function spaces.
The Shilo Inn Suites Hotel has more than 15,000 square feet of meeting and convention space with 12 meeting rooms, including a 7,800-square-foot ballroom, making it suitable for conferences, seminars and corporate gatherings. The Hilton Garden Inn Idaho Falls offers more than 6,000 square feet of meeting and event space with seven meeting rooms, including a 3,600-square-foot ballroom, making it an ideal choice for smaller conferences and corporate events.
Snake River Landing’s Waterfront also boasts of 3,300 square feet of main floor space with a large stage, complimenting the 5,000 square feet of event space in The Downtown Event Center.
“It seems like it all is happening so fast,” Baughman said. “Since Mountain America opened last year, it had so much space, so now we have so many people looking deeply into Idaho Falls. New spaces are opening up so quickly, it’s hard to keep up with it.”
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