Tucson, AZ

Key Highlights

Hotels 189
Total Sleeping Rooms 17,243
Committable Sleeping Rooms* 610
Committable Meeting Rooms* 30
Largest Exhibit Space 59,840 Sq. Ft.
Largest Ballroom 20,164 Sq. Ft.
Average Hotel Room Rate USD $91
Average Daily Meal Cost USD $56
Average Weekly Car Rental USD $270
*Maximum for a single hotel
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Tucson, AZ Meeting Planning Overview

Welcome to our Tucson meeting planning guide – a city guide for meeting planning in Tucson. Just 115 miles southeast of Phoenix, Tucson offers cosmopolitan-quality hotels, dining and attractions, all at an affordable price point. Easily accessible by air or train, Tucson's airport offers daily departures to 16 non-stop destinations, while its Amtrak station serves two lines that reach as far as Los Angeles in the west, Chicago in the north and New Orleans in the east. Transportation is equally convenient inside the city, thanks to Tucson's award-winning public bus system and affordable downtown trolley.

As the 2nd largest city in the state, it's no surprise that Tucson's meeting facilities are spacious and grand. The sprawling Tucson Convention Center complex features four distinct facilities sure to suit any meeting or event. In the main convention center building, an elegant 20,164-square-foot Grand Ballroom, 11,236-square-foot Grand Lobby, 89,760-square-foot Exhibition Hall and eight meeting rooms comprise the 205,000-square-foot complex. The complex is also home to the 8,962-seat Tucson Arena, 2,289-seat Tucson Music Hall and intimate 511-seat Leo Rich Theater.

A number of attractive meeting sites call the city home. Host a reception at one of many spaces in the world-renowned Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a combination zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden. Gather up to 700 people among some of the world's rarest aircraft and spacecraft at the popular Pima Air and Space Museum, or throw a more intimate dinner of 60 guests at the Tucson Botanical Gardens' Xeriscape Garden patio.

For a wildly unique meeting experience, travel to Old Tucson Studios. This entertainment park and complete Old West town of 75 buildings has been featured in more than 400 films, television series and commercials shot from 1939 to the present. Private events can be held throughout the park and in such spaces as the working saloon, which features daily can-can performances and stunt shows.

Tucson's major industries include tourism, higher education and advanced technology. The city serves as headquarters for such corporations as the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Raytheon Missile Systems. The resident University of Arizona also holds a strong economic presence in the Tucson. Other higher learning institutions in Tucson include Pima Community College, a Prescott College branch campus and a Northern Arizona University branch campus.

About Tucson, AZ / Additional Info

Over 525,000 people live in the great city of Tucson. Truly a desert locale, only 0.4 of its 195.1 square miles is water. Cactus forests, plains, rolling hills and five surrounding mountain ranges mark much of its terrain. Originally inhabited by Paleo-Indians, the city was first settled by the Spanish in 1775, later becoming part of Mexico when the nation gained independence. Following the Gadsen Purchase in 1853, the city became part of the United States, though it did not join the Arizona Territory until 10 years later.

Tucson's varied past settlements and current location about 60 miles north of the Mexican border has created a one-of-a-kind cultural blend in the city. Explore the city's past at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, a fortress originally built in 1775. Now restored, the 11-acre presidio features a tour-ready munitions room, 20-foot-tall adobe tower, commissary and living spaces. Or, stop by the Arizona State Museum to experience the cultures of Arizona, the Southwest and Northern Mexico in exhibits such as the largest collection of Southwest Indian pottery.

Other intriguing Tucson museums include the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, which specializes in American, American West and modern and contemporary art. Made up of five historic houses dating from the mid-1850s to 1907 and one new modern building, the complex's exterior is just as breathtaking as the art that awaits inside. At the International Wildlife Museum, visitors can see taxidermy displays of more than 400 species of birds, insects and mammals in a naturalistic setting.

Guests can also experience Tucson's flora and fauna in the flesh by taking part in one of the city's many recreational adventures. With a mild climate and rustic terrain, the city is an outdoor lover's paradise. Take a hike on the Pima Canyon Trail, bike through the Saguaro National Park or rock climb on one of Mount Lemmon's 1,200 rocky routes. Guests can also explore Tucson's majestic setting underground at one of many area caverns and caves. See the stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone of the popular Colossal Cave.

After an exciting day in the sun, guests will have no trouble finding a place to sit back and relax in Tucson. Sip your favorite red or white at Elle, Tucson's first and only wine country restaurant where over 200 wine selections complement inventive fare. For beer lovers, the two-story Gentle Ben's Brewing Company has been crafting award-winning suds in the city since 1970. No matter where guests choose to enjoy a meal, they'll end their trip knowing that Tucson offered up a taste of real, natural Arizona.

 
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