From its tropical climate and ecotourism options to its cultural diversity, South Texas presents a world of opportunities for meeting planners.
The area includes Corpus Christi on the coast, Laredo in the southwest and the delta region of the Rio Grande Valley that encompasses such cities as Harlingen, McAllen, Brownsville and South Padre Island.
There are destinations here that made TripAdvisor's lists for top family and beach vacations, while others attracted accolades for the low costs of living and clean air.
For groups, there is something to satisfy every attendee.
Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, the Lone Star State's largest oceanfront city, combines a metro area with a beachfront destination. It has the world's longest undeveloped stretch of barrier island—the 120-mile Padre Island National Seashore—and an international airport less than 20 minutes from downtown and the beaches.
The American Bank Center on downtown's bayfront has 500,000 square feet of event space, including a 76,000-square-foot main exhibit hall, meeting space that includes a 20,000-square-foot ballroom and a 10,000-seat arena. The adjacent Ortiz International Center can handle space for groups of up to 2,000.
Within walking distance are the Omni Bayfront and Omni Marina hotels, which together have more than 800 rooms and 38,000 square feet of meeting space. In total, the city has around 11,000 hotel rooms and condo units.
Among other meetings hotels are the 368-room Holiday Inn Emerald Beach, with more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space, the 237-room Holiday Inn Corpus Christi Airport Hotel, with more than 11,000 square feet of function space, and the 173-room Best Western Marina Grand Hotel, with nearly 5,000 square feet of meeting space.
According to Keith Arnold, CEO of the Corpus Christi CVB, the city typically handles groups of up to 3,500.
"Corpus Christi is a tropical beachside city with outstanding pricing value, a good hotel package, ease of transportation and exceptional venues," he says. "Our nature tourism is extensive, with wildlife watching and photography, fishing, birding and hunting."
Major attractions provide lots of off-site venue choices.
The Texas State Aquarium, for example, has space for up to 250 guests indoors and 3,000 outdoors, and offers cruises aboard its 100-foot luxury yacht. It recently opened two new attractions: a wetlands boardwalk exhibit and Dorsey's Splash Park.
The USS Lexington World War II aircraft carrier boasts more than 40,000 square feet of event space. Other off-site venues include the South Texas Botanical Gardens, the Art Museum of South Texas, the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History and the 5,050-seat Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks Double-A baseball team.
Last year, the bureau launched a new meetings incentive program that Arnold describes as a "phenomenal success," featuring free beach parties downtown with convention bookings.
Laredo
Located on the north bank of the Rio Grande across from Nuevo Laredo in Mexico, Laredo is on the southern end of Interstate 35, which runs south through the state. Three carriers serve its international airport.
Founded in 1755, it has flown under seven flags. In addition to the six flags of Texas, in 1840 it was the capital of the independent Republic of the Rio Grande.
Two standout venues are Laredo Energy Arena (known as the Laredo Entertainment Center until March last year), a multipurpose arena seating more than 9,000 and home to Laredo Bucks ice hockey, and the Laredo Civic Center, which features a 1,979-seat auditorium, a 24,470-square-foot banquet and exhibit hall and meeting rooms.
Laredo offers 4,000 hotel rooms in more than 40 hotels, 18 of which feature meeting space. Major meetings hotels include the Spanish Colonial-style La Posada Hotel/Suites overlooking the Rio Grande in the historic district; the 150-room Embassy Suites across from the Mall del Norte; and a 202-room Holiday Inn near the civic center.
"We are unique, tied to the Mexican culture and influences, with a 40-block stretch of Mexican import stores," says Blasita Lopez, director of the Laredo CVB. "The core of downtown is on the river, which has nature trails."
Blasita says Laredo is particularly ideal for the government meetings market, with some of the lowest hotel rates in Texas.
"Business is going well for the hotels," she says, noting that drilling for oil and gas in the Eagle Ford Shale Fields discovered north and west of the city has boosted the economy, especially in the last year.
The city will open the Robert Trent Jones II-designed Max A. Mandel Municipal Golf Course on 270 acres above the Rio Grande in November.
McAllen
With the tagline "The Texas Tropics," McAllen, located in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border, has around 3,000 hotel rooms, 17 golf courses and plenty of outdoor activities such as birding, hiking, camping, fishing and hunting.
In March, its metro area topped Forbes' annual list of America's 10 Cleanest (environmentally healthy) Cities. It also appears each year on Farmer's Insurance's list of the most secure U.S. cities to live, work and visit.
"McAllen is a great meeting place, especially in the winter," says Nancy Millar, vice president and director of the McAllen CVB. "We are as far south as Fort Lauderdale, but with a much lower cost of living than in Florida. Attendees can enjoy outdoor activities year-round for less cost. Also, being a smaller city, when you come to McAllen you are not just another meeting. You get our undivided attention, and the superior service that we pride ourselves on."
