One of the world’s most distinctive regions, the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex remains an archetype of dynamic urban growth. While cosmopolitan Dallas and laid-back Fort Worth, founded in 1841 and 1849, respectively, have deep anchorage in this expansive North Texas prairie land, the Metroplex’s meteoric rise is a phenomenon of the past four decades.
In 1972, the nonprofit North Texas Commission, formed to market DFW Airport and the region, coined the term "Metroplex." Back then, only a handful of corporations called the area home, and the airport, promoted nationally as "a world port 247 miles from the sea," was two years from opening. The growth since has been supersonic. Today, the Metroplex is home to more than 20 Fortune 500 firms and the fourth-largest number of corporate headquarters in the U.S. Serving 173 destinations and within four hours of every major U.S. city, DFW International Airport is now the world’s third-busiest airport, generating more than $16 billion in economic activity annually.
In "big is best" Texas, the Metroplex’s ever-evolving expansion marches on, with major developments across the region.
"So much is happening here on and off the drawing board," says Phillip Jones, president and CEO of the Dallas CVB, who promises attendees of this January’s Professional Convention Management Association’s annual meeting in Dallas "a showcase of the dramatic transformation under way."
Excitement is the watchword for locals and visitors alike—and for meeting planners, the Metroplex, diversifying into an irresistible global draw, is a story of new experiences and new opportunities.
Dallas
Under construction and set to open in early 2012, Big D’s new skybridge-connected, 1,000-plus-room Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel, with 80,000 square feet of meeting space, gives business-friendly Dallas the convention headquarters hotel it has been after for years.
"News of the hotel is rekindling meeting planner interest in Dallas," says Jones, who reports strong bookings for 2010 and beyond.
With the bureau one of only a few in the U.S. meeting or exceeding booking goals this year and the local economy holding steady, Jones’ outlook is bullish.
"Concurrent with the Omni’s construction, the convention center is under way with $60 million in improvements and enhancements," Jones says. "For all intents and purposes, we are introducing a brand new convention product."
Existing properties have also significantly spruced up, including major meetings players such as the 1,840-room Sheraton Dallas, which recently finished a $90 million, property-wide transformation. The hotel has 230,000 square feet of function space.
With the AT&T Performing Arts Center now open (see sidebar, page 10), another major transformation project is The Park, an $80 million, 5.2-acre plaza designed to create pedestrian connectivity between uptown, downtown and the Arts District and serve as a symbol of the city. Ease of movement is also the theme of various city- and region-wide transportation initiatives, which Jones says will only enhance the group and visitor experience, while making the planner’s job much easier.
"Dallas Area Rapid Transit [DART] is currently expanding their light rail system throughout the North Texas area," he says. "A new light rail link connecting downtown with Fair Park opened in September, and the city is serious about reinstating a trolley system."
Looking ahead, a light rail link vitally connecting Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to the city opens in 2013, with the new $600 million Southwest Airlines terminal opening at Dallas Love Field Airport in 2014.
"These are among several great developments for meeting planners," Jones says.
Fort Worth
In this easygoing city of "Cowboys and Culture," the 17th largest in the U.S. and ninth-ranked for safety, another promotional slogan is "You get it when you get here." For visitors, that includes three celebrated entertainment districts, all within three miles of each other.
Conceived by former Disney designers, the 35-block Sundance Square is a model of urban revitalization; the Stockyards National Historic District keeps the Texas of the Old West authentically alive; and helping define Fort Worth as the "museum capital of the Southwest," the world-class Cultural District’s drawing power has brought in Michelangelo’s first-ever work, now displayed at the famed Kimball Art Museum.
Planners and delegates can "get" more than ever in Texas’ top tourist destination, too. Opened in January 2009, the city’s luxurious new headquarters hotel, the 614-room Omni Fort Worth, is at the vanguard of a new product wave that David DuBois, Fort Worth CVB president and CEO, says now makes the city a serious convention contender.
"Over the last 18 months, we have introduced 1,500 new or renovated hotel rooms, and over 1,500 new restaurant seats at the distinctive-dining level," says DuBois, who reports a remarkable 155 percent lift in room nights from 2007 to 2009.
Joining Dallas, Arlington and Irving, Fort Worth was part of "DFW Meet Now Promise" (www.dfwpromise.com), a cooperative program whereby more than 100 North Texas hotels, American Airlines and several ground transportation providers offered special incentives for group meetings booked and held in North Texas by Dec. 31, 2009.
According to DuBois, the initiative exemplifies how the different cities of the Metroplex, while vying for individual business, "are committed to supporting the competitive position of the entire North Texas region."
Arlington
As Arlington CVB president and CEO Jay Burress recently told the Dallas Morning News, the city’s newly opened $1.15 billion Cowboys Stadium "gives us the opportunity to introduce Arlington to an audience who may not have considered our city in the past."
One key target segment will be large: national conventions. They are certain to discover what sports teams and music producers already know about the stadium, breathtaking in its design and scope: Arlington is a major new star in the global events constellation.
"Arlington is poised in the center of action, and having something no other city can offer, namely two major-league sports teams and the original Six Flags theme park within a three-mile radius, we are the perfect location for planners seeking a memorable event," Burress says.
