Dallas offers plenty of hotels and resorts that cater to meetings, as well as more than 20 entertainment districts offering attendees plenty to do and see. Joseph Haubert / Visit Dallas

Texas is no stranger to meetings. Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are probably best known to planners for good reasons — stellar facilities, options galore and excellent airlift among them — but they aren’t the only cities to consider. Here are a few other Texas cities that easily meet planners’ needs, as well as some highlights of what the most well-known cities offer.

Corpus Christi

More than 300 attendees gathered in Corpus Christi for Texas Energy Managers Association’s (TEMA) Connect 2023, the annual conference. Like others, TEMA is finally getting back to planning and executing meetings the way they used to. Now that the pandemic has essentially passed, they are trying to meet and plan as they did before. “We’re back to in-person events with a hybrid option for those unable to travel due to budget/time constraints,” says Cami Brumley, the association’s CEO. Offering a hybrid option for the conference is the new norm. “We don’t have many utilize this feature, but we keep it so that those who can’t attend in person can still benefit from our conference.”

The Omni Corpus Christi served as the headquarter hotel this year and the group also used space at the American Bank Center (ABC) Convention Center, part of the American Bank Center complex.

“The center was a great choice for our event; the site is large enough to accommodate our diverse space needs while also being cost effective.  The people we worked with were incredible and made the event easy to plan,” Brumley says. “This is absolutely a selling point for planners.  You have to get along with the people you plan an event with, or the process is miserable. Add to that the fact of having a destination city for membership to enjoy and you have a winning event. Our attendees were offered a conference rate at the Omni Hotel for the weekend post-event, so many stayed to enjoy the fishing, golf and beach with their families or friends.  It was a brilliant addition that added value to our event; I’m grateful to the Omni for such a great opportunity.”

Brumley says her team received great assistance from Visit Corpus Christi, the city’s convention and visitor bureau. “The Corpus Christi CVB is incredible! From day one, they made sure we were taken care of and happy. They offered excellent incentives and made us feel welcomed and at home. They offered landing pages, welcome booths, gifts for my attendees and they even surprised us with a videographer at our closing session. I had mentioned at a meeting that we might like the session videoed then totally forgot about that conversation — but they didn’t! They followed through and handled it all.”

The American Bank Center Convention Center, Brumley adds, was fantastic from start to finish. “There are no perfect events, but this was close. The staff at the ABC center is responsive, accommodating, and when something goes wrong, they make it right. Because my attendees are used to this event being in smaller conference centers, the size of the center was a little daunting. But, we made our extra steps an excuse to thoroughly enjoy all the wonderful food and fun that Corpus Christi has to offer.”

The group is already planning to return for TEMA Connect 2026. “There are things that we now know to ask for, but it’s always a learning experience when you plan an event of this magnitude in a new venue. I can say with my whole heart that it’s a joy to move forward with our 2026 plans — and I can’t say that about every place we have been!”

The group chose the Omni in Corpus Christi in part because of its proximity to the convention center, but Brumley says, “Honestly, the hotel is beautiful!  It’s right on the water and within walking distance to many of the city’s best restaurants.  It also has a free shuttle from the airport, a huge bonus for those flying into the event. The Omni gave us an amazing rate for our attendees and, as I mentioned, extended the rate through the weekend.”

Most meetings and functions took place at the ABC Center, but the group used a meeting room at the Omni for a class the day before the conference. “We also used a space for a pre-conference registration event,” Brumley adds. “Everything for those events was great.”

Brumley is a believer in assessing compatibility with hosts from the start and moving on if it doesn’t feel right. To her fellow planners, she says, “Build a relationship with those you’re planning with. If you don’t hit it off at the site visit, run don’t walk to the next site. You’ll be working with these folks on and off for months, so you’d better get along. Find people you can be totally honest with because there will be times where you need to be — and quite frankly, times when they need to be honest with you, too.”

