Why here?
Culture, fabulous dining, pure fun: The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex has it all. Top museums include Dallas' Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth; Texas fare has gourmet flair at chef Stephan Pyles' Stampede 66 (above), and Billy Bob's Texas is the place to two-step.
Nearby News
• The 300-room Omni Frisco Hotel is being built at the future site of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters in Frisco. Event space will include a ballroom and a rooftop pool deck. Opening is slated for 2017.
• Construction begins this month on a 300-room Hard Rock hotel in Grand Prairie. Plans call for a rooftop pool complex, an indoor ski facility and 50,000 square feet of meeting space.
Stay Tuned
In Irving, work has started on the Irving Music Factory, an entertainment center in this city that sits between Dallas and Fort Worth. The complex will feature an outdoor event plaza and much more.
Sweet Dreams
Leave a truly special gift from Kate Weiser Chocolate on a VIP's pillow. The lovely store is in Trinity Groves, Dallas' 15-acre entertainment district at the base of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.
DALLAS
Local Update
• The 484-room Renaissance Dallas Hotel has opened 50,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 16,000-square-foot grand ballroom. The new function rooms are LEED Silver-certified and feature linenless tables. New for outdoor events is the 10,000-square-foot City View Terrace. The property's farm-to-table restaurant, Asador, serves modern American cuisine with Latin flair from chef Dean Max.
• The new Orange Line connection from downtown Dallas to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport began running last August. The five-mile segment links to DART's Belt Line Station with continuing service to Irving-Las Colinas, Dallas Market Center and downtown Dallas.
Meeting Hotels: About 30,000 hotel rooms can be found within the city of Dallas proper, and a total of 75,544 rooms are in the greater metro area. The official headquarters hotel for the Dallas Convention Center is the 1,001-room Omni Dallas. Other nearby properties include the 1,120-room Hyatt Regency Dallas.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Dallas Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 1,018,942 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 88; (877) 684-7322
Airport Transit: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, about 20 miles from the heart of downtown Dallas. Transfer cost by taxi, $50; by airport shuttle, $19; by DART, $2.50
Love Field, approximately six miles from the downtown area. Transfer by taxi, $18; by shuttle, $19
Taxes: Room tax, 15%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue: Just the thing after a long day in a meeting room, Bowl & Barrel offers upscale bowling fun along with a full-service American restaurant and an international array of beers. (214) 363-2695
Contact: Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, (214) 571-1000
Hang Here
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has opened the DFW Airport Group Zone, an 8,000-square-foot gathering place where parties of 20 to 200 can meet or relax while waiting for their flights. Reserve the area for $75 per hour or $400 for a full day. For details, go to
dfwairport.com/groupzone.
FORT WORTH
Local Update
• Now in the works is a new 14,000-seat arena adjacent to the Will Rogers Memorial Center, which could open by 2020. There is also talk of adding another convention hotel to the mix.
• A $200 million development in the Stockyards National Historic District has been approved. New features will include retail space, hotels and restaurants. Developers promise to not mess with the well-loved areas of the Stockyards or surroundings.
Meeting Hotels: The largest meeting properties in town include the 614-room Omni Fort Worth Hotel, 504-room Renaissance Worthington Hotel, 431-room Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa, 294-room Hilton Fort Worth, 203-room Courtyard by Marriott-Blackstone and 156-suite Embassy Suites Fort Worth-Downtown.
For more hotels, and to send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Fort Worth Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 253,226 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 41; (817) 392-6338
Airport Transit: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, about 17 miles from the downtown district. Transfer cost by taxi, about $52; by shuttle, $18; by Trinity Railway Express, $2.50
Taxes: Room tax, 15%; sales tax, 8.25%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue: Everything is bigger in Texas, making it easy to bring in large groups. A minimum of 1,500 is required to use the Panther Island Pavilion on the Trinity River, which looks back at the Fort Worth skyline. The attraction offers multiple stages and festival grounds, as well as kayaking, canoeing and other water sports.
Contact: Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau, (817) 336-8791 or (800) 433-5747