For years, Texas has promoted itself as the “land of contrasts,” and perhaps nowhere is that contrast more visible than in Central Texas and West Texas. Stretching from the Panhandle and northern plains to Big Bend National Park and the westernmost tip of the state, this expanse encompasses miles of pancake-flat terrain as well as the state’s tallest mountain peaks, and everything from ranches right out of the Old West to state-of-the-art convention centers.
Abilene
Just 155 miles west of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex lies Abilene, hosting 180 meetings annually thanks to its location within half a day’s drive of over 10 million people. Besides its accessibility, Abilene has plenty of other selling points that draw attendees to this city known for both its agricultural and oil industries.
According to Nanci Liles, executive director of the Abilene CVB, the city represents “one of the most economical destinations to meet,” and it is offering several attractive incentives for groups.
“The Abilene CVB is currently assisting convention groups with transportation costs to transport groups from hotels to the downtown area,” Liles says.
Meetings held in the city’s historic sites—which range from museums to theaters—also qualify groups for special incentives.
“The Abilene CVB will match 50 percent of the rental cost,” Liles says. “Historic venues include the Grace Museum, the Paramount Theatre, the Windsor Hotel, the T&P Events Center, the Elks Art Center, the Center for Contemporary Arts, the Swenson House, and others, accommodating 25 to 1,200 people.”
For more traditional meeting settings, the Abilene Civic Center offers a 2,200-seat auditorium, a 9,000-square-foot foyer that can accommodate 400 attendees banquet style, a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a conference center divisible into four meeting rooms, and eight additional meeting rooms as well as a VIP room.
Liles says another plus for groups is a variety of choices for off-site events—ranging from ranches to one of the city’s newest venues, Frontier Texas! The attraction transports guests back to the period from 1780 to 1880 through interactive exhibits and high-tech theaters.
Frontier Texas! is just one of several popular group options.
“A ranch atmosphere is great for large catered parties with wide-open spaces, or [groups can use] our revitalized downtown area, with historic venues and attractions that are truly world-class,” Liles says.
Abilene attracts many types of groups.
“We are in a great location to host statewide and district meetings,” Liles says. “Abilene is diversified, so we attract many meetings associated with government, sports, agriculture, and education, and many statewide horse shows.”
Wichita Falls
“Affordability is our main draw,” notes Tawana Thomas, director of the Wichita Falls CVB, adding that another selling point is the city’s location. “We are halfway between Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City.”
Wichita Falls is also known for its sporting events and is a favorite with sports groups, thanks in part to its Multi-Purpose Events Center, featuring an exhibit hall, a coliseum and an arena. The state-of-the-art center was built to host conventions, trade shows, sporting events and concerts. The center offers more than 100,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, and the 10,500-seat coliseum is another option for groups.
Amarillo
In the northern reaches of the Texas Panhandle, Amarillo offers groups both Western heritage and modern conveniences in the form of an expanded convention center and world-class performance venue.
“The Amarillo Civic Center is a 340,000-square-foot wireless facility,” notes Jerry Holt, vice president of the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council.
The facility, expanded in 2003, allows the city to host large groups.
“Groups like the Texas Baptist Convention, the National Cutting Horse Association and the Texas Shrine Association have found Amarillo a perfect destination for their meeting or event,” Holt says.
For many groups, the region’s Western flavor is a major draw.
“Amarillo’s Western heritage can be experienced at a variety of attractions, including the TEXAS Musical Drama, the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum,” Holt says.
Meanwhile, the growing cultural scene in Amarillo has further boosted the city’s appeal for groups. The Globe–News Center for the Performing Arts, a 1,300-seat auditorium, features an elegant, 30-foot-high glass lobby, a grand staircase and a state-of-the-art performance hall that is the home of the Amarillo Symphony, the Amarillo Opera and the Lone Star Ballet. The center is available for group events.
Lubbock
South of Amarillo, Lubbock is a surprising Panhandle discovery to many planners, thanks to its numerous wineries. Located on the rolling plains that Spanish explorer Francisco Coronado named the Llano Estacado, Lubbock enjoys growing conditions and soil that have produced award-winning wines, helped Texas’ wine industry become one of the country’s largest and provided meeting groups with unique winery venues.
Lubbock is also the hometown of Buddy Holly, and today it celebrates the late musician’s legacy with Buddy Holly Avenue and the Buddy Holly Center, located in a restored historic train depot.
Yet its musical heritage and wineries are just part of the picture when it comes to tempting groups.
