According to the state comptroller’s office, if Texas were its own country, its economy would rank 12th globally, just below Brazil and Russia and higher than India, South Korea and Australia. Powering this commercial engine are the state’s major metropolitan centers of Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, each ready-made for urban sophisticates while delivering their own custom-branded Texas style.
Dallas
In fiscal 2007 and 2008, the city booked a record-breaking 1,041,732 convention room nights, exceeding its target by 21 percent, the Dallas CVB reports. With its Omni-flagged headquarters hotel now in sight, the future looks brighter still for convention business.
Phillip Jones, Dallas CVB president and CEO, cites "overwhelming positive feedback and interest from meeting planners and associations across the nation in regard to the hotel."
According to Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, the city has already seen a tremendous response in terms of future convention bookings.
Connected to the Dallas Convention Center—one of the nation’s largest, measuring more than 1 million square feet—the 1,106-room Omni property will boost city inventory to nearly 30,000 rooms, joining other major properties such as the 1,122-room Hyatt Regency Reunion, the 1,606-room Hilton Anatole and the 1,840-room Sheraton Dallas. Among the city’s other hotels of distinction is the elegant Fairmont Dallas, darling of the Arts District since 1969. One of the few Dallas hotels with a Kosher kitchen, the 536-room Westin Park Central is another well-equipped property, with
30 meeting rooms for gatherings of up to 2,000 people.
Within four hours by air from all major continental U.S. cities, America’s ninth-largest metropolis is also a major leisure and cultural draw. This October sees the opening of the $354 million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, while the culinary arts sizzle with more than 7,000 eateries, and green initiatives such as the Trinity River Project and Woodall Rogers Park will significantly enhance the city’s outdoor appeal.
Fort Worth
Of the many experiences conventioneers can bank on in this "City of Cowboys and Culture," it is being entertained. If Fort Worth were a car (the Texas Motor Speedway is here), it would run in three different, but synchronous, gears. In downtown, the acclaimed Sundance Square is 35 blocks of restaurants, retail and culture. The Old West comes alive in the Stockyards National Historic District, home to the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the 2,300-seat Cowtown Coliseum and the daily Fort Worth Herd cattle drive. Completing the trio is the Cultural District, its five world-class museums set on a serene park-like campus.
These distinct zones, all under three miles from each other, genuinely enrich and extend the Fort Worth
meetings experience for attendees gathering at the revitalized Fort Worth Convention Center; the venerable American Airlines Training and Conference Center, featuring 299 guest rooms and 75 meeting rooms; or any of the city’s meetings hotels.
Meanwhile, the city will have a major showcase opportunity when serving as the AFC Host City for Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
"This designation enhances our reputation on a national and international level as an excellent meetings and tourism destination," says David DuBois, president and CEO of the Fort Worth CVB.
Houston
Contrary to its long-standing image as a corporate citadel, America’s fourth-most-populous city is loaded with character and surprises, with more than $5 billion in investments and improvements over the last decade accentuating the city’s many facets.
Recent delegates will be familiar with Discovery Green, the 12-acre urban oasis fronting the George R. Brown Convention Center and featuring The Grove restaurant’s "Treehouse" roof deck among its many attractions. Groups can also explore the emergent EaDo (East Downtown Houston) neighborhood behind the convention center.
Boasting over 10,000 restaurants, many of Houston’s best seats come paired with hotels, such as Monarch at Hotel ZaZa, Spencer’s and the Skyline Bar and Grill at the Hilton Americas, and chef Michael Kramer’s triumphant Voice at Hotel Icon. Local shrine Armandos serves up classic Mexican fare at its Galleria location and from its new $100,000 event-capable mobile kitchen.
Houston’s eclecticism offers planners great diversity, from the standout 18-member Museum District (the Menil is a must) and superior performing arts scene to myriad retail and nightlife options.
For all its urban trappings, Houston remains a dollar-conscious buy.
"We are more affordable than other cities our size, which can only elevate our appeal in the current economy," says Greg Ortale, president and CEO of the Greater Houston CVB.
Austin
One of America’s star performers, the "Live Music Capital of the World" hits the right chord the minute you land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with the drumbeat only quickening as you rock ’n’ roll up South Congress Avenue toward Austin’s beckoning cityscape and its centerpiece Texas State Capitol building.
The 900,000-square-foot Austin Convention Center is an ergonomic masterpiece of sun-drenched interiors and outdoor patios. Expect sharp results, too, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at The University of Texas. Hotel standouts include the Hilton Austin, located across from the convention center; the classy InterContinental Stephen F. Austin; and beloved local institution the Driskill.
A perennial chart-topper on "Best Of" lists, Austin’s allure reflects its embrace of the leisure lifestyle; Austin works to live, not lives to work.
Planners have access to nearly 2,000 local acts for events via the "Hire an Austin Musician" program, while delegates can tap into four entertainment districts and more than 200 live music venues.
From Jeffrey Blank’s Mighty Cone, one of several upscale food trailers about town, to Kevin Williamson’s knockout burgers at Ranch 616, the local flavors run the gamut.
And whether checking out the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls’ bruising roller derby action to chilling out in the Barton Springs watering hole, there is no end to free-time pursuits.
San Antonio
A domestic destination with international flavor, America’s second-oldest city beats with the multi-chambered heart of its Mexican, European and Native American origins.
"From authentic cuisines that capitalize on regional ingredients to a lively history studded with epic battles and tales of the Old West, San Antonio is a meeting destination with distinctive appeal," says Dee Dee Poteete, communications director for the San Antonio CVB.
An oasis of inspiration, the idyllic River Walk links the dramatic Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center with
thousands of hotel rooms, cafes, shops and entertainment venues. With large groups organizing at mega hotels like the 1,002-room Grand Hyatt, intimate groups can sequester at distinctive properties such as the luxurious, Mediterranean-themed Hotel Contessa. This cozy 265-suite getaway comes with a rooftop pool and the Las Ramblas restaurant and Cork Bar.
Discriminating travelers also have a romantic gem in the 338-room Omni La Mansion del Rio. Appearing
to flow alongside the River Walk, this storybook AAA Four Diamond property is home to the celebrated Las Canarias Restaurant and 16 naturally lit meeting rooms.
From events at the Smithsonian-affiliated Museo Alameda to power breakfasts at 24-hour local institution Mi Tierra, San Antonio’s storied culture enlivens any meeting. Both gloriously restored, the magnificent Pearl Stable and the ornate Sunset Station are two standouts on a long roster of event venues. Cooking classes at the Culinary Institute of America’s Latino-inspired satellite campus are the latest hit, while the Blue Star Arts Complex, in historic Southtown, is an evocative off-site choice.
