TEXAS.

Texas is a delightful mix of colorful cultures and diverse destinations that make a powerhouse place for meetings. From high-tech Austin and cowboy-chic Dallas to booming Houston and the seaside island of South Padre, Texas offers planners a world of choice in facilities, accommodations, and atmosphere.

The Lone Star State's meetings package is enjoying Texas-sized growth. Every major city is expanding its convention center or has recently done so, while Irving is building a new exposition facility.

More than just upgrading exposition facilities, Texas cities are improving their entertainment and cultural appeal in big ways as well. San Antonio is completing a major extension of its famous River Walk and sprucing up downtown's Hemisphere Park. Dallas is opening its new American Airlines Center and creating a mixed-use complex to surround the new sports arena. Houston is developing new parks and expanding entertainment complexes in its downtown area.

Austin just opened a new Texas History Museum and is developing other attractions. Fort Worth continues to revitalize its downtown through new performing arts centers, museums, and hotels. South Padre Island is opening a new water park this summer and adding 400 hotel rooms to its inventory. Plano's world-famous Southfork Ranch is undertaking a $12 million project to upgrade its group-event facilities, while the city just got a new 404-room Doubletree Hotel with 36,000 square feet of meeting space.

Even the state's largest airport, DFW International, is undertaking a $5.2 billion capital improvement project that will feature a new people mover system, a consolidated international terminal, and airfield improvements.

AUSTIN

TEXAS CAPITAL AWAITS NEW FACILITIES

The next couple of years are sure to be memorable for Austin. Having emerged as a prime meetings destination since the Austin Convention Center opened eight years ago, the Texas capital will take its meetings package to a new level when the convention center's $110 million expansion debuts in spring 2002.

The expansion doubles the size of the current center and includes a new 45,600-square-foot, column-free ballroom that will be the largest in the state. The project also includes the addition of 18 new meeting rooms and two, new, column-free exhibit halls. When completed, the expanded center will offer 290,000 square feet of exhibit space in five halls and 47 meeting rooms encompassing 54,730 square feet.

An 800-room headquarters hotel under a Hilton flag will open in late 2003 across from the convention center. The city already has nearly 4,000 downtown hotel rooms near the convention center, as well as the wildly popular Sixth Street entertainment district, a six-block stretch of restaurants, bars, and music clubs.

The convention center expansion isn't the only large function space coming on line in Austin. The new Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum opened in April with 41,253 square feet of space for private events, including the grand domed lobby, which can seat 725 people for banquets and can accommodate 1,500 people for receptions. The new facility chronicles the history of the Lone Star State with artifacts, documents, interactive exhibits, and an IMAX film.

Opening in June 2002 is the new Lester E. Palmer Events Center, a $48.3 million civic center that will offer a 70,000-square-foot, column-free exhibit hall; 5,000 square feet of meeting rooms; and an on-site, 1,200-car parking garage. The facility will become Austin's new civic center, replacing the City Coliseum and Palmer Auditorium, which will be renovated into a performing arts center.

As Austin's inventory of event facilities grows, so does its hotel community. An old Air Force building at the new Austin-Bergstrom International Airport recently reopened as a Hilton hotel after a $39 million renovation. Once known as the "Little Pentagon," the landmark circular building now offers 263 guest rooms and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Omni Austin Hotel also recently converted five floors of condominiums into 34 suites, adding to an inventory of 372 rooms. The Omni also provides 22,000 square feet of meeting space in 13 rooms.

Another popular conference center and destination resort, Lakeway Inn, unveiled a new 239-room guest lodge along the shores of Lake Travis as part of a recently completed $20 million project. The Lakeway Inn offers 20,000 square feet of meeting space, two 18-hole golf courses, 26 tennis courts, and a full-service marina.

The last major airport built in the 20th century, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opened in mid-1999 with 25 gates. It provides nonstop service to more than 30 major cities in North America.

DALLAS

BIG-D KEEPS GETTING BETTER

The huge appeal of Dallas as a meetings destination keeps growing as the result of new developments. This summer the $325 million American Airlines Center opens as the new home of the Dallas Mavericks and Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars. The new sports arena on the edge of downtown Dallas will anchor Victory, a 65-acre complex that will include a 400-room hotel, along with residential units as well as office and retail space.

DFW International Airport, which serves 174 U.S. cities and offers 60 nonstop international departures, is also undertaking a major capital development program. DFW is in the midst of a five-year, $2.5 billion program that will encompass a new automated people mover system; a 26-gate, consolidated international Terminal D; airfield improvements; and additional parking facilities.

In 2002, the $125 million expansion and renovation of the Dallas Convention Center will be completed. The newly expanded center will boast the world's largest singular, column-free exhibit hall in the world at 203,000 square feet.

