Tempe

Welcome to Cvent's Meeting and Event Planning Guide to Tempe, a city guide for meeting professionals. A perfect destination for groups of 10 to 500 people, Tempe features a unique blend of indoor and outdoor venues, arts and cultural activities, exciting nightlife, shopping, sweeping desert vistas and green space – as well as a spirited college town vibe, thanks to Tempe's resident Arizona State University campus. Conveniently situated in the middle of the Phoenix metropolitan area, the nearly 40-square-mile city of Tempe serves as the state's eighth-largest city.

Bordered by Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler, Tempe boasts fantastic freeway access and sits just 10 minutes away from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. One of the nation's 10 busiest airports for passenger traffic, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport provides nonstop service to more than 80 domestic and 20 international destinations. Passengers can navigate the airport via the free 24-hour PHX Sky Train automated service, as well as take advantage of free Wi-Fi service in all terminals, most retail and dining areas and the Rental Car Center lobby. The new 20-mile Metro Light Rail system links Tempe and downtown Phoenix, and with the PHX Sky Train, provides service to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The daily Tempe Transit Bus System, also called Tempe in Motion, operates along 14 local routes, five express routes and neighborhood circulator service.

Tempe is home to a number of meeting and event venues, ranging from full-service hotels to a scenic botanical garden. Set against a striking hillside butte backdrop and boasting panoramic desert sunset views, the sprawling Phoenix Marriott Tempe at the Buttes features 40,000 square feet of indoor event space and a maximum of 13 breakout rooms, as well as 15,000 square feet of outdoor event space. Conveniently located about three miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the smoke-free, four-floor hotel spans 353 rooms, nine suites, a full-service business center, several restaurants and a spa, as well as striking outdoor amenities and activities. Indoor event venues include the 9,000-square-foot Kachina Ballroom and 3,500-square-foot Amphitheater, while outdoor event venues include the 10,000-square-foot La Hacienda Outdoor Venue, 5,000-square-foot Pool Deck and 2,160-square-foot Kachina Patio, among many other spaces.

Located in Downtown Tempe is the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel. With more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space, the Tempe Mission Palms is can host groups from 15 to 1,500. The hotel and conference center strives to exceed the high standards of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC). Located just minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the four-story hotel features 303 guest rooms, rooftop pool, three dining experiences and tennis court. Meeting space includes the 9,384-square-foot Palm Ballroom, 3,620-square-foot Abbey Room and multiple breakout rooms. The hotel is located next to Mill Avenue and is within steps of the more than 60 restaurants, shops and taverns that line this popular, pedestrian friendly street.

Additional hotel options include the full-service DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe Hotel, which offers 30,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space, restaurant, 270 newly renovated rooms; the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel, which offers planners more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space, 209 guest rooms, restauran; and Tempe's only full-service, all-suite property, the Embassy Suites Phoenix Tempe, offers more than 7,000 square feet of meeting space, 224 suites, on-site restaurant. All of the above offer complimentary airport shuttle.


Tempe's many unique venues include the Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park, the principal museum in the metropolitan area that showcases what made Arizona what it is today. The 82,000-square-foot museum features interactive exhibits, guided tours and a research library, and accommodates events in its courtyard, lobby, auditorium, glass pavilion and meeting rooms. Among the largest university-based presenters of performing arts in the world, the historic, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed ASU Gammage welcomes private event rentals. Groups can hold private tournaments, lessons, clinics and events at the ASU Karsten Golf Course, a par 70 Pete Dye Scottish links course, which features banquet facilities for up to 175 guests.

Nearby unique venues in Phoenix include the picturesque Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo. Home to collections of cactus, agaves, aloes and flora, the Desert Botanical Garden is the only botanical garden in the world focused solely on desert plants since its inception. Groups can hold events throughout indoor and outdoor spaces at the botanical garden, which is nestled amid the buttes of Papago Park. One of the largest privately owned, nonprofit zoos in the country, the Phoenix Zoo is home to more than 1,100 animals, as well as 16 indoor and outdoor event venues, including the 600-person C.W. and Modene Neely Education & Event Center, 500-person Stone House Pavilion and 100-person Savanna Pointe, which features sweeping views of the African Savanna exhibit.