Arizona. (Western Update).

PHOENIX

The citizens of Phoenix have put their city on the path to regaining meetings market share with ballot approval of a $300 million convention center expansion. The Phoenix Civic Plaza is preparing to double its size to more than 700,000 square feet, following extensive renovations and high-tech upgrades to best serve more than 1 million visitors each year.

There's a reason this region is known as "The Resort Capital of the World," and properties are popping up all over. Nearby to the northeast, construction has begun on Marriott's Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, which will be Arizona's largest resort and hotel when it opens in November 2002. Construction is also underway on the $180 million, 750-room Westin Kierland Resort, set to open in early 2003. South of the city, ground has been broken on the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa, a 500-room riverside resort that will be ready for business by the end of this year.