If you’re planning an event in Corpus Christi, she says, “Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Remember the saying, ‘You have not because you ask not.’ Their goal is to make you happy; if they can’t do something they’ll let you know. Make sure that all the right players are on all your communications; don’t assume that if you tell one person something, that everyone will know. And don’t assume that they’ll intuitively know the right places for things, so be super specific from the start — they can’t read your mind. My biggest advice is to plan to be in Corpus Christi for your event sooner than later. The view is amazing, the seafood is great and the staff that will handle your event can’t be matched.”

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association held their 2022 conference at the El Paso Convention Center. Van Zandt Visual, LLC

El Paso

The Texas chapter of the American Planning Association met in El Paso late last year. Angela M. Martinez, state conference coordinator for the chapter, says the meeting rotates throughout Texas. Last year’s event was the first fully in-person meeting since 2019. They ran virtual and hybrid events in 2020 and 2021. Martinez says registration numbers are almost back to pre-pandemic levels. “I expect by 2024 we will be fully back and over pre-pandemic numbers as municipalities’ budgets get better.”

Asked if the group will continue hybrid meetings going forward, her answer is succinct. “Never again. AV costs make it financially unfeasible for our organization given the registration fees we try to maintain to make our conference affordable for governmental employees to attend.”

They try to keep airfare costs down as well, and El Paso had enough benefits to make it work. She says, “We knew 95% of our conference attendees would have to fly to El Paso but it was a risk we were willing to take. El Paso has so much planning and development, and redevelopment going on, it was a no-brainer for our board. We were supposed to be there in 2020 but Covid ruined those plans, so we made sure our first full in-person conference would be in El Paso.”

Often, she continues, “The west and northwest of the state, as well as the Rio Grande Valley, are left out due to logistics. The cost and incentives received from Destination El Paso made El Paso work out, and F&B costs at the convention center were a little lower than what we see at other metropolitan areas.”

Martinez says that during site visits in 2018 and 2019, the group was “blown away” by everything the city has to offer — especially downtown. “During our first visits, Hotel Paso Del Norte and Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park were under renovation. Our organization has named El Paso Street and San Jacinto Plaza as part of our Great Places in Texas. Since much of our membership had never been to El Paso or only driven through it, we decided on two orientation tours to showcase the city. Our group left with a completely different view of what they thought El Paso was. I try to get back as often as possible just on a personal level.”

During the bid process, Destination El Paso, the city’s CVB, introduced the group to hotel managers, made recommendations for entertainment and made connections with the Chihuahuas organization. “We had a great team to work with while we were there. Plus, we were provided with an incentive that helped offset some costs,” she says.

The conference and awards reception were set in the El Paso Convention Center. Martinez says, “Everything worked very well. The breakout rooms were a perfect size where people were not crammed together but presenters felt like the rooms were full. We don’t have a lot of exhibitors like a typical trade show so we should have put our sponsors and exhibitors in the lobby versus the exhibit hall as it seemed very empty, but that’s on us. We were trying something a little different and it didn’t work.”

With a group of 750 attendees, Martinez notes that Hotel Paso Del Norte, across the street from the convention center and 15 to 20 minutes from the airport, is the only hotel large enough to qualify as host hotel. “It’s a full-service hotel with a fitness room, pool, cigar lounge, spa, two full-service restaurants, a grab-and-go breakfast/lunch/coffee shop, business center, complimentary airport shuttle and two bars,” she says. The hotel’s ballroom was the setting for the opening reception. “We always have our opening reception at our host hotel as it helps with negotiating our room rates.”

Other hotels the group used included Courtyard by Marriott, DoubleTree by Hilton, Aloft and Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park. “They were all great to work with and everything went as planned,” she says.

“El Paso is a wonderful place,” Martinez emphasizes and encourages planners to give it a try. “There’s so much to see and do. Destination El Paso is there to help you throughout your planning process and beyond. Engage them and ask for recommendations. They helped us tremendously.”

The 2023 TASBO Engage Conference was held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, which has 514,000 sf of contiguous space. Courtesy of Becky Bunte

San Antonio

Last fall, the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) held its annual meeting in San Antonio, with 3,900 in attendance. The San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk, San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk and Hyatt San Antonio served as the main hotels.

