Wineries
Napa Valley has 475 wineries on 47,216 acres of vines, and Sonoma County has more than 350 across 19 appellations. A distributor day or harvest party pairs well with a photo booth and printed keepsakes.
480+ corporate events · 5 years
Corporate Events in Napa & Sonoma: Full-Service Planning
Plan Napa corporate events where the winery's power, the resort lawn and the city permit are settled before your guests land.
Corporate event venues in Napa and Sonoma
Wine country has no convention center, so your venue is a resort, a winery, a cooking school or a racetrack, and each one loads in its own way. Napa Valley alone counts more than 400 wineries open by appointment, and many have private tasting rooms, barrel rooms or caves for a group. Tell us which estate you're holding, and we'll check the doors, the circuits and the ground under each station.
The Meritage Resort & Spa
Napa's largest resort has 467 rooms and 80,000 sq ft of indoor and outdoor space. The Meritage Ballroom seats up to 1,000 guests or splits into 10 rooms, and the Estate Cave hosts dinners under a barrel ceiling.
Silverado Resort
It covers 1,200 acres with two 18-hole golf courses. The Events Center has more than 30,000 sq ft, including the 5,160 sq ft Silverado Ballroom and a covered 4,290 sq ft Fairway Deck. The resort hosted a PGA Tour event each September until 2025.
CIA at Copia
The Culinary Institute of America runs private events and cooking challenges for teams in downtown Napa. Its Greystone campus in St. Helena takes groups farther up the valley.
Napa Valley Expo
The downtown fairground hosts trade shows, concerts and dinners.
Sonoma Raceway
The Turn 11 venue takes up to 1,500 guests, and the track adds karting, hot laps and autocross for teams. Its hospitality space covers 19,000 sq ft.
Sonoma County Fairgrounds
In Santa Rosa, the Grace Pavilion offers 40,500 sq ft and seats 4,400 for a company meeting or an expo.
Wine country event calendar
Late May through July is the busy stretch, so lock in rooms and our crew before you send invitations.
Permits, tents and fire season
Your vineyard dinner stays on track when the permit, the tent and the backup room are agreed long before the date.
City of Napa permit
An event in a city park, street or facility needs a Special Event Permit if it has a stage, tents, barricades or more than 250 guests. Apply 90 days ahead; the city accepts applications up to 365 days out under Napa Municipal Code Chapter 12.48.
Tents on private lawns
State fire code calls for a permit once a tent passes 400 sq ft. Open-sided tents up to 700 sq ft don't need one, so we size canopies to the lawn before we order them.
Summer heat
Napa summers are dry, and heat waves push past 100 °F. California requires shade for outdoor crews above 80 °F, so our operators and screens work under cover.
Fire season
The Tubbs and Nuns fires hit in October 2017, the Kincade fire burned 77,758 acres in late 2019, and the Walbridge fire followed in August 2020. For a fall retreat, we agree on an indoor room with the venue as part of the plan.
Caves and barrel rooms
Power and access in a cave depend on the estate. We confirm circuits and the carry path with the winery's events team before we load.
Insurance
If your resort or winery asks for a certificate of insurance, we send our documents on request.
Towns across the two valleys
The town you choose decides how far guests ride between hotel, dinner and activity.
- Downtown Napa. CIA at Copia, the Expo and the riverfront sit close together, and the Wine Train leaves from here for St. Helena.
- Carneros. The cool south end near San Pablo Bay links Napa and Sonoma. It suits a lunch stop between the two valleys.
- Yountville. The French Laundry holds three Michelin stars, and Domaine Chandon sits just outside town. It suits an executive dinner.
- St. Helena and Calistoga. The valley floor rises to 362 ft at Calistoga. Up valley, smaller estates suit a board retreat.
- Sonoma and Sears Point. The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn stands at 100 Boyes Blvd, and Sonoma Raceway sits south at Sears Point.
- Santa Rosa. The county seat has 178,127 residents, the fairgrounds and the Sonoma County airport.
- Healdsburg. The town lies on the Russian River where three wine valleys meet: Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River.
Who books events in Napa and Sonoma
The industry behind your event tells us which station fits the room.
Hotels and restaurants
Resort sales teams and culinary schools host planners and partners. A 360 booth on the terrace gives them a clip to share.
Tech and medical devices
Keysight and Medtronic rank among Santa Rosa's top employers. A company picnic with a racing league gives engineers a leaderboard to fight over.
Bay Area companies on retreat
Teams from San Francisco and Silicon Valley come north for offsites. We also plan corporate events in San Francisco and corporate events in San Jose, so the same crew can cover your office party and your retreat.
Team building, retreats and rentals in wine country
Hire us as your corporate event planner in Napa, and one crew handles everything below from the first call to teardown.
Corporate retreats and team building in Napa
We plan the agenda, rooms, airport transfers, winery dinners and team building in Napa: a cooking challenge at Copia, a simulator race on the lawn or an afternoon at Sonoma Raceway. Learn how we handle corporate retreat planning.
Interactive rentals and AV
Racing simulator rental in Napa keeps a resort party busy after dinner. A photo booth rental in Napa comes with an attendant and instant sharing for a winery reception. For a general session in the Meritage Ballroom, AV rental in Napa comes with our screens, sound and the technicians who run the show. Browse all interactive event rentals.
Questions about corporate events in Napa and Sonoma
Which airport should our guests fly into for Napa or Sonoma?
Oakland and SFO sit about 50 miles south of Napa. The Sonoma County airport is about 30 miles away and suits a Healdsburg or Santa Rosa event, and Sacramento is about 65 miles northeast. Our crew comes from one of our two bases, Los Angeles or Orlando, where our office and warehouse are at 310 N Orange Ave. We work across the U.S.
Do we need a permit for an event in the City of Napa?
Yes, if you use a city park, street or facility with a stage, tents, barricades or more than 250 guests. Apply 90 days ahead. A private resort or winery follows its own permits, and we check those with the venue.
Can we use a winery tasting room or wine cave for a corporate event?
Often, yes. Many of the valley's wineries have private tasting rooms, barrel rooms or caves for groups by appointment. Caves differ in power and access, so we confirm circuits, ceiling height and the carry path with the estate before the date.
Is a summer vineyard dinner too hot for interactive stations?
Heat waves in Napa can pass 100 °F. We schedule stations for the evening, put screens in shade and keep our operators covered.
How do we plan a fall retreat around fire season?
Pick a venue with an indoor room you can move to. The region saw large fires in October 2017, late 2019 and August 2020, so we write the backup into the plan with the venue.
Will BottleRock or Auction Napa Valley affect our dates?
Yes. BottleRock fills Napa on May 28 to 30, 2027, and Auction Napa Valley follows on June 3 to 5. Book hotels and our crew early for those weeks.
What adds to the quote for a vineyard or cave event?
Here the site moves the quote more than the station. A tent over 400 sq ft, shade for a summer lawn, a long carry into a barrel cave and a backup indoor room for fire season each change the plan. Every event gets a custom quote; read how we quote to see what we need from you.
Plan your wine country event
Send us the date, the resort or winery and the guest count. We'll check our crew calendar and your venue's access, then reply right away.
Tell us about your Napa or Sonoma event
Share the event type, date, resort or winery, guest count and budget. We'll reply right away with availability and next steps. Or call +1 213 912 1010
