Y THE TIME YOU READ THIS, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, will
be open, changing the way meeting plan- ners look at convention space. “We’re setting a new standard,” said
Maura Gast, executive director of the Ir- ving Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas creates an environment made for business.” With an iconic design and high-end
finishes, the $133-million, 275,000-square- foot Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, located between Dallas and Fort Worth and just minutes from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, takes a bold new direction in a landscape of tradition- ally “institutional” facilities. Designed as a multifunctional building,
the center includes a 50,000-square-foot, column-free exhibit hall; a 20,000-square- foot ballroom; and 20,000 square feet of breakout meeting space, accommodating groups of 800 to 4,000 people. West Con- shohocken, Penn.–based SMG, a leader in facility management and development, will be the center’s operator. Gast said the new venue will offer a
unique product. “The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will have a character and a quality that is much more akin to a high-caliber conference facility than it is a convention center,” she said. “This isn’t the quintessential ‘box with docks.’” She added that the Irving center’s
distinctive design and its high customer- service standards will mirror the sense of place and quality that already exists in the 12,000-acre, master-planned Las Colinas development, home to the world head- quarters of Exxon Mobil, Kimberly Clark,
18 convene for more information
Contact Lori Fojtasek (lfojtasek@irving texas.com) or visit the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas and Irving itself online at, respectively, www.irvingconven tioncenter.com and www.irvingtexas.com
Fluor Corp., and others. “This isn’t meant to be a utilitarian building,” Gast said. “It’s going to be functional and flexible, but it’s going to have that feel of a high-end facil- ity both in its architecture and its service. With its intimate size, small and mid-size groups will enjoy ... being the proverbial ‘big fish’ in a small building.” Situated in the center of the Dallas
ConferenCe-Center ViBe: The new Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas is more like a high-quality conference cen- ter than a traditional convention center. Its site in the Las Colinas master-planned development, already home to several major corporations, will also house future developments, such as a hotel.
Fort Worth Metroplex, the Irving Conven- tion Center at Las Colinas uses a small, 40-acre footprint, allowing for future development that will include a perfor- mance venue, hotel, and entertainment complex. Together, these projects will pro- vide an exciting environment for conven- tioneers, visitors, and local corporations. All of Irving’s 75-plus hotels are within
seven miles of the convention center, giv- ing groups easy access to an inventory of nearly 12,000 rooms. The same is true for the city’s variety of attractions, including the National Scouting Museum, Mustangs of Las Colinas Sculpture and Exhibit, gondola excursions on the Mandalay Ca- nal, and multiple golf courses. And with Dallas 15 minutes east and Fort Worth 20 minutes west, live music, world-class art museums, and restaurants of every variety are just outside the doorstep. But it is Irving’s strong fundamentals —
an existing supply of high-quality hotels, easy access from both DFW Interna- tional Airport and Dallas Love Field, and a robust built-in corporate market — that make it an ideal place for a convention center. “Irving has a first-tier market feel with its amenities and access to air ser- vice, but is able to offer smaller groups the customer focus they would find in smaller markets,” Gast said.