Smart Meetings

With an eye-catching stone, glass and stucco exterior, the Phoenix Convention Center, located in the heart of downtown’s Copper Square, currently houses 300,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including a 45,000-square-foot ballroom with telescoping risers and more than 62,400 sq. ft. of exhibit space.

The city also hosts more than 55,000 guest rooms, ranging from ultra-luxurious to budget-friendly, with seven major meetings hotels located within walking distance to the Convention Center. If you’re hungry, you’ll find world-class restaurants with some of the country’s best chefs, serving creative James Beard-style cuisine that relies on organic, locally grown ingredients.

“Phoenix is really an urban oasis,” says Doug MacKenzie, director of communications and spokesman for Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau (visitphoenix.com). “We have all the amenities of a big city but within 20 minutes you can be in the Sonoran Desert on a jeep tour or horseback riding.”

With one in four Phoenix residents a member of an ethnic minority, a major part of that urban oasis is a rich heritage that blends Native American, Spanish and cowboy cultures. Reflecting Arizona’s ethnic diversity is the nationally renowned Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art (heard.org). The museum houses 39,000 works of cultural and fine art with a Southwest emphasis, including numerous Native American art and one of the largest Kachina doll collections in the country. And the museum’s Spanish Colonial-style architecture, arched walkways, fountains and airy outdoor patios amid the desert landscaping make an especially memorable event for groups of 20 to several hundred.

And speaking of museums, take a trip to the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park (phoenix.gov/PARKS/pueblo.html) for a true one-of-a-kind experience. Located at the ruins of a 1,500-year-old Hohokam village, you’ll see an excavated ballcourt and full-scale reproductions of prehistoric Hohokam homes, along with some of the last remaining intact Hohokam irrigation canals.

If you’re ready to break out of the city, take exploring the desert up a notch and off the road with a Hummer tour (azadventures.com) in the Sonoran Desert. Team-building events can be built around a barbecue after your excursion. Or divide up your group into teams and follow the clues in the desert in your Hummer with a GPS scavenger hunt.

Should you still be game for adventure, take a challenging trek up the steep, 1,000-foot rise to the top of Camelback Mountain. You’ll be rewarded with expansive views of the desert.

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Getting There

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (skyharboraiport.com) is served by 19 airlines with nonstop service to more than 100 U.S. cities. Tucson International Airport (tucsonairport.org) is served by 11 airlines with nonstop services to 17 cities and connections to more than 121 destinations. Back to Top