Chat with Cat: The Gift of Place

I just finished reading Pete Peery's column that will appear in This Week in Montreat on Friday, and it makes a very good point about this place set apart. I won't ruin it for you, so you'll have to read it for yourself, but it did make me think about the importance of place.

When you're planning a retreat or event, a venue can often be reduced to a simple canvas over which you paint your sessions, meals, receptions, accommodations, etc. Of course, the flexibility of a particular space is very important for making the event run smoothly. But don't let it fade into the background.

Instead, use the place as the centerpiece of your event. Like the centerpiece of the table, it is not as important as the other things happening around it (the food, the discussion, the fellowship). But it is essential to setting the mood, providing a conversation starter and adding dimension to an otherwise flat table.

In the same way, let your venue enter into the atmosphere of your retreat. Think about the heritage of the place you have chosen, the intellectual and spiritual environment it nurtures, and the relationships it cultivates. Some places by nature engage their guests, and guests can in turn interact with the place through recreation, contemplation and simply moving around from onew room or building to another.

Unlike your table's centerpiece, you won't have to fight over who gets it at the end of the day. A memorable place will go home with everyone.

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Want to give yourself or your family the gift of this place for the holidays? Don't forget about Montreat packages for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now accepting bookings.

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Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.

Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org.