Destination - April / May 2008

By Diana Rowe

Mention Texas, and many people still envision cowboys, tumbleweed, cacti and cattle as far as the eye can see. Areas still exist that are throwbacks to the old spaghetti westerns, but for years now, Texas has been building a solid reputation in the meetings industry.

Within the state’s 267,000 square miles of wide-open spaces, planners will discover vibrant cities, more than 900 golf courses and an abundance of natural wonders. The 18.5 million square feet of meeting space and 330,000 hotel rooms statewide provide multiple options for meetings, from the world’s largest column-free exhibit hall to

Houston’s Reliant Center provides more than 700,000 square feet of contiguous, single-level exhibit space divisible into 11 separate halls. The center also has 61 meeting rooms and more than 150,000 square feet of registration space. Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau

meeting rooms flanked by sparkling bays and lazy rivers.

Association planners who are seeking facilities capable of hosting large conventions with thousands of meeting attendees can find a fit in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Corpus Christi, where state-of-the-art convention facilities offer hundreds of thousands of square feet of exhibit and meeting space. But sometimes finding the right space is just part of the solution, as one association executive knows only too well.

Houston, We Don’t Have A Problem
Like most association planners, Joe Rowe, executive director of the Columbus, GA-based International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), is challenged with finding a convention center and hotel large enough to host his members-only annual convention and trade show that attracts more than 5,000 exhibitors and retailers. IPCPR is the oldest, largest and most active international trade association representing and assisting retail tobacconists.

Unlike most association planners, however, Rowe has the additional challenge of finding facilities that will “still allow our members to enjoy their premium tobacco.” Not an easy task in our increasingly smoke-free society. But Rowe was able to leverage his group by strategically selecting lower-demand convention dates in mid-summer in Houston.

“I can honestly say that Houston is the first destination that actually delivered more than they promised,” Rowe said. “They even went the extra mile and grandfathered our ‘smoking event’ into last year’s non-smoking ban, so we can return. Their farsightedness is important to our future events.”

In recent years, downtown Houston has become a hub of world-class shopping, dining, entertainment and attractions, making the location of the George R. Brown Convention Center ideally suited for meetings like IPCPR’s. The expanded convention center provides 1.8 million gross square feet including 100 meeting rooms.

Houston’s committable hotel inventory within one mile of the convention center is growing, having doubled in the last 36 months to 5,000 rooms. Hotel options range from the higher-end Hyatt Regency Houston (977 rooms), Four Seasons Hotel Houston (404 rooms), The Magnolia Hotel (314 rooms) and Crowne Plaza Houston Downtown (259 rooms), to the more economical Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown (191 rooms), Residence Inn Houston Downtown/Convention Center (171 suites) and Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites/Convention Center (112 rooms).

Rowe’s group liked the convenience of the 1,203-room Hilton Americas-Houston, which is connected to the George R. Brown Convention Center by skybridges. The hotel itself offers 33 meeting rooms totaling 91,500 square feet, and 40,000 square feet of exhibit space.

From a gala event at the Hilton Americas-Houston to cocktail parties throughout downtown to ongoing meetings and breakouts at the convention center, Rowe said IPCPR’s partnership with the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GHCVB) resulted in a successful event.

“The GHCVB never missed a beat,” said Rowe. “For example, at the last minute, we had an issue arise on the federal level that our membership had to discuss. We required additional meeting space for groups of 25 to 200. Within a few hours’ notice, the GHCVB, the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Hilton Americas-Houston provided the space wonderfully and seamlessly.”

Due to IPCPR’s international attendee base, affordability and accessibility are also key considerations in Rowe’s selection of a destination. Rowe added that Houston can compete with any major city by providing sometimes even more affordable room rates. Houston’s two major airports, the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport, provide nonstop service to most cities, domestic and international.

Ken Middleton, GHCVB vice president of convention sales, said, “We offer strong sales and service teams that are empowered to meet and exceed the association planner’s expectations. We like to take our strengths and match them to the needs of the meeting. For example, we have the world’s largest medical center — perfect for medical associations. Houston is also the energy capital of the world — perfect for energy-related associations.”

New And Noteworthy. The Warwick Hotel
reopened as Hotel ZaZa last summer following a multimillion-dollar renovation. Omni Hotels is revitalizing the former downtown Sheraton, which will feature 400-plus all-suite rooms and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The property will open in 2009. The city is also considering plans to bring a second convention center hotel to downtown.

Unique Venues. Located in the “super block” in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center, a new 12-acre downtown park, Discovery Green, debuts this spring. Opening this fall, the $170 million Houston Pavilions development will offer added dining, entertainment and retail options, including a House of Blues, the upscale bowling lounge Lucky Strike, Lawry’s The Prime Rib, Red Cat Jazz Café and McCormick & Schmick’s.

Think Big, Think Dallas
Dallas’ slogan “Live Large. Think Big” describes not only the city’s zest for the arts, entertainment and sports, but its capacity for doing big business. Dallas ranked 8th among top cities in the nation for trade and consumer shows in 2007 and has consistently ranked among the top 10 for the last 12 years.

