Irving, Texas

With a central location in between Dallas and Fort Worth, a hotel selection far above other cities its size, and an at-your-service attitude for providing VIP treatment to groups large and small, Irving, Texas, offers planners first-tier accessibility, accommodations, and amenities - without the big city hassle. More than 75 hotels and 11,000 rooms, in categories ranging from AAA five-diamond resort, to all-suite extended stay, to economy, fit the needs of many meetings. Thousands of meetings, numbering up to 500 delegates, are held each year here. The city's 12 full-service hotels provide more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space, with an additional 100,000 square feet of space in off-site venues. Irving is home to the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Stadium, and the PGA Tour's Byron Nelson Championship. The National Scouting Museum, Irving Arts Center, the Las Colinas Equestrian Center and Polo Club, and gondola excursions on the European-styled Mandalay Canal also offer unique settings for special functions. Dallas is 15 minutes east and Fort Worth a mere 20 minutes west, so live music, world-class museums and restaurants are close by. The Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau's (ICVB) services include coordinating bid proposals, site selection help, developing itineraries, registration assistance, marketing, and publicity. In addition, the ICVB can coordinate spouse tours and special functions, as well as assist in planning should attendees wish to stay longer to take advantage of Irving's great weekend rates. The bureau's Web site, www.irvingtexas.com, offers a "Hot Deals" section.

At a Glance

Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau
222 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 1550
Irving, Texas 75039
Phone: (972) 252-7476 or (800) 2-IRVING
Fax: (972) 257-3153
Web site: www.irvingtexas.com
E-mail: icvb@airmail.net

Meeting Facilities
Number of Hotels: 75-plus
Number of Committable Rooms: 11,000
Number of Full-service Meeting
Properties: 12
Total Hotel Event Space: 200,000 sq. ft.
Total Off-site Event Space: 100,000 sq. ft.

HOTELS
• Clarion DFW Airport - DFW South (409 rooms, seven suites)
• Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott (491 rooms, seven suites)
• Dallas Marriott - Las Colinas (361 rooms, three suites)
• Embassy Suites - DFW Airport South (409 rooms)
• Four Seasons Resort and Club (397 rooms, 15 suites)
• Hilton Garden Inn - DFW Airport South (151 rooms, 23 suites)
• Holiday Inn Select - DFW Airport North (282 rooms, four suites)
• Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas (421 rooms, 96 suites)
• Radisson Hotel - DFW South (200 rooms, 96 suites)
• Sheraton Grand Hotel - DFW Airport (303 rooms, nine suites)
• Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport (506 rooms, 58 suites)
• Wyndham Hotel - Las Colinas (168 rooms, 43 suites)

ATTRACTIONS/OFF-SITE VENUES
• Gondola Adventures
• Irving Arts Center
• Las Colinas Equestrian Center and Polo Club
• Mandalay Canal and Lake
Carolyn
• Mustangs of Las Colinas
• National Scouting Museum
• Texas Stadium, home of the Dallas
Cowboys
• Five golf courses

TRANSPORTATION
Centrally located between the East and West Coasts, Irving is less than a three-and-a-half-hour flight from any airport in the continental United States. Irving is also situated in between - and just minutes from - Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Love Field, and is intersected by five major interstates.

Service aboard the Trinity Railway Express makes getting around the area simple with two rail stops in Irving connecting into downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth.

Pasadena

An expanded, state -of-the-art convention center, chic boutiques, fine dining, resort hotels, and priceless art. Don't get the passport ready just yet. All this and more can be found stateside in Pasadena, Calif. Like the great cities of Europe, Pasadena is pedestrian friendly. Convention delegates can walk from nearby hotels to the Pasadena Convention Center, which has embarked upon a $121 million expansion. In spring 2009, meeting planners and their delegates will revel in 85,000 square feet of exhibit space, 28 meeting rooms, a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, and the 3,000-seat Pasadena Civic Auditorium. With the existing convention center operational, groups don't have to wait until 2009 to experience Pasadena's allure. The Westin, Hilton, and five-diamond Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa recently completed multimillion-dollar renovations. Old Pasadena, a popular 22-block open-air entertainment district, offers 200 one-of-a-kind boutiques, galleries, outdoor cafes, and clubs. As the birthplace of legendary chef Julia Child, it is fitting that Pasadena is home to 500 of the area's finest restaurants. Museum-goers can catch a glimpse of masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, and more. An original Gutenberg Bible, 150 acres of gardens, and rare works from Shakespeare are a few of the other treasures found here. Sports enthusiasts can play a round of golf or enjoy an event at the world-famous Rose Bowl Stadium. Antique collectors can browse the massive Rose Bowl Flea Market. The Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau's destination experts offer a variety of services to meeting planners. In addition to no-cost site selection assistance and a complimentary housing service, the CVB can help with transportation, spousal tours, promotional materials, and much more.

