Phoenix & Central Arizona

As the nation’s fifth largest city, Greater Phoenix is the Southwest’s premier meetings and leisure travel destination. The metropolitan area offers meeting planners an immense variety of venues, architectural styles, themes and cuisine. Add in the multitude of recreational opportunities and Phoenix is the perfect blend of business and pleasure. The Phoenix metropolitan area, locally known as The Valley of the Sun, encompasses 23 contiguous cities with Phoenix in the center, and includes Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Fountain Hills and other smaller communities.

The vibrant look of Downtown Phoenix might be unrecognizable to someone who hasn’t visited in a few years. The unique local boutiques, emerging nightlife scene and eclectic art galleries are bustling with renewed energy, spearheaded by the arrival in 2009 of the METRO light rail system and the major expansion of the Convention Center. Scottsdale is giving visitors a sensory overload. With some of the Valley’s best dining, shopping, public art, resorts and meeting options – boredom is not an option. Glendale is now an international dateline for significant sporting events such as the 2008 Super Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the 2007 and 2011 Tostitos BCS Championship Game, and Wrestlemania.
And that’s just for starters. With more than three million citizens, top-rated arts, shopping, dining, and outdoor attractions, plus the world-class Sky Harbor International Airport – it’s easy to see why Greater Phoenix is the political, commercial and recreational heart and soul of the Southwest.

Phoenix

Each year millions of people visit the Valley of the Sun, so it is no surprise that, as the fifth largest city in the U.S., Phoenix has the resources to meet every meeting planner’s need, from the everyday to the obscure. To be sure, there are plenty of amenities, such as professional sports teams, innovative restaurants, a superior international airport and modern public transportation. Nonetheless, the city’s historic Southwestern and Native American roots can be seen in everything from spa treatments to cuisine. Saddle up for a horseback ride, stroll through a downtown art gallery or just look out at the cactus-studded mountains drenched in a reddish-purple sunset, and the distinct beauty of the place registers instantly.

Vibrant, energetic and inventive is how Downtown Phoenix is shaping up. It is the commerce and cultural capital of Arizona, representing an urban hub of performing arts venues, unique restaurants, museums, educational opportunities and diverse residential options. From sun-up to sundown and well into the night, Downtown provides a truly unique urban environment with more than 90 restaurants, bars, and markets. Anchored by the Phoenix Convention Center which recently completed a $600 million dollar expansion (early 2009) and the brand new Phoenix CityScape, Downtown is also home to museums, live theater, and music events, as well as professional sports at US Airways Center and Chase Field.

Located just down the street from the Phoenix Convention Center, the brand new Westin Phoenix Downtownjoins the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown as a prime destination for meetings. The Sheraton’s 1,000-room property debuted in 2008 with over 80,000 square feet of meeting space. Set to open February 2011, the Westin will occupy nine floors of the new 26-story Freeport McMoRan building, a recognizable standout in Downtown Phoenix. The 242-room hotel will feature oversized guestrooms averaging 550 square feet, with the entire Westin brand suite of amenities.

Delve into the region’s cultural center with a trip to the Heard Museum, an unmatched representation of Native American art and folklore. Don’t miss a visit to the gift shop, a treasure trove of the finest in locally produced crafts. The perfect complement is a stop-off at the recently expanded Phoenix Art Museum. Continue with a walk through the brand new Phoenix Children’s Museum, located in the historic 1913 Monroe School Building, which includes everything from engaging projects and exhibits for young children to educating parents and caregivers about child development and parenting techniques. A final stop on the “learning is fun” circuit is the nearby Arizona Science Center, where a planetarium, a five-story, giant-screen theater and a slew of permanent and temporary exhibits will amuse young and old alike. All of these facilities are available to groups for meetings and events.

Downtown Phoenix’s performing arts scene includes the Orpheum Theatre, which inspires awe even before the show begins thanks to elaborate Spanish-colonial-revival architecture outside and a circular staircase and star-sky ceiling inside. For a completely different vibe, there’s the sleek Comerica Theatre, which marries the classic rigging of a Broadway stage house with the pulsating excitement of modern arena technologies.

