Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1526693
AREA GUIDES A R I Z O N A MEETING IN THE GRAND CANYON STATE, WHERE BUSINESS AND PLEASURE MEET THE DESERT B Y C L E T U S R A M S E Y Arizona means business. Planning your next professional meeting? Choose from the highest concentration of luxury four- and five-star resorts in the U.S., as well as a variety of conference centers, event spaces and venues perfect for hosting both large and small groups and enjoy a setting unlike any other. Round out your agenda with inspired dinners, wellness-themed activities, and group outings amongst the region's iconic landscapes and destinations. Need more? How about 325 days of sunshine and breathtaking mountain, desert, or forest views? Come see why Arizona is the best place to host your next meeting. • • PHOENIX • • (b)PHOENIX(eb) More than $5 billion in downtown investments. The #8 best convention cen- ter in the U.S. A vibrant, walkable urban corridor teeming with culture. Sonoran Desert inspiration shining throughout every square foot of flexible meeting space. High-tech and healthcare intellec- tual capital at the ready. And if all that's not enough, there is even a brewery in the ultramodern convention center. Inspired by the red-rock walls and turquoise waters of the Grand Canyon, the Phoenix Convention Center is one of the most beautiful and sophisticated con- vention centers in the United States. Its interconnected campus includes three ballrooms, 99 meeting/breakout rooms, a 2,300-seat performance hall and an Executive Conference Center. The biggest of downtown Phoenix's hotels, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, has 1,003 guest rooms and 110,000 square feet of meeting space. The Westin Phoenix Downtown caters to the needs of upscale business travelers, with super-spa- cious guest rooms that feature floor-to- ceiling windows. The convention center's closest neighbors, the Hyatt Regency Phoenix and Renaissance Phoenix Downtown, both underwent multimillion dollar renovations in recent years. One of Phoenix' favorite things to share is the ever-growing collection of street art in Phoenix. While work by many talented artists decorates the streets of this city, countless noteworthy pieces have added Black narratives to the landscape in the past couple years. As part of Black History Month, nearly 30 walls in downtown and central Phoenix received meaningful makeovers. For each day in February, a mural celebrat- ing Black heroes, icons, activists, athletes, musicians and more, was added to the city's vibrant collection of street art. • • TUSCON • • It's a simple question with a long answer. You've got a ton of people, or maybe a tad fewer, to bring together. You need a place where it's easy to get them in and out. A place with first-rate, well- maintained properties with plenty of space for your events. Great food is a must, some cool attractions would help, and if the weather is good, that's even better. Welcome to Tucson. This destination has top-rated destination resorts and full-service meeting properties and a wide range of other event venues to choose from (including new and reno- vated properties) WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Visit Tucson – (800) 638-8350 www.visittucson.org • • SCOTTSDALE • • Scottsdale offers all the services and amenities you'd expect of a premier meet- ing destination: top-tier accommodations, state-of-the-art meeting facilities and has- sle-free transportation in the air and on the ground. It also offers the discovery of something delightfully unexpected – the stirring beauty of the Sonoran Desert. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Experience Scottsdale – (800) 782-1117 www.experiencescottsdale.com Downtown Phoenix • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Sheraton Phoenix Downtown 1,003 The Westin Phoenix Downtown 242 Hyatt Regency Phoenix 693 EXHIBITION FACILITIES phoenix convention center Total Meeting Space 1 million sq. ft. Largest Hall 312,000 sq. ft. Largest Ballroom 45,000 sq. ft. Meeting Rooms 99 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? visit phoenix – (877) call-phX www.visitphoenix.com B M & T ••• September/October 2024 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 57 photo credit: Phoenix C.C