Vertical Venues to open luxury event space at Caldwell Executive Airport

Vertical Venues, a new 12,000-square-foot luxury venue and luxury aircraft storage space, is set to open on June 11 at Caldwell Executive Airport.

Located right next to the Caldwell terminal building, the space will be able to host large events and seated events that can accommodate 344 people. Ideal for corporate events, holiday parties, quinceañeras, weddings and receptions, galas, expos or concerts, Vertical Venues features a large door that can be opened to reveal beautiful panoramic views of the sky, runway, and the Owyhee Mountains.

Rachel and Wesley Steele, husband and wife duo, are the founders of the business and are excited about offering this one-of-a-kind space to Idahoans. Wesley Steele, an Air Force veteran, helicopter pilot and general contractor specializing in steel buildings, got the idea for the business when he saw a hangar venue business similar to this one.

“After years of dreaming about it, the perfect space and circumstances arose for him to make this dream come true,” Rachel Steel said.

Rachel Steele, who has a background in school counseling, has taken on the marketing, sales and office management side of Vertical Venues.

“We are excited that we have the opportunity to expose new audiences to aviation,” she said.

Currently, Vertical Venues is in the end phase of construction and the final stages of getting a liquor license to offer an in-house bar and soda fountain. The Steeles are also already partnering with other local aviation companies like Skydive Skydown and Alpine Aviation Commercial Helicopter Flight School to offer add-on experiences like skydiving into an event, arriving at an event in a helicopter, or raffling off helicopter rides for nonprofit organizations.

Vertical Venues will offer full-day rentals, 6 a.m.-midnight, which avoids early curfews common at other venues. Full-day rentals are currently priced at $7,500 and for events that do not require a full day, the cost is $500 an hour.

“We offer a massive blank-canvas space that is adaptable to any vision,” Rachel Steele said. “Today’s Idaho event planners are looking for unique experiences rather than just a room.”

Now — and once the business is officially open — the Steeles plan to continue to prioritize building partnerships that will strengthen Idaho.

“We have partnered with many other small businesses who are just getting started and we are looking forward to growing together,” she said. “We have already started partnering with some local nonprofits and to-date before our doors have even opened we have provided or offered resources like a space to hold meetings, donating helicopter rides to help fundraising and offering our space for holiday events that support Idaho’s needy families. A far-reaching dream that we have is to work in the community to get the next generation interested in aviation and supporting or providing avenues for them to have easy access to becoming licensed pilots or other aviation related jobs.”

Vertical Venues is currently open for site tours and is accepting June 2026 bookings. Learn more at verticalvenues.com.