Austin is not your typical town. When compared with the rest of the Lone Star State, it sticks out like the one loud and outgoing uncle everyone has, the one who always has something to say. He may be a little on the quirky side—a bit of an “extrovert,” one could say— but he’s always up for a rip-roaring good time.
Austin is like that. Even upon arriving at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, visitors get the feeling they are in a city unlikemany others, one filled with a vibrant energy—especially evident in its music scene.
“When you step off the plane, you know you are in Austin because there is live music in the terminal,” says Roy T. Benear, senior vice president for the Austin CVB, adding that the airport is just seven minutes from downtown. “It creates that unique experience you just can’t get anywhere else.”
Many-Sided Metro
Austin is many things: a culinary hot spot, nightlife mecca, center for live music, celebrity hangout, meeting space magnet, and last but not least, the state capital. Roll all of these together and you get one hoppin’ destination.
“There is a vibe in this city,” Benear says. “The University of Texas keeps it young and vibrant and drives a strong creative class that makes Austin the most unique city in Texas. There is a mix of entertainment areas that are continually developing.”
One such region is the Sixth Street Entertainment District, a popular hub of music and dining.
Groups can easily get in on the action with a visit to B.D. Riley’s Irish Pub, Maggie Mae’s and Habana Cafe, all of which feature live music nightly.
The Warehouse District is another happening entertainment area in Austin, where, according to Benear, groups can go to “have a refined evening,” dining in trendy eateries located in renovated warehouses and listening to live music, namely the blues.
Cedar Street Courtyard is popular for its martinis and can fit up to 500 people for group events, while Antone’s is a place to wind down and listen to the blues.
South Congress (or SoCo) is another entertainment district that, according to Benear, has a plethora of “unique original boutiques and clothes stores, and is a funky area of town.”
Broken Spoke is a musical institution in SoCo, as are the Continental Club and Saxon Pub.
Get Out There
In addition to its entertainment districts and thriving nightlife scene, Austin is also an attractive destination for outdoor adventure seekers.
Smack-dab in the middle of town is Lady Bird Lake, a body of water formerly known as Town Lake, but renamed last year in memory of former first lady Lady Bird Johnson.
Calling the lake “our playground,” Benear says it adds an active ambience to the town with its waterside running trail and rowers out on the water every day.
Groups can enjoy the lake’s scenery from the water with companies such as Capital Cruises, offering a paddle wheeler perfect for cocktail receptions, dinners, lunches, and even meetings.
Austin is also known as a golf destination, with many greens primed for group tournaments, including Falconhead Golf Club and Bluebonnet Hill Golf Course.
Down to Business
When attendees aren’t getting their groove on or enjoying Austin’s outdoor lures and lovely weather (ranging from the low 60s in the winter to mid-90s in the summer), there are plenty of places for groups to get down to business, ranging from a well-appointed convention center to a variety of hotels.
But Austin wasn’t always so meetings-ready.
According to Benear, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that the city really entered the meetings market.
“I think over the last several years, everybody has realized the importance of meetings and conventions in terms of what they bring to the city,” he says. “You always have your legacy cities where you have your traditional trade shows and conventions, but those run their course and the second- and third-tier cities want to cash in. The meetings that need less than 100,000 square feet of meeting space are a huge chunk of the market.”
Wanting to attract a piece of that pie, Benear says Austin built the Austin Convention Center in 1992, expanding it in 2002 and adding a headquarters hotel (the 800-room Hilton Austin) in 2004.
“That allowed us to play in the game,” he says. “Now we compete with cities like Denver, Salt Lake, Columbus [Ohio], and Seattle.”
While the Austin Convention Center is a natural choice for groups of all sizes (traditionally association and corporate), with more than 246,000 square feet of exhibit space and 61,440 square feet of meeting space, the city also has a variety of well-appointed hotels, many of which have completed recent renovations.
