It’s the lower stretch of Texas where the Lone Star State meets Mexico in a zesty cultural mix of languages, customs, cuisine and music. Because the sun shines most days all around this “Texas Tropics” Rio Grande Valley region, locals and visitors enjoy tennis and golf year-round. Business groups in search of a languid landscape and varied meeting facilities also find what they want in this Riviera region, along with bonuses like luscious valley citrus and a laid-back lifestyle.
Corpus Christi
A delectable combination of city and beach awaits groups that choose Corpus Christi for meetings. As one of Texas’ most popular leisure destinations, Corpus Christi offers an enticing vacation option to attendees who want to arrive early or stay on after business. The city has proven itself to be a magnet for all age groups, with experiences that include history touring, kayaking, horseback riding, bay fishing, sand sculpting and simply lounging on the beach.
Keith Arnold, CEO of the Corpus Christi CVB, says his seaside destination offers excellent value along with an array of activities.
“We remain a great value package for our primary market of groups from 500 to 2,000 people,” he says. “Hotel rates are very good, and we offer excellent proximity to Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Multistate regional groups are finding us especially attractive.”
The city boasts a range of meetings-friendly hotels, and its largest group venues include the American Bank Center and the adjacent Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center.
Corpus Christi’s off-site venues are a big part of the destination’s allure for groups, Arnold says. One of the newest and most exciting sites to stage an event is The Yachting Center of Corpus Christi, a unique location with 360-degree views of the city skyline and Corpus Christi Bay. Groups may opt for a sunset dinner cruise onboard the center’s Japonica, a historic 50-foot, 45-passenger touring boat. The center’s rooms offer contemporary technology features and decor that reflects Corpus Christi’s laid-back vibe.
Most groups gathering in Corpus Christi include an event on the USS Lexington, a World War II aircraft carrier that harbors a load of the nation’s military history.
Another popular event site is the Texas State Aquarium, where the underwater world takes visitors on an aquatic journey from the shore to the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Thousands of animals, representing over 300 species, are on display in entertaining and educational exhibits.
Corpus Christi’s newest properties include Holiday Inn Express Corpus Christi, with meeting space for up to 80 people; Comfort Suites Central, with a meeting room accommodating up to 150 people; and Staybridge Suites.
Laredo
With history rooted in the 18th century when it was part of New Spain, this border city has a colorful past tied to both the U.S. and Mexico. It’s one of the oldest border crossing points and the nation’s busiest inland port, as well as a busy commercial destination for the petroleum, natural gas and international import/export industries.
“Our South Texas hospitality combined with event planning know-how and the desire to provide memorable, excellent service will truly leave a great impression on a meeting planner that is willing to come down and experience the unique sights, sounds and tastes that combine to make us a destination like no other,” says Blasita J. Lopez, acting director of the Laredo CVB.
Major meeting sites include the multipurpose Laredo Entertainment Center, which has 10,000 seats, and the Laredo Civic Center, with a nearly 2,000-seat auditorium and a 24,470-square-foot banquet and exhibit hall.
The city’s recent increase in hotel guest room inventory, with additions by Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn Express, La Quinta Inn, Red Roof Inn and Staybridge Suites, has boosted its meetings-ready package.
“One of the major points of interest is the impressive expansion of hotel properties in the market,” Blasita says. “Over 800 new rooms have been added to the inventory in just the last five years. Associations and planners that have not been here in a few years will not recognize the fresh new landscape of available brand names and cost-effective room rates for every budget level.”
Laredo is more than 250 years old, and its historic downtown and proximity to Mexico give it a culturally rich ambience with plenty of unique attractions and entertaining festivals.
The destination also boasts natural attractions, including several birding sites, and it sets the stage for a variety of sports. Championship boxing, Laredo Bucks hockey, Laredo Lobos football, martial arts, basketball, soccer and baseball are all in the lineup.
McAllen
McAllen bills itself as the population center of the Rio Grande Valley, and its shopping, dining and cultural offerings are popular with business groups. The city welcomed The McAllen Convention Center a couple of years ago, with 172,000 square feet of meeting space.
Ernesto Arredondo, director of sales for the McAllen CVB, says his city now has 3,000 hotel guest rooms within a three-mile radius of the convention center and airport, including the new Springhill Suites by Marriott and Staybridge Suites.