Like other groups, BMES is back in person, and although they tried a hybrid approach with some components of the meeting offered live to remote audiences, Chanel Ricks, CMP, director, events, says there was little or no ROI in actual attendance. “Fewer than 30 of the 250 virtual registrants logged in, and almost none stayed in the live stream for the full event.” While registration numbers are still a little low, she expects full recovery by 2024.

Rising costs are an issue. “We’re being very cost conscious and looking at raising registration fees to account for the rising costs of our destination meetings,” she says. “Historically, we have lower attendance on the West Coast, so it’s been a struggle to find that sweet spot of raising registration fees, accounting for higher event costs and keeping the draw for our attendees to attend our 2023 West Coast meeting. Last year’s event was our first fully in-person meeting. It was very clear that our attendees want to see each other and present to their colleagues; we experienced an enthusiasm we hadn’t seen in a long time.”

San Antonio is a good location for the group. “We don’t offer a lot of meals as part of programming, so our attendees love being in downtown properties where they can walk, get some fresh air and not have a lot of people at the food outlets. San Antonio is a perfect location for all price points and our large student audience loved it.”

The bulk of meetings were set in the convention center, which Ricks calls “Awesome.” She says the city is perfect for a fall meeting. “San Antonio is a warm city in the fall, the Riverwalk is a huge draw, the pricing was every economical (it’s not a union city) and function space was well laid out.” Among the destination staff that Ricks found most helpful were those at the convention center, the onsite registration team and the DMC, Access Destination Services San Antonio. She also notes that they used — and loved — the space at Marriott Rivercenter, setting more than 20 receptions there.

Sometimes, politics impact destination choice, but not every city in a state is the same. More than a few members objected to meeting in Texas. Ricks says, “Our board received a few reservations and complaints on social media concerning Texas laws related to women’s reproductive health. We received some strong reactions to the meeting being held in Texas, such as ‘Just cancel the meeting and move it!’ comments without them knowing the context and how difficult and expensive that could have been. We also had to contend with the fact that most of our California schools had a ban on state funding to Texas, and we thought it would affect our attendance significantly. We were proactive about addressing those issues from the board, and it ended up being fine. There were no complaints leading up to the annual meeting or onsite. The CVB helped with providing language on San Antonio being a diverse and inclusive community, which went over really well with our attendees.”

The Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) met in San Antonio earlier this year at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk for its 2023 TASBO Engage Conference, drawing just over 3,000 attendees plus 324 exhibit booths with an additional 1,312 exhibitors. The conference is fully back in person and registration has exceeded pre-pandemic numbers.

“Our members love San Antonio and the River Walk,” says Becky Bunte, CAE, deputy executive director. “The meeting/exhibit space is perfect for our needs. We use a lot of meeting space for education and it’s more than adequate. Did I mention we had wonderful weather…?”

She says Visit San Antonio was very helpful. “The CVB was instrumental in helping us find outside venues for our board and staff, as well as helping with overflow hotels, maps, etc. They were available for a pre-planning visit, as well as our pre-con meetings.”

TASBO used meeting space at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio and convention center. “We need space at both places to meet the needs of the 100-plus courses we offer during this week. We’re there from Sunday to Friday and hold 40-60 events per day. The exhibit-hall space works for our 300-plus exhibitors. We held our general session at the convention center in the Hemisfair Ballroom, which was perfect. We’ve used the Stars of Texas Ballroom before and love it as well,” Bunte adds.

She says the group likes the Grand Hyatt for its proximity to the convention center, as well as the meeting space. “The food and beverage were really great at the convention center and Grand Hyatt. Service was awesome! We’ve already contracted for 2028 for the same space. The closeness of the two facilities, as well as so many hotels near the convention center, is a crucial part of our decisions.”

To planners considering San Antonio, Bunte says, “It will be a popular destination so be sure you have plenty of guest rooms. We had to keep adding but the CVB and hotels were very helpful.”

