Plan Your Meetings

Watch for:

• Town Lake has been renamed Lady Bird Lake. Town Lake Park is now known as Butler Park.
• The Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau relaunched its Web site.
• The Executive Education and Conference Center at the University of Texas is now open. The center has three on-site dining venues and 297 guest rooms; meeting facilities include an 800-seat divisible ballroom, a 300-seat amphitheater, classrooms, conference rooms and breakout rooms.
• Hyatt Place-North Central opened in the Arboretum area in fall 2007, and another Hyatt property, the 210-room Andaz Austin, will open in 2010 as part of the $750 million East Avenue mixed-use development on the former campus of Concordia University.
• The 21C Museum Hotel will broke ground in spring 2008 for a 2010 opening. Amenities include a world-class art collection, artists’ studios and an upscale restaurant.
• Other new hotel projects planned are the Twelve Domain (started construction in spring 2008), a $185 million Marriott hotel complex (opening 2010 with 50,000 square feet of meeting space) and the Block 21/W Hotel (opening in 2009). Construction has been delayed on the Seaholm and Kimpton’s Hotel Van Zandt. Stay tuned for details …
• The Hyatt Regency Austin has completed its $10 million renovation.
• The Driskill Hotel will undergo renovations from May-September 2008.
• Recently renovated properties include the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, La Quinta Inn Austin Capitol, La Quinta Inn Austin Airport, Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, Sheraton Austin Hotel, Wyndham Garden Hotel and the Lakeway Resort and Spa.
• New attractions include the Mexican-American Cultural Center, which has exhibit, performance and reception space; the Domain and Domain Crossing upscale shopping districts; and the Second Street Retail District.
• Under construction and opening in 2008 are the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, the Edgar A. Smith Building at the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, and the Long Center for the Performing Arts, a multi-venue arts complex on the shores of Lady Bird Lake (site of the former Palmer Events Center).
• The Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas Performing Arts Center is undergoing a $14.7 million renovation to be completed in December 2008.
• A Westin Hotel, expected to open in September 2010, will have 300 guest rooms and15,000 square feet of meeting space and a spa.
• The Lakeway Conference Resort has formed a Green Team Committee to make internal operations as green as possible. Its new Complete Green Meeting Package will allow groups to conserve energy and resources, recycle and reuse products, and utilize local and organic opportunities.

Want music-themed events?

There’s a reason the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) meetings brochure looks like an LP: Austin is known for its live music scene. The CVB can match groups with local musicians and off-site venues. La Zona Rosa, a nightclub and music venue, is managed by Direct Events, which also handles private rentals of the Austin Music Hall, and the open-air venues Backyard Live Oak Amphitheatre and Glenn at the Backyard. Planners can arrange special VIP sections at music festivals. Groups can tour the Austin City Limits Studio, attend a taping of the PBS show, or rent the facility out for a private function. Stubbs Bar-B-Que is equally famous for its eclectic musical lineup (e.g., Willie Nelson, Nine Inch Nails and Kenny Chesney) as for its barbecue food, sauce and rubs. The Gibson Entertainment Relations Showroom has an executive conference room, a performance stage and 4,600 square feet of private event space decorated with neon signs, instruments and photos of famous, Gibson guitar-playing musicians.

Want theatrical settings?

Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas accommodates conferences, meetings, banquets and private screenings in multiple locations around town; it’s known for showing indie/art house and classic cinema, but its well-developed conference division offers groups portable road shows, “Iron Chef”-style cooking challenges and creative team-building programs, such as the Go Game. The Paramount Theater downtown originally housed Sam Houston and the Republic of Texas’ War Department; it’s a popular venue for red-carpet galas, film screenings and concerts. Next door is the historic State Theatre, which will reopen in late 2008 after completing renovations. The One World Theatre is a Tuscan-style castle with a banquet hall, theater and courtyard event space; the facility also has fiber-optic wiring for TV broadcasts and multi-media productions.

Want group dining?

