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SITE REVIEW #2 Rock "N" Rollin In Memphis to know where to begin. You like Memphis, but you don't know whether to make the I city your next meeting destination?Well, that's a no-brainer and here are just a few reasons why. Lets start withMemphis being the Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll. In 2000,Memphis, which has more than 60 tourist attractions, made major league strides in the world of professional sports, as the city openedAutoZone Park, a brand new retro-style ballpark for theAAAaffiliate of the St.LouisCardinals baseball team, the Memphis Redbirds. Memphis InternationalAirport (MIA) is the largest air carrier GETTING THERE airport in the Mid-South region, servicing more passengers than Nashville, Jackson,MS or Little Rock,AR.Memphis International is also a hub for the new global airline Delta Airlines/Northwest. MIA, reportedly a leader of on-time departures and arrivals, has the shortest connection time of any connecting hub inAmerica for both domestic and international connections. Need a host hotel? The Peabody www.peabodymemphis.com, TIME TOMEET considered the South's Grand Hotel, is another no-brainer. It's a one-stop shop! Located only 20 minutes from the Memphis International Airport and literally two blocks from famed Beale Street, this national historic landmark,which has been considered the south's grand hotel for more than 14 years, will probably surpass all of your group's needs. The convention facilities offer 80,000 sq. ft. of ballrooms and meeting spaces, which can accommodate gatherings from 10 to 2,000. The Grand Ballroom: 16,000 sq. ft., divisible into six sepa- ratemeeting rooms, seats over 1,200 banquet-style and 2,100 the- ater-style; the Continental Ballroom, with over 5,200 sq. ft. of space; and the Venetian Room, featuring over 4, 200 sq. ft.; Mezzanine Level Breakouts; and the Peabody Executive Conference Center, specially designed to fit small meeting needs, from 300-1,100 sq. ft. A highlight and popular attraction at the hotel is the tradition of the famous Peabody Marching Ducks, which began in 1933. Photo Credit: Darlen Donloe 34 Black Meetings & Tourism July/August 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com By DARLENE DONLOE f you think you knowMemphis – think again! There is so much art, music, dance, history, culture and scrumptious food to be found that when it comes to dis- covering all that this southern city has to offer, it's hard Every day at 11 a.m. they are led by the Duckmaster Jason Sensat, down the elevator to the Italian traver- tine marble fountain in the Peabody Grand Lobby.A red carpet is unrolled and the ducks march through crowds of admiring onlookers to the tune of John Philip Sousa's King Cotton March. The ceremony is reversed at 5 p.m. when the ducks retire for the evening to their palace on the roof of the hotel. There are several restaurants including Chez Philippe and Capriccio Grill Italian Steakhouse. There is a Peabody Sunday Brunch as well as a Peabody Deli & Desserts that offers quick sandwiches, pastries and coffees. This classic property boasts 464 guest rooms, includ- ing 15 suites. Each of the guest rooms and suites are architecturally unique, yet all include 24-hour room service, an athletic club, Gould's Day Spa and Salon, guest parking, concierge service, shopping and more. Considered one of the nation'smost flexiblemulti- THEMEMPHIS COOK CONVENTION CENTER use convention centers, the Memphis Cook Convention Center offers 350,000 sq. ft. of space designed especially for conventions, tradeshows, and performing arts. The center is located in the down- town convention district on the Trolley Line, conven- ient to hotels, attractions, shopping, and entertain- ment, and only 12 miles from the Memphis InternationalAirport. The Convention Center hosts more than 500,000 visitors and generates over 100,000 hotel rooms nights annually.The Ballroom is 28,000 sq. ft. and is divisible into five sections.The SpecialExhibitionHall is 35,000 sq. ft. and is designed to house exhibitions, small pub- lic shows and trade shows. Thirty-one meeting rooms offermore than 70,000 sq. ft. ofmeeting and breakout space (including the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts). The Performing Arts Center is a 2,100-seat state-of-the-art,acoustically superior center designed as the permanent home of the Memphis