June 2009

Where: 1001 W Royal Lane Dallas, TX, United States, 75039

June 11, 2009 at 11:11

Good news! Our fave budget-chic brand, NYLO, is opening up its third property in Irving, Texas (Las Colinas — in the Dallas area) on July 27th. The brand’s expansion has been going pretty slowly since the first property in Plano, Texas opened up in December of ‘07, but we’ll take what we can get here and remain hopeful that NYLO and their spinoff brand, XP, will pull through and keep opening up hotels as planned.

We dropped in on the NYLO site today and noticed NYLO Las Colinas is taking rezzies starting on July 27th (that’s a Monday), and they’re running a special opening rate promo with rates down as low as $139.00 until September 7 (when they’ll go up to around $159-ish).

Check out the hotel (and the sweet pool with an outdoor bar) here, and cross your fingers for no delays on this bad boy.

 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/6/11/105536/972/hotels/NYLO_s_Third_Property_Set_to_Open_July_27

9:01 AM Tue, Jun 09, 2009
Brandon Formby/Reporter   

The NYLO hotel set to open in Las Colinas next month will reportedly be TXU Energy’s first hotel customer in North Texas to solely use renewable energy. The hotel, at 1001 W. Royal Lane, will be NYLO’s third and largest property. It will have 200 guest rooms, meeting space, an expansive courtyard and a restaurant, lounge and sushi bar.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diana Pfaff

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

IRVING, TEXAS – Ten years in the making, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will provide a critical missing piece in Irving’s visitor industry, creating a high-end meetings venue for the city’s corporate community, a site for key civic events and a much-needed generator for weekend business, when hotel rooms aren’t filled with business travelers.

Officials agree that it is simply the right project for the market at the right time.

“The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas is tailor-made for the market that we excel in: business,” said Irving Mayor Herbert A. Gears. “It provides us with another opportunity to bring more visitors to our community.”

Irving City Councilman Rick Stopfer said the project provides a key piece of the puzzle to the city.

“It will create a tremendous amount of synergy and energy with our Las Colinas Urban Center,” Stopfer said.

Slated to open late 2010, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will be a 275,000 square-foot multi-functional building, with a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square feet of breakout meeting space.

The unique, stacked layout enables Irving to simultaneously host sporting events, corporate and trade meetings and civic events.

The $133 million center will be an important revenue driver for the city, projected to generate $44.7 million in direct spending, 730 jobs and $1.5 million in tax revenue to the Irving, according to a study by global consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

But the planning and development of the Irving Convention Center at Colinas had its share of twists and turns over the decade the project has been on the minds of city and tourism officials.

Located only minutes away from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and with 30 Fortune 500 companies –including the global headquarters of four — and 8,000 companies that call it home, Irving has enjoyed robust demand from high-end business travelers who keep the occupancy levels and average daily room rates at the city’s more than 75 hotels among the highest in North Texas.

But while mid-week business has always been strong, Irving officials identified an opportunity to boost weekend business when corporate travelers are off the road.

Former Irving Mayor Joe Putnam saw that a convention center could support the city’s largest industry-hospitality.  And, he argued, such a building could finally provide a home for civic and community events that didn’t have a home in Irving.

When the project was first studied, the market for conventions and meetings was fueled by fast-growing dot-com and technology firms.

Feasibility studies done in 1999 then called for a much larger and more traditional facility, with 100,000 square-foot exhibit hall, 30,000 to 40,000 square-feet in meeting space and an adjacent, 450-room hotel.  The center would be built anticipating growth, with a site plan that left enough room to eventually double its exhibit hall and add a second hotel tower.

The city moved forward in early 2001, acquiring a 40-acre site in the Las Colinas Urban Center. But after the economic slowdown, events of 9/11 and subsequent reduction in travel that persisted for the next several years, the project was put on hold in 2003.

When travel patterns recovered and a robust business travel demand returned in 2005, the project was given new life under the leadership of the Irving City Council led by Mayor Herbert Gears.