EL PASO 

THE RIGHT MIX OF FUN AND SUN

EL Paso has a long history, yet one of the nation's youngest populations--a median age of 28. The Lone Star State's fourth largest city, El Paso is a vibrant and bustling metropolitan area bordered by Juarez, Mexico's fourth largest city.

El Paso touts itself as a golfer's paradise, and why not. With more than 300 days of sunshine and eight inches of rain annually along with a 3,500-foot elevation that helps moderate the climate, great golf is possible year-round. El Paso features a variety of desert, mountain, and other course themes through several outstanding courses, including Painted Dunes Desert, rated the best municipal golf course in Texas.

El Paso's growing popularity as a meetings destination has spurred an expansion of its primary exposition facility, the El Paso Civic, Convention & Performing Arts Center. The complex combines the Judson Williams Convention Center with the Abraham Chavez Theatre, which offers 2,500 seats and an 800-square-foot meeting room.

The Williams convention center features the 60,000-squarefoot, column-free Grand Hall, which is being expanded to 80,000 square feet. The center's meeting room space is being expanded to 14,900 square feet from 9,500 square feet. The expansion is scheduled for completion in early 2002.

Getting to Texas' westernmost city is easy, with the El Paso International Airport's 80 daily flights provided by seven major carriers. A choice in first-class accommodations is available as well, with more than 4,500 guest rooms offered throughout the city.

With 76 percent of El Paso's population of Hispanic descent, the city can make a legitimate claim to having the best authentic Mexican food in the country. Shopping is a real treat as well, with cowboy boots, rustic furniture, and Mexican pottery as specialties.

FORT WORTH

NEW HOTELS, CENTER EXPANSION ON HORIZON

The Old West is becoming the new hot spot for meetings as Fort Worth continues its impressive revitalization program. Construction is well underway on the $72 million expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center. Phase I of the expansion opens during the first quarter of 2002, while Phase II will open in early 2003. The extensive project will upgrade both the interior and exterior, double total meeting space to 40,000 square feet, and add a new 30,000-square-foot ballroom.

New hotels are part of Fort Worth's meetings package upgrade as well. The Ashton opened this spring in downtown on Main Street in the original 1915 Fort Worth Club that features an adjoining annex dating to 1890. The elegant Ashton offers 39 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites, a contemporary restaurant, piano bar, meeting space, and 24-hour concierge service.

Opening this fall near the Texas Motor Speedway is the 300-room Westin Beechwood Fort Worth Resort and Golf Course. The luxury property will feature a conference center, ballrooms, meeting rooms, and a full-service restaurant.

GALVESTON ISLAND 

MOODY GARDENS: UNIQUE TROPICAL MEETING DESTINATION

Moody Gardens is at the heart of the Galveston Island meetings experience. Packed full of great facilities and exotic attractions, Moody Gardens is only 45 minutes south of Houston (via I-45) and all the flight options that its two large airports offer.

Within a compact area, visitors to Moody Gardens can visit an elaborate NASA-built exhibit on the habitat of Mars, frolic on white sand beaches or in blue lagoons, stroll through acres of lush gardens, or take in the Rainforest Pyramid and its more than 1,700 species of plants, animals, and butterflies. Moody Gardens also is home to America's first 3-D IMAX theater and thrilling IMAX Ridefllm theater.

The newly opened Aquarium at Moody Gardens is one of the world's largest at 1.5 million gallons. Located within a 130,000-square-foot pyramid, the new aquarium features exciting exhibits on various marine life from the great oceans of the world.

Another new facility has made Moody Gardens the complete meetings destination. The elegant Moody Gardens Hotel opened last year with 303 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Directly connected via a covered walkway to the Galveston Island Convention Center at Moody Gardens, the new hotel features the 15,000-square-foot Frances Anne Moody Ballroom, a full-service spa and salon, business center, and both casual and fine dining. The convention center features 37,500 square feet of exhibit space and 9,500 square feet of meeting rooms.

The Visitors Center of the 242-acre recreational and education complex also makes a great venue for group Functions with its glass walls affording spectacular views of the tropical paradise. The Colonel Paddle-wheel boat also makes for an interesting group event as it cruises the Offats Bayou.

HOUSTON

POISED FOR MAJOR EXPANSION

Always a great convention destination, Houston will soon give meeting planners big new reasons to convene in the city. The expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center is expected to begin this summer, with completion scheduled for October 2003. Designs plans For the expanded center call for it to be connected to a new 1,200-room convention headquarters hotel (also opening in 2003) with a bridge-walkway on two levels.

