I recently had the opportunity to attend a company outing—and it was at Dollywood, which happens to be one of my favorite places on earth.  It was such a fun day, I thought I’d share a little about what I learned from Teri Lux, one of Dollywood’s Group Sales Managers, in case a day at Dollywood is just what your company needs!

Dollywood has a lot to offer companies who want to “treat” employees through either an outing to Dollywood or Dollywood’s Splash Country or with discounted tickets. If your company goes with the discounted tickets, I learned that those discounted tickets may be upgraded to a Season Pass on the day of your visit. That’s the cheapest way to get Season Passes. Great bonus!

Dollywood

Corporate outings start with 100 or more employees. Dollywood can provide a discounted ticket only, or a ticket plus a meal at one of the picnic pavilions at the park.  These pavilions hold up to 400 (Celebration Hall) or 500 (Blue Ribbon Pavilion) people per hour for a meal.

(For example: the day I was there, another company had an event with 1500 employees, so they had three lunch sittings at noon, 1 and 2 p.m.)

Teri mentioned there’s a stage in these pavilions and Dollywood can provide a microphone for announcements or award giveaways. It’s a great way to bring everyone together for an hour for a meal and share announcements or celebrate an accomplishment.

The menus for these picnic meals are buffet-style and are quite varied—from a casual meal of pulled pork sandwiches and hot dogs with all the fixings and sides, to a meal of chicken breasts and pork tenderloin with accompanying sides. Being married to someone who once planned large conferences, I was amazed at how reasonably-priced these meals are compared to a city convention center or conference hotel.

Instead, a business might choose to provide meal vouchers valued at $10, $12, $15 or $20 for their employees. Those must be purchased in advance. These vouchers can be redeemed at one of Dollywood’s restaurants. Another great option!

The event I attended didn’t include a meal, but they had reserved one of the theatres (which didn’t house a show that day) for a pep rally-style gathering which most of the employees attended together. The more I think about it, the more I love all the ways a company can customize their event at Dollywood.

Dollywood’s Splash Country

Teri also said a business might decide to spend the day at Dollywood’s Splash Country during the summer months. There’s an outdoor pavilion there that can host smaller groups (up to 100 at a time). There’s a “Splash It Up” picnic deal that provides a meal of hamburgers and hot dogs with chips, a drink and a cookie for 30 or more employees. This includes private use of the pavilion for the day.

Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa

And, think about this: Dollywood even oversees many corporate off-site meetings at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, with its inviting banquet rooms and unique outdoor spaces. Choosing the resort for an event gives you the option for lodging. Plus, when Dollywood is open, they can include tickets to the park and do team-building events there such as blowing glass ornaments together.

Dollywood, of course, has professional coordinators who will see to every detail and even provide materials you need to promote your day, including posters.  These fun events can be planned any time of year.  With unique offerings each season, your options are unlimited! If any of this sounds like something your business would like to do, you can contact Teri Lux at tlux@dollywood.com or call (865) 429-9783.