Despite what most meeting planners might expect, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which affected the ocean destinations of the four Gulf states, gave the region a big boost—$20 billion, in fact, including $179 million for tourism promotion. Last year’s tourism season in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida was the best in years, according to a BP ad campaign launched in November 2011.
And now, following a great deal of promotion of the ever-evolving coast—thanks to a multimillion-dollar assist from BP—lots of new and expanded attractions and facilities are coming on-line across many parts of the 1,800-mile Gulf of Mexico.
In Texas, Beaumont is getting a new event center on the site of a building damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008, and Galveston will see the opening of a new entertainment draw replacing a hotel devastated by Hurricane Ike.
Meanwhile, Biloxi this year will become home to the second Margaritaville Casino. (The first debuted at the Vegas Flamingo last fall.)
LOUISIANA
New Orleans
The 1.1 million-square-foot New Orleans Morial Convention Center broke ground in December on a 60,000-square-foot ballroom, the city’s largest. Replacing Hall A, it is the major component of a $50 million renovation set for completion in January 2013.
Closed since it was damaged by Katrina in 2005, the 1,193-room Hyatt Regency New Orleans reopened in October following a $275 million revitalization. The city’s largest meetings hotel has 200,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including two new 25,000-square-foot ballrooms. The adjacent Superdome, now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, also recently completed an $85 million renovation.
In October, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport doubled the size of Concourse D, adding six gates. Also, as part of a $300 million expansion, the National WWII Museum last June unveiled a 14,000-square-foot restoration pavilion, where visitors can see equipment, such as jeeps, tanks and boats, get restored.
Lake Charles
With the tag, “Are You Game?” Lake Charles markets eco-tourism, hunting and fishing, and three casino resorts.
“Our location along Interstate 10, midway between Houston and New Orleans, makes southwest Louisiana an ideal location for regional conferences,” says Megan Monsour Hartman, senior marketing manager at the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana CVB.
The city’s downtown civic center has 62,000 square feet of function space. Baton Rouge’s 200-room L’Auberge casino will open this summer, while a $400 million Mojito Pointe casino is planned. The property will feature two hotels next to the Lake Charles L’Auberge.
The lake features a new cruise vessel, the Lady of the Lake, for up to 150 guests. Meanwhile, the new Gallery of Fine Wines & Spirits, which can host 30 people for cooking demonstrations, is downtown.
MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Biloxi’s Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center completed its $118 million renovation and expansion in August 2010, increasing space from 180,000 to 413,000 square feet. Authorities are seeking a developer for a 500-room headquarters hotel.
At NASA Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, the new $44 million, 67,000-square-foot Infinity visitor center opens this spring.
The coast will get its 12th casino in May. The 750-slot Margaritaville Casino opens in Biloxi’s Back Bay with a 780-seat events center.
Opening on Beach Boulevard are the last two of five Frank Gehry-designed buildings of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, and a $10.5 million presidential library at Beauvoir, home of Jefferson Davis. The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum is planning a new facility.
ALABAMA
Mobile
The Mobile Bay CVB “Easy Walk Meetings Package” includes the 317,000-square-foot waterfront Outlaw Convention Center and more than 1,300 nearby rooms in seven hotels.
Mobile features unique off-site venues, says Stacy Hamilton, vice president of marketing at the Mobile CVB. Among these will soon be the 90,000-square-foot GulfQuest, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, which opens this fall.
Alabama Gulf Coast
This area has 32 miles of beach and the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
The 11 meetings-ready hotels include Orange Beach’s 160-room Hampton Inn & Suites, which opened last April with 5,000 square feet of meeting space.
In 2011, the city of Orange Beach bought the 27,000-square-foot Conference Center at The Wharf, which also features attractions.
Beth Gendler, vice president of sales at Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism, says The Wharf is now more affordable, and has been remodeled.
FLORIDA
Pensacola Bay
Opened in February 2011, the newest beach property is the 206-room Holiday Inn Pensacola Beach, with 4,515 square feet of meeting space. It is connected to the Hilton Pensacola Beach, the area’s largest meetings hotel.
“Because of BP marketing grants, Visit Pensacola has been able to promote the area like never before,” says Terry Scruggs, interim vice president of tourism at Visit Pensacola.
Last year, the National Naval Aviation Museum added the “Marine One” presidential helicopter, and work began on a 127 Hyatt Place at the Pensacola Regional Airport.
Emerald Coast/Beaches of South Walton
To the east, the Emerald Coast of Okaloosa County has 24 miles of beaches and the communities of Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island.
Farther east, the largest resort along the The Beaches of South Walton is the 2,400-acre Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, which includes two Marriott properties and 65,000 square feet of meeting space.
Last June, the resort announced a new customized team-building program with activities ranging from zipline courses to golf.
Last spring the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, with 32,000 square feet of meeting space, finished a $6.5 million upgrade that included improved meeting space.
Panama City Beach
Farther east, Panama City Beach has 27 miles of beach, 21,000 hotel rooms and condo units, and 160,000 square feet of meeting space. Major meetings hotels include Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort, Boardwalk Beach Resort & Conference Center, and Wyndham Bay Point Resort (reflagged from a Marriott last October), each with between 32,000 and 40,000 square feet of meeting space.
“The BP funding enabled us to host events that have brought greater exposure to the destination,” says Ann Gager, sales director at the Panama City Beach CVB.
The 2,900-acre Panama City Beach Conservation Park opened in October, and last July a summer seasonal Beach Bus was launched, providing free transportation along Front Beach Road.
