NORTH-CENTRAL REGION
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Santa Fe offers 400 years of history, unique architecture, delicious dining, and spectacular scenery, along with plenty of options for meeting venues, according to Joanne Hudson, public relations manager for Tourism Santa Fe.
Built in 2008, the 72,000-square-foot Santa Fe Community Convention Center stays true to Santa Fe’s historic adobe architecture. The convention center accommodates events of all sizes, with 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and state-of-the-art audiovisual capabilities on par with the nation’s best facilities, according to Hudson.
The city’s unique, theater-style venues include the 450-seat, circa-1917 Saint Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art and the 821-seat Lensic Performing Arts Center.
The Santa Fe Farmers Market Pavilion is a flexible, warehouse-style venue, featuring a 9,800-square-foot hall with a capacity of 600. Adjacent to the New Mexico Rail Runner train, it offers access to both the Santa Fe and Albuquerque markets and has plenty of parking.
Hotels in the historic Santa Fe Plaza area with event space include the 219-room, AAA Four Diamond Eldorado Hotel and Spa, with 25,737 square feet of meeting space; 180-room La Fonda on the Plaza, which has more than 21,000 square feet of meeting space; 182-room Drury Plaza Hotel, with 20,000 square feet; and Inn and Spa at Loretto, with 138 suites/rooms and 12,000 square fee tof meeting space. A smaller hotel for intimate gatherings is 215 Washington Plaza Hotel, with seven unique suites.
Located three blocks from Santa Fe Plaza, The Washington Inn is scheduled to open early this year with 27 suites (no two suites will be alike). Construction is also underway on the Hotel Flora in the Santa Fe Railyard, a 27-key boutique hotel designed and operated by Charlestowne Hotels.
Last year, Santa Fe Regional Airport (SAF) completed the first phase of a multi-phase expansion project, bringing an additional departure gate, a larger passenger waiting area with a café, and parking and infrastructure upgrades. American Airlines and United offer flights between Santa Fe and Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
Groups can enjoy shopping at the Native American Artisans Portal Program at the Palace of the Governors and visiting the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the Canyon Road Art Gallery and Railyard districts. From the convention center, attendees can explore the walkable historic Santa Fe Plaza area with historic sites, art galleries, locally owned restaurants, museums, and boutique shops. For more adventurous groups, Santa Fe offers horseback riding, river rafting, off-road excursions, and golf.