“McAllen and our surrounding area are really Texas’ best-kept secret, because we offer groups quality facilities and tropical scenery complete with palm trees, along with great affordability,” Arredondo says. “We have excellent shopping, dining and cultural attractions right on the river.”
Among McAllen’s private event venues on the water are Riverside Club and Pepe’s on the River. Both feature live music regularly.
The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is regarded as one of the top birding sites in the nation, and private events can be arranged there. Another birding destination where groups can gather is Quinta Mazatlan, the McAllen Wing of the World Birding Center. The 15-acre attraction features a historic adobe hacienda that can be used for events, and natural trails that wind through a lush setting that is the habitat for numerous species of birds.
Harlingen
Among the reasons groups might choose Harlingen as their base in the valley is Valley International Airport. Southwest and Continental airlines are two carriers that fly visitors into Harlingen and the valley.
“Our central location allows the traveler to have quick access to many cities in the valley and enjoy the attractions of the area, like the beach and Mexico,” says Katy McAngus, executive assistant for the Harlingen CVB. “We are also very affordable.”
Harlingen Auditorium, with room for 1,500 people, is one of the city’s premier event sites. A facelift that’s bringing new seating and decor is slated for completion this September.
Another group venue is the Regional Academic Health Center, a branch of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Among the site’s amenities are a medical library, an auditorium, classrooms and a video teleconferencing center.
Many groups enjoy the area’s five local golf courses.
“Golfers can spend a small amount of money for a great deal of leisure time on our greens,” McAngus says. “Our public Tony Butler Golf Course has just been renovated to make it more challenging.”
Outdoor pursuits in and around Harlingen include biking, birding and fishing off nearby South Padre Island. Visitors interested in history can tour the Marine Military Academy and Jackson Street, with its Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern architecture. Shopping enthusiasts gravitate toward Harlingen’s many outlet malls and antique shops.
South Padre Island
When Hurricane Dolly hit the South Texas coast last summer, she left a lot of damage to South Padre Island’s hotels and other meeting facilities. But a year later, groups will find everything newly renovated and open for business, says Connie Ledbetter, deputy director of the South Padre Island CVB.
“After Dolly, everyone had to renovate. The result today is that everything—from full-service to limited-service hotels and even our convention center, which was very badly damaged—are like brand-new,” she says.
The island’s major-brand full-service hotel, Sheraton South Padre Island Beach Hotel and Condominiums, reopened in May following a multimillion-dollar, top-to-bottom redo. The Isla Grand (formerly the Radisson) reopened last October on its 10 acres of beachfront property, and is continuing to rebuild each cabana and condo guest room. The Suites at Sun Chase, with 16,000 square feet of meeting space, is completing its renovation this summer. The South Padre Island Convention Centre, with 45,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, is operational while renovations continue.
A luxury spa also debuted at the Sheraton South Padre Island. Sapphire Spa and Fitness Center has a beachside setting, so patrons may relax to the rhythm of the waves, breathe ocean air and experience the healing properties of local botanicals.
Ledbetter says the current economy has corporate groups from Texas’ big cities looking to South Padre Island.
“These are people who used to go to Hawaii, Aruba or Cancun. Now they are looking at us,” she says, adding that any group that chooses the island for business meetings enjoys its beautiful natural beaches with sand dunes, nature trails, bird preserves and a temperate climate warmed by Gulf waters.
Brownsville
When you arrive in Brownsville you know you’ve run out of Texas, for it’s the Lone Star State’s southernmost tip. The local population swells in winter months with refugees from northern climes who bask in the area’s warm temperatures and welcoming culture.
Groups of up to 400 people find the facilities they need in Brownsville, including the Brownsville Event Center, with its ballroom of over 15,000 square feet. The Jacob Brown Memorial Center accommodates up to 1,500 in its auditorium, and Holiday Inn Brownsville offers two ballrooms and two boardrooms. The Ringgold Civic Pavilion is another group facility choice.
The Gladys Porter Zoo, a 26-acre wildlife enclave, and the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art are two Brownsville attractions that groups enjoy during leisure time.
For More Info
Brownsville CVB 956.546.3721 www.brownsville.org
Corpus Christi CVB& nbsp; 361.881.1812 www.corpuschristicvb.com
Harlingen Area COC 956.423.5440 www.visitharlingentexas.com
Laredo CVB 956.795.2200 www.visitlaredo.com
McAllen CVB 956.682.2871 www.mcallencvb.com
South Padre Island CVB 956.761.3005 www.sopadre.com
