The last of the contiguous states to join the Union in 1912, Arizona celebrated its centennial this year with a number of commemorative events and legacy projects. It’s a century in which the 48th state created highways, cities and other hallmarks of modernity, but there is no mistaking the ancient land that was here first.
Bordering Mexico along its entire width, the state’s less urbanized southern stretch typifies the beguiling, monumental nature of the Arizona landscape. With vast desert floors sweeping up to high peaks and forested with the signature saguaro cactus, this rugged Southwestern expanse, easily evoking its Native American and Wild West past, endures as one of America’s most enticing draws.
“For those who may think they know Arizona but are not fully acquainted with our destination, our appeal lies in our authenticity,” says Graeme Hughes, director of convention sales for the Metropolitan Tucson CVB.
Along with Yuma, which borders California at Arizona’s southwesternmost corner, historic Tucson radiates with genuine experiences for groups, mixing the new with the old on a stage kissed by the sun since the beginning of time.
Greater Tucson
As the state’s second-largest and fastest-growing industry overall, tourism attracted 7.2 million domestic overnight travelers to Southern Arizona last year. Of the nearly $3.5 billion directly spent by these travelers, close to $2.4 billion was generated by visitors to Tucson and Pima County. For planners, this ensures a mature leisure and hospitality infrastructure and diversions galore for delegates.
“While primarily considered a leisure destination, Tucson remains front of mind for meeting planners nationwide thanks in part to our extensive portfolio of major hotel brands as well as unique, independently owned local properties,” Hughes says.
Tucson’s well-diversified lodging mix starts with its famed destination resorts and spas, such as the 575-room JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa, featuring over 88,000 square feet of meeting space, 27 holes of championship golf and a 20,000-square-foot spa.
Other portfolio highlights include a cluster of properties in the Santa Catalina foothills just north of the city, such as the 487-room Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, the brand’s top-ranked North American property for planner satisfaction for six of the last eight years (see Happenings, page 28). Also nestled in this ruggedly scenic area is the AAA Four Diamond Loews Ventana Canyon, featuring 398 newly renovated guest rooms and top-ranked meeting and convention services. The 1929 adobe-style Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, meanwhile, features 30 private casitas, guest rooms and suites, and is ideal for intimate corporate, academic, social and travel group gatherings. PageBreak
Counting some 108 properties and 10,005 rooms within city limits alone, Tucson’s collection of mid-level flags, including Radisson, Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton and Doubletree, contribute to this thriving market segment.
Several outstanding meetings properties are also found outside the city. Tucked away in the Tortolita Mountains northwest of Tucson, the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain features more than 44,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space and amenities such as adventure programming and a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course.
Established in 1752 as a Spanish fort, artful Tubac, some 45 miles south of Tucson, is home to the 98-room Tubac Golf Resort & Spa and attractions like the historic missions of Tumacacori National Historical Park. Nearby, the Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico features 179 rooms “culturally adorned” with Native American, Old West, Spanish and Mexican design themes, and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
With a long and accomplished record of hosting major events that draw tens of thousands of participants, including La Fiesta de los Vaqueros (the Tucson Rodeo & Parade, started in 1925), the local Tucson Meet Yourself festival (1974) and the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase (1955), Tucson offers hundreds of venues for groups.
Featuring 205,000 square feet of flexible space, the Tucson Convention Center is the city’s main stage for conventions, trade shows, expos and banquets, featuring three large exhibition halls and a courtyard for outdoor events that leads to the adjacent Leo Rich Theatre and the Music Hall.
For unique off-site venues, popular choices include Old Tucson Studios, a replica of 1860s Tucson built in 1938 for the movie Arizona (and used for dozens of productions in the decades that followed) and now serving as a theme and event park. Featuring a stirring collection of warbirds inside and outside, the Pima Air & Space Museum can accommodate groups of up to 700 inside its Flight Central Hangar and a virtually unlimited number of guests for outdoor events.
Opened in 1922, El Charro Mexican Cafe is a legendary dining choice for groups, while the 1901 Stillwell House & Garden is a former home converted into an elegant event facility. For a truly offbeat choice, the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, a 15,560-square-foot museum displaying antique and contemporary miniatures, offers rental space for up to 50 guests.
Authentic in every way, Tucson—officially founded in 1776 but inhabited by Native Americans for some 4,000 years beforehand—delivers real results. PageBreak
Yuma
Like Tucson, Yuma enjoys near-uninterrupted sunshine, earning this appealing city at the confluence of the Colorado and Gila Rivers recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Sunniest Place on Earth.” First explored by the Spanish in 1540, the former Arizona City’s illustrious history includes a spell as one of the Old West’s wildest towns and a World War II desert training ground established by Major Gen. George Patton.
Today, Yuma is the largest city in Arizona outside the metro areas of Phoenix and Tucson. True to its heritage as a strategic crossing and gathering point, Yuma, located almost halfway between Phoenix and San Diego and within convenient reach of Tijuana and Mexicali, is ideally positioned for regional business and social gatherings.
“Yuma is large enough to offer a variety of modern meeting facilities and accommodations for all budgets, but small enough to really care about your business,” says Linda Jordan, executive director of the Yuma Visitors Bureau. “We roll out the red carpet for groups of all sizes, and will work hard to make you feel right at home with our warm Yuma welcome.”
A longtime favorite with sun-seeking snowbirds, Yuma offers nearly 4,000 hotel rooms, along with a number of conference facilities and three casinos.
Located in the Yuma Crossing National Historic Landmark on the banks of the Colorado River, the Pivot Point Conference Center and adjoining Hilton Garden Inn Yuma/Pivot Point Hotel encompass more than 21,500 square feet of meeting and banquet space, including spacious prefunction areas and flexible outdoor space accommodating a variety of gatherings.
With other primary conference facilities including the Yuma Civic Center, Pipa Events Center at Quechan Casino and Arizona Western College “3C” Center, the city offers several attractive off-site venues. Accommodating groups of up to 100 people, the hilltop Yuma Territorial Prison (1876-1909) is the main attraction at Arizona’s most-visited state historic park.
Located within the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, formerly used by the U.S. Army to store and distribute supplies throughout the Southwest, hosts outdoor gatherings for up to 400 people.
Yuma is the nation’s winter vegetable capital, with its $3.2 billion annual agricultural output making up more than a third of the state’s total. Notably producing more than 175 different crops and seeds, Yuma is also a growing agritourism destination. New this year, Agri-U is an educational program that includes seminars, field trips, culinary classes and opportunities to meet local growers.
How sunny is it in Yuma? Reviving a hotel’s marketing campaign from around 1905 that promised “free board every day the sun doesn’t shine,” the Yuma Visitors Bureau and select local hotel partners instituted a similar campaign this past year, offering free meals (and other offers) on cloudy days. With a final score of Sunshine 365, Gloom 0, the program earned a Governor’s Tourism Award and exemplifies the many bright ideas awaiting Yuma and Southern Arizona groups.
Regular Meetings Focus contributor Jeff Heilman’s all-time favorite salsa? “It’s going back a few years now, but I’ve never met the equal of that perfect recipe made by two retired doctors in Tubac.”