At a Glance

Pasadena Convention &
Visitors Bureau
171 S. Los Robles Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: (800) 307-7977
Fax: (626) 795-9656
Web site: www.PasadenaCal.com
E-mail: cvb@pasadenacal.com

MEETING FACILITIES
Pasadena Convention Center
Current:
Exhibit Pavilion: 27,000 sq. ft.
Meeting Rooms: 20
Civic Auditorium: 3,000 seats
Spring 2009:
Exhibit Space: 85,000 sq. ft.
Meeting Rooms: 28
New Ballroom: 25,000 sq. ft.
Civic Auditorium: 3,000 seats

HOTELS
Number of Properties: 5 hotels and 10 motels
Number of Rooms: 2,500
Number of Rooms Within Walking
Distance of Pasadena Convention Center: 1,277
Hotels:
• The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa (392 rooms)
• The Westin Pasadena (350 rooms)
• Hilton Pasadena (296 rooms)
• Sheraton Pasadena Hotel (317 rooms)
• Old Pasadena Courtyard by Marriott (314 rooms)

ATTRACTIONS
• Old Pasadena (22-block shopping/entertainment district)
• Brookside Golf Course
• Norton Simon Museum
• The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
• Rose Bowl Stadium
• The Gamble House
• Wrigley Mansion & Gardens
• Pacific Asia Museum
• Pasadena Museum of California Art

AIR TRANSPORTATION
Los Angeles International Airport is located 29 miles from Pasadena and offers non-stop and direct flights daily from every major national and international airline carrier, including United, American, Southwest, Delta, Northwest, Alaska, Continental, America West, and US Airways.

Burbank/Bob Hope Airport, which is just 16 miles away, is serviced by Alaska, American, America West, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United Airlines. The airport offers an average of 75 flights daily.

Salt Lake City

Five years after hosting one of the most successful winter Olym- pics ever, Salt Lake is thriving as a convention and four-season tourism destination as never before. Long-known as a gateway for the nation's most stunning national parks, Salt Lake offers visitors anything and everything imaginable throughout the year: 11 resorts within one hour of the Salt Lake City International Airport, featuring "The Greatest Snow on Earth" and immediate access to thousands of miles of hiking and biking trails. In addition, Salt Lake is capitalizing on what the Olympics initiated in terms of exceptional cultural arts and an eclectic array of restaurants and nightlife. Of course, Salt Lake and Utah are still best known for their unmatched outdoor recreational offerings and the accessibility to the great outdoors, winter or summer. Enhancing the Utah experience for convention attendees looking to mix business with pleasure, there are easy-to-use packages for both winter and summer visitors: the ultra-convenient Ski Salt Lake Super Pass, and the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass, offering access to 12 of the area's top attractions. Combine the metropolitan look, feel, and offerings of Salt Lake, not to mention the stunning backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains and ultra-accessible international airport, and you have what is arguably one of the most complete and diverse meeting destinations in North America. For more information on all there is to see and do in Salt Lake, from outdoor recreation to the arts, from restaurants to lodging accommodations, from nightlife to convention facilities, log on to www.VisitSaltLake.com. Then discover for yourself how Salt Lake truly is "Different by Nature."

At a Glance

Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau
Mark White, vice president of sales
90 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Phone: (800) 541-4955 or (801) 534-4933
Web site: www.MeetInSaltLake.com
E-mail: Mark@saltlake.org

MEETING FACILITIES
Salt Palace Convention Center
Total Space: 679,000 sq. ft.
Total Exhibit Space: 515,000 sq. ft.
Total Meeting Space: 164,000 sq. ft. (including 45,000-sq.-ft. ballroom)
Total Meeting Rooms: 66

ADDITIONAL MEETING FACILITIES
• South Towne Exposition Center (South Valley)
• The 23rd Floor (Downtown Salt Lake City)
• Energy Solutions Arena (Downtown Salt Lake City)

HOTELS
Total Rooms: 16,800
Rooms Within Walking Distance of Salt Palace Convention Center: 7,125
Largest:
• Little America Hotel (850 rooms)
• Grand America Hotel (775 rooms)
• Marriott Salt Lake City Downtown (515 rooms)
• Hilton Salt Lake City Center (499 rooms)
• Red Lion Salt Lake Downtown (392 rooms)
• Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown (381 rooms)
• Sheraton City Center Hotel Salt Lake City (362 rooms)
• Marriott Salt Lake City Center (359 rooms)

ATTRACTIONS
• Ski Salt Lake Resorts (Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude)
• Clark Planetarium
• Discovery Gateway
• Red Butte Garden
• Temple Square (Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
• Kennecott Copper Mine
• The Family History Library (world's largest collection of genealogy records)
• Utah Museum of Natural History
• Utah Museum of Fine Arts

AIR SERVICE/ACCESSIBILITY
The Salt Lake City International Airport is served by 17 airlines, with non-stop service to 100-plus destinations, including Delta Air Lines, American, Atlantic Southeast, Continental, Continental Express, Delta Connection, Frontier, JetBlue, Mesa, Northwest, Shuttle America, SkyWest, Southwest, United Airlines, United Express, US Airways, and US Airways Express. More than half the nation's population is within a 2.5-hour flight of Salt Lake, which is bisected by Interstates 15 (north-south) and 80 (east-west), and served by rail, making it the "Crossroads of the West."