“This is an important day for the City of Austin. Releasing the RFQ for the design is the first of many steps, but is a vital one for our city’s future. An expanded convention center has been a topic of conversation for years and, as we continue to become a focal point in the world, we have to accommodate a large number of events. With an inadequate convention center, we lose out to competitors and, consequently miss out on millions of dollars for our Austin community. With a bigger convention center, the economic impact to our city is estimated to jump to over $750 million annually, from the current $468 million. A larger facility also means more travelers to Austin and jobs in the Austin hospitality industry.”
- Kirk Watson, Mayor - City of Austin
“We’re so pleased to support the Austin Convention Center and the City of Austin as they move forward with the redesign project. While we’re excited about the prospect of reimagining SXSW for a few years, we look forward to returning to the new convention center in 2029 for an improved SXSW experience.”
- Michele Flores, SXSW Chief Logistics Officer
“Austin is blessed to have one of the liveliest urban cores in any American city that isn’t on a coast, but our convention center is outdated, undersized, and a barrier in the southeastern corner of Downtown. The vision to transform this space into a community-centric destination for visitors and residents alike while also re-stitching the grid is an exciting prospect for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that it could lead to new opportunities for a lot more affordable housing in the heart of District 9.”
- Zohaib Qadri, Austin City Council Member - District 9
“Austin is the 11th largest city in the U.S., but currently, we have the 59th largest Convention Center. In the last few years, we’ve seen roughly 50% of our Convention Center leads lost due to the lack of space or availability, so we know the demand for a new center is there. This new center will allow us to be more competitive within the state and with our major national competitors.”
- Tom Noonan, President and CEO - Visit Austin
“We are excited to hear about the announcement and progress of the redevelopment of the Austin Convention Center. We know Austin would be a great destination for our conference. The planned new center, due to the significant increase in meeting space, would ensure a more successful experience for our attendees. We have been holding dates in Austin for 2032, and this is the news we’ve been waiting for. I believe this planned redevelopment will open the door for many more groups to consider Austin for their future conferences.”
- Kirsten Olean, CAE, CMP, Senior Director, Meeting Planning & Design - Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; Former Chair of PCMA
“This announcement is an exciting one for the Austin hotel community. Not only will a new and redeveloped convention center bring more meetings and events business to Austin, but create more jobs for our industry and further positively impact the Austin hospitality community at large. This project has long been in the works and we are happy to finally see this come to fruition.”
- Nenad Praporski, General Manager - Fairmont Austin; Chairman - Austin Hotel Lodging Association
“I understand some restaurateurs in the downtown area may have a fear of lost revenue during the convention center construction, but I personally can assure them that the entire Visit Austin team is and will be working tirelessly to keep our hotels and conference rooms full. Meetings will still be happening, visitors will still be here, so restaurants will still see business from our meetings and leisure visitors during that time.”
- Skeeter Miller, President & Owner - The County Line BBQ; Vice Chair - Texas Restaurant Association