In 1973, Variety ran a letter from a young director making his first movie and his producers expressing their “sincerest appreciation for the outstanding services rendered by the Texas Film Commission (TFC)” in supporting their project.
The director was Steven Spielberg, in the first of his epic collaborations with composer John Williams. Filmed in San Antonio, Sugar Land and other locales, The Sugarland Express, released in 1974, starred Goldie Hawn and William Atherton as the real-life couple who kidnapped a police officer and fled across Texas to recover their child from foster care.
While critically acclaimed, the movie bombed. Spielberg and company lost little sleep, though. Their next project, Jaws, forever transformed the movie industry.
Today, the Austin-based TFC supports visionary talent with initiatives like Film Friendly Texas, which has certified 200-plus Texas communities as “film friendly” destinations since 2007.
Famous Texans Matthew McConaughey, Dennis Quaid, Woody Harrelson, Renée Zellweger and Billy Bob Thornton call for turning Texas into “a new Hollywood” in the recent True to Texas video.
Planners with an eye for blockbuster group productions will find their own haven in the cinematic places, dramatic spaces and photogenic faces of Texas.
[Related: How South Texas Events Offer Up-Close Encounters With History]
Resorts Set the Stage for Group Success
This January, 10,000-plus global industry professionals and enthusiasts convened at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine for Imaging USA, the annual mega event of the Atlanta-based Professional Photographers of America.
Originated in 1869 and formalized in 1880, the convention is America’s longest-running photographic conference, tradeshow and exhibition. Paralleling the evolution of photography, the six-day showcase found a suitable stage at the Gaylord Texan.
Celebrating 20 years in 2024, this 1,814-room colossus on the shores of Lake Grapevine is the second-largest non-gaming hotel in the U.S. and the largest in Texas, offering 490,000-plus square feet of indoor and outdoor space.
Imaging USA attendees filled the 179,520-square-foot Longhorn Exhibit Hall to capacity. The group held receptions in the Lone Star Atrium, a 4.5-acre glass-enclosed oasis of gardens and waterways inspired by Texas landscapes, and the 32,000-square-foot Tate Ballroom, featuring two scenic outdoor terraces. The two-level lakeside Glass Cactus nightclub hosts events for up to 1,500 guests.
Opened in May 2023, the 500-room, $500 million Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa is the largest sole property investment in the history of Dallas-based Omni Hotels and Resorts. Nestled in the rolling hills of the former Fields Ranch, the 600-acre destination resort, blending rustic charm with modern luxury and intuitive service, entices at every turn.
“What makes our resort special is how it tells the story of Texas through its setting and design,” said Gus Tejeda, director of sales and marketing. “Floor-to-ceiling windows in guest rooms and meeting spaces connect guests with sweeping views of our championship golf courses and landscapes. Our ballrooms do not just host events—they frame them.”
Offering 127,000 square feet of versatile space, including 19 meeting rooms and nine scenic outdoor venues, the resort has garnered recognition as one of the top resorts in Texas for two consecutive years. “From quiet board meetings to vibrant celebrations, our resort offers an authentic sense of place that’s uniquely Texan and undeniably memorable,” Tejeda said.
[Related: How to Experience the Heritage and Culture of Central/West Texas During Events]
The Sights and Sounds of the Metroplex
Destination marketing generates big “box office” numbers in Irving, to the tune of $3.45 billion in annual visitor spending. Principal directors of these epic returns include Visit Irving Executive Director Maura Allen Gast, whose highlight reel with the bureau began in 1991 as a location scout for the Irving Texas Film Commission.
“In the late ‘70s, developer Trammell Crow wanted to establish Texas, and the Metroplex especially, as a ‘Third Coast’ of filmmaking,” Gast recalled. “He built the former Dallas Communications Complex, near where the Irving Convention Center (ICC) at Las Colinas now stands. You could walk in with a film idea and leave with the finished product.”
Still in the frame as a filming location, with the architecturally striking ICC appearing in TV shows, videos and commercials, Irving’s investment in other high-profile projects over the past decade such as the Toyota Music Factory concert venue and 350-room Westin Irving Convention Center headquarter hotel has brought a sense of cinematic discovery to the destination.
“Groups have exceptional resort settings at Irving’s Omni Las Colinas and The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, while the boutique Texican Court is our most Instagrammed property,” Gast said. “Connections with nature abound, from outdoor venues such as Levy Event Plaza and our river trails to the gondolas, water trikes and other watercraft that glide over Lake Carolyn and our canals. These unexpected encounters with serenity and beauty in our decidedly urban-suburban setting help Irving stand out.”
The evolution of Arlington’s $4 billion convention, sports, entertainment and hospitality campus unfolds like a historical epic, from the 1961 opening of Six Flags Over Texas amusement park to pivotal moments like the 2009 opening of the Dallas Cowboys’ new $1.2 billion, 100,000-plus capacity home, now AT&T Stadium.
Integrations over the past five years include the Globe Life Field baseball stadium; 35,000-square-foot Texas Live! entertainment and dining venue; and 888-room Loews Arlington Hotel, skybridge-connected to the 266,000-square-foot Arlington Convention Center and 300-room Live! By Loews hotel.