At the direction of the City Council, the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau led a new series of studies by PWC and C.H. Johnson that took a fresh look at what the market needed and what Irving could provide. PWC consultants analyzed the current meetings market and whether the original site still made sense. C.H. Johnson’s team studied what other options for visitor-oriented development existed beyond meetings facilities.

“We started with a fresh slate so we could consider new ideas,” Maura Gast, executive director of the Irving CVB, said.

PWC’s research made clear what officials had suspected. Much had changed since the project was first born in the late 1990s. Just a few miles away, the 1,600-room Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center on Lake Grapevine had opened — a project quickly slated for expansion.

With the Gaylord Texan now in place, a traditionally-styled center could quickly face an “arms race” to add space and full-service hotels to support it. But, the study found, there was yet a market for smaller, niche meetings business that could bring the city important new revenue.

And with plans for a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail line through the Urban Center and nearby hotel supply, office and retail development near the center to create a robust existing infrastructure, the land purchased in 2001 continued to be the ideal location.

The C.H. Johnson study identified a need for more retail and entertainment in the area, creating a healthy demand for such venues if they could be developed in conjunction with or near the center.

Armed with fresh insights, the project was transformed.

The city moved forward with an iconic building design for its convention center, one that would capture the imagination of the community and potential visitors, and fit seamlessly with the high-end design standards of the exciting buildings in Las Colinas.

“This gives us a flexible and high-end building that is very different for the industry that will make Irving stand out with our customers,” Gast said.

Irving will carve itself a distinct niche. The building is meant to adeptly serve a narrow, but affluent slice of the market.

The biggest opportunity for the building will be to boost weekend business, which is traditionally slow for business-travel destinations like Irving.

Gail Jackson, president of the Irving Las Colinas Hotel Association, said the convention center offers an important opportunity to create more demand for the city’s hotels and broadens its market.

The target customer will be groups of 800-1,200, though the facility can accommodate as many as 4,000.

“We’re focusing on the niche that gets caught in the middle,” Gast said. “Groups of 2,000 delegates are really small for some cities, but they’re huge for Irving.”

Dr. Carlton Turner, chairman of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, said the center would serve a mid-range convention audience looking for the conveniences of a major market but the customer service attention of a smaller market venue.

“We’re in the center of the country and accessible by air,” Turner said. “It will put us on the map even more.”

Unlike many convention centers, Irving’s isn’t designed for expansion.

“There will always  be business that is too big for us,” Gast continued. “But there is likely no business too small for us, and there are thousands and thousands of small meetings.”

The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will give Irving a new tool to attract business that is uniquely designed for Irving, said Mike Barns, an Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors member, and former senior executive with AVW Audio Visual Inc.

“This gives us the piece of the puzzle we’ve needed to make Irving a viable destination for the meetings business and a new market segment that we haven’t been able to tap before,” Barns said.

Irving has issued bonds to pay for the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, which will be repaid using a portion of hotel occupancy taxes collected at the city’s more than 75 hotels. The designated 2 percentage points of the hotel occupancy tax has been collected since January 2000; the bonds closed on Jan. 30, 2009.

About Irving, Texas

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diana Pfaff

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

IRVING, TEXAS – With its multi-functional space and distinctive architecture, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will create a new hub of activity for the Las Colinas Urban Center and the city of Irving.

Slated to open in late 2010, the facility is the first phase of a mixed-use entertainment complex on a 40-acre tract in the Las Colinas Urban Center, Irving’s upscale business, residential and retail district located adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth.

The $133 million Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will boast 275,000 square-feet, including a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square feet of breakout meeting space.

Irving Mayor Herbert A. Gears said the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas and its planned adjacent entertainment complex, along with other developments planned for the Las Colinas Urban Center, will make Irving a thriving destination.

“It’s a key addition to the Urban Center and it’s already spurring other development,” Gears said.  

Phase Two of the project features a 600,000 square-foot entertainment complex, situated south of the convention center, and includes a 6,000-person capacity concert hall, nine full-service restaurants, four nightclubs featuring specialty food service, 7,000 square-feet of high-end retail space and an adjacent 1,200-space parking garage.

The pedestrian-friendly complex will include outdoor gathering places enabling visitors to enjoy a variety of events. 

