Glendale, AZ Meeting Planning Overview
Looking for a town with a built-in sports theme? Glendale, whose motto is "Glendale's Got Game," may be the place you're looking for. This northwest Phoenix suburb is home to the Arizona Cardinals football team and the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team. In addition, there are three Cactus League Spring Training sports venues in Glendale's radius: Camelback Ranch (Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox), the Surprise Recreation Campus (Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals) and the Peoria Sports Complex (San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners).
Glendale is located just 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and offers a dozen hotels within its borders. The largest among Glendale venues is the 320-room Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa which offers more than 95,000 square feet of meeting space.
Glendale isn't only about sports: The city is also known for its charming historic downtown area filled with antique stores, shops and restaurants and its two major shopping and entertainment districts, Arrowhead Towne Center and Westgate City Center.
Planners in search of special event venues in Glendale have several interesting choices. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville offers a fun, energetic spot for wastin' away some free time; the venue is also available for group buyouts. Private behind-the-scenes tours can be booked at the University of Phoenix Stadium, which, as the only stadium with a rollout field and retractable roof, is an engineering and technological marvel. The Manor at Catlin Court is a former church that dates back to 1917. The venue can handle up to 200 guests indoors and an additional 300 guests outdoors in its spacious garden and patio setting.
For dining, Glendale offers a wide variety of options, from hearty German fare at Haus Murphy's to brick-oven pizza at La Piazza Al Forno to The Spicery, which is located in a historic 1895 home and serves afternoon tea and lunches just like Mom and Grandma used to make.
Glendale also offers plenty of opportunities for meeting attendees to get in a game. There are three golf courses within the city limits and additional courses located nearby in the West Valley cities of Buckeye, Avondale, and Litchfield Park. For those who would rather raise a racquet, Glendale's award-winning Paseo Racquet Center contains 19 courts and the Surprise Recreation Campus offers two racquetball courts and 25 tennis courts, 17 of which are lighted.