Elegant statues of nude dancers decorate the palm-studded grounds of the newly renovated Herberger Theatre, signaling that this is a venue for free spiritedness and artistic discovery. Here, Arizona’s most widely acclaimed professional theater troupe, the Arizona Theater Company, enchants audiences with contemporary and classic productions. The Herberger is also home to several other companies, including Actors Theatre, Center Dance Ensemble, iTheatre Collaborative and Valley Youth Theatre.

Chandeliers constructed of hand-blown Venetian glass and hanging tapestries hand-woven by Mexican artisans greet visitors inside Phoenix Symphony Hall. This magnificent concert hall, which is also known for its Peacock Fountain, has captivated audiences for 55 years. Along with the Orpheum Theatre, Symphony Hall is also where you can see performances by Ballet Arizona.

After a long day of meetings, you might be craving an empty-your-lungs shout-out. Fortunately, a plethora of seasonal sporting venues await to let you indulge. The NBA’s Phoenix Suns take their aim at the US Airways Center, a home they share with the Phoenix Mercury, who won the WNBA Championship in 2009. The facility took center stage internationally when it hosted the 2009 NBA All-Star game. Spring, summer and early fall is the time to catch the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, home to the 2011 MLB All Star Game. The retractable roof means the game could be indoors or outdoors, but the stadium’s biggest splash might be its unique swimming pool, situated just beyond the home run fence in right-center field. If spring’s your thing, in terms of baseball, catch the Oakland A’s and Milwaukee Brewers at home in Phoenix for Cactus League action.

Odds are pretty good that you’ve touched down in Phoenix to experience one of the sunniest, driest climates on earth – and that means outdoor fun – which Phoenix boasts in abundance. Opt for a hot air balloon rides over the beautiful Sonoran Desert. Hot Air Expeditions provides breathtaking vistas and unforgettable memories, and the dry desert winter climate is also the ideal environment for a corporate party outing promising excitement at an entirely new level. Hikers in your group will quickly warm to the trails at Piestewa Peak, where a dazzling view of downtown Phoenix awaits those who ascend to the top. Camelback Mountain (an aptly named local landmark), South Mountain Park, the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and the Papago Buttes are other sterling examples of back-to-nature fun for those looking to hike, bike or walk the desert.

Practically next door to the Papago Buttes are the wide paved walkways of the Phoenix Zoo and of the Desert Botanical Garden, both of which will instill everything anyone ever wanted to know about local flora and fauna. If you are in town prior to March 31st, make sure you visit the cute and furry Sooki and Kobi, Koalas on loan from the San Diego Zoo. To accommodate their guests, the Zoo had to renovate an existing building, meeting the strict standards demanded by the San Diego Zoo and the Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA). Also make sure to check out the Zoo’s newest (opened November 2009) and largest animal exhibit, Land of the Dragons. Home to two full-grown Komodo Dragons, the exhibit has multiple viewing areas, a tropical setting, heated rocks next to windows for up-close viewing, and a 7,000-gallon pool for the dragons to swim in.

Scottsdale and
the Northeast Valley

Scottsdale takes pride in its ability to offer a wealth of charm, style and sophistication in the serene Sonoran Desert.  Expect world famous dining, one of a kind shopping, a vibrant arts-oriented downtown, celebrated resorts, and championship golf, just minutes from activities such as rock climbing, race car driving, horseback riding, Jeep safaris and balloon flights. The options for entertaining are nearly endless and Scottsdale’s more than 70 hotels and resorts range from five-star luxury to nicely appointed accommodations.

Culture cravers will seek out Taliesin West, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s one-time winter retreat and Cosanti, the workshop of futurist Paolo Soleri, whose hand-crafted bronze and ceramic wind chimes have long been one of the state’s most distinctive keepsakes. December 2010 marks the dedication of the Paolo Soleri Bridge and Plaza in Old Town Scottsdale. Built along the Arizona Canal, this is the first bridge built by Soleri, though he has designed over 60 bridges in his lifetime. The structure features two steel-clad 64-foot pylons that demonstrate the importance of the solar movement and create a shaft of light across the canal.