The dynamic complex will also link to Las Colinas’ Area Personal Transit (APT) “people-mover” system, which will connect to a DART light rail line that will take visitors to D/FW Airport and downtown Dallas.

“We want to make Las Colinas a destination for an evening out or even a weekend out,” said Will Beuck, chief marketing officer with developer Las Colinas Group, LP. “It’s a great addition to the Irving Convention Center. It will offer conventioneers instant entertainment and they can book their own entertainment for private parties.”

Slated to open in mid-2011, the $210 million complex is being developed by Las Colinas Group, LP in a public-private partnership with the City of Irving. 

Principals for the Las Colinas Group have been involved with several other high-profile North Texas development projects, including Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth.  The developer has partnered with Live Nation Worldwide Inc., the world’s largest concert promoter, producing more than 16,000 concerts a year, to book groups at the complex’s venues.

The complex, which is expected to attract 4.5 million visitors annually, will allow visitors to walk from venue to venue, accessing a variety of experiences, whether it’s the 6,000-person capacity Texas Concert Hall, an outdoor performance on a plaza or an intimate dinner show.

Beuck said the complex will also help Irving create a new identity for itself, particularly in the Urban Center, which is known primarily as a premier corporate address.

“It’s going to create a new image for the city going forward,” Beuck said. “It will give the area a real surge of energy and life.”

Maura Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the adjacent entertainment complex creates an important sense of place for visitors and convention-goers.

“The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will be next door to a variety of restaurants, shopping and music venues, giving our visitors more reasons to stay in Irving,” Gast said.

Gail Jackson, president of the Irving Las Colinas Hotel Association and general manager at the Hilton Garden Inn DFW Airport South, said the developments will encourage visitors to extend their trips to Irving and bring more spending to the community.

“Visitors will have multiple places to shop and listen to live music,” Jackson said.

The city has received proposals for a public-private partnership to develop an adjacent 450-room headquarters hotel. Preliminary site planning has begun, with a targeted opening date of mid-2011.

New entertainment-driven development in Las Colinas isn’t limited to the convention center site. Plans for live-work-play, mixed-use projects surrounding Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Orange Line rail stations now top $4 billion in private investment. The rail line is scheduled to open in 2011.

In the future, convention-goers and visitors will also be able to access entertainment and shopping just a quick connection away via Las Colinas’ APT at the 13-acre, mixed-use Water Street development.

Developer Gables Residential has secured preliminary approvals for the $300 million project, and is expected to begin work soon on necessary infrastructure improvements, including reclaiming 1.2 acres of Lake Carolyn. 

Water Street will be located across O’Connor Boulevard from the famous bronze Mustangs of Las Colinas — Irving’s most popular tourist attraction and one of the largest equestrian installations in the country.

Plans call for 300,000 square-feet of retail, more than 1,000 residential units, a boutique hotel and 20,000 square-feet of office space. Construction on the first phase should begin in early 2010.

About Irving, Texas

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diana Pfaff

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

IRVING, TEXAS – The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas has been designed with both functionality and the environment in mind.

Slated to open late 2010, the $133 million Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will be a 275,000 square-foot multi-functional building, with a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000, square feet in breakout space.

RMJM Hillier’s award-winning design incorporates a philosophy of efficiency throughout the building, for everything from the footprint of the facility, its eye-catching copper exterior, and recycled water and drought-resistant plants.

“The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas takes a strategic green approach, creating a sophisticated and efficient facility while minimizing its impact to the environment,” said Maura Gast, executive director for the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The project is working toward LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Good design is green,” said Barbara Hillier, the project’s principal design architect. “Buildings have impact on the land and the local ecology that have to be managed and, in the best case, optimized through the cogency of creative architectural solutions.”

The copper “skin” that wraps around the building’s exterior creates a dynamic, changing look for the building thanks to graduated perforations in the material that will create transparency at night as lights inside shine through.

But the copper exterior is more than just a design element. The no-maintenance material translates into lower costs for the center, eliminating the need for painting every few years to maintain its flawless appearance. Rather, the copper skin will help to accentuate the center’s design, aging gracefully as it takes on a rich green-hued patina, offering an ever-evolving freshness to the building over time.