The four-year-old McAllen Convention Center features a 60,000-square-foot, column-free exhibit hall and over 26,000 square feet of meeting space in four ballrooms. McAllen Miller International Airport is about an eight-minute drive from the convention center.
"The convention center has opened new doors, allowing us to attract larger groups," Millar says. "We have met or exceeded our booking goals every year. This year is turning out to be a banner year for us as far as number of conventions booked."
Major meetings hotels include the historic Casa de Palmas Renaissance, with 6,500 square feet of meeting space, a Holiday Inn Express, with 3,000 square feet, and an Embassy Suites, with a 4,160-square-foot ballroom.
Begun three years ago, McAllen has a new district centered at 17th Street.
"Our new entertainment district has drawn a lot of attention," Millar says. "We've had 36 nightclubs, restaurants and lounges open in the last 24 months in renovated buildings in our historic downtown, offering a great nightlife scene."
Harlingen
Thirty five miles east of McAllen on highway 83 is Harlingen, "Dutch Name, Texan Heart," as the Harlingen CVB puts its. A leader in the health care industry, it is home to the Valley International Airport, served by Southwest, Continental Express and Sun Country (seasonally).
Harlingen was ranked as having the U.S.'s best cost of living in 2010's third quarter, according to the cost of living index released by the Council for Community and Economic Research. (McAllen took second place and Brownsville ranked third).
A two-mile hike and bike trail along the Arroyo Colorado, a tributary of the Rio Grande, meanders through the middle of town, while more than 30 murals are scattered throughout the city.
Top event options include the 2,300-seat Harlingen Municipal Auditorium and Casa de Amistad, with a 13,000-square-foot convention hall.
Attractions include the Harlingen Performing Arts Theatre, the Valley Race Park for greyhound racing and the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum. On its grounds, the museum includes the home of Lon C. Hill, the founder of the town, which was incorporated in 1910; the Paso Real Stagecoach Inn; and the city's first hospital.
A 150,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops is expected to open in October.
South Padre Island
Just 34 miles long by three blocks wide, South Padre Island is full of undeveloped oceanfront acres. The main town encompasses about five of those miles.
The destination's primary venue, the South Padre Island Convention Center, has 45,000 square feet of function space and features a 22,000-square-foot exhibit hall and a 250-seat auditorium. Also close by is the $6.5 million South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, which debuted in September 2009.
"South Padre Island provides planners and attendees with the combination of quality meeting and lodging facilities along with the relaxed atmosphere of a premier beach destination," says Dan Quandt, executive director of the South Padre Island CVB. "Popular activities include team and individual sandcastle-building lessons, dolphin watching, fishing, water sports and just taking it easy on the widest and cleanest beach in Texas."
Delegates can visit the South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center and the Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark. The Island Equestrian Center offers horseback riding on the beach, and Black Dragon Cruises features pirate theme and ecotourism cruises.
The average convention size is about 350 people, and depending on a group's needs, the destination, which has 4,000 hotel and condo rooms, can handle 2,000-plus delegates.
"Convention business is good. Spring break was the strongest in a number of years, and summer is strong," Quandt says, mentioning that the opening last year of a 127-room Hilton Garden Inn with 12,000 square feet of meeting space near the convention center has helped.
Meetings hotels include the 251-room Pearl South Padre (formerly the Sheraton South Padre Island), with 8,500 square feet of meeting space.
South Padre placed 21st out of the top 25 in TripAdvisor's 2011 Travelers' Choice U.S. Beach Destinations. It was the only Texas beach to be included on the list.
Brownsville
Brownsville is the southernmost Texas city in the Rio Grande Valley. The city's former tagline, "A History as Big as Texas" was changed last year to "A Fiesta Every Day."
The area features two Gulf of Mexico beaches, seven golf courses and many historical and natural sites.
With a group capacity for 800 for banquets, the waterfront Brownsville Event Center features 13,530 square feet of function space. Another facility, the Ringgold Civic Pavilion in Dean Porter Park, has a divisible ballroom that can accommodate 350.
Meanwhile, the Fort Brown Memorial Center on the University of Texas Brownsville campus offers four meeting facilities, the largest of which is an auditorium seating 1,500.
The 141-room Holiday Inn of Brownsville features 5,800 square feet of meeting space.
Among the attractions with event space are the 26-acre Gladys Porter Zoo, the Camille Playhouse, the Children's Museum of Brownsville and the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art.
Tony Bartlett has been writing about the travel trade industry for more than 20 years.
