Snowmass Village Welcomes Medical Education Group for its 30th Anniversary Conference

Snowmass Village, Colorado, celebrates the longevity and loyalty of its Continuing Medical Education clientele with the 30th Consecutive Aspen Anesthesia Conference, welcoming a record number of physicians and families from around the nation and the world

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. February 01, 2011

Snowmass Village, CO - January 31,2011 - Snowmass Village just celebrated the quarter century mark for hosting groups and meetings at its signature Snowmass Conference Center, the first venue of its kind built in a Colorado mountain resort. Now, hundreds of leisure, corporate, social, medical, fraternal and ski groups later, group and meeting planners are reflecting on what attracts groups to Snowmass in the first place, and more importantly, what brings them back year after year.

The combination of exceptional programming in an inspiring setting has been a winning combination for Aspen Anesthesia, a Continuing Medical Education conference that celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2011 during the first week of February. A labor of love, the education program was conceived by Tennessee physician Dr. Wm. O.T. "Bill" Smith. His wife Bonnie, an R.N., pulled together the myriad registration and entertainment details. In 1981, the conference attracted 80 initial attendees and was held at The Crestwood, several years before the Snowmass Conference Center was even constructed. Buoyed by first-year success and ready to do it again, Dr. and Mrs. Smith formed Holiday Seminars to manage the business end of the conference. Fast-forward 30 years and the company is now run by Jenny Smith, the couple's entrepreneurial daughter. Not coincidentally, Jenny now resides full time in Snowmass and works year round to plan and organize this event.

Aspen Anesthesia and Holiday Seminars will welcome 1,000 guests to Snowmass at the February 2011 conference. Physicians bring immediate and extended family members with them to learn, network, recreate and relax among peers from the U.S. and around the world, as Snowmass becomes their home away from home for one magnificent week each winter. Several of the 300+ conference participants have attended more than two consecutive decades of conferences since 1981. "One guest has participated 23 years in a row, and we always host a special dinner for the people who have attended 10 or more years to acknowledge their loyalty-- that accounts for about 20 percent of the conference," says Jenny Smith, Holiday Seminars Chief Operating Officer.

A majority of these destination conference guests fly into the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, but many travel via Denver International Airport or the Vail/Eagle County Regional Airport. Convenient flights, a variety of accommodation choices from family-friendly to high-end luxury, and the recent capital investment and improvements in both the village and the mountain in Snowmass are very attractive to groups. "Holiday Seminars and Aspen Anesthesia are clearly dedicated to Snowmass, and we love to work with them to customize the conference attendees' individual travel needs," says Jim O'Leary, Snowmass Tourism Groups & Meetings National Sales Manager. "Snowmass Tourism coordinates with all our lodging partners so that families can choose comfortable condos to sleep several, or a couple can indulge with a suite at a full service hotel."

Smith reports that 2010 was a record year for Aspen Anesthesia in spite of economic challenges, and that 2011 will exceed it, with 315 participants anticipated. "Physicians can go online to earn continuing education credits now, but they consistently choose the Aspen Anesthesia conference instead," says Smith. "They get better quality education; the best speakers in the country, in a resort environment." Jenny's dad, Dr. Bill Smith, has historically selected the presenters for the conference and still maintains his major role in directing the programming but is no longer involved in the day to day management. However, guests can count on seeing this practicing anesthesiologist at each lecture session and on the slopes daily throughout the course of the event.

This is the first year that Jenny Smith has independently organized the Aspen Anesthesia conference, but she is a familiar face and driving force in Snowmass. Smith just concluded a four-year post on the resort's Marketing, Special Events & Group Sales Board, offering her volunteer leadership to help steward the town's biggest industry. She was the owner of Fuel for five years, the cafe on the Snowmass mall that provides fast and delicious food for visitors and locals alike. Before that, she had a career in group sales and event management at the Snowmass Conference Center. "Putting on these meetings is a perfect fit for my talents and background," she says. "And I'm just passionate about Snowmass."

About Snowmass Village Groups & Meetings

The year-round resort town of Snowmass Village, Colorado is located nine miles from Aspen, Colorado. Snowmass is accessible by the local Aspen/Pitkin County airport and three regional airports offering dozens of direct and one-connection daily flights. Top-of-the-line conference equipment and facilities, economy to luxury guest rooms, free local transportation, countless summer and winter activities and superior guest experience characterize Snowmass Village resort. With recent investment of $1 billion in the ski area, base village, and new lodging properties with meeting space, Snowmass is ideal for meetings and conferences, ski and social groups, corporate retreats and business guests. For additional information call 1-800-598-2006 or go to www.snowmassgroups.com/

Media Contact:

Patsy Popejoy
Public Relations Manager
Snowmass Tourism Office
Snowmass Village, CO
970-922-2285
ppopejoy(at)snowmasstourism(dot)com
www.snowmasspress.com or

Vicky Nash - Resort Trends, Inc.
970-948-4923
Vicky(at)ResortTrends(dot)com