COEUR d'ALENE - The Hagadone Event Center, a wedding venue on Lake Coeur d'Alene, is now open and it hosted its first event last week with the Western Governors' Association annual conference.

The year-round venue has 11,000 square feet of floor space and is situated next to the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course's hole No. 3.

Below the event center along the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene is a beach, a 70-foot long swimming pool with a full-length "infinity edge," and private cabanas with TVs and refrigerators, said Jerry Jaeger, president and co-owner of Hagadone Hospitality.

Adjacent to the center is a ceremonial garden area with the lake as the backdrop. Jaeger said the venue already hosted two weddings this past weekend.

The company envisions the event center, which can host a variety of large group events, giving a lift to the Coeur d'Alene-area economy, Jaeger said.

"Tourism is one of the fastest ways to spur our economy," he said.

He anticipates the center attracting visitors to the area for a variety of group functions.

The event center boosts Hagadone Hospitality's employment by 60 people, for a total of 1,900, he said.

The event building, air conditioned for all seasons, has sliding glass doors on three sides with lake views, and two large fireplaces.

It has banquet space for 400 people indoors, or up to 600 people if the exterior decks are used.

For weddings, the center also has private suites for both the bride and the groom.

A private processional passage from each wedding suite leads to the ceremonial garden area, which has its own sound system.

In addition to weddings, the facility can host Christmas parties, banquets, award gatherings, car and boat shows, corporate meetings and retreats, and conferences.

Parking space has doubled at the site to 250 spaces.

The center is named in honor of Coeur d'Alene Resort owner Duane Hagadone, Jaeger said, because Hagadone played a significant part in developing the facility.

Jaeger said Hagadone spent the last winter working on the plans with architects.

"He poured himself into the project," Jaeger said. "He's a visionary."

Construction started in early February and was completed at the end of last month, he said.

T.W. Clark Construction, of Spokane, was the general contractor. Guy Dreier, of Palm Desert, Calif., and Cory Trapp, of Hayden Lake, were the architects, Jaeger said.