Phillip Jones, president and CEO of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, cited the advantages of the city’s central location. “Served by two airports, including the busiest, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas is less than four hours by air from most major cities, with more domestic nonstop flights than any other U.S. city. Dallas is home to many airlines, which translates into affordability, especially important to the association market.” He added, “Attendees can often book first-class brand hotels for less than, for instance, (the cost of hotels) in New York

The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center bridge spans the San Antonio River, which extends through the center with river taxis, event patios and more. The convention center has 600,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. Photo courtesy of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau

City or Chicago.

“Dallas continually backs the meeting industry,” Jones continued, “by investing more dollars, adding more hotels, restaurants and attractions to its collection and creating a wealth of choices for meeting attendees. With more than $12 billion in development underway in the urban core, expect additional stellar dining, shopping, arts, culture and entertainment options each year.”

The Dallas Convention Center boasts the world’s largest singular column-free exhibit hall in the U.S. with 203,000 square feet of space. In total, the convention center offers more than 700,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Dallas offers more than 70,000 hotel rooms ranging from first-class luxury to budget-friendly pricing. Jones added that 30,000 rooms are within the city limits, and 11,000 are within two miles of the convention centers.

New And Noteworthy. Located in the heart of Dallas, Victory Park features the American Airlines Center sports and entertainment complex as its centerpiece plus the new 252-room W Dallas-Victory Hotel & Residences with its 11,000 square feet of function space. Victory Park’s 120-room Mandarin Oriental, Dallas, is scheduled for completion in 2010, and will offer 9,000 square feet of meeting space and a 30,000-square-foot spa.

Unique Venues. The Dallas World Aquarium’s saltwater exhibits feature sharks, stingrays, and hundreds of reef fish all in living coral reef ecosystems. The facility provides seated service for 500 or an informal function for 1,500. Near the Dallas Convention Center, Eddie Deen’s Ranch in Downtown Dallas delivers an authentic Texas experience for groups up to 2,500 and features live country entertainment and a full-size bullriding rodeo.

The Fort Worth Convention Center offers more than 250,000 square feet of exhibit space, more than 58,000 square feet of meeting space, a 28,160-square-foot ballroom and a 13,000-seat arena. Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau

Fort Worth Friendly
Fort Worth, just 171/2 miles from DFW International Airport, ranks as one of the premier meeting destinations in the nation. The Fort Worth Convention Center offers 253,226 square feet of exhibit space, a 13,000-seat arena and 58,849 square feet of meeting space. The down­town area offers more than 2,000 hotel rooms and more than 11,000 rooms citywide are convenient to downtown.

John Cychol, VP of meeting sales, Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau, said, “One of the biggest reasons Fort Worth is an exciting meetings and convention destination is the transformation of the city’s accommodations in its pedestrian-friendly and safe downtown. By the end of 2008, the number of downtown guest rooms will double, thanks to new and renovated hotels, which will allow the city to host larger meetings than ever before.”

No one is more excited about the additional accommodations in Fort Worth than Bitsy Burns-Matthes, CMP, director of operations for the Southwest Veterinary Symposium (SWVS). For the past five years, SWVS has held their annual meeting with 5,000 attendees from five states in Fort Worth. “Friendly yet professional,” Burns-Matthes described downtown Fort Worth. “In the middle of the day you are as likely to see someone in a suit as you are a cowboy hat and boots.”

Burns-Matthes said that her relationship with the Fort Worth CVB goes back 15 years, and she’s never been disappointed. “The CVB keeps in touch with me throughout the year, and when they see me at another meeting, they seek me out to say hello. It’s not just me, as the meeting planner; the CVB, the Fort Worth Convention Center and hotel staff are welcoming to all attendees, so much so that it’s like coming home when we travel to Fort Worth.”

She appreciated that the convention center went above and beyond to accommodate SWVS’ interactive labs with live animals and cadavers that allowed students, technicians and veterinarians to engage in hands-on training. Burns-Matthes added that this past year’s reception included two “live” steers displayed at the entrance of the convention center as a fun way to kick-off the Fort Worth meeting. “It’s so fun, the freedom and acceptance that Fort Worth gives us to incorporate animals into our event.”

New And Noteworthy. Expected to open in late 2008, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, adjacent to the Fort Worth Convention Center, will feature 607 rooms and nearly 68,000 square feet of meeting space. The 294-room Hilton Fort Worth and 504-room Renaissance Worth­ington Hotel have both completed extensive renovations. The new Embassy Suites Hotel Fort Worth-Downtown offers 156 two-room suites along with meeting spaces that are ideal for smaller events. Less than a block from the convention center, the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa will offer 430 guest rooms and 22,000 square feet of meeting space when it opens this summer.

Unique Venues. The Fort Worth CVB now hosts a kiosk at the convention center with all the information necessary for attendees to book activities, from the National Cowgirl Museum to a whole roster of restaurants and entertainment.

