Southern Arizona presents a swath of the American Southwest, where Anglo influence crosses over with Hispanic and native experiences, where spas and golf resorts attract celebrities and tourists alike, where artists reap inspiration from the land, and where all preconceptions of desert culture are shattered.
Long before Celebrity Rehab, Tucson gave us Canyon Ranch, the original movie-star health resort, where personalities could escape for a few weeks to lose weight and get themselves back in order after long stints on the set. Canyon Ranch is now a national brand, but it started in Tucson.
Yuma, on the flipside, gave us Cesar Chavez, the renowned labor leader and civil rights activist. Much more than the sunniest place on Earth and a mecca for agriculture, Yuma offers planners a small-town experience, where multiple themes are available for events.
On the outskirts of both Tucson and Yuma, small towns, forests, national parks and outdoor adventures await.
No matter what planners desire, they will find Southern Arizona to be an area rich in heritage and culture.
Tucson Area
As a warm-weather, Southwestern destination, Tucson is a land of intersecting cultures. Originally founded by native tribes, today the city blends indigenous Native-American culture with Anglo-American cowboy influence and the Mexican and Spanish-American experience. All of these factors blend into the meetings and events business. As of late, native tribes are especially making strides.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe, for instance, will own and operate a brand-new conference facility, the Casino del Sol Resort, Spa & Conference Center, located 15 minutes from Tucson International Airport and downtown Tucson. A 161,000-square-foot facility, the complex will feature a meeting and convention center with more than 65,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, a grand ballroom for trade shows, meetings, seminars and events, plus a conference center with a capacity for up to 2,000 guests. The property will also feature a 215-room hotel.
“This is our first new-build in a while,” says Graeme Hughes, director of convention sales for the Metropolitan Tucson CVB. “It’s the first full-service conference facility that we’ve had come into the marketplace in almost two years now. So we’re very excited.”
Hughes says planners familiar with other desert destinations will be surprised at the authenticity of the Tucson experience. It is not a manufactured city plopped down in the middle of the desert.
“We’ve done a great job locally preserving heritage, architecture and open space,” he says. “When planners experience Tucson for the first time, they remark about the open space. It’s a very rugged topography here. It’s not flat at all. It’s surrounded on all sides by mountains. Wherever you are in Tucson, you’re 20 minutes away from a national forest.”
While the trio of Native, Mexican and Anglo culture dominates the area, Tucson resonates for quite a few other reasons. Golf, for instance, constantly puts the city on a planner’s map, and several of the destination’s top meetings-friendly resorts feature world-class links, in addition to numerous other amenities. Loews Ventana Canyon offers 36 holes of Tom Fazio-designed golf. Both The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain and the Westin La Paloma offer courses designed by Jack Nicklaus. The course at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa was designed by Arnold Palmer.
What’s more, Tucson is the astronomy capital of North America, with the largest concentration of high-powered telescopes in the world. According to Hughes, planners often take advantage of Tucson’s clear-air environment and how stargazing can enliven a group outing.
“Astronomy is a big industry down here,” Hughes says. “A lot of groups will do events outdoors at the properties or off-site, and they’ll hire the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association to come and set up a high-powered telescope at the venue for the attendees to look through as part of their event. It’s a real interactive experience.”
In the city, the Tucson Convention Center offers 205,000 square feet of function space. The Hotel Arizona adjoins the complex, with 309 guest rooms and 40,000 square feet of meeting space.
Groups shouldn’t feel limited to just the immediate Tucson area, of course. Located in Tubac, the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa includes the Geronimo Conference Center, with 2,700 square feet of space plus a 4,500-square-foot patio and several boardrooms and private spaces. The Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico features 56,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, plus 18 holes of golf designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Yuma
Yuma is located on the Colorado River halfway between San Diego and Phoenix, about a 2.5-hour drive from either location, so regional meetings from California, Nevada and Mexico are common. Popular themes for group events include historic, adventure, military, indigenous and agricultural.
“Everyone leaves shocked at how wonderful Yuma is,” says Shannan Louser, convention and tourism sales manager at the Yuma Visitors Bureau. “People are amazed at how much there is to do in our community. Groups are greeted by a small-town hospitality, where everyone is happy to bend over backwards to make sure that each group is more than satisfied with their trip.”
Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the sunniest place on Earth, Yuma features an annual mean of 4,055 hours of a possible 4,456 hours of sunlight. That translates to sunshine 91 percent of the time.
From now through the end of August 2012, planners can take advantage of its sunny reputation by gambling on bad weather. That is, Yuma is offering complimentary meals at participating restaurants and hotels on each day the sun doesn’t shine. One hundred years ago, hotels in the area would actually offer a similar deal.
“We revived this offer to celebrate Arizona’s centennial and to spotlight our wonderful weather,” Louser says. “When an officially cloudy day is announced at 5 p.m., all hotel guests are treated to a dinner on us.”
The Pivot Point Conference Center, along with the adjoining Hilton Garden Inn Yuma, offers 21,500 square feet of meeting and banquet space, including prefunction areas and flexible outdoor space. The main ballroom accommodates up to 1,000 people for a reception.
The Quechan Casino and Resort features four restaurants, a Mediterranean-themed gaming floor and a wealth of top-notch entertainment. For planners, the property offers a 20,000-square-foot event center and six meeting rooms at approximately 2,700 to 3,100 square feet each. Boardrooms and a prefunction area are also available.
Gary Singh is a newspaper columnist, travel writer and freelance journalist.