Texas native Audie Murphy earned the most decorations of any enlisted soldier in U.S. history, including the Medal of Honor, before becoming an actor and songwriter.
Paying tribute to Murphy and the other 3,547-plus recipients to date of the nation’s highest military decoration, the new National Medal of Honor Museum is a heroic addition to the Arlington campus. Appearing to float over water, the museum features indoor exhibits, a five-acre campus for “reflection, connection and learning,” and a dozen distinct rental spaces including the 500-capacity Rotunda of Honor.
In the heart of Plano, mixed-use lifestyle campus Legacy West is a luminous showcase of urban elegance.
“The architectural brilliance of sleek lines, ambient lighting and contemporary design make Legacy West an irresistible destination for groups seeking a vibrant walkable atmosphere,” said Millerann Moya, assistant director at Visit Plano. “Mixing modern sophistication with chic Asian and Texan design elements, Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West acts as a visual anchor and meetings hub.”
With Legacy West’s centerpiece fountain putting on a show of illuminated and choreographed water displays, group dining options include Haywire, with rentals including groovy rooftop tents and Airstream with firepit. Adjacent multilevel Legacy Hall is another event favorite, featuring 20-plus restaurants, bars, live music and a brewery.
“Forming a harmonious landscape of venues in close proximity that enhances convenience while amplifying the immersive experience, the magnetic beauty of Legacy West captivates groups and ensures their return,” Moya said.
Originally scripted as a miniseries, TV’s Dallas (1978-1991) fell flat in its debut. “Dallas hated Dallas at first,” recalled a local TV columnist in a Texas Monthly feature on the show’s 40th anniversary. “It was everything that Dallas felt that it was not. The boots, the hats, the ranching, the oil. That was all Houston.”
Soon though, the planet was fixated on the campy soap opera that Texas Monthly decided “forever changed Texas.”
About 30 minutes east of Plano in Parker, the show’s exterior filming location, Southfork Ranch officially became a tourism and event destination in 1985. Today, the 357-acre property, offering 63,000 square feet of versatile space for up to 10,000 attendees, remains a hot ticket for tours, meetings and events.
[Related: Old and New Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Venues That Set the Stage for Group Success]
A New Era of Remembering the Alamo
Phil Collins’ priceless “Texana” collection of Alamo artifacts, which the legendary musician gifted to Texas in 2014, includes the final muster roll of the 200-plus men, including San Antonians of Mexican heritage and European immigrants, who perished on March 6, 1836, defending the Alamo.
Since 1915, eight Hollywood films have depicted the battle, including Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955) and The Alamo (2004) with Billy Bob Thornton.
While none were filmed at the Alamo, all feature the “Remember the Alamo!” battle cry that rallied the Texan Army to victory following the Alamo, securing independence for the Republic of Texas.
Late actor Paul Reubens also uttered the immortal line in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) when seeking his missing bike at the Alamo. This summer, the Alamo acquired the original stunt bike used in the film.
The bike joins the Texana artifacts, currently housed at the Alamo’s Ralston Family Collections Center, as part of the upcoming permanent exhibition at the new Alamo Visitor Center and Museum.
Scheduled for 2027, the 160,000-square-foot venue will immerse visitors in the story of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution with cutting-edge elements including a 4D theater and event spaces. Present rentals for 10 to 525 people include outdoor garden and courtyard spaces. This summer, the Alamo and the four Spanish missions within San Antonio Missions National Historical Park marked 10 years as the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas.
Cinematic Connections
From industry events to historic movie palaces, Texas is one larger-than-life picture show for groups.
Launched in Austin in 1987, South by Southwest Conference & Festivals (SXSW), incorporating the SXSW Film & TV Festival, headlines year-round event tie-ins for groups.
The five-day San Antonio Film Festival (SAFILM) celebrated 31 years this July. September events include the South Texas International Film Festival and El Paso Film Festival, with the Abilene Frontier Film Festival and Amarillo International Film Festival in October.
Last year, Dallas-Fort Worth replaced Miami as one of six U.S. metros where films can qualify for Oscar consideration. The Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF), which turns 20 next year, is now also an Oscar Qualifying Festival for narrative short films. That’s a big deal—the Oscars recognize only 181 of the 12,000-plus annual film festivals worldwide.
DIFF screening venues include the 1931 Texas Theatre, where police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald following the JFK assassination in 1963. Located in artsy time capsule Oak Cliff, Dallas’ oldest neighborhood, this Texas landmark hosts industry, corporate and social events. Rentals include the 670-seat main auditorium, upstairs 165-seat cinema and retro-style cocktail bar, plus VIP and green rooms.
Other group venues on the festival circuit include Austin’s Paramount (1915) and State (1935) Theaters, San Antonio’s contemporary Tobin Center for the Performing Arts and the 1930 Plaza Theatre in El Paso.
Texas once led the nation in drive-in theaters. Today, fewer than 300 remain in the U.S. Operators still “making memories under the stars” include Blue Starlite Urban Drive-In in Austin, offering two outdoor venues and an indoor cinema for private events.
Fort Worth options include Coyote Drive-In and Rooftop Cinema Club, which is also in Houston. Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre in Lubbock also caters to groups.