The 35-block Sundance Square entertainment district is home to a collection of restaurants, live music clubs, theatres, shops, exciting nightlife and the beautiful Bass Performance Hall, named as one of the top 10 opera houses in the world.

Uniquely Texan attractions include the legendary Stockyards National Historic District; Billy Bob’s Texas, the “World’s Largest Honky Tonk”; and live rodeo every weekend at Cowtown Coliseum.

CoastIng In Corpus Christi
The Association of Water Board Directors-Texas (AWBD) has been taking its annual conference for 1,500 delegates to Corpus Christi for years. Said Merry Leonard, AWBD’s executive director, “Corpus Christi is a happening city with great restaurants, a variety of hotels and entertainment, but it’s the CVB staff that makes the meeting stand out. Their professionalism, flexibility and friendliness keep our group returning year after year.”

Situated halfway between Houston and the U.S.-Mexico border, Corpus Christi is Texas’ largest coastal city, offering

Known locally as the “Blue Ghost” for its mysterious-looking blue hue at night, the USS Lexington is a great place to float an idea  — the World War II aircraft carrier offers more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space. It’s permanently docked in Corpus Christi Bay. Photo courtesy of Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau

more than 11,000 hotels and condos, and the 500,000-square-foot American Bank Center complex, which includes the American Bank Center Convention Center, with more than 76,000 square feet of exhibit space; the 10,000-seat American Bank Center Arena; and the historical 2,500-seat Selena Auditorium.

Leonard reported that the American Bank Center Convention Center’s view overlooking the Corpus Christi Bay will “take your breath away. When you step out of a meeting to get a cup of coffee, you feel that you are really someplace spectacular, instead of stuck within four walls. With 1,500 delegates, there are many different personalities with as many different likes and dislikes, and it’s hard to please everyone,” continued Leonard. “But in Corpus Christi, I can offer everything from a beautiful national seashore to fantastic museums. Corpus Christi is the planner’s little jewel in Texas.”

New And Noteworthy. Corpus Christi’s hotel offerings include the beachfront Best Western Marina Grand Hotel, which was renovated in 2006, with nearly 5,000 square feet of meeting space. The Omni Corpus Christi Hotel recently completed an extensive renovation of its 821 rooms and the 38,000 square feet of meeting space. The Omni Bayfront Tower handles overflow for meeting attendees.

Unique Venues. The USS Lexington is the perfect place to host a distinctive meeting, with more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space. This World War II aircraft carrier docked in Corpus Christi Bay is a permanent fixture of the downtown skyline. The Texas State Aquarium, smack-dab in the middle of the downtown entertainment district overlooking the bay, accommodates up to 250 attendees indoors and up to 3,000 outdoors.

Memorable San Antonio
Perhaps best known as the home of the Alamo, no San Antonio meeting is complete without a stroll along the city’s River Walk, which connects shops, restaurants and hotels with the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The center offers 600,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space and includes more than 440,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space and 63 breakout rooms.

The San Antonio area is home to more than 35,000 hotel rooms — about 12,500 located downtown — offering everything from headquarter hotels to world-class destination resorts. Last year, San Antonio hosted nearly 500,000 delegates from around the world, including the international conference of the Chicago-based Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP).

Rose Dalba, president of the ADRP, selected the Omni La Mansión del Rio to host their 275 delegates. “We wanted a small and more boutique feel to the property, and we were impressed with the friendliness of everyone at the Omni. Upon our arrival, the entire hotel staff quickly learned our names and greeted each delegate by name every day.”

Dalba and her delegates especially enjoyed the prime location of the Omni, in the heart of San Antonio along the historic River Walk, and within easy walking distance of the fabled Alamo, El Mercado, La Villita District, Spanish Governors Palace, San Antonio Convention Center and other well-known landmarks.

For the ADRP’s 2½ days of extensive meetings and events, Dalba reported that the Omni’s 15,000 square feet of meeting space was just the right fit for her group. She also took advantage of the unseasonably mild December weather by hosting a reception outdoors in the courtyard/pool area.

“We credit the success of our meeting to the selection of both San Antonio and the Omni La Mansión del Rio for our conference,” added Dalba. “Data collected from post-conference evaluations reported that attendees were overwhelmingly positive about the conference city and their overall hotel experiences. Everyone had a wonderful time, and that is exactly what a meeting planner wants to hear.”

New And Noteworthy. February 2008 was a record-setting month for the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau (SACVB), when it booked more than 87,000 delegates — the highest one-month total in its history. The SACVB attributes its success to the flexibility of the convention center, a diverse selection of hotels (including the 1,003-room Grand Hyatt San Antonio, which opened adjacent to the convention center in March) and the River Walk.

In a state where bigger is better, associations are welcomed in a big way by hospitable cities that offer easy airlift, premier convention facilities, accommodations at every price point, truly unique venues and activities that appeal to both uptown sophisticates and down-home average joes alike.    ACF