Scottsdale Public Art recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Currently more than 70 permanent pieces and 30 temporary artworks are located throughout the downtown area, creating an outdoor museum and interactive exhibit. Make sure to see The Doors and Sound Passage on the corner of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads; step inside for a light and sound experience you won’t find anywhere else.

It’s little wonder why two upscale national magazines recently named Scottsdale as the best city in the U.S. for golf. Serious golfers have long flocked to the 200-plus courses that are sprinkled throughout the Valley of the Sun. Traditional tree-lined “parkland” courses, nine-hole “beginners” courses and dramatic “target-style” desert courses all beckon, but for those seeking top-rated “trophy” courses, Scottsdale overflows. Start with the TPC Stadium Course, home to the largest crowds in golf when the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open takes place there in early February. The par-3 16th hole, where Tiger Woods scored his famous ace in 1997, is considered the most raucous in golf. The TPC Stadium’s sister course, the Champions, is every bit the challenge of its Tour-worthy sibling.

Even if golfing is not on your list, the recreational options in Scottsdale are truly endless. Nestled in the lush Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale is bordered by the McDowell Mountains and McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which consists of 16,460 acres of protected land. These areas provide the perfect landscape for mountain biking, hiking and backpacking. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve also offers guided hikes in the area that range from three to more than eight miles in length. Visit their website www.mcdowellsonoran.org for updates on scheduled public hikes, and to download a map with helpful information such as shade areas, restrooms and parking.

If you are interested in honing your athletic skills, a stay at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain may be just what you need. Olympians Misty Hyman and Mike Schneider offer guests a Triathalon Prep Program – a three-day option that teaches the expertise of the swim-bike-run challenge. Make sure to soothe those tired muscles in their world famous spa. 

Off-road Jeep and Hummer tours are a wonderful way to enjoy the desert’s Old West history and experience its beautiful flora and fauna. Interpretive guides provide entertaining stories of the Old West (including a tall tale or two!) as well as interesting facts about the plants and animals that make up the desert’s delicate ecosystem. Tour options include gold panning, pistol shooting, Jeep/horseback and Jeep/river rafting combinations, chuckwagon cookouts, and more. For a truly western experience, book a sunrise horseback ride through the McDowell Mountains followed by a hearty cowboy cookout for breakfast. From high in the saddle, you’ll see exotic cactus, rolling desert foothills and crystalline streams. As you explore the pristine, natural habitats, your guide will entertain you with the stories and legends of Arizona’s first cowboys.

Of course, after all of that activity, the body may need some pampering. Where luxury spa treatments are concerned, Scottsdale is virtually unbeatable. Offering the ultimate in privacy, Agave, the Arizona Spa at the Westin Kierland is located just steps outside the resort and features a quiet lap pool beside a relaxing courtyard and garden. Agave Spa has 20 treatment rooms, a full-service salon, a movement studio, weight training and cardio studios, as well as cabanas providing guests with private areas for outdoor relaxation and spa therapies.

Also among the elite, the free-standing, 31,000-square-foot Joya Spa at InterContinental Montelucia Resort channels the raw splendor of Moorish Andalucía Spain with whitewashed walls contrasting vibrant hues of ochre and multi-colored, custom-made Moroccan tiles. As InterContinental’s first U.S. resort property, the resort features 253 guestrooms and 40 suites, plus 34 privately-owned luxury villas that are managed by the resort. TRAVEL + LEISURE recently released its list of 2010 Top 50 Hotels in the U.S. and Canada, with the Intercontinental Montelucia Resort ranking #13. The resort is the highest ranked in the state of Arizona, beating out many standbys.