Among the outstanding opportunities for groups are punt, pass and kick competitions on the Cowboys’ home turf. Arlington’s appeal also includes affordability.
"Arlington has been in a better position than other destinations during this economic setback," Burress says. "I think it’s because people know they can come here and have an unbelievable experience, without the sticker shock."
Early 2010 sees the opening of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, and crowning an all-star lineup of major sporting events on the horizon, Cowboys Stadium hosts Super Bowl XLV in February 2011, when nearly a quarter of a million people will descend on Arlington and North Texas.
Irving
Boosting Irving’s already prodigious meetings’ profile, construction is now squarely under way on The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, a high-end meeting and event facility with nearly 100,000 square feet of exhibit, conference and event space. Scheduled for a late 2010 first phase opening, the center will arrive surrounded by a mature meetings and hospitality infrastructure; this upscale, corporate-centric suburb roughly equidistant from Dallas and Fort Worth offers more than 11,000 hotel rooms and hosts thousands of meetings annually.
Taking nothing for granted, though, Irving is focused on optimizing its positioning for groups and events.
"We continue to support our hotels by offering incentives, rebates and complimentary services to groups meeting here," says Diana Pfaff, communications director for the Irving CVB. The bureau also played a significant role in pulling together the "DFW Meet Now Promise" program, a major proviso of which is a full attrition waiver by most DFW-area hotels through the end of second quarter 2010.
"This program was created in response to planners stating attrition was the biggest obstacle in executing a meeting or conference in this economy," Pfaff says.
She adds that Irving will only improve with the opening of the new convention center, with phase two of the project, which includes an entertainment venue, headquarter hotel, dining and retail, slated for a late 2011 debut.
Frisco
Just 25 miles north of Dallas and a quick drive from both DFW International Airport and Love Field, fast-growing Frisco continues to successfully leverage its affordability and family vacation appeal.
"A great deal of our core sports and state association business has continued to book throughout this recession," says Marla Roe, executive director of the Frisco CVB. "Now, we are seeing a conservative return of our corporate business, with the first quarter of 2010 looking good."
Sporting a $40 million facelift, the Dr Pepper Arena, seating 5,100 and with room for 1,000 more on the floor, is a versatile choice for a range of events, while also serving as a natural extension to the Frisco Conference Center across the street.
"Now more than ever, planners are looking for great rates and deals without compromising on quality," Roe says. "Going forward, we are committed to growing our reputation as a destination for meetings and conventions and expanding the diverse offerings of hotels, shopping, dining, sports options and entertainment."
Grapevine
Home to DFW International Airport, Grapevine offers over 11,000 hotel rooms in and around its historic downtown, with six luxury properties, including the DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, the Hyatt Regency DFW and the Grand Hyatt DFW.
Just five minutes from the airport in the center of the Metroplex, the Grapevine Convention Center is a flexible, multiuse facility with 23,500 square feet of recently renovated space.
Already boasting 1,511 hotel rooms and 400,000 square feet of convention space, the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine is slated to be even bigger. When complete, an ongoing expansion that includes more than 200,000 square feet of additional meeting and convention space and approximately 500 new luxury guest rooms will create the largest hotel in Texas.
In January 2009, the Great Wolf Lodge boosted its room count to 600 and added a 20,000-square-foot, full-service conference center, featuring a Grand Ballroom, six breakout and meeting rooms, and two boardrooms.
Mesquite
Located just 15 minutes east of downtown Dallas at the intersection of five major highways, Mesquite has long served as the eastern gateway into the DFW Metroplex.
"With more than 20 national brand-name hotels offering rates often one-third of those at similar properties near downtown, our proximity to Dallas provides groups with great convenience and value," says John Mayner, marketing manager for the city of Mesquite.
Running along 4.5 miles of highway, The Rows of Texas, Mesquite’s shopping, dining and entertainment district, is fresh off a comprehensive renovation, as is Mesquite’s 160-room convention center hotel.
The city has bold ambitions for the future, via its long-term "Project Renewal" revitalization and repositioning plan. Encompassing economic, transportation, infrastructure, business expansion and other development efforts, the 2-year-old project achieved a recent milestone with the completion of a $2 million bridge linking to a future multiuse development site, slated to include a four-star, full-service hotel and conference center.
Plano
Home to the iconic Southfork Ranch Event and Conference Center, business-centric Plano’s meetings offerings include the 404-room Marriott Dallas/Plano at Legacy Town Center; the 86,400-square-foot Plano Centre; and the hip new 136-room aloft Plano.
"Plano is a great choice for meeting planners because of our central U.S. location, facilities fitting almost any budget, proximity to downtown Dallas and easy access to air transportation, with DFW International Airport and Love Field just minutes away," says Mark Thompson, director of the Plano CVB.
As part of its goal of "making it easier for our clients to do business in Plano," the Plano CVB is supporting planners with enhanced services such as free housing, free Wi-Fi throughout the convention center and booking incentives for first-time meetings.
"Our newest amenity is the "Plano Perks Card," Thompson says. "This credit card-sized, cell phone-based concierge service provides meeting professionals and corporate travelers with access to live support with all their meeting needs."
—Frequent Meetings South contributor Jeff Heilman has the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex deep in his heart.
