Suburban Cities Work To Capture Convention Business

DALLAS— Convention and meeting space is sprouting in suburbs across North Texas and other parts of the country. Arlington, VA was one of the first area suburbs to realize the financial potential of opening a convention center, when it built its facility in 1985. Five years later, Plano, TX built one, and Addison, TX followed suit in 1992. Other suburban convention center projects currently in the works in Texas include: Irving, Richardson, and Grapevine. The Irving, TX project proposes a $100 million convention center with a $75 million headquarters hotel attached. Construction could start as early as next year. Richardson, TX is scheduled to finish the Eisemann Center in 2002, which will include a performing arts center and business facilities. A new Renaissance Hotel is scheduled to open next door in May. In Grapevine, TX, Opryland Hotels is building the $400 million Opryland Hotel Texas and meeting center that is scheduled to open in 2003. The complex will offer 400,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, making it the convention complex in the Dallas area. As previously reported in HOTEL BUSINESS®, convention centers are also popping in other suburban U.S. markets including South Boston and Lancaster, PA. However, the new suburban convention centers in Texas will have to compete with the soon-to-be-expanded Dallas Convention Center, which is expected to be finished next year. The facility will feature more than one million square feet of exhibit space, putting the city on par with centers in New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Orlando. SOURCE: The Dallas Morning News