BEAUMONT

With satisfied planners, new hotels and gorgeous facilities, Beaumont has everyone talking. More than 30 hotels. Over 3,300 rooms. Two large convention centers. Two full-service convention hotels. BIG options. Combine this variety of flexible venues with unique offsite facilities such as museums and beautifully renovated theatres, and you have more choices than you thought possible!

Green meeting facilities and sustainable catering practices make Beaumont's Ford Park Event Center an attractive facility for environment-conscious meeting planners. Ford Park features an Arena and Exhibit Hall with 83,000 sq. ft. of space, nine meeting rooms and 11,000 sq. ft. of pre-function space. The Beaumont Civic Center Complex is located in the heart of Beaumont's thriving downtown and offers 42,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.

Beaumont is BIG on service. Whether it's providing special personal touches or sending out local media to profile a meeting, the small town hospitality and citywide gratitude consistently impress clients. For fun, Beaumont offers a charming downtown entertainment and cultural district. The city boasts 19 museums and a sprawling shopping district along with fantastic dining options such as delicious Cajun dishes and famous Texas BBQ. Located only 90 miles east of Houston on I-10 and within a five-hour drive of New Orleans, Beaumont gets a gold star for accessibility!

Beaumont offers accommodating facilities, unmatched accessibility and hey, Beaumont is down-right friendly! With so many exciting things happening in this Gulf Coast city, it's no wonder why planners are gushing about Beaumont, the original Texas Boomtown!

Get more info at (866) 822-0245 or www.beaumontcvb.com.

DALLAS

The Dallas Convention Center (DCC) propelled Dallas to eighth-ranked North American convention and tradeshow host city with major meetings such as Mary Kay, Inc., American Heart Association, National Baptist Convention, Black Enterprise and National Minority Supplier Development Council. The center totals more than 1 million sq. ft., of which over 700,000 is contiguous exhibit space.

The Dallas City Council has recognized the need for an attached convention center hotel as a means to increase bookings and keep meeting and convention groups coming to Dallas. The city has entered into operating agreements with developer Matthews Southwest and operator Omni Hotels. Plans are to build a four-star property with 1,000 rooms; food and beverage facilities including restaurants, lounges and coffee kiosks; and 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space including grand and junior ballrooms. As part of its agreement, Matthews Southwest has committed to bring restaurants, entertainment and other venues to the surrounding area. With the operator and developer agreements in place, the City of Dallas can undertake the process of selling revenue bonds and finalize construction plans for the hotel, which is slated for completion in 2011.

Victory Park blends concerts, NBA basketball or NHL ice hockey games at American Airlines Center with entertainment on AT&T Victory Plaza and amazing dining.

The Dallas Arts District, the largest in the nation, is a highlight for culture in Dallas, and is adding the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, a multi-venue project that has been compared to the Lincoln Center in New York, in October 2009.

Learn more at (800) 249-6760 or www.dallasmeetings.com.

FORT WORTH

Fort Worth credits part of its growing popularity to the transformation of the city's accommodations in its pedestrian-friendly and safe downtown. The recently opened Omni Fort Worth Hotel is the new convention center headquarters facility. This luxury property features 614 rooms and nearly 68,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. The 294-room Hilton Fort Worth and 504-room Renaissance Worthington Hotel have both completed extensive renovations. The Embassy Suites Hotel Fort Worth-Downtown offers 156 two-room suites along with meeting spaces that are ideal for smaller events. Now open less than a block from the convention center, the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa offers 430 guest rooms and 22,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Fort Worth has added 1,000 new restaurant seats downtown. Recently opened restaurants include Shula's 347 Grill (Sheraton); Ruth's Chris Steak House (Hilton); The Vault (The Tower); Bob's Steak & Chop House (Omni) and Grace (Carter & Burgess building).

The Fort Worth Convention Center also credits its popularity to a $75 million expansion and renovation. The Center features a total of 253,226 sq. ft. of exhibit space; 41 breakout rooms; a 28,160-sq. ft. ballroom, 13,500-seat arena and expanded dock facilities. The Center's public events plaza for outdoor gatherings links the Fort Worth Water Gardens to the Convention Center's new grand entrance. While in Fort Worth, visitors can experience one of the most dynamic downtown centers in the nation, exciting Western heritage, the artistic masterpieces of Fort Worth's Cultural District and significant African-American heritage and theater.

Fort Worth's downtown has gained a reputation as one of the country's most lively urban settings. 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.

No visit to Texas is complete without a stop at the legendary Stockyards National Historic District. Unique attractions such as the Fort Worth Herd daily cattle drive thrill visitors year-round. Top country music performers play the stage at Billy Bob's Texas, the "World's Largest Honky-Tonk," and live rodeo takes place every weekend at Cowtown Coliseum, home to the world's original indoor rodeo. Shopping for handcrafted cowboy boots, hats, clothing and souvenirs is abundant in the Stockyards.


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