Arizona.

THE WEST WILL WOW YOUR GROUP

Just when you think that the West can't get any more appealing as a meeting destination, it does in spectacular fashion. Impressive new projects are happening all across the western United States, creating more meeting options for your group to consider. From new convention and airport facilities to luxurious mega-resorts and tourist attractions, a lot is new and improved to entice your group. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

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MESA

Mesa has been a big reason why the Valley of the Sun continues to grow rapidly. Now the third largest city in Arizona with more than 400,000 residents, Mesa grew by more than 100,000 people between 1990 and 2000.

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At the heart of all the valley has to offer, Mesa is less than 30 minutes from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and it has more than 60 hotels and motels from which to choose.

Among the city's largest meetings-oriented properties are the 273-room Sheraton Phoenix East (more than 52,000 square feet of meeting space); 263-room Hilton Phoenix East (more than 22,000 square feet of meeting space); and the 130-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Conference Center, which features a new, 15,000-square-foot meeting facility.

The Mesa Centennial Center offers a 15,000-square-foot, open-floor exhibit hall with 4,000 square feet of adjacent meeting space and a theater with 100 tiered seats and videoconferencing capability.

PHOENIX

Hotels and resorts throughout the Valley of the Sun appear to be gearing up for the Phoenix Civic Plaza Convention Center's $600 million expansion. The Arizona Biltmore Resort added a 25,000-square-foot ballroom as part of a $32 million renovation, and the area's largest resort, the 950-room J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, opened in late 2002 with two golf courses, a 28,000-square-foot spa, and ballrooms of 26,000 and 33,000 square feet.

Two other upscale resorts opened in late 2002: the 750-room Westin Kierland Resort with 60,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, including a 25,000-square-foot ballroom and the 500-room Sheraton Wild Horse Resort and Spa with two 18-hole golf courses, an equestrian center, and the Wild Horse Pass Casino.

The center expansion is officially under way with schematic designs approved and the official groundbreaking ceremony taking place in December. The first phase of the project involves construction of the West Building, which will provide 165,000 square feet of space on four levels. It will be ready for groups in early 2006.

The first floor of the West Building will be below grade and offer a 65,000-square-foot exhibit hall. The street-level and second floors will provide 50,000 square feet of meeting space, including a conference center component, while the third level will feature a 50,000-square-foot, multipurpose room.

The existing South Building will connect to the new West Building, providing an additional 143,000 square feet of space for exhibits or meetings.

The entire expansion will be completed in three phases, increasing total rentable space from 302,000 to more than 900,000 square feet. All construction will be completed by mid-2009. Phoenix city officials are working to develop at least 1,000 additional downtown hotel rooms to open concurrently with the expanded center.

SCOTTSDALE

For a community without a convention center, Scottsdale does a tremendous amount of meetings business. Statistics show that approximately 60 percent of Scottsdale's annual visitation is related to meetings. It's not hard to understand, given that the city offers more than 12,000 hotel rooms and more than 680,000 square feet of meeting space within 20 minutes of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and its 1,300 daily flights to 105 cities.

Scottsdale also offers some of the country's finest meetings-oriented resorts. And many of Scottsdale's great properties have upgraded recently. The 654-room Phoenician Resort just completed a $7 million renovation, including upgrades to its 65,000 square feet of meeting space. The 453-room Camelback Inn Resort & Spa became a J.W. Marriott Resort in January, soon after completing an $8 million upgrade of its 32,000-square-foot spa. The venerable landmark resort also will renovate its 16,000-square-foot ballroom this summer. It offers 40,000 square feet of meeting space overall.

Two other premier resorts in Scottsdale are the 493-room Hyatt Regency Scottsdale with 35,000 square feet of meeting space in 29 rooms and the 650-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, which features a 22,500-square-foot Grand Ballroom and a 44,000-square-foot spa.

A truly upscale community, Scottsdale offers an amazing array of amenities. Nearly 200 golf courses grace the metropolitan area, as do more than 25 destination and day spas. Downtown Scottsdale offers a shopping and entertainment extravaganza with more than 500 shops, restaurants, art galleries, studios, nightclubs, and museums. Fashion Square offers even more shopping in 1.8 million square feet of space, which houses 225 shops, department stores, and restaurants. From fusion cuisine to mesquite-grilled cowboy steaks, Scottsdale's more than 600 restaurants have something for every taste.

TUCSON

With nearly 1.5 million acres of federal and state recreation areas, some of the nation's best golf courses, and the year-round great weather in which to use them, it's no wonder Men's Fitness Magazine named Tucson one of America's "fittest" cities.

But for many visitors, Tucson means world-class resorts and spas. And come December, Tucson will get its first new resort in almost 20 years when the Starr Pass Marriott Resort & Spa opens. The 575-room property's 88,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space will make it the largest resort in Southern Arizona, and its location in the Tucson Mountain foothills makes it the closest resort to both the airport and downtown. The property will offer a 20,000-square-foot spa, 27 holes of championship golf, and an underground parking lot.

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Other top area resorts include the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador (428 rooms, more than 100,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor function space), Loews Ventana Canyon (398 rooms, more than 37,000 square feet of meeting space), Omni Tucson National (167 rooms, 15,000 square feet of meeting space), Tucson Westward Look (244 rooms, 20,000 square feet of meeting space), and Westin LaPaloma (487 rooms, 42,000 square feet of meeting space).

The Tucson Convention Center is a versatile facility with more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space that can be separated into three halls, a 20,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, a 511-seat theater, a 2,289-seat performance hall, and an 8,750-seat arena. A free downtown shuttle service makes connections to the convention center and the Fourth Avenue entertainment district quick and easy.