This Just In: Austin Press Releases

Two newly completed research studies commissioned by the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Austin CVB) detail the benefits of tourism to the city and present a new profile of the typical Austin visitor. The studies were ordered to better understand who is visiting, what drew them to the city, what the economic benefits of tourism are, and how the Bureau can improve its marketing efforts to diversify and expand the number of visitors that travel to Austin annually. As the City of Austin’s contracted tourism marketing organization, the Austin CVB is charged with researching and reporting visitor trends, and identifying opportunities to improve the visitor experience.  (more)

It’s almost football season in the Lone Star State, where the sport is more than a game – it’s a way of life. In anticipation of the 2011 season, the Austin Sports Commission hosts the 4th annual Texas Gridiron Kickoff presented by USA Football, featuring University of Texas Longhorns Head Coach Mack Brown, on August 3 at the Austin Convention Center. Tickets are $55 per person, $500 for a table of 10, or $750 for a table of 10 with preferred seating with an Austin American-Statesman Preseason All Centex Team player and coach. Registration is online at www.austinsports.org.  (more)

Austin City Council today took final votes to move forward with construction of a convention-style Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Austin, just three blocks from the Austin Convention Center. The hotel will be the city’s largest, with 1,003 guestrooms and 103,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Construction is slated to begin in early 2012 and will take around 32 months according to the developers, White Lodging Services Corp.  (more)

Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) named Arron Brooks, Account Director for the Corporate and Central Region Association Markets at the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Austin CVB), as one of thirty future leaders of the destination marketing industry.  (more)

The Austin Music Office, a division of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Austin CVB), is partnering with DoubleStereo to launch a customized microsite within AustinTexas.org for visitors to search, listen to, and buy Austin music and a new line of official Live Music Capital of the World® merchandise. www.austintexas.org/musicstore/  (more)

The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau (Austin CVB) announces the hiring of Margo Richards as director of tourism. In this position, Richards oversees the Bureau’s efforts to promote Austin as a premier leisure and group travel destination. In addition, Richards manages international marketing and group tour sales.  (more)

The Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Austin CVB) has launched a new mobile application and iPhone application that serve as instant, interactive guides to the city for leisure travelers.  (more)

The Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Austin CVB) today launched a new interactive tool to solicit convention groups: the Five-Minute Meeting Planner. This user-friendly, time-saving web application offers meeting planners the opportunity to quickly enter basic event details and compare the area hotels, service providers and vendors that can best accommodate their group or convention. This online tool will be available exclusively through www.austintexas.org. The Austin CVB is the first tourism bureau in the U.S. to launch such a tool.  (more)

After a final Senate vote on Friday, the U.S. Congress has passed the Travel Promotion Act, a piece of legislation designed to create jobs and economic growth jobs by encouraging international travel to the United States. President Obama is a strong supporter of the bill, which is expected to become law within 10 days.  (more)

The Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau (Austin CVB) has launched a new mobile application that serves as an interactive site itinerary and destination management tool for meeting planners, event attendees and clients considering Austin as a meeting or event destination. Aptly named The Austin iTinerary, the application invites users to download their site visit or group schedule, track appointments, get in touch with venue contacts, view maps, and add comments to each item for future reference.  (more)