Getaways: interesting places for your next meeting.

• Author: Held, Shari
• Position: MEETINGS

HERE ARE SOME UNUSUAL meeting venues guaranteed to turn your next business meeting into something special.

Palais Royale, South Bend. Originally designed as a big band dance hall in the 1920s, the Palais Royale was renovated and restored in 2002. "The historical ambiance is phenomenal," says Deb Leyes, sales director for Palais Royale. "There's nothing else like it."

The ballroom seats up to 850 guests theatre-style, and includes the stage once graced by Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and Cab Calloway The ballroom, which has been used for lectures, fundraisers and product shows, features an intricate ceiling, hand-painted floral walls and a crystal chandelier. The restoration included a new, full-service kitchen and restrooms. Custom-designed menus are created by Masterpiece Creations, the facility's food and beverage provider.

"We are a private facility," Leyes says. "We focus on one event at a time; one company at a time. They get our complete attention." The facility has won the Reader's Choice award from the South Bend Tribune every year since 2004.

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Hotels and parking garages are within easy walking distance. The restaurant beneath the Morris Performing Arts Center can also be used as meeting space for smaller events.

The Chinese House, Fishers. The Chinese House is a "hidden gem," says Joyce Duvall, account executive with sales and client services for Conner Prairie. Located on a cliff overlooking White River in a secluded wooded area south of Connor Prairie's main attractions, the Chinese House features its own private entrance and rich history. Built in the early 1900s as a hunting lodge, folklore suggests it was a speakeasy and bootlegger's haven during Prohibition. It later became the Eli Lilly family summer home and was decorated with furniture and artifacts collected from their travels to China and the Orient. Today guests can still see the lodge's beamed ceiling, which features Chinese symbols.

The great room of the rustic lodge can hold 64 (eight rounds of eight) and can be configured to meet each client's needs. The screened-in porch that runs along the entire back of the lodge can accommodate another 24 people. Two breakout rooms are also included in the package. Catering is provided by Conner Prairie. "We can do everything from BBQ to box lunches to formal buffets," Duvall says. Pricing for the facility is $500, plus a $200 setup charge, but may be reduced during the week.

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