Laura Zapata, national sales manager for the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, was among the suppliers who attended Smart Meeting San Francisco on Thursday at The Ritz-Carlton, and boy did she have some exciting news to share.

For starters, the resort will be a key property next month when the Super Bowl comes to Greater Phoenix. “We’re incredibly excited,” Zapata said. “We built a brand new ballroom. We’re all geared up.”

Just in time for the Super Bowl, Arizona Grand completed the 14,031-square-foot Sonoran Sky Ballroom. It can seat up to 1,540 people theater-style. The resort offers 120,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor space, including 20,000-square-foot Arizona Grand Ballroom

The resort’s 744 guest rooms and villas are already sold out during Super Bowl week, and those staying at the resort are in for a treat. The AAA Four Diamond Resort features an 18-hole golf course, a 20,000-square-foot athletic club and spa. There are six dining venues, six outdoor heated pools and 60 miles of nearby hiking and biking trails. For your convenience, there are mountain bike rentals.

Among the other suppliers I had a chance to meet with during Smart Meeting San Francisco was Charysse O’Donnell, director of national accounts for The Ritz-Carlton. Our hosts for the day are just wrapping up a $30 million renovation, making The Ritz “the newest hotel in San Francisco,” according to O’Donnell.

The city of Berkeley, California, Smart Meetings’ neighbor to the east, is ramping up its meetings and convention business with the help of Jeffrey Blair, sales manager for Visit Berkeley. Blair’s key job is making sure meeting planners know about the city’s cool boutique hotels and the amazing meeting space available at University of California.

The Mountain Winery, located in Saratoga, California, was represented by Katelyn Studebaker, director of marketing. Known as a marque concert venue that dates to 1901, the grounds near Silicon Valley also hosts team building led by its culinary team and wine and food pairings. Can you say offsites?

The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort in Santa Ynez Valley outside Santa Barbara, California, was represented by Sherrie Fitzgerald, director of sales and marketing. All that talk of wineries and celebs growing their own grapes made me thirsty!

Cheers to a great event and the wonderful suppliers who had lots of news to share about their great properties and resources. To learn more about Smart Meetings events, click here.

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