Carmelo’s Ristorante serves Sicilian-style Italian cuisine inside an 1872 railroad house; its main dining room accommodates parties of 200. Five smaller private dining rooms and a courtyard are made for groups of 20-90. The Roaring Fork, in the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, serves wood fire-grilled meats and locally grown vegetables, and can provide custom floral arrangements and decorations; the InterContinental also has patio dining overlooking the Texas Capitol building. III Forks is an upscale steakhouse with a large wine selection, and bar, lounge, patio and private dining space. Planners can bring their own alcohol to meal functions at Salt Lick BBQ (capacity 2,000), which is in a dry county. County Line BBQ is another well-known barbecue joint with group dining and patio space available in two locations: overlooking Lake Austin and in an old speakeasy on Bee Cave Road.

Want to break out of the boardroom?

The 131,000-sq. ft. Palmer Events Center gives planners the option to hold trade shows and large functions in a park-like setting overlooking Lady Bird Lake; the Long Center for the Performing Arts recently opened adjacent to the events center as part of a 54-acre cultural arts park. Dave & Buster’s has a mystery theater, team-building programs and arcade games in addition to conference, banquet and meeting space. On the University of Texas campus, the Bob Bulloch Texas State History Museum has an IMAX theater, a marble rotunda with a 50-ft. granite map of Texas, and three floors of galleries and special event space.

Want to pamper attendees?

Meeting spaces in The Mansion at Judges’ Hill feature crystal chandeliers and wrought-iron French doors opening onto courtyard event spaces; the luxury boutique hotel also has in-room spa services and elegant dining facilities. Top-ranked spas include the Lake Austin Spa (ranked No. 2 Destination Spa in North America by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler) and the Lakeway Spa, which has an extensive spa menu for men. Austin recently was named Golf Magazine’s No. 1 golf city for its combination of weather, name designs and affordable, accessible golf courses. Recommended courses include Riverside, Barton Creek, Wolfdancer Golf Club, Austin Golf Club, Circle C and Cimarron Hills.

Want outdoor venues?

The Oasis, perched 450 feet above Lake Travis, has several outdoor decks with prime views of Hill Country sunsets as well as a private banquet hall and a dance floor. The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center has outdoor reception space and garden tours. Hamilton Twelve has patio and poolside event space (capacity 200) on five acres in the Hill Country. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum has more than 130 works of art, a full catering kitchen, and a covered terrace accommodating up to 200 people; the glass-enclosed Roberta Crenshaw Building accommodates 30 for a seated dinner. The Cedar Street Courtyard is a cigar/martini bar with outdoor function space in the middle of the Warehouse District.

Want green meetings?

The Crossings is an eco-friendly hotel, wellness spa and meeting venue with unusual amenities such as trapeze team building, Leadership Retreat Center seminars, and sustainable, organic food menus. The Austin Chronicle has named the Crossings Spa Best Spa in Austin for the past two years. The Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve offers guided tours of its trails as well as adult workshops. Eco-Wise is a store selling earth-friendly products ranging from green bath and body goods to party supplies. Austin also is the headquarters for organic supermarket chain Whole Foods, which has tours, cooking classes, food and wine tastings, and a catering department.

Want local items for gift baskets?

CDs made by local musicians are available through the CVB. Barbecue sauce from Stubbs or Salt Lick will remind attendees of festive meal functions. University of Texas memorabilia, ranging from stationary to ceramics, are popular items; people go nuts for anything that’s burnt orange or has a longhorn on it. “Keep Austin Weird” T-shirts and branded items are available citywide. For high-end items, cowboy boots will remind VIPs they’re still in Texas.

Want unusual transportation?

The Rockin’ Ride (capacity 25) is a converted bus that plays ’70s music while shuttling passengers between clubs. Pedicabs are a fun way for attendees to get around the Sixth Street and Warehouse District.

Want events that sizzle?

In the trendy Warehouse District, nightclub venues include indoor/outdoor martini bar Cedar Street Courtyard, Fado Irish Pub and Malaga Tapas Bar, which also has wine tastings and cooking classes. Sixth Street is known for its live music venues, many of which are available for group buy-outs. SoCo (South of Congress) is ground zero for the “Keep Austin Weird” movement; funky venues include Doc’s Motorworks Bar & Grill and Guero’s Taco Bar.