The Four Seasons Hotel Austin finished a guest room renovation last fall, the Hyatt Regency Austin updated its guest units in December, the Sheraton Austin Hotel (formerly the Austin Marriott at the Capitol) wrapped up a guest room renovation last year and plans to renovate its public space and meeting space, and the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown plans to finish a renovation this month.
Although the city has a fair amount of meeting space, there is even more on the way, with plans for a new Marriott hotel in the works.
“This is the one we are waiting for,” Benear says, adding that a 1,000-room Marriott with meeting space is slated to break ground later this year two blocks from the convention center.
Although the city’s downtown district already offers 5,500 guest rooms within a few blocks of the convention center, Benear says the anticipation for more rooms is high.
“We have about 50-plus groups wanting for that to happen,” he says. “We struggle with putting room blocks together right now, and [the new Marriott] would be tremendously valuable to us.”
Off-Site Options
Outside the conference room, groups have a wide variety of off-site venue options.
The Long Center for the Performing Arts is one unique choice, offering entertainment and places for group gatherings, while the newly renovated Austin Music Hall is another venue featuring live performances as well as event space.
For a funky flavor, groups can head over to 300 Austin, a bar and bowling alley with 52 lanes and plenty of space for fun gatherings, while fans of the Austin City Limits television show can host events in its studio.
Austin also has a thriving arts scene, evident in its variety of museums and galleries, many of which welcome groups.
The Blanton Museum of Art, located at The University of Texas at Austin, is a great place for groups to host events. Groups are also welcome at the Austin Museum of Art-Downtown, which regularly hosts private gatherings in its Community Room. The George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center is another place groups can meet.
Hill Country
As if Austin wasn’t enough, groups are never disappointed when they step out of the city into the Texas Hill Country.
“People don’t expect it,” Benear says, describing the region’s lush natural beauty. “It looks like California.”
The Hill Country, comprising the area outside of Austin and a smattering of small communities between and around Austin and San Antonio, brims with outdoor activities, wildlife and wineries.
For outdoor enthusiasts, planners can organize an evening on The Flagship Texas, a group-friendly boat that floats along Lake Travis and is available for sunset cruises and even themed casino nights.
Delegates in the mood for a laid-back afternoon of wine tasting can spend their free time at establishments such as the Chisholm Trail Winery and Mandolas Estate Winery.
Meeting space is easy to find in the Texas Hill Country, with impressive resorts—complete with golf courses and spas—around every turn.
About 15 minutes from downtown Austin is the 303-room Barton Creek Resort & Spa, located on 4,000 acres. The sprawling property offers four golf courses, a spa and a variety of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces.
Only 24 miles east of Austin in Lost Pines, the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa is another well-appointed option. This spring, the hotel added two gardens and a 5,600-square-foot pool deck for outdoor group gatherings. The 492-room resort is only a few years old and offers 60,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 230,000 square feet of outdoor space for groups.
Only about 22 miles west of Austin in Lakeway is the Lakeway Resort and Spa, a Dolce Destination, located right on Lake Travis. The 166-room resort, which offers 24,000 square feet of meeting space, finished a property-wide renovation in spring 2007.
Also on Lake Travis is Vintage Villas, a 43-room venue primed for small private meetings with more than 5,000 square feet of group gathering space.
Farther west in Horseshoe Bay, groups can relax at the Horseshoe Bay Resort. The AAA Four Diamond property overlooks Lake LBJ and features 385 guest rooms and a variety of meeting space, including 22 private rooms and a 12,000-square-foot ballroom.
When not being pampered at one of the Hill Country’s luxury resorts, groups can enjoy searching for antiques in downtown Boerne, a historic, quaint community of a little more than 6,000 residents that boasts boutique stores and restaurants.
A few popular eateries in Boerne include Cypress Grille, The Creek Restaurant and O’Brien’s Restaurant.
Those not as interested in shopping can head over to Colbert Ranch in Bertram, a fun place for groups to hold private events and even go horseback riding.
For More Info
Austin CVB 512.474.5171
www.austintexas.org