The new Arlington Convention Center and new Loews Arlington hotel, connected via a skybridge to Live! by Loews Arlington, will offer combined 1,188 guest rooms and 251,000 sf of indoor/outdoor space. Courtesy Photo

Arlington

Located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington is less than 20 minutes from DFW International Airport. Arlington’s tagline, “a world of wonderful,” tells part of the story. It’s home to AT&T Stadium, Six Flags Over Texas, the Texas Rangers and their new Globe Life Field. The International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame is there, with a lot of event space, and Arlington has enough excellent BBQ joints to satisfy. The new Arlington Convention Center and new Loews Arlington hotel, connected via a skybridge to Live! by Loews Arlington, will offer combined 1,188 guest rooms and 251,000 sf of indoor/outdoor space. Those are just a few reasons to consider Arlington soon.

Irving

Conveniently located between Dallas and Fort Worth and adjacent to DFW International Airport, Irving is another great choice for planners. That said, it has its own intriguing vibe and is a destination in its own right. Irving is well known for an eclectic music scene and the vibrant Las Colinas Entertainment District. The city has more than 13,000 rooms, with options from five-star luxury to budget-friendly stays. The Irving Convention Center features 275,000 sf, plus there’s a pavilion that converts from a 2,500 intimate theater, to a 4,000 capacity indoor theater and opens up to an 8,000-person capacity boutique open-air pavilion.

Dallas

The biggest news in Dallas is the planned new convention center. Dallas city council approved plans for a new 2.5 million sf convention center located adjacent to the current center. When complete it will feature 800,000 sf exhibit space and 400,000 sf of breakout space including a 100,000-sf ballroom. Construction will begin next year and wrap in 2029. Craig Davis, Visit Dallas president & CEO, calls it “a game changer” for the city that will make Dallas “the preeminent large-city convention and meeting destination in the country.” The center will anchor an entire convention-center district with restaurants, retail, lodging and entertainment.

Dallas has more than 20 entertainment districts offering walkable access to music, shopping, arts and award-winning global cuisine, including the AT&T Discover District, which boasts a multi-sensory experience including outdoor event space with views of its 6K resolution, 104-foot-tall media wall and the AT&T Theater, fit for advanced screenings or corporate meetings.

Dallas’s only five-star property, The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, offers up 19,000 sf of meeting space, including a ballroom that can accommodate large groups up to 1,100 people. They have been working on renovating the rooms, meeting spaces and more.

Another great venue is The Hyatt Regency Dallas, which offers more than 130,000 sf of meeting space with two main ballrooms, an exhibit hall and up to 40 breakout spaces, in addition to more than 30,000 sf of outdoor space.

If you have a large meeting, then Hilton Anatole, just north of Dallas, might be a good bet with its 600,000 sf of event space, including nine ballrooms and 79 meeting rooms. It has an outdoor pool complex with slides and a lazy river, an award-winning fitness club, a spa, dining options and more.

Houston

In downtown Houston, Post Houston has multiple spaces for event and function rentals, as well as a multi-story food hall, concert venue and five-acre rooftop park with sweeping views of the city skyline.

If you need a lot of space, look no further than Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center (GRBCC), one of the 10 largest convention centers in the country. It offers about 1.85 million sf of meeting and exhibition space. The Convention Center’s 6,000-seat arena features telescopic seating, which allows for the accommodation of very large events. But there is something for all sizes of events, from the 31,500 sf George Bush Grand Ballroom to a 3,600-seat theatre hall. It also has an outdoor reception space with nearly 3,000 sf of meeting space.

The Marriott Marquis Houston is home to the largest ballroom in Houston – the grand Texas Ballroom, and it is one of two ballrooms. Altogether, they have more than 50 event rooms and 37 breakout spaces. Within their more than 153,000 sf of event space, they can cater to groups of up to 4,300 people.

There are so many other options to consider. Hilton Americas-Houston, with its 117,457 sf of meeting space,  offers a new R24 Rooftop Lounge with breathtaking views of the city. The Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria offers a variety of meeting venues and has more than 19,000 sf of event space.

No matter what destination you choose, you are sure to find something to fit your meeting or event within the Lone Star State. | AC&F |