If you’re looking for the ideal place to host corporate events or company picnics, the Colorado State Fair has many accommodations for a fun company get-together.
In this article, we’ll go over some of the various activities and attractions for corporate picnics and events at the Colorado State Fair.
Facility Rental
There are a number of rental facilities at the Colorado State Fair to accommodate any corporate event. Popular facilities for corporations to rent include:
- Southwest Motors Events Center, which is a climate-controlled coliseum that makes for an ideal facility for corporate speeches and company-wide presentations. Rental prices start at $3,500 per day.
- The Tent, which is an enormous wireframe building with a white canvas roof that combines the comfort of an indoor venue with an outdoor feel, making it ideal for large-scale corporate picnics in the summer. Rental prices start at $775 per day.
- 4-H Dining Hall, a medium-size cafeteria that makes it a great location for tight-knit corporate events and picnics. Rental prices start at $650 per day.
- Fountain Park, with a landscaped lawn and trees that make it a great place for company barbeques and outdoor picnics. Rental rates vary depending on the type of event.
Although the main Colorado State Fair event is only active 11 days a year, companies are welcome to rent our facilities at any time of the year as long as they are vacant.
Fair Food
If there’s one thing that the fair is known for, it’s the special and delicious food. Perfect for corporate events and picnics! Some of the most popular fair foods include:
- Giant smoked turkey legs – one of our top sellers, these massive hunks of smoked meat are a full meal all by themselves!
- Sloppers – a local Pueblo delicacy, the slopper is an open-face cheeseburger with green chili “slopped” on top. It’s a unique local meal you generally won’t find outside of the Pueblo area, so if you’re a tourist from out of town, make sure to give it a try!
- Funnel cakes – one of the most popular sweets at the fair, the funnel cake gets its name from the way it’s made: by pouring dough through a funnel into boiling oil in a criss-cross pattern. The end result is a soft breaded pastry similar to a donut, but with a very different shape. It’s topped with powdered sugar and a variety of other sweet toppings.
- Fried ice cream – this delicious dessert is made by taking a scoop of ice cream, covering it in batter, and briefly deep-frying it. This gives it a golden-brown breading on the outside while keeping the ice cream frozen on the inside. The perfect summer treat.
- Soft pretzels – unlike the small hard pretzels that come in a bag, the fresh soft pretzels at the fair are light and doughy. Served with a cheese dipping sauce, they make a great snack between meals.
- Classic fair food such as corn on the cob, nachos, corn dogs, baked potatoes, carnival popcorn, cotton candy, french fries, and chili dogs, among others.
Fine Arts Exhibition
If your team values creativity, artistic expression, and outside-the-box thinking, the fine arts exhibition at the Colorado State Fair makes for a fun corporate event to get your team’s creative juices flowing.
At the fine arts exhibition, you’ll see a wide variety of different art types on display — from beautiful oil paintings of natural landscapes to realistic-looking sculptures of human and animal figures and everything in between.
There are many categories of art you’ll see on display at the fine arts exhibition:
- Amateur Art
- Arts & Crafts
- Beer & Wine
- Dolls
- FFA Ag Mechanics
- Fine Arts
- Floriculture
- Needle Arts
- Pantry
- Porcelain Art
- Quilts
- Farm & Garden
- Special Contests
By being exposed to some of the most creative works from the most brilliant and talented artists in Colorado, teams of all types (especially those who value creativity such as design, marketing, and development teams) may come away from the fine arts exhibition with some creative inspiration. At the very least, they’re guaranteed to have fun!
Bumper Cars
It might sound silly, but if you’re looking for a perfect corporate event activity where everyone can take part and have an absolute blast, consider having a team-wide bumper car competition!
Bumper cars aren’t just for children! No matter your age, there’s something that’s so satisfying about driving this fun electric car around and bumping into your colleagues with it. A great way for your team to lighten up, de-stress, and lift its spirits!
Show the world that your corporate event is fun and cool, and that your company is a hip place to work. Let your employees have a blast with bumper cars. It’ll boost morale, and it’s good for PR by making your company seem more human and relatable. (After all, who wouldn’t want to work at an awesome company that lets its employees ride bumper cars?) A win-win for everyone.
Carnival Games
Another great group activity for corporate events and picnics is the wide variety of fun carnival games!
As with bumper cars, carnival games are a great activity for people of all ages. Let your employees engage in a fun competition with each other to see who can get the highest score and win the best prizes!
Some of the most popular carnival games include:
- Whack-a-Mole, a timeless carnival classic. Let your team test their reflexes by seeing if they can whack these little vermin as soon as they pop up, or they’ll get away!
- Skee-Ball, a modified bowling game played on a machine. No need to go to the bowling alley for a shared team bowling experience!
- The High Striker, a test of strength where the goal is to strike a mallet on a scale to see how hard you can hit it. See which team member can strike it the hardest!
- Balloon Bust, where you are given a number of darts to try and pop a balloon. Have a competition to see who can pop the most balloons!
Discount Group Rates
While normal tickets are already very affordable at the Colorado State Fair, companies looking to take their team for a picnic at the Colorado State Fair can get access to special group discounts to save even more!
Additionally, corporate events and picnics and facility rentals at the Colorado State Fair generally qualify for a corporate tax deduction, making it affordable for companies of any size and budget.
Host Your Corporate Events Here!
With countless fun activities, venues, and foods to choose from, the Colorado State Fair is the perfect place for a company picnic or any corporate event.
If you’re looking for the perfect place to host your next company get-together, give us a call at 719-561-8484 to discuss accommodations and group rates.
