Chat with Cat Q&A: Do I have to be with a conference?

One of the questions we get a lot is about visiting Montreat or reserving a room when you're not part of a conference. So let's clear up any confusion right away.

You do NOT have to be attending a Montreat conference to stay with us or to visit our campus. We welcome you to come check out all that Montreat has to offer whenever it is convenient to you. Visit for the day and pick up one of our "Self-Guided Tour" brochures in the downstairs lobby of Assembly Inn. Bring your kids to play at Robert Lake Park. Take a hike--you can request a trail map at the General Store or the front desk of Assembly Inn. Head up to the Walk Jones Wildlife Sanctuary and take some time to enjoy God's amazing creation. And if you have any questions while you're here, please feel free to ask.

Montreat Conference Center also houses many groups that are not part of our sponsored conferences. The primary way we do this is through retreats and events. Almost every weekend from September through April, we welcome church, family and social groups of all shapes and sizes. Some stay in our guest lodges and cook their own meals. Larger groups take over the Assembly Inn, meeting in many of our conference rooms and filling the Galax Dining Room at mealtimes.

We also take individual reservations, which are included in two of our special programs. The first is Thanksgiving at the Inn, which is so popular that it almost always results in a waitlist. On Thanksgiving weekend, families and individuals can stay in Assembly Inn and partake in a wonderful holiday meal. This year we served dinner for more than 400 people.

Another wonderful way to experience Montreat is through our Personal Sabbath program. During the Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends, and during two weeks in April, guests can stay with us and take time for themselves. No programming or planned activities will be offered during this time, so it's great for anyone who wants time to read, write, pray, sleep, hike, meditate, etc. The possibilities are endless, really, and the rates are great. (Get more info here, if interested.)

Of course these are not ALL of the ways you can enjoy Montreat, but they are some of the best. Please contact us if you come up with a great new way you would like to experience Montreat.

P.S: Don't forget to send in your questions!


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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 or at @Cat_Montreat.

Chat with Cat: Upcoming Q&A

Part of the challenge (and privilege) of doing what I do at Montreat is that I get to share this wonderful place with people who do not know us at all. Sometimes they have not heard of us; sometimes they have heard the wrong thing.

The best scenario is when people ask me questions that I can answer and further shape their image of Montreat Conference Center. But sometimes they do not ask, or do not know what to ask. So for the next few weeks I am going to give you an opportunity to ask whatever you want to know about Montreat. Who is Susan? Why does everyone think that Youth Conferences are always full? Is the Auditorium air-conditioned?

From serious to silly, historic to current, I will do my best to answer your questions. All I need you to do is ask! You can leave your question in a comment on this post. You can send me an email at catw@montreat.org. Or you can even send me a message or @reply on Twitter to @Cat_Montreat.

To start us off I will answer a couple of questions that we get A LOT:

1. So, Montreat Conference Center is part of Montreat College, right? No. Although the then-named Montreat Anderson College was started and run by the board of the Mountain Retreat Association, the two entities have been entirely separate since 1974. All we share is a name and zip code. We work cooperatively on many things. Wanna know what? Ask.

2. Can you tell me how to get to Billy Graham's house? I could, but even if I did you couldn't get there because of a large privacy gate. And really, they deserve the privacy.

3. (Because I know you're dying to know...) Can you turn on the A/C in the Auditorium? No. Here, have a fan.

OK everyone. I'm depending on your from here on out. Send in your Q's!

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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 or at @Cat_Montreat.

Pancake Breakfast Benefit

Four times a year, Montreat Conference Center sponsors a pancake breakfast for the Montreat community. The meal is free, and donations are taken to support the Employee Assistance Fund. This fund helps to ease unforeseen financial burdens to Montreat employees.

The earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12th moved many of us here at Montreat Conference Center to explore what we could do as an organization to help the relief effort. With the blessing of the Senior Leadership Team, the contributions given at the February 11th Pancake Breakfast with go to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance effort in Haiti.

The breakfast is being held in the Galax Dining Room of the Assembly Inn at Montreat Conference Center on Thursday, February 11th at 8:30.

Checks may be made payable to: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Gifts of cash will be forwarded by MRA

Learn more about the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program and it's efforts in Haiti on their website.

Chat with Cat: Comfort or Conference? A Hypopthetical

Let's say that you own or manage a business. It may be a small business, or it may be a large branch of an international corporation. I'll let you decide that. So take a moment and imagine your role in this business. You over see lots of employees; you're very busy; and your budget is tight. Got it?

Now ask yourself whether you want to take a day away from the office, where your to-do lists are multiplying and your CFO is breathing down your neck, to go to an off-site meeting. I would think that several of you imaginary business people are saying, "That sounds nice, but I don't see how it's possible."

You might add, "Plus, the office is comfortable... I know where to get the coffee and make the copies and who to call when the light bulb burns out. Why would I want to deal with new people and places when I can just have my meetings here?"

Then think about the last big meeting you had—the last time you had to approve a new budget or develop a strategic plan. How many times did your cell phone ring? How many times did one of your employees walk up to the board room to tell you that your most annoying client was on the phone, again? And how many of those meetings did you walk out of wishing you had just one more hour to get to the bottom of the issue?

When people settle for what is comfortable, for what appears to be the inexpensive alternative, it may be costing them. It may be costing them precious time, productivity, and effort. And all of these things are real costs.

A retreat or off-site meeting accomplishes many things apart from the actual goal you set for it. First of all, it takes you out of your office. There are no ringing phones, no angry clients, and no last-minute tasks. Secondly, instead of contributing to your stress level, a well-planned off-site meeting can actually reduce some of the pressures of the workplace.

A conference or retreat facility with an experienced staff will run everything behind the scenes, so that you can run your meeting. And if you choose the right place, then the setting itself might even contribute to the renewal of both yourself and your staff.

What might your "cost-saving" in-house meetings actually be costing you? What do you have to lose by looking into an off-site retreat? Will you stick with comfort, or take a chance on a conference?



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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 or at @Cat_Montreat.