Tampa/St. Petersburg
Tampa’s downtown waterfront boasts the 650,000-square-foot Tampa Convention Center and 2,100 rooms in a four-block radius.
According to Alex Kaptzan, convention sales director at Tampa Bay & Company, last year showed a marked improvement over 2010.
“It turned out to be a good year. Groups that historically booked three to five years in advance are now booking one to three years out, so a trend of short-term bookings continues,” he says.
Punta Gorda/Charlotte Harbor
The Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center in downtown Punta Gorda was 3 years old in January. With 43,000 square feet of available space, it is within walking distance of more than 350 hotel rooms, restaurants, shops and art galleries and three minutes from I-75.
“The number of meetings and conferences bringing people from outside the area was up in 2011, and is on track to be up again in 2012,” says Sean Doherty, sales and sports marketing manager at Charlotte Harbor VCB.
The Event Center and the adjacent Four Points by Sheraton are working together on promotional packages for planners, he adds.
Fort Myers
“We are experiencing an exciting renewal as industry partners launch reinvestment programs, renovations and plan future upgrades,” says Tamara Pigott, executive director of the Lee County VCB.
The VCB estimates that for 2011 and through 2012 properties are spending more than $100 million. Properties that have or are renovating are Diamondhead Beach Resort and Casa Ybel Resort on Fort Myers Beach; lsland Inn and Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island; and Holiday Inn Downtown Historic District Fort Myers.
Adds Pigott, “Tourism in 2011 was stronger than in 2010, and hotels focused on meetings are reporting bookings increases.”
Naples
Dubbed the Paradise Coast, the communities of Collier County and its 30 miles of beaches are promoted by the Greater Naples, Marco Island & Everglades CVB.
According to Jack Wert, executive director of the CVB, visitor numbers have been on the rise since February 2011. “The increases can be attributed to more confidence in the economy and a return of leisure visitors,” he says.
Early last year the CVB launched a new meetings program, GAP (Group Attendance Push), aimed at boosting attendance.
About to open at press time was the 30,000-square-feet Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples in North Collier Regional Park, which has two exhibit halls totaling 5,400 square feet.
TEXAS
Beaumont
Beaumont, off I-10 just 60 miles west of Lake Charles, has two primary venues: Ford Park Event Center, with a 48,000-square-foot exhibit hall and a 9,000-seat arena and downtown’s Beaumont Civic Center Complex, which includes 42,000 square feet of exhibit space and 6,000 square feet of meeting space.
Following delays, this summer the city plans to open the Beaumont Event Center downtown with a 16,000-square-foot event hall.
“Meetings and convention business was down slightly in 2011 from 2010, but 2012 bookings are extremely strong,” says Freddie Willard, sales director at the Beaumont CVB.
Houston/Bay Area
Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, has two major convention/trade show facilities, each topping 1 million square feet of space. There’s Reliant Park, with a convention center, stadium, arena and the Astrodome, and the George R. Brown Convention Center downtown. The two are connected by light rail.
“This means we can host multiple groups at one time. Our arts are second to none and we’re emerging as one of the best culinary scenes in the country,” says Lindsey Brown, marketing and public relations director for the Greater Houston CVB. The bureau will soon launch a redesigned website with new features for planners, she adds.
The new 262-suite Embassy Suites-Houston Downtown with 6,000 square feet of meeting space opened in February last year by the convention center. Connected to the center is the 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston, which wrapped up an $11 million renovation of its 1,200 rooms and 91,000 square feet of meeting space in September. Also downtown, the 135-room Hotel Icon was relaunched last fall as a Marriott Autograph Collection member.
The 267-room Westin Houston, Memorial City, with 30,000 square feet of meeting space, opened last spring, and in September Hotel Sorella unveiled a meetings center with a 4,000-square-foot ballroom.
Galveston
With 32 miles of beaches, Galveston has two major convention facilities: the 140,000-square-foot Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort, and Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center, with 100,000 square feet of available space.
Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, a new attraction, will open by the summer. It will include 16 rides and group space.
Celebrating its 100th birthday last year, Hotel Galvez—which features 13,000 square feet of interior meeting space—completed an $11 million facelift that included guest rooms and outdoor event space.
Corpus Christi
Texas’ largest oceanfront city has the waterfront American Bank Center, which includes 76,000 square feet of exhibit space, two ballrooms and a 10,000-seat arena. Among its attractions are the Texas State Aquarium, which opened a new splash park last May.
Opening April 14, and connected to the baseball stadium, the new Hurricane Alley Waterpark will include such venues as a VIP deck that can host 200, and will be available for after-hours buyouts.
“We remain a very strong destination for 350- to 700-person conventions,” says Keith Arnold, CEO of the Corpus Christi CVB.
“Meeting and convention business looks strong for 2012,” he says. “We have several large conventions filling the spring and summer.”
The CVB still offers its free beach party incentive, begun in 2010.
South Padre Island
Just 34 miles long by three blocks wide, South Padre Island has as its primary venue the South Padre Island Convention Center, with 45,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 22,000-square-foot exhibit hall and a 250-seat auditorium. One of the largest meetings hotels, the 192-room Pearl South Padre with 8,500 square feet of meeting pace, was the Sheraton South Padre until it rebranded in April last year.
Causing extensive damage, Hurricane Dolly struck in July 2008. By spring 2009 almost all major hotel properties had reopened, except Bahia Mar Resort & Conference Center and South Padre Beach Resort.
Tony Bartlett has been covering the travel industry for over 20 years.