The newly expanded center will also include a Houston Police substation, space for a new restaurant, new jogging track across the street, and a display center for the city's new international flag project. The expansion project will bring total exhibit space at the center to 889,500 square feet in seven halls and more than double total meeting room space (110,000 square feet in 105 separate rooms).

The $110 million center expansion continues a remarkable rebirth in the heart of downtown Houston. In 2000, the Astros' new retractable roof ballpark--Enron Field--opened with an adjacent conference center.

Now under construction and scheduled for completion in 2002 is the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston. This new $85 million performing arts complex will include a 2,650-seat hall, a 500-seat proscenium theater, and a restaurant.

Also set for groundbreaking this year is a five-acre entertainment, dining, and meeting complex along Buffalo Bayou downtown. The $21 million facility will feature a 500,000-gallon public aquarium, seafood restaurant, ballroom, casual cafe, gas-powered train, and a 90-foot Ferris wheel.

New additions to the city's meetings package are under construction at Reliant Park (formerly the Astrodomain). The retractable-roof Reliant Stadium will open in 2002 as home to the new NFL team, the Houston Texans. The 69,500-seat stadium will host the 2004 Super Bowl. Also under construction and set to open in 2002 is Reliant Center, a new exposition facility that will offer more than 700,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space and 72 meeting rooms.

Exhibit space isn't the only part of Houston's meetings package that is expanding. In addition to the 1,200-room headquarters hotel for the Brown Convention Center, four other hotels opening soon will add impressive new units to Houston's inventory of some 46,000 hotel rooms. Opening late this year in downtown are the new 259-room Crowne Plaza-Downtown Cullen Center, the 191-room Courtyard by Marriott, and the 171-room Residence Inn by Marriott. A 325-room Ritz-Carlton hotel also is planned for an early 2003 opening in downtown.

A city of many attractive options, Houston even offers two major airports. Bush Intercontinental, located north of downtown, handles most of the city's commercial flights and provides air service to more than 150 destinations worldwide. It is the 13th busiest airport in the nation and a system hub for Continental Airlines. Just south of the city is Hobby Airport, which is served by nine airlines and is a major stop for Southwest Airlines.

IRVING

IRVING CONVENTION CENTER ON FAST TRACK

Plans are on the fast track to open a new convention center in Irving, and for good reason. Located in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex adjacent to the DFW International Airport, Irving's meetings market share is poised to explode with the addition of a new convention center and adjacent headquarters hotel by 2003.

The new center will be located in the Las Colinas Urban Center, a world-renowned business address in the heart of the Las Colinas planned community. Plans call for the development of the new convention center in phases. The first phase will include a minimum of 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, 15,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and 175,000 square feet of support space. The adjacent headquarters hotel-also part of phase one--is anticipated to be 500 guest rooms and at least a four-star quality property.

Ultimately, the center will encompass 250,000 square feet of exhibit space, 45,000 square feet of ballroom space, 60,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and 320,000 square feet of support space.

Irving already has the hotel infrastructure to support a new convention center. With more than 70 hotels providing more than 11,000 guest rooms and 200,000 square feet of function space, Irving offers more hotel rooms than any other city in the entire metroplex except Dallas.

In January, the elegant Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas unveiled a multimillion, 11,000-square-foot expansion that included the 8,000-square-foot Four Seasons Ballroom. The new ballroom's exterior is seamlessly connected to the existing conference center of the 357-room resort.

Last summer, the 364-room Dallas Marriott Las Colinas opened in Irving. The new hotel added more than 21,000 square feet of function space to Irving's meetings package, including the 10,374-square-foot grand ballroom that can accommodate up to 870 people for banquets. The new property is located near the site of the new convention center in the Las Colinas Urban Center, home to Exxon, GTE, Kimberly-Clark, Quaker State, Xerox, IBM, and Nokia.

All of Irving's hotels are no more than 10 minutes from DFW International Airport, and most offer complimentary shuttle service for added convenience. Of course, nothing could be more convenient than traveling to and from Las Colinas via DFW International, where nearly 2,300 daily flights to 150 destinations worldwide are offered by 28 carriers.

Long revered as the home of Texas Stadium and the world-famous Dallas Cowboys, Irving has emerged as a center of professional hockey and golf as well. Irving is now the practice home of the Stanley Cup Champion Dallas Stars and the annual home of the PGA Tour's Byron Nelson Classic. It also boasts a variety of world-class attractions, including The Movie Studio of Las Colinas, the Mustangs of Las Colinas sculpture, the Las Colinas Equestrian Center, and the European-styled Mandalay Canal.

PLANO

NEW FACILITIES, WORLD-FAMOUS ATTRACTION

Plano is home to perhaps the most famous icon in Texas and a thriving package of top-notch meeting and hotel facilities conveniently situated in North Dallas.

