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Weekly UpdatesThings tend toward the large in the Lone Star State. Texas has several large meeting cities; most states can boast of only a couple. Adding to the allure is a crop of newly expanded facilities, all willing to negotiate to fill the space. And Texas cities are competitive among themselves, so bringing a meeting to Texas means you'll likely get a good deal.
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Exciting convention center hotels are on the drawing boards in Fort Worth and San Antonio, and sparkling new Hilton properties in Austin and Houston are successfully serving the convention markets in those cities. Grapevine, home of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, saw the opening of the landmark Gaylord Texan last year.
Speaking of DFW Airport, it may have lost the Delta hub, but it is putting the finishing touches on a new Terminal D, serving international flights. And it will also see the completion of the Grand Hyatt DFW this summer.
In Dallas, the entertainment and arts districts are growing. Like Dallas, Houston is touting a new light rail system that is convenient and user-friendly for convention-goers. Arlington, the "fun central" suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth is already beginning to capitalize on a public vote that will eventually move the Cowboys football team to a stadium near the Texas Rangers major league baseball club. Irving and Las Colinas have plenty to offer, too, with quality hotels, resorts, golf, restaurants, canals, and unique venues.
And the Texas landscape is so diverse that if you want to take your group "way out West" to El Paso or Amarillo or "down to the coast" to Galveston or Corpus Christi, you'll find helpful CVBs, modern facilities, great accommodations, and hospitality folks who know how to make you feel at home.
AMARILLO
NEW HOTELS, PERFORMANCE CENTERS
Amarillo may have a Western personality, but it is certainly not a remote site for convention-goers. There's nonstop service from Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Dallas's Love Field, Albuquerque, Denver, and Las Vegas. Interstate 40, where the bulk of Amarillo's lodging is situated, makes driving in easy, too.
Four new properties--the Ashmore Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, Courtyard by Marriott, and Homewood Suites by Hilton--have added more than 360 rooms and suites to Amarillo's accommodations. Several other properties under construction or development will add another 300 rooms to Amarillo's inventory.
The recent expansion of the Amarillo Civic Center included a new 24,500-square-foot exhibit hall and a 20,700-square-foot ballroom that can be converted into 20 breakout rooms. The 70,000-square-foot expansion of meeting, exhibit, and banquet space brings the civic center's total to almost 340,000 square feet.
The center's South Exhibit Hall also was upgraded with a new floor, new floor boxes with electrical and fiber optic cable, and updated wall treatments. Other improvements include expanded concourses and an additional box office to support events at the 5,000-seat Cal Farley Coliseum; a covered patio; a partially covered outdoor exhibit area adjacent to the South Exhibit Hall; and two new catering kitchens.
The Kwahadi-Kiva Indian Museum and Performance Center, which opened in 2004, is home to a great collection of Native American artifacts as well as the internationally known Kwahadi Indian dancers. The Kiva has several indoor and outdoor plazas that are suited for board gatherings, receptions, and meals.
A new small-group venue will open in 2005. The Mary Bivins Tropical Conservatory, a 6,000-square-foot, glass-enclosed facility at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, will feature a variety of tropical flora and fauna.
Another big development on the horizon for Amarillo is the $27 million Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. Scheduled for completion in October, the downtown, 1,200-seat venue will be home to professional ballet, opera, and symphony companies as well as host to a variety of concerts. It will be a great venue for special events during meetings and conventions.
ARLINGTON
HEART OF METROPLEX ANTICIPATES COWBOYS
Arlington is "fun central," but it's future-centered, too. Last fall, Arlington voters approved an initiative to bring the Dallas Cowboys to the city in 2009 by helping to fund a new stadium home for the team. Dirt should be flying by this time next year on the $650 million development adjacent to Arlington's entertainment district, which already includes Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, and Ameriquest Field, home of the Texas Rangers.
The fall football schedule is expected to boost Arlington's draw year-round. New hotels, restaurants, and expansions are anticipated. The new state-of-the-art facility should attract large-scale gatherings such as political assemblies, inspirational rallies, concerts, and additional sports events. Hopes for a Super Bowl are already emerging.
