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AREA GUIDES AUSTIN TEXAS CAPITAL A SUPERIOR MEETING DESTINATION BY SOLOMON J. HERBERT II Austin,TXhas always been the place to meet the movers and shakers. For starters, you’ll find the vibrant, living city center nestled on the shores of Lady Bird Lake and the famous hike and bike trail—one of the grandmeet- ing places for all ofAustin. For business purposes, there’s Austin’s state-of-the- art convention and meeting facilities, with free wireless Internet throughout the heart of the city. When the work is done, your meet- ing attendees will enjoy the safe and walkable downtown,with distinct enter- tainment districts just steps from the convention center. All in all Austin offers some of the best venues and amenities throughout the city for a memorable meeting or event.A combi- nation of top levelmeeting facilities and premium entertainment make this city high on the list of a choices for meeting planners. The Austin Convention Center is located in the heart of the capital of Texas, one of the most affordable cities inAmerica.The convention center has a convenient downtown location, between the shores of Lady Bird Lake and historic Sixth Street. It has easy access to I-35 and is a short distance from 5,500 downtown hotel rooms. The facility’s expansion has allowed events to expand their conventions, trade shows and expos. It has also brought newconventions and visitors to Austin and its convention center.With 900,000 sq. ft. of high-tech, highly desir- able meeting space right in the heart of downtown, the Austin Convention Center is just steps from much of what makesAustin so dynamic and engaging. In terms of space, there are five con- 72 Austin City Scape Riverview tiguous and column-free exhibit halls comprising 246,097 gross sq. ft. These halls feature a 43,300-sq. ft. Grand Ballroom, 1,500 retractable auditorium- style seats and 54,730 sq. ft. of meeting rooms and offices. The Austin Convention Center also offers comple- mentary wireless Internet service, capa- ble ofmoving 1 billion bits of data,voice or video—at 1 billion bits per second. Austin’s 131,000-sq. ft. “Pavilion in the Park” offers an attractive opportu- nity for smaller meetings and special events. The Center features a gently sloping, asymmetrical shade roof and generous wrap-around terrace over- looking Lady Bird Lake. The PalmerEventsCenter offers two levels of flexible space. On the first level, you’ll find 70,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space that can be divided into two halls of 45,000 and 25,000 sq. ft., respectively. Two lobbies offer pre-function space and concessions. The upper level fea- tures breathtaking balcony views, along with 5,000 combined sq. ft. of meeting rooms for pre-function activities, recep- tions, dinners and other special occa- sions. In any conference or series of meet- ings it is important for the attendees to have a good night’s sleep, for a well- rested participant is a productive partic- ipant. InAustin the great southern hos- pitality shows through the relentless service and top-level amenities spread out through the hotels.There are many choices a meeting planner has to select from in this city. On the green banks of Lady Bird Lake, Four Seasons Hotel Austin cre- ates garden tranquility near the Black Meetings & Tourism May/June 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: Austin CVB