Exhibit space: 246,097 square feet (contiguous and column- free)
Exhibit booth capacity: 1,289 10' X 10' booths
Austin Convention Center & Nearby Hotels
A PerfectVenue forMeetings—and More
ATOTALOF6,000HOTELROOMSWITHINAHALF-MILEOF theAustinConventionCenter (ACC) anda multitude of near- by downtown entertainment venues make Austin—nestled againstLady BirdLake andsurrounded by greenery—the per- fect backdrop for meetings. Delegates can sleep, meet, dine, take awalk by the lake, and listen to livemusic at their choice of venues, all on foot. Pedicabs and taxis await thosewhopre- fer not to tire themselves out beyond the convention center. Stretching over six city blocks — and 881,400 gross
square feet of space — the Austin Convention Center accommodates groups in 246,097 square feet of column-free exhibit space.This area is divisible into five contiguous halls, which can accommodate nearly 1,300 10'X10' booths. The fifth hall’s retractable riser seats up to 1,500 people—ideal for general sessions, sporting events, andconcerts. Ballrooms of all sizes are included in the package. The upper-level Grand Ballroom, one of the largest in Texas, spans 43,300 square feet and provides ample space formore than 3,000 delegates to dine in style (when BallroomsDthroughGare used). Ball- roomsAthroughCcan be divided into roomsranging in size from 3,896 to 23,418square feet. Across the street, the Hilton Austin is the city’s convention-center headquarters hotel, and has 60,000 square feet of function space. The Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau has spear-
headed newweb andmobile initiatives to putTexas’ capital city in the palm of planners’ hands—and top of mind. At the top of the list is the “Five-MinuteMeeting Planner,” aninter- activewebapplicationthat streamlines themeeting-planning process by allowing planners to comparison-shopamongarea hotels, service providers, and vendors to find those that best accommodate their group or convention. Planners enter the
answers to five questions about theirmeetings: dates, necessary on-peak room nights, required meeting space, off-site facilities, and preferred neighborhood. The “Five-MinuteMeeting Plan- ner” quickly returns custom search results that fit the group’s needs. Users then can chart the returned listings and compare them side by side, or map the venues to find, for example, the distance from a pre- ferred hotel to an off-site reception venue. Arecently launched, free mobile appli-
cation,“TheAustiniTinerary,” isaninter- active site-itinerary and destination-man- agement tool for meeting planners, event attendees,andclientswhoare considering Austinasanevent venue. Users candown- load their site-visit or group schedule, track appointments, get in touch with venue contacts, viewmaps, andaddcom- mentsfor future reference. Additionally, the CVB’smobilewebsite, availableonsmart- phones at www.austintexas.org, wel- comes visitors to browse hotel, restau- rant, and attraction listings, as well as to
discover discountsbyjoiningtheAustin InsidersClub. Users also can purchase Austin music, check a calendar of events, and link directly to the CVB’s booking engine to make accommodation and tour reservations. The site provides instant contact infor- mation and a quick link to download the Austin iPhone app. December 2010 marked the opening of the W Hotel,
which offers 251 guest rooms and 4,000 square feet ofmeeting space. The hotel’s public spaces, decked out with vintageMac equipment, vinyl albums, and comfy furniture, are great for