Scottsdale’s year-round unique events can also be incorporated into your next meeting or incentive program. Every January, the celebrity-laden classic car shows come to town, among them the nationally televised Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction.  Then in February, the cars drive away from the WestWorld facility, replaced by horsepower of a different kind – the pageant-filled Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. The City recently approved a $33 million Equidome Project for WestWorld that will double the arena size and add climate-control technology, making events possible year-round. March brings the San Francisco Giants to town for Spring Training baseball. In April, the Scottsdale Culinary Festival draws more than 40,000 visitors looking to enjoy fabulous food, fun, festivities and fabulous weather. For a complete Scottsdale events calendar, visit www.experiencescottsdale.com.

Scottsdale once featured a tag line, “the West’s most Western town.” You can still find western remnants if you know where to look. For fans of the Old West, downtown Scottsdale offers numerous galleries replete with paintings and sculptures, along with a small concentration of western wear stores and a few old-style buildings and hitching posts amid the modern surroundings. North Scottsdale is chock full of tasteful new developments that are nicely integrated into the desert but a few old standbys remain firmly entrenched. Greasewood Flats, Reata Pass and Pinnacle Peak Patio are three restaurants that represent the old guard, that were hewn in the days where paved roads were a rarity. For those who want to plunge into the cowboy way, pay your tuition at Scottsdale’s Arizona Cowboy College, where you’ll learn the tools of the trade at a real-live cattle ranch.

Scottsdale is a shopper’s heaven, and never fails to please when the ‘shop-til-you-drop’ bug hits you. Retail excitement reaches fever pitch in the winter/spring months, when outdoor shopping is a joyous occasion, but whether you’re inside or out, there are countless options to buy ‘til you’re happy. Return visitors likely have fond memories of Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Fashion Square. Scottsdale Fashion Square recently unveiled a brand new 100,000-square-foot expansion wing with the addition of Arizona’s first Barneys New York. Kierland offers an ideal blend of indoors and outdoors, as well as a something-for-everyone experience with hotels, luxury loft living, shopping and dining. Just next door the brand new Scottsdale Quarter recently opened and offers Arizona’s first H&M, the flagship Arizona Nike Store, and the unique Oakville Grocery – stop in for specialty cheeses and wines.

The legendary Fifth Avenue Shopping District in Downtown Scottsdale serves as a gateway to a world-famous concentration of boutiques and art galleries that fan out to Main Street and Marshall Way. Downtown itself is a paradise for walkers, with as much to photograph as there is to buy. Don’t miss Bob Park’s Horse Fountain and the stores that surround it. Balmy Thursday evenings, when galleries extend their hours for the Scottsdale ArtWalk, are the most enjoyable way to browse and buy. You can stay in the neighborhood to celebrate your purchases because it’s home to the most eclectic grouping of nightspots in the Valley. Party spots range from Vegas-influenced, A-Lister haunts such as Modern Steak, White House and Revolver (Rihanna recently held her birthday party at this Valley newcomer), to rock-meets-western Saddle Ranch Chop House. More Vegas-style action is available at two Casino Arizona locations in Scottsdale, belonging to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Casino Arizona is home to Arizona’s newest resort, Talking Stick Resort. Talking Stickfeatures more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, 497 guestrooms, a gaming floor, entertainment and world-class spa. The resort sits next to the brand new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick – the new Spring Training home to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

Looking to kick back? The charming, artsy town of Carefree just north of Scottsdale has an “Easy Street,” and an intersection of “Ho” and “Hum.” Not to be outdone, the rustic town of Cave Creek next door introduced the world to chili beer, consisting of a bottle of tasty brew that also holds a spicy jalapeno pepper. The beauty of Scottsdale and its surrounds is that there’s something for every taste.

Fountain Hills & Fort McDowell

Although the Town of Fountain Hills and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation are only a few miles east of Scottsdale, it feels as if they are a world away. The area is wreathed by scenic mountains, draped in the unique vegetation of the Sonoran Desert and blessed with panoramic views offering a wide range of outdoor activities such as golfing, hiking, biking, bird watching and boating.

