McLoughlin Neighborhood Association

Museum of the Oregon Territory-Tumwater Room

Museum markets amenities for event

12/30/02
STEVE MAYES
OREGON CITY -- The third floor of the Museum of the Oregon Territory's Tumwater Room offers a commanding view of the Willamette River gorge and Willamette Falls.

The river drew settlers to the area in the 1840s. Folks at the history center hope the dramatic vista will attract wedding parties and corporate gatherings to rent the spacious hall and make money for the museum.
Since the meeting space opened in April, the museum has taken in about $50,000, slightly more than expected. In 2003, rental revenue should increase to $75,000 and, after expenses, provide $40,000 for the museum, said Patrick Harris, executive director.
Harris and some local businesses hope that a new marketing effort will lure even more groups to rent the Tumwater and stay at local hotels.
The museum and the Clackamas County Tourism Development Council each will contribute $30,000 topay for advertising, training museum workers to manage the meeting business and work with local hotels; and a display to be used at trade shows.
"We're used to running a museum. This next year we'll refine things so (the rental business) will be professionally run," Harris said.
The Tumwater Room can accommodate 299 people and features cathedral ceilings and arched windows. The Executive Room, also on the third floor, can handle 40 people.
"We had expectations that because of the view and the lack of meeting space in the area that we'd be able to get rentals," Harris said.
The museum's development of a side business is not uncommon among nonprofits looking for new ways to raise money, said Bill Baker of Destination Development Group, a Tualatin-based consulting firm.
"Increasingly, museums and galleries and the like have to transition to a far more business-oriented approach," he said.
Baker was hired in the fall by the tourism council to find ways to market Oregon City's historic sites -- such as the museum, McLoughlin House and End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center -- and entice more visitors.
Although meetings and tourists are important, Harris and his staff are aggressively pursuing another opportunity: wedding parties. The museum has a hospitality consultant to assist with catering, decorating and other needs or to connect couples with a professional wedding planner. The consultant is training the museum staff, who will take over the job, Harris said.
As more groups use the museum, local hotels should benefit, said Kathy Franco, general manager of the Rivershore Hotel in Oregon City. Wedding guests are likely to book rooms close to the event, as will corporate clients, she said.
The museum is an alternative to the typical hotel conference center. Aside from the view of the river and tree-covered hills, attendees can wander through the museum's collection of early Oregon artifacts.
"Get anyone in the Tumwater Room, and they're sold," Franco said. Steve Mayes: 503-294-5916; stevemayes@news.oregonian.com

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