Corporate Meetings
Hosting Your Next Meeting or Corporate Event at The Lodge at Seven Oaks
October 15, 2026

Hosting Your Next Meeting or Corporate Event at The Lodge at Seven Oaks

Most meetings happen in the same few places: the office conference room, a hotel ballroom with no windows, or a video call. They get the job done, but nobody remembers them. If you want your team to actually look up from their laptops, the room makes a difference. The Lodge at Seven Oaks gives your group a meeting space with a view, room to spread out, and something fun to do when the agenda wraps up.

The Lodge sits on 150 acres of timber in the Des Moines River Valley, right on Highway 30 and minutes from Boone, Ogden and Ames. It is a quick drive from Fort Dodge, Des Moines, Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines, Grimes and Adel, so it works well for teams spread across central Iowa. There is ample parking on site.

A meeting room that does not feel like one

Meetings are held in the Conference Center, which has a large open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, natural knotty pine walls and large windows that look out over the ski slopes. It is a long way from a beige room with fluorescent lights, and that change of scenery is a big part of why groups book an offsite in the first place.

The Main Lodge connects to the Conference Center and works as a second space for meals, team-building activities or a drink at the end of the day. Having two connected rooms means you can move from the presentation to lunch without rearranging the whole room in between.

Seating for small teams and big groups

In the Conference Center, classroom seating comfortably fits 60 to 80 people for a workshop or training day. With round tables, it comfortably seats 150, which suits a company meeting, an annual kickoff or an awards lunch. For a larger event, the Lodge can host up to 250 guests. If your group is close to that number, please reach out and the events team will walk through the layout with you.

Outside, there is an outdoor courtyard with tables, chairs and umbrellas, plus a spacious lawn for outdoor activities. On a nice day, a working lunch or an afternoon break outside can reset the energy in the room.

Equipment and setup are handled

Nobody wants to spend the first half hour of a meeting hunting for an adapter. Audio-visual equipment is included with meeting rentals: a projector, screen, speakers, a wireless microphone and a lapel clip microphone, so presenters can be heard in the back row without shouting. Wi-Fi is available as well, so your group can stay connected for presentations and video calls.

Site staff set up the indoor tables and chairs before your event, and setup and meeting time are included in the rental. You can book a full day (10 hours of event time) or, on certain weekdays, a half day (5 hours of event time). Current rates and days are on the Meetings & Seminars price sheet.

Food and drinks for a working day

For meals, you can bring in full-service catering of your choice, with no kitchen fees. That means you can choose a caterer who fits your group, whether that is a boxed lunch for a training session or a sit-down dinner for a client event.

Unlimited non-alcoholic drinks (water, soda, lemonade, tea and black coffee) can be added for the day, which keeps the coffee going through the afternoon session. For an evening reception or a team happy hour, the Coal Creek Lounge bar can be opened with a bartender, and it carries craft and domestic beers, seltzers, ciders, wine and liquor.

Team building at Seven Oaks

This is where The Lodge stands apart from a hotel meeting room. The Lodge is part of Seven Oaks Recreation, and the events team offers custom packaging that can include many of Seven Oaks’ activities, such as canoeing, kayaking, tubing and paintball.

A morning of meetings followed by an afternoon on the Des Moines River or a few rounds of paintball gives your team a shared story that lasts longer than any slide deck. Activities are seasonal, so ask the events team which ones are available on your date when you start planning.

Tips for planning a productive offsite

  1. Start with the goal. Decide whether the day is for training, planning, celebrating or all three, and build the schedule around that.
  2. Match the seating to the agenda. Classroom seating works for training and note-taking. Round tables work better for discussion, group work and meals.
  3. Plan your breaks on purpose. Two connected rooms and an outdoor courtyard make it easy to give people a real change of scenery between sessions.
  4. Test the tech early. Send your slides ahead of time and run a quick check on the projector and microphone before people arrive.
  5. Save the fun for the end. A team activity or a relaxed reception after the last session gives people something to look forward to all day.

Come see the space

The easiest way to decide if The Lodge is right for your group is to see it in person. You can schedule a tour online (choose “Meeting” as your event type) and the team will get back to you within 24 hours, or call the events team at 515-432-9457 ext. 305. You can also read more about meetings, reunions and parties at The Lodge, read our post on planning a family or class reunion, or browse the photo gallery.

No group is too big or too small, and we would be glad to help you plan a meeting your team will actually remember.

Further Reading

Scott Walker
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