Leisure travelers know Branson like the back of their hands. But this hub of wholesome entertainment’s list of offerings will impress meeting and event planners just as thoroughly as family vacationers.
That’s thanks to its 40 crowd-pleasing theaters; award-winning amusement park, Silver Dollar City; and wide selection of all-ages fun. The all-seasons beauty of the Ozarks and three scenic lakes surrounding the town don’t hurt either.
“We have a lot of unique meeting spaces that most people don’t have since we have theaters, but we also have unique venues that are a little different, including outdoor spaces,” said Yvonne Long, senior sales manager at Explore Branson. “A lot of people don’t think of entertainment with their meetings, but there’s many different kinds of entertainment, everything from seminars to musical entertainment.”
And with family-oriented meetings and events and “bleisure” — business and leisure — destinations trending, Branson’s popularity is sure to increase.
Meeting planners can experience the best of Branson firsthand when the city hosts the Small Market Meetings Summit, April 30–May 1. Here’s what attending planners should know before Branson takes the stage.
All About Branson
Due to its central location in the U.S., Branson is an easily accessible Midwestern meetings destination. Kansas City, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; and St. Louis are each under a four-hour drive from Branson, while Oklahoma City and Memphis are about a five-hour drive.
Attendees can also fly into the Springfield-Branson National Airport, just 50 miles north of Branson.
And once they get there, attendees will experience Branson’s famous hospitality. Though Branson is home to just under 13,000 people, it is visited by over 10 million each year, many of whom come for its family-friendly atmosphere and lively attractions.
With a surplus of theaters, it should come as no surprise that Branson is home to one location of Sight and Sound Theatres, a beloved theater company that produces Broadway-caliber musical productions of biblical stories and is noted for its costumes, set design and original music. Dolly Parton’s Stampede, the Dutton Family Theater, Clay Cooper Theater and many more offer a range of live entertainment, from traditional productions to dinner shows, comedy and musical performances.
Silver Dollar City is another of the city’s top-billed attractions and is consistently ranked among the top theme parks in the country for its cleanliness and the quality of its attractions, from amusement rides to live music to artisan demonstrations.
Branson’s perks also include its three lakes, Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo and Bull Shoals. The lakes and the surrounding Ozark Mountains provide endless fun with water sports, ATV tours, hiking, biking and many other forms of recreation that attendees can enjoy after the meeting.
While the warmer months highlight outdoor theater and water sports in Branson, there’s no shortage of activity year-round. Visitors can enjoy a variety of entertainment and seasonal events, as well as its seasonal outdoor beauty.
“Around here, there’s not really anything you can’t do,” Long said. “It’s limited to your imagination.”
Major Meeting Spaces
The Branson Convention Center was built in 2007 in historic Branson, right across the street from Branson Landing and Taneycomo Lake. The ASM Global convention center features 240,000 square feet of meeting and event space to accommodate a range of meetings.
Its exhibit hall, its largest space at 48,000 square feet, is attached to the Taneycomo Ballroom, which totals 22,703 square feet. Other spaces, like concourses and a lobby, provide more space for activities, receptions and registration for events held in the ballroom. Smaller meeting spaces include 14 breakout rooms.
The convention center is also attached to the 293-room Hilton Convention Center Hotel, which also has 3,000 square feet of extra meeting space. At Branson Landing across the street, the Hilton Promenade is a sister property with 242 guest rooms and 1,800 square feet of event space.
In addition to the convention center and associated hotel properties, Branson is home to several resorts and other hotels with meeting and event space.
“Each of them have their own niche,” Long said. “We have something that can meet anybody’s budget, and each of them have unique décor.”
Chateau on the Lake Resort Spa and Convention Center has 301 guest rooms and gorgeous views of Table Rock Lake. The AAA Four Diamond property is just 10 miles away from downtown Branson and has a 14,000-square-foot spa and 16 meeting and banquet rooms that total 53,000 square feet of event space.
“Chateau is just that — it has a French country, rustic kind of feel,” Long said. “It’s on the other end of town overlooking Table Rock Lake.”
Big Cedar Lodge, another lakeside property, has 260 guest rooms and 17 meeting rooms comprising 22,000 square feet of function space in its Grandview Conference Center. The largest meeting room at the conference center can hold up to 500 attendees.
The Stone Castle Hotel and Conference Center features 300 rooms and almost 10,000 square feet of event space. Meanwhile, Thousand Hills Resort Hotel has 472 rooms and 4,000 square feet of function space for an affordable price.
Interesting Off-Sites
Some of the best off-sites in Branson take advantage of its signature charms, including its beautiful outdoors and its vibrant live theater scene.
For a corporate retreat or off-site event in the great outdoors, Branson has plenty of options.
Sycamore Creek Family Ranch, set on 272 acres, offers several selections for off-site events, including a climate-controlled barn that can accommodate 300 and several outdoor venues with beautiful views of the breathtaking Ozarks. Add-ons can include a DJ, team sports like pickleball, cornhole and frisbee golf, and fun farm-themed activities like barn dances.
“Sycamore Creek Family Ranch is out in the middle of a farm, and the barn is a large space for weddings or outdoor events,” Long said. “Events out there can include hayrides and corn mazes, which would make a great retreat for small group.”
Silver Dollar City facilitates meetings within the park and on Table Rock Lake with the Showboat Branson Belle. The theater within the park, one of its largest event spaces, has a capacity of 5,400. For events on the water, Showboat Branson Belle can be privately chartered.
Additional signature Branson attractions double as event venues, including the Titanic Museum, just west of downtown Branson, and Shepherd of the Hills Homestead Adventure Park, which provides both outdoor adventure and reenactments of the bestselling novel entrenched in Branson’s history, “The Shepherd of the Hills,” at its outdoor theater. The plaza at Branson Landing can also be booked for an event by the water.
Branson’s theaters are more than capable of hosting off-sites, with their meeting facilities ranging from single private rooms to the theater stage. Many of Branson’s theaters offer catered meals and entire facility buy-outs. Sight and Sound Theatres has hosted dinner on the theater balcony for as many as 300.
New Developments
Branson’s key meeting and event spaces are well-equipped to handle meetings and events of all sizes, but they’re soon to be joined by an additional venue. In late 2024, Silver Dollar City announced it had begun construction for the adjacent Silver Dollar City Resort, which is slated to open in late 2026. The resort, owned by parent company Herschend Family Entertainment, will overlook Table Rock Lake.
The resort is expected to cost about $100 million to build, and an additional $400 million of developments will be announced in years to come.
“Over the next decade, we will mindfully transform 1,200 acres into an authentic, only-in-the-Ozarks destination starting with our first resort,” said Brad Thomas, Silver Dollar City Parks and Resorts president. “The new resort will combine Silver Dollar City’s spirit of playfulness, discovery, craftsmanship and exploration with all that makes the heart of the Ozarks so special.”
The resort will have 262 themed guest rooms, as well as 17,000 square feet of meeting space. Additional amenities will include an indoor-outdoor pool and a restaurant. Resort guests will enjoy convenient access Silver Dollar City.
Other new developments to come in the next year include a virtual reality attraction coming in spring of 2025, Truth Travelers; Branson Comedy Bash, a comedy dinner show also coming in March 2025; Full Throttle Distillery, a family-friendly version of the chain of bars found across the U.S. slated to open in summer of 2025; and Cliffhangers Golf Course, an 18-hole golf course being added to Big Cedar Lodge.