Total meeting and exhibit space: Nearly 900,000 square feet
Exhibit halls: 13
Meeting rooms: 106
Phoenix Convention Center
Arizona’s Premier Meetings and EventsVenue
ONEOFTHE25LARGESTCONVENTIONCENTERSINNORTH America, the Phoenix Convention Center is a state-of-the-art facility in downtown Phoenix, capable of accommodating 80 percent of the largest conventions in the United States. The center is split up into a 26-acre campus of three buildings— North, South, andWest—with a combined total of 900,000 square feet of meeting space, 13 exhibit halls, 106 meeting rooms, and three ballrooms. Beyond its flexible size, the center’s soaring steel canopies and glass and stone atriums, inspired by Arizona’s dra- matic desert landscape, cre- ate a stunning backdrop for meetings and special events of all kinds. Accessibility is key to the
success of a convention, and both the Phoenix Convention Center and Phoenix itself hit themark. The city’sMETRO LightRail line,which includes a stop at the center, connects visitors fromdowntown to Sky Harbor International Airport in just15minutes.Amultitude of other venues, alsomanaged by the center, are either on site or withinwalking distance. The IACC-accredited, 21,000-square-footExecutive Conference CenterDowntownPhoenix is inside the center’sWest Build- ing, and the 2,312-seat Symphony Hall auditoriumand the 1,364-seatOrpheumTheatre (listed on theNational Register
92 pcma convene February 2012
of Historic Places) are both just a shortwalkaway. When it comes to sustainability, the Phoenix Convention
Center not only does its part but also sets a precedent for the convention industry as a whole. The LEED Silver–certified building has won twoValley Forward Environmental Excel- lence awards and is an active participant in the green meet- ings market. The center even hosted Greenbuild 2009 and several other sustainability- focused events. State-of-the- art features include high-effi- ciency irrigation systems that reduce potable-water con- sumption by 56 percent; an automated, building-wide system that reduces energy consumption; and the addi- tion of many native plants throughout the campus. Recycling and green pur- chasing programs have been implemented to cut down on
waste, and the addition of a rooftop solar-power plant has reduced carbon-dioxide emissions by 95 metric tons. Innovation at the Phoenix Convention Center doesn’t stop
with sustainability.Aventura Catering, the center’s exclusive F&Bprovider, works with local farmers and producers to
WASTE MATTERS: In addition to developing a rooftop solar-power plant, the Phoenix Convention Center recently installed an Organic Refuse Conversion Alternative (ORCA), a machine that con- verts food waste into nutrient-rich plant food.