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Phoenix, Arizona City Guide

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Phoenix Meeting Planning

Phoenix Convention Center

With sunny skies and a year-round average temperature of 74 degrees, Phoenix is a convention-friendly city that lives up to its reputation. As the second-fastest growing metropolitan area in America, Phoenix offers an exceptional collection of hotels and resorts with nearly 55,000 guestrooms and modern meeting facilities. From luxury world-class resorts to budget-friendly hotels to dude ranches and other unique meeting venues, the perfect meeting space can easily be found in the greater Phoenix area.

In December 2008 the Phoenix Convention Center plans to complete a massive $600 million expansion that triples its size with nearly 900,000 square feet of rentable space and more than two million square feet total space. The expansion is taking place in phases so that the center can remain open for conventions throughout the project. Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, the Phoenix Convention Center is within walking distance of major attractions such as Chase Field, US Airways Center, Symphony Hall and the Phoenix Museum of History, as well as many shops, restaurants and bars.

There is seldom a cloud in the sky in this desert city, which makes it a favorite meetings destination any time of the year, not to mention a great place to swing a golf club. Known as the golf capital of the world, Phoenix has an abundance of championship golf courses. Phoenix's prime Sonoran Desert location also creates unlimited opportunities for uniquely Southwest outdoor adventures such as horseback riding, hiking, hot-air ballooning and off-road desert tours in jeeps and Hummers.

Symphony Hall

Vibrant and cosmopolitan, Phoenix gives visitors plenty of good reasons to wash off the desert dust and dress up for an evening out. There is a delicious abundance of fine dining restaurants such as perennial favorite Vincent's on Camelback, known for classic French recipes enhanced with Southwestern ingredients. For the more cultured heart, Phoenix provides a wide array of cultural and performance venues. The Heard Museum has one of the world's most significant Native American art collections, while the Phoenix Art Museum features 40,000 international works of art that span centuries of time. Performance venues such as Symphony Hall, the nationally ranked Arizona Theater Company, the critically acclaimed ASU Gammage Theater and the Valley Youth Theatre host award-winning performances nightly.

Visitors find it easy to get around Phoenix with ample transportation services that include buses, taxis and shuttles. Taxi fares are metered at a rate of $5 for the first mile and $2 for each additional mile. One-way taxi fares from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to downtown Phoenix, approximately three miles, average $10 to $15.

Key Statistics

About Phoenix / Additional Info

Phoenix Skyline

Ringed by three mountain ranges, Phoenix rises out of the starkly beautiful Salt River Valley in Central Arizona. The state capital of Arizona, this impressive city stretches across 500 square miles of the spectacular Sonoran Desert. Since its incorporation in 1881, Phoenix has grown from a town of 3,152 inhabitants to the largest city in the Southwest with 1.5 million residents and an annual growth rate second only to Las Vegas. Phoenix has evolved from its roots as an agricultural and farming community to a thriving economical center that encompasses state government, education, high-tech industries, telecommunications and tourism.

Over the last decade, Phoenix has invested billions of dollars in the revitalization of its downtown core, Copper Square, a broad area covering ninety square blocks. Key projects include the $600 million expansion and renovation of the Phoenix Convention Center and a new Light Rail commuter system. As a city that has been able to grow upward, not just outward, Phoenix's skyline is filled with many low-rise buildings and several mid-rise towers. The 40-story Chase Tower is the tallest building in Arizona. US Bank Center is second in height at 31 floors, and the 25-story Qwest Tower is Phoenix's tallest building outside of downtown.

With its bustling, fast-growing economy, the greater Phoenix metro area is the centerpiece of a $50 billion regional marketplace. Phoenix is home to Fortune 500 companies Freeport McMoRan and Petsmart and Fortune 1000 companies including Avnet and Apollo Group. Other company's headquartered in Phoenix are UHaul International and Best Western hotels, while Motorola, Intel, Honeywell and Boeing have major operations here.

Phoenix's thriving cultural scene includes internationally acclaimed museums such as the Heard Museum of Native America Art, the recently expanded Phoenix Art Museum and the Arizona Science Center. Phoenix is blessed with award-winning performing arts groups such as the Phoenix Symphony Hall, Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona, in addition to performance venues that bring Broadway musicals and international headliners to town.

As a top year-round tourist destination, Phoenix offers numerous outdoor recreational options from world-class golf and horseback riding to hot-air ballooning, boating and hiking in the Sonoran Desert. Indoors, visitors enjoy world-class shopping, live theater, art galleries, nightlife and top-rated restaurants with some of the best chefs in America.