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EASY ACCESS AND OUTSTANDING VENUES MAKE PORTLAND TOP CHOICE FOR MEETINGS B Y S O N Y A S T I N S O N With its rugged Pacific Coast scenery, eclectic collection of neighborhoods and a wide array of recreational and cultural attractions, Portland, Oregon, has some- thing to appeal to every meeting or leisure traveler. Downtown Portland is easy to get to via light rail from Portland International Airport, which services 500 flights daily. The MAX Light Rail is also a convenient way to get around the city, plus Portland has earned a Walk Score of 96 out of 100. The city's largest meeting facility is the LEED® Platinum Oregon Convention Center (OCC), with 500,000 square feet of total event space that includes 255,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. With more than 100 hotels inside the city limits, there are 10,000-plus rooms acces- sible via light rail to the OCC and 1,300 committable rooms that are within five minutes of the convention center. Between meeting sessions, attendees will want to take in some of the area's top outdoor attractions. They include views of Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain at 11,250 feet above sea level. A day trip to the famous peak, situated a little more than an hour east of Portland, brings a chance to enjoy summer hiking, biking and water sports or winter snowsports. Other picturesque settings for outdoor adventure include the waterfalls, bluff and woodlands of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Tabor, a dormant volcano that provides great views of both Mount Hood and the downtown skyline from its top. Nicknamed the Rose City, Portland beckons visitors to view some of the 10,000 rose bushes at the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. The park is also home to the Portland Japanese Garden, the Oregon Zoo and the 190-acre Hoyt Arboretum featuring 2,300 species of trees and shrubs from six continents. Among the city's many cultural attrac- tions are the Portland Art Museum, which includes the Black Art and Experiences Gallery; the Portland Institute for PORTLAND AREA GUIDES Contemporary Art; and the Passinart Theatre, which is the state's longest-pro- ducing African-American theater. The Portland Art Museum is especially known for its large collection of Native American and Northwest Art. Shoppers are sure to appreciate the fact that Portland, as well as the entire state, has no sales tax. The list of local retail therapy outlets includes downtown's Pioneer Place 1shopping center and Northwest Portland's Nob Hill Old China Town. Portland is famous for its food cart cul- tures, with pods scattered throughout the city offering samplings of a variety of cuisines in one spot. The local beverage scene is also one of the city's hallmarks— from coffee shops to wine bars, breweries and craft distilleries. In Northwest Portland's Alberta Arts District, visitors can explore a varied col- lection of galleries, shops and dining spots and view out the five Alberta Street Heritage Markers for a lesson in the neighborhood's rich Black history. In the Albina District in North and Northeast Portland, they can learn some of the city's Black musical history on a self-guided Albina Soul Walk audio tour. Along with browsing the country's largest independent bookstore, Powell City of Books, visitors to Portland can also check out Third Eye Books, which con- tains the city's most extensive collection of exclusively BIPOC literature. You'll find a list of Black-owned restau- rants, shops and other businesses on the Black Portland page of the visitors bureau website. • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Hilton Portland Downtown & The Duniway Hotel 782 Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center 600 Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront 506 EXHIBITION FACILITIES Oregon Convention Center Total Meeting Space 329,000 sq. ft. Largest Hall 61,000 sq. ft. Largest Ballroom 34,000+ sq. ft. Meeting Rooms 52 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Travel Portland – (888) 503-3291 https://www.travelportland.com/ Downtown Portland city skyline B M & T ••• July/August 2026 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 49 photo credit: Oregon C'C