“Lubbock is extremely economical when looking for a destination to host any meeting or convention,” says Belynda Godfrey, director of sales for the Lubbock CVB. “Lubbock is the ‘hub’ of West Texas and has three airlines with nonstop flights to many destinations. We are a highly popular destination for sporting events and tournaments.”
Along with sports groups—which often utilize the United Spirit Arena—Lubbock also attracts national and state associations, according to Godfrey, and one of its most important events was the 14,000-attendee Texas Future Farmers of America Convention in 2005. The city is home to 47 hotels and motels offering about 4,000 guest rooms, and plans call for a hotel (yet to be named) to open next year with 304 guest rooms and 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
“Our hotels have meeting space ranging from a boardroom to fit 10 [attendees] to our convention center, with 300,000 square feet of meeting space and an exhibit hall with 40,000 square feet of column-free space,” Godfrey says.
Local ranches are also popular with attendees, she adds, and groups can find ranch life right in town at the National Ranching Heritage Center, located at Texas Tech University. The museum features historic ranch homes and outbuildings that have been moved to the site.
Odessa
Odessa, along with its neighbor, Midland, have long been well known in the Texas oil industry and are becoming increasingly popular for groups, with accessibility via major interstates or Midland International Airport.
“Our niche is 25 delegates to 700 delegates,” says Molly Thorn, state sales specialist for the Odessa CVB. “These numbers will fit well in our hotels. We concentrate on state association groups, fraternal/service groups, sporting events, reunion groups, and horse-related events.”
Most meetings in Odessa take place at area hotels, including the MCM Grande Hotel Fundome and the MCM Elegante, with 28,000 square feet of combined meeting space. Planners can also utilize venues such as the Ector County Coliseum, with an 8,000-seat auditorium and 145,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Unique attractions in Odessa include the event-ready Globe Theatre of the Great Southwest (a replica of England’s Globe Theatre) and the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library.
Midland
Midland boasts the Midland Convention Center and the adjacent Centennial Plaza open-air amphitheater, as well as meetings-ready hotels such as the Hilton Midland Plaza and the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center.
Like Odessa, Midland also has a long history in the oil business. The city is home to the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, a facility that spans 40 acres and traces the boomtown days of the region. The Midland CVB can arrange group tours focusing on the region’s petroleum industry, and other options include ranch tours and a tour spotlighting the former Midland homes of President George Bush and the childhood homes of President George W. Bush and Laura Bush.
El Paso
In far West Texas, El Paso offers groups a multicultural experience thanks to its proximity to Mexico.
“What surprises groups the most about El Paso is our unique location on the U.S.-Mexico border and our rightful place as the “Gateway to Mexico,’” explains Pat Castillo-Garrett, director of sales for the El Paso CVB. “Our sister city of Juarez, Chihuahua, in Mexico is just a couple of minutes from downtown El Paso and the El Paso Convention Center. One can easily have lunch in Juarez and dinner here in one of our many fine restaurants. Meeting attendees could experience two countries all in one day.”
El Paso’s small-town nature is complemented by an increasingly sophisticated ambience.
“El Paso is large enough to accommodate state and national conferences and offer delegates a great experience, but the small-city charm also provides visitors with the best hospitality around,” Castillo-Garrett says. “We are the third-safest city in the country (behind only San Jose, Calif., and Honolulu), and El Paso is on the cusp of a major downtown revitalization project. But things have already begun to happen in El Paso, with new name-brand properties opening up and a new museum district in downtown El Paso. Our 80,000-square-foot El Paso Convention Center is in the heart of downtown and the middle of it all.”
The city’s Museum Cultural District is home to the El Paso Museum of Art, the Insights Science Museum, the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre, and the El Paso Main Library. In June, the El Paso Museum of History will open at its new home, and the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center, one of only 12 museums in the U.S. dedicated to the Holocaust, will also reopen this summer.
The city’s accessibility and variety of hotels are also strong group selling points, according to Castillo-Garrett.
“El Paso is a perfect fit for groups with 250 peak room nights and especially state and national multicultural associations,” Castillo-Garrett says. “With a heavy concentration of hotels in the airport area, three hotels in close proximity to downtown El Paso and many more on the west side of the city, getting around El Paso is easy, and there are daily flights in and out of El Paso International Airport.”
For More Info
Abilene CVB 325.676.2556
www.abilenevisitors.com
Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council 806.374.1497
www.visitamarillotx.com
El Paso CVB 915.534.0601
www.visitelpaso.com
Lubbock CVB 806.747.5232
www.visitlubbock.org
Midland CVB 432.683.3381
www.visitmidlandtx.com
Odessa CVB 432.333.7871
www.odessacvb.com
Wichita Falls CVB 940.716.5500
www.wichitafalls.org