The white plume of Fountain Hill’s world famous fountain – the town took its name from the landmark – is visible for miles. At its full height of 560 feet, the fountain is higher than the Washington Monument and three times as high as Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone Park. It may seem surprising to have such a magnificent spout in an arid area, but this fountain is a celebration of water where it is most appreciated – in the middle of the desert.

Those with a sense of whimsy might check out the burgeoning arts scene in Fountain Hills; sculptures, water features and other works of art adorn the Community Center, the Avenue of the Fountains and public places. Docent-led art walk tours are available the first Saturday of the month from November through April and can be arranged for your group by special appointment. The L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum is a ‘not-to-miss’ stop on your journey. Visitors are led through a series of exhibits preserving the history of the Lower Verde River Valley and the importance of water in the Sonoran Desert.

Twice a year, the Great Fair and the Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts attract hundreds of thousands of art lovers to the downtown area. Galleries and small shops make it easy for shoppers to find their own art year-round. And, the award-winning Fountain Hills Community Theater is one of Arizona’s leading performing arts organizations.

Lodging options for groups include the luxurious Radisson Fort McDowell Resort and the Inn at Eagle Mountain. Along with the four star resort, Fort McDowell has become widely known for its casino and live entertainment. In addition, they have 36 holes of golf at the acclaimed We-Ko-Pa Golf Club and Fort McDowell Adventures, an old west style recreation facility offering horseback rides, Jeep rides and other outdoor fun. Located adjacent to the Inn at Eagle Mountain in the rugged McDowell Mountains, the Scott Miller-designed Eagle Mountain Golf Club dramatically weaves its way through shaded box canyons and around majestic mountain peaks unique to this scenic corner of the Sonoran desert. 

Tempe

With more than 5,000 rooms in Tempe and flexible meeting space, Tempe is the perfect fit for groups from five to 500 people. In addition to the perfect meeting venue, attendees will enjoy an endless array of Tempe services, arts and cultural activities, outdoor adventure, fabulous dining, 330 days of sunshine a year and exciting nightlife.

Tempe is located four short miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Many of Tempe’s hotels offer complimentary airport transportation and some hotels are connected to the airport via METRO light rail. Getting to Tempe is so easy; you will save a great deal on your ground transportation costs.

Tempe features a wide array of properties to meet every need and budget: a mountain top resort, a downtown conference resort, airport hotels, and full- and select-service properties. Tempe is known for unique meeting venues that can captivate the creative side of any attendee. Planners can choose to have off-site events at museums, concert halls, the Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe Town Lake, The Phoenix Zoo, Desert Botanical Garden, historic sites, City of Tempe parks and the Arizona State University campus. Additionally, Tempe has world-class venues to accommodate a myriad of sporting events, such as stadiums, gymnasiums, fields, lakes, pools and so much more.

Energy flows from tree-lined Mill Avenue in the center of downtown where some 250 businesses – from charming coffee shops to quaint stores and nightclubs – offer entertainment galore. Sidewalk artists and entertainers frequent the area giving the scene a lively and spontaneous sense of fun and excitement. Tempe Mission Palms is just steps from Mill Avenue and has 303 guestrooms, 30,000 square feet of meeting space and a rooftop pool. Even better, they arrange numerous unique afternoon activity packages from high adventure excursions to cultural tours.

Not far from the excitement of Mill Avenue you will find the Fiesta Resort Conference Center. Having recently celebrated their 35th anniversary, the resort has been a prominent fixture in Tempe. The recently opened 25,000-square-foot meeting facility gives the property more ability to cater to the needs of groups of all sizes.

Tempe prides itself on the plethora of arts and cultural offerings available. ASU’s Gammage Auditorium welcomes the public with a selection of art shows, plays, musicals, concerts and speakers. Visitors to Tempe will also enjoy the Tempe Center for the Arts. Funky local bands, award-winning local theater, blockbuster Broadway productions, comedy shows and contemporary dance companies are all part of Tempe’s arts and cultural scene.