Meanwhile, Arlington is going about the business of attracting meetings. The Arlington Convention Center has an exhibit hall with almost 50,000 square feet of flexible, column-free space and a 30,000-square-foot, hotel-quality ballroom. There's also a gallery, a terrace, and 8,500 square feet of meeting rooms.
And all this is situated in the heart of the city's entertainment district, on Interstate 30 between Dallas and Fort Worth, just 15 minutes south of DFW International Airport.
AUSTIN
DOWNTOWN'S BOOMING AND RESORTS ARE NEARBY
Convention planners and attendees are clearly impressed by Austin. The city's meeting and trade show business has risen steadily during the past five years, largely because it doubled the size of its convention center, expanded air access, and secured a convention center hotel.
The Texas Library Association, whose convention draws about 7,500 annually, left Austin in the late 1960s for bigger venues but returned in April 2005. Austin-based TLA used the Hilton Austin Convention Center Hotel and the Austin Convention Center, which covers six city blocks downtown.
Among Austin's attractions are the Sixth Street and Warehouse District entertainment areas, Town Lake, offbeat shopping districts, the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Austin supports a rich cultural community. The Jack Blanton Museum of Art is scheduled to open on the University of Texas campus, just north of downtown, in 2006.
Austin is known widely as the "live music capital of the world." That reputation is part of the draw for two new conventions coming to Austin in 2005 and 2006. This July will mark the first time the International Music Products Association, Carlsbad, California, known as NAMM, comes to Austin, but it won't be the last. NAMM is already contracted to return in 2008 and 2010. The summer trade show and conference is expected to attract about 20,000 attendees and should have a $20 million impact on the city. Austin also will be hosting the 18th annual North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance in February 2006.
Sports are big in the hometown of the Texas Longhorns. Last year Austin hosted the Association of Volleyball Professionals, Los Angeles, and a beach volleyball tournament that featured many participants who went to the 2004 Olympics.
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A unique Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott is coming to downtown Austin. The combined facility will have 420 rooms and suites and will share a restaurant/sports bar, breakfast cafe, Starbucks, indoor pool and fitness center, and 6,600 square feet of meeting space.
Marriott is now managing the Horseshoe Bay Resort on Lake LBJ, northwest of Austin. A new tower opened last fall, bringing the property's room total to 349, of which 115 are suites. There are three Robert Trent Jones golf courses, a marina, and eateries as well as conference space, a 12,000-square-foot ballroom, and outdoor function areas.
The Hyatt Regency resort planned by Woodbine Development on a 405-acre site southeast of Austin broke ground last fall. The hotel will have 500 rooms and more than 50,000 square feet of meeting space. The project includes an 18-hole golf course, a full-service spa, and other amenities. Completion is scheduled for summer 2006 and group bookings have already begun.
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CORPUS CHRISTI
SHOWCASING NEW CONVENTION CENTER EXPANSION
Corpus Christi is proudly showcasing its newly expanded and renovated convention center. The AmericanBank Center includes a new 10,000-seat multipurpose arena connected by concourse to the convention center's pre-function hall. Both the arena and the convention center offer spectacular views of the bay.
The convention center features two ballrooms, one 25,366 square feet, divisible into two rooms, and the other, 18,530 square feet, divisible into four separate spaces. State-of-the-art audiovisual and data communication systems and two large catering kitchens serve the complex, which also includes the Selena Auditorium.
This spring, Nolan Ryan is bringing a Houston Astros Double A team, the Corpus Christi Hooks, to town. Whataburger, a Corpus Christi-based corporation, is putting its name on a new $21.5 million stadium for the team. Located near the Ortiz Center on the cruise port of the city, the new stadium will have more than 5,000 seats and 19 luxury suites.
The city is also working on a new bayfront seawall and has plans for a boardwalk and beach expansion. Other bay attractions, such as the Texas State Aquarium and the U.S.S. Lexington Museum, offer special event venues.
Corpus Christi has more than 9,200 rooms citywide. Closest to AmericanBank Center, the Omni Corpus Christi Bayfront and Marina Towers have a combined 820 rooms and 38,000 square feet of conference space, and the Holiday Inn Emerald Beach has 368 rooms.
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