Rocky Mountain Regional Goes the Distance …
and you can, too!

By Jen and Joe Schwartz 

Each year, Couples Coaching Couples holds a convention for members across the globe to gather, attend trainings, and make new connections with other members. While these conventions are amazing, some couples are unable to attend due to distance, cost, time, or other factors. There is so much available for those who can be there, but how can we create similar opportunities without the impossible feat of making this annual meeting work for every couple?

During the covid years, several regional gatherings were held. These allowed couples to get together in smaller groups, allowing for less travel and lower cost. Couples who attended these events said that they felt less isolated after attending and that they renewed connections with others during this time. As the board of directors imagines what conventions might look like in the future, we want to invite circles to hold similar gatherings in their regions of the world!

In April 2024, the Rocky Mountain Circle held such a gathering. Our members are spread across three distinct areas: Colorado, Northern Utah, and Southern Utah, and the circle the result of two merged circles. While many of us knew each other, there was a sense of disconnection as most of the Denver area couples would meet in person for its quarterly meetings while the Utah folks joined over Zoom. A circle member suggested we plan one of our meetings as an in-person getaway, and we decided to gather in Grand Junction, CO – a four-to-five-hour drive for each couple.

Planning for this meeting was easier than we thought! One of the couples booked a large AirBnB house that was big enough for five couples to stay in and had enough space for our meeting to take place. Once that house was filled on a first-come-first-served basis, the remaining four couples found two nearby houses to rent.

Our source quartet made sure that everyone who planned to come had housing handled, and we made plans for the remaining two couples to attend the meeting portion of the weekend via Zoom. All of this planning took place via email and left no individual with a large portion of the work.

The rest of the weekend was a bit of a “choose your own adventure” event! Individuals and couples had ideas such as a hike, an escape room, places to eat, a local festival, and more. This allowed everyone to pick and choose what they wanted to participate in. We all agreed afterwards that this was a low-stress way to handle the weekend.

We had several meals together, including a potluck for our actual meeting and at a few restaurants. The fast hikers went fast, and the slower hikers went slow. Seven of us did an escape room together. A few folks watched a hockey game. We all did an equal amount of travel and took on a similar level of cost.

After participating in this weekend, we highly encourage other circles and geographic areas to try something similar! It was lovely to be out in nature with friends, and to share meals (and a few drinks) with couples we love. We even got to meet two couples in person for the first time ever.

It also doesn’t have to be a big hassle in planning. The hardest part of planning for our circle was finding a weekend that would work for most of us.

Here are some ideas to create similar gatherings in your region:

• Partner with at least one other circle. While our gathering was specific to our circle, we were also two recently merged circles in different geographic areas. Part of the motivation was to spend time with couples that we didn’t already know.
• Create an intention for the weekend. Source couples can use the declaration process to create a ‘mini declaration’ for the weekend, or everyone coming can do this together beforehand.
• Pick a location. One circle could host in their city while others travel there (perhaps circle members could even host other couples in their homes), or you could pick a ‘meet in the middle’ location. We recommend that the location be driving distance for everyone!Make sure that there is a location suitable for everyone to gather. In our case, the “Big House” worked perfectly for both the meeting and ‘hanging out’ for everyone. Use it as an opportunity for quarterly meetings. Even if you are gathering with multiple circles, there is no reason that you can’t have a combined quarterly meeting. Source quartets can work together to ensure that the agenda handles everyone’s needed items.
• Have fun, and don’t stress it! Our laid-back ‘agenda’ of events was as simple as choosing a restaurant for Friday night dinner and allowing couples to host other events throughout the weekend. If that feels like too loose of a plan, you could use an email chain to let others know about plans that you are inviting them to (and to get head counts if needed).
• However circles decide to gather, there is benefit in having social time as well as organized time together. We would love to see more regional gatherings like this!

Let us know if your circle plans something – you might just get some extra guests who want to join you.

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Jen and Joe Schwartz are members of the Rocky Mountain Circle.