Situated at the north end of Mill Avenue, Tempe Town Lake is a two-mile-long riverbed offering an urban oasis for boating, kayaking, rowing and special events. The banks of Tempe Town Lake are encircled by five miles of trails for running, biking, in-line skating and bicycling. Along Mill Avenue hikers can access ‘A’ Mountain, which has an easy hike to the top and provides panoramic views of Tempe and the Valley of the Sun.

Tempe’s special events include: the Tempe Spring and Fall Festivals of the Arts, the Insight Fiesta Bowl Block Party (one of the country’s best places to celebrate New Year’s Eve according to USA Today or just ask one of the more than 150,000 revelers that attend), the exhilarating P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & Half Marathon and the inspiring Ford Ironman Arizona.

Tempe offers professional meeting planners an excellent destination – with options from mountaintop views to a dynamic downtown – there’s a unique meeting venue for every taste and budget. From the younger crowd to the young at heart, Tempe has just what you seek for an interesting, fun and highly successful meeting location.

Mesa

As Arizona’s third-largest city, Mesa’s claim to fame nationally has long been its status as the spring training baseball home to the Chicago Cubs, whose passionate fans continually produce record breaking attendance at every game in March. Though the Cubs are a significant part of what makes Mesa stand out, the other 11 months of the year provide just as much excitement. Don’t be surprised to find state-of-the-art celebrity-owned restaurants: Toby Keith recently opened his “I Love This Bar & Grill” in Mesa Riverview. This 900-seat restaurant offers larger than life features, including an 85-foot guitar shaped bar, mechanical bull, stage and dance floor and over 50 televisions. You may even recognize a face or two in Mesa – many local Mesa businesses have been featured on the FOOD Network, the Discovery Channel and TLC.

The Queen Creek Olive Mill has been featured on multiple networks recently – features include the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs and the FOOD Network’s Best Thing I Ever Ate. As Arizona’s only working Olive Mill, visitors get a real treat when they can tour the production process and taste different olive oils produced on site. Your group can dine in the olive grove on an olive inspired menu from del Piero.

When it comes to arts and culture, Mesa is like no other city in the Valley – or the Southwest for that matter. Mesa Arts Center is the largest arts and entertainment venue of its kind in the Southwest. It houses four theaters, five art galleries, and 14 art studios. The Center also offers classes including their Claycation series where guests can learn ceramics and basic pottery. Two other museums are within walking distance of downtown Mesa with the Arizona Museum of Natural History serving as the anchor. Here, visitors can see some of the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived and understand the natural and cultural history of the Southwest. The Arizona Museum for Youth, a fine arts museum for children, features ArtVille, an art-inspired town for curious and creative toddlers.

For meetings in downtown, Mesa Convention Centeroffers 15,000 square feet of exhibit area and an additional 25,000 square feet of meeting space, comprised of 15 rooms of varying sizes. On-site catering and a state-of-the-art theater-style conference center are also available. Part of the Convention Center complex, the Mesa Amphitheatre offers festival seating for 4,200 on curved grass terraces and no seat is further than 175 feet from the stage in this lovely setting. The Amphitheatre consistently ranks at the top of the best outdoor concert venues in the Valley with national touring acts, community programs, arts and cultural events, and theatrical performances.

Mesa is known as an activity-oriented destination; heading east into the rugged slopes of the Superstition Mountains, one encounters the towns of Apache Junction and Gold Canyon. Until you’ve experienced the Superstitions, you’re missing one of Arizona’s wildest rides. Legend has it that hidden in these parts is a rich vein of gold. For more than 150 years, starry-eyed prospectors have hiked up and down the mountains in search of Lost Dutchman’s Mine. What anybody can find, however, are the dazzling kaleidoscopes of wildflowers that blanket the foothills in springtime following healthy winter rains. Now you can experience the beauty of the Sonoran Desert by the light of the moon with a guided moonlit hike offered by the Lost Dutchman State Park.

Although Mesa is just 20 minutes from Downtown Phoenix and Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, Mesa’s own Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport offers meeting planners a convenient alternative. Allegiant Air currently operates here, and other airlines are in negotiations to begin passenger service to cities outside Arizona.