Plano's Southfork Ranch, home of the infamous Ewing oil barons on the television series Dallas, is the quintessential Texas experience. Southfork Ranch also is a very popular host of private group events, so much so that it is undertaking a $12 million upgrade of its 63,000 square feet of meeting space. The facility offers nine meeting rooms, including its 26,500-square-foot Oil Baron's Ballroom, which is receiving a "Texas Tuscany" look featuring new carpeting, fixtures, wallcoverings, dramatic stone columns, and covered exterior entrance.

The city's primary meeting facility, the Plano Centre, is surrounded by a host of hotels, restaurants, shopping, and attractions that make Plano one of the most vibrant and exciting communities in the North Dallas Metroplex. The Plano Centre offers 86,400 square feet of meeting space in 18 meeting rooms, 21,600 square feet of column-free exhibit space, full-service catering, and free on-site parking for 750 cars.

Plano's largest hotel also happens to be its newest. The 404-room Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center opened in March with 32,000 square feet of meeting space in 12 rooms. The 279-room Harvey Hotel also features ample meeting space for many groups with 18,000 square feet in 17 meeting rooms. Overall, Plano offers approximately 4,000 first-class hotel rooms.

Come 2002, the area will have yet another outstanding meeting facility when the Charles Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations opens in nearby Richardson. The $20 million Eisemann Center will offer three venues--a 1,500-seat performance hall, a 350-seat adaptable theater, and a 3,150-square-foot meeting and banquet hall.

SAN ANTONIO

San Antonio's famous River Walk area is a meetings magnet that keeps getting better with new development, This month, the River Walk extension to Hemisphere Park and the Tower of Americas will open, marking completion of several related developments in San Antonio's meetings package.

RIVER WALK ALLURE GROWS STRONGER

The renovation of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center was completed in March, and a new bridge opened in April that links the newly expanded areas of the center and provides an overlook to the extended River Walk. The $193.8 million project has created a giant exposition center with 440,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, river-level meeting and public spaces that open on to the river vista, and more than 83,000 square feet of new meeting room space. A new 43,000-square-foot ballroom was created as well.

The new developments along the River Walk have also spurred hotel development. Last fall, the $50 million Westin River Walk opened with 474 guest rooms and meeting facilities.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

South Padre Island's meetings package is getting a significant boost this year with the addition of 400 new guest rooms that will bring its inventory of guest accommodations to more than 5,900 rooms (including condo rentals). The island's complimentary Housing Bureau also makes securing accommodations for meeting delegates an easy process.

MEETINGS PACKAGE GETS BIG BOOST

Four beachfront resorts offer meeting space totaling more than 25,000 square feet. They include the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort (227 guest rooms, more than 8,000 square feet of meeting space); Bahia Mar Resort & Conference Center (347 guest rooms and 4,212 square feet of meeting space); Sheraton Fiesta Beach Resort (203 guest rooms, 8,500 square feet of meeting space); and Radisson Resort (186 cabanas and two-bedroom condos, 10,000 square feet of meeting space).

Located on a 30-acre, bay-front site at the north end of the island, the South Padre Island Convention Centre has become a Texas landmark with vibrant colors, innovative architecture, and a massive, life-size whale mural painted by Wyland, the famous marine artist. The versatile exposition center offers 45,382 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, including 22,500 square feet of column-free exhibit space adjoining the lobby, a 300-seat auditorium, and 9,000 square feet of meeting rooms. In 2001, the center's exhibit halls and meeting rooms will receive new floor coverings.

Meeting delegates can choose from three different airports that collectively offer more than 40 arrival flights daily on a host of major carriers including Southwest, Continental, and American. The closest airport, Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport, is just minutes from the island. It offers both shuttle services and rental cars on site. Also a short drive away in Harlingen is the Valley International Airport, the largest of the three airports with 22 flights arriving daily.

Once on the island, South Padre is a ready-made tropical theme party with all the activities any delegate could want from a beachfront resort destination. The 34-milelong barrier reef island at the southernmost tip of Texas offers world-class fishing, diving, and snorkeling with a variety of natural and man-made reefs just off its gorgeous beaches. For water lovers of a different sort, a new Schlitterbahn water park will open this summer.

For nature lovers who like to stay on land, South Padre is a true paradise with two nearby national wildlife refuges and other nature trails and sanctuaries that help make Texas the top bird-watching destination in the United States. Only 15 minutes from the island is the 45,000-acre Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, the largest protected area of natural habitat in the Rio Grande Valley.

Golf on the island is outstanding, too, with the area boasting 12 courses. Several resorts and condominium communities also offer top-notch spa and health club facilities as well as outstanding tennis courts.