Glendale and the West Valley

Glendale and the West Valley may have only recently seen a population and building boom, but this area is rich in history, and Glendale recently celebrated its 100th birthday. Just a short time ago, the towns west of Phoenix were comprised of cotton fields, citrus groves, cattle ranches and an Air Force base. Today, Glendale has a brand new Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and is a dominant force in the West Valley. Thanks to its prime attraction, the University of Phoenix Stadium, home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, the annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the circulating BCS Championship Game and special events, Glendale has emerged as a top event destination.

Adjacent to the big stadium is a smaller sibling, the Jobing.com Arena, which serves as home for the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, as well as to concerts and ice skating events. Glendale’s newest sports facility, the 13,500-seat baseball spring training site, Camelback Ranch, houses the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. Sports don’t stop in Glendale though. Peoria is home to spring training for the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres. Goodyear hosts the Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds and Surprise hosts the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers for their spring training.

You can also watch NASCAR events at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale or come to see the pros at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex, host-site for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships and the Fed Cup! Continue west on the Carefree Highway past Peoria and you’ll find the watery attractions of Lake Pleasant, a top draw, where you can expect to find ample amounts of boating, horseback riding, fishing and water skiing.

Nearby, the Challenger Space Center of Arizona provides all ages an astronomical thrill. Part of an international network, the center allows groups of visitors to simulate a two-and-one-half-hour space mission, varying from a trip to the moon to a visit to a comet. The center also offers rentals and educational programs for corporate groups.

If you’re yearning for a slice of the Old West, Wickenburg delivers. Located an hour’s drive northwest of Phoenix, Wickenburg is an old mining town with enough modern enticements to snag locals and tourists alike. Check into Wickenburg’s Rancho de los Caballeros Resortand you’re issued your own horse. Of course, his meal plan and yours are very different. In addition to their over 9,000 square feet of meeting space, Rancho de los Caballeros also offers groups customized golf tournaments, Jeep tours, hot air ballooning, and desert ATV tours.

Chandler

Just east of Mesa, the trellis-covered walkways and colonnades of Historic Downtown Chandler lure people to this unique community with its ever-increasing inventory of unique galleries, charming boutique shops and independent restaurants.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Chandler’s Downtown Square was once a favored haunt of Hollywood luminaries and heads of state, and in 2010 opened its $76 million brand new City Hall Complex. Developers envisioned a completely pedestrian-friendly environment connecting the City Hall Complex seamlessly with Downtown Chandler. The Complex contains civic offices, an art gallery, and Chandler’s local television station; tours are available for the public. The historic square is home to a variety of award-winning, local restaurants, including an Arizona winery and microbrewery, boutique shops, and entertainment creating a vibrant, eclectic arts and cultural district.

Chandler offers a variety of hotel accommodations, including Arizona’s original golf resort (located in downtown Chandler), the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resortthat first opened in 1912. With its Spanish colonnades, old-world charm and probably the shadiest 18 holes of championship golf west of the Mississippi, it’s been a favorite for over 90 years.

The first Wednesday of each month features an art walk in downtown. Unique annual events include a Jazz Festival, Classic Car & Hot Rod Show, Tumbleweed Tree Lighting event, Ostrich Festival, and a Cinco de Mayo celebration including Chihuahua races.

Have your group rev their engines at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Meeting attendees can learn to drive like the pros in the largest facility of its kind, featuring over 200 race-prepared vehicles. Instructors give groups the opportunity to experience the track the way the professional drivers do – at speeds beyond your imagination. After a few trips around the track you can utilize the facility’s event space and catering for banquet and meeting needs.

Chandler is home to Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse, named “Best Western Experience” by AZCentral.com and the Arizona Republic, on the Gila River Indian Reservation (bordering Chandler), which dishes out a dose of the Wild West with stunt shows, shootouts, stagecoach rides and sing-alongs. Ranked the 5th largest meeting venue in the Valley of the Sun, and offering 14 different private indoor/outdoor facilities, Rawhide can accommodate groups of any size.