The perforations in the copper skin also provide an important role for energy efficiency, providing the center built-in shade and using the natural currents of the wind to create a cushion of cooling air between it and the building, decreasing its need for air-conditioning.

“What we’ve done is create a building that shades itself,” said Eric Jaffe, RMJM’s managing principal for the project.

 Hillier’s vertical, “stacked” layout also makes it efficient for event attendees, allowing quick and seamless movement between events.

From an operational standpoint, the “stacked” building gains efficiencies with its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, translating into a more energy-efficient structure.

The compact building design also meant a smaller footprint of land was needed.

An integrated garage helps to reduce the amount of asphalt required for surface parking lots more typical with more institutionally-designed facilities.  The center’s roof will use a light-colored material to reflect heat from the sun, a strategy which has the added benefit of giving the roof a clean look.

RMJM Hillier’s design for the landscaping surrounding the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas calls for drought-resistant plants that are native to North Texas. The project’s planners consulted with local horticulturists to develop an aesthetic design, while requiring a minimum of water or chemicals.

A dense canopy of trees will offer a cooling shade for summer months and minimal use of asphalt will help to lower ambient temperatures and allow for efficient rain runoff. Center operators will use water from nearby Lake Carolyn for irrigation, and for the building’s “gray-water” systems, which account for nearly 90 percent of its water use.

About RMJM Hillier

RMJM Hillier is the North American division of RMJM Group, one of the largest architectural practices in the world with 1,200 people and 15 offices across the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

About Irving, Texas

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diana Pfaff

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

IRVING CONVENTION CENTER AT LAS COLINAS COPPER CLADDING:

Designer: RMJM Hillier, a North American division of RMJM Group, one of the largest practices in the world with 1,2000 people and 15 offices across the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Manufacturer: Kansas City, Mo.-based A. Zahner Co. at its Irving facility.

Size:  The panels will measure 3 feet by 10 feet

Appearance: Perforations in the copper cladding will graduate from 50 percent to 100 percent opaque in 30 feet, adjusted to create transparency in key parts of the center and to reduce the visual and physical weight of the material. The design was inspired by M.C. Escher’s famous woodcut print, “Sky and Water I,” which creates a puzzle-like image of birds transforming into fish.

Installation: The panels will stand 10 feet to 80 feet away from the building.

Natural cooling: The panels will help to shade the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas and create a natural cushion of cooling air currents to reduce air-conditioning demand.

Maintenance: The copper will change in appearance over the years, beginning as a warm brown hue and transforming into a rich green-hued patina (similar to the Statue of Liberty), echoing the copper rooftops of Williams Square in the Las Colinas Urban Center and the famous bronze Mustangs of Las Colinas.

COPPER FACTS:

Mythology:  Copper ultimately gets its name from the Latin “cuprum,” the island of Cyprus, where the metal was mined in ancient times.  Cyprus was called “The Sacred Isle of the Goddess Venus,” so copper has been associated with that planet and is thought to have, like the Roman goddess Venus, a balancing and stabilizing effect wherever it is placed.

Mental Healing:  Copper has also been associated with the Greek god Hermes, known as a catalyst for increasing mental acumen and a quick wit.  It is also said to be a good ‘conductor’ of energies from otherworldly sources – hence its healing and energizing reputation – and studies have shown that intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. 

Copper in America:  Besides being a Revolutionary War hero, Paul Revere was a silversmith whose metal company supplied the U.S. Mint with rolled copper for the production of early pennies.  The United States’ symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty, is made entirely of copper.

Random Copper Facts:

§         Every person in America uses about 30 pounds of copper each year.

§         The Statue of Liberty contains about 100 tons of copper.

§         The typical new home contains about 500 pounds of copper in wiring, plumbing and brass fixtures.

The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas

Located in the Las Colinas Urban Center, a premier business address, the $133 million Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas was designed by RMJM Hillier and is slated to open in late 2010. The 275,000 square-foot center, which will be managed by global center operator SMG, includes a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square-feet in breakout meeting space.

About Irving, Texas

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development, including the addition of a convention center.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diana Pfaff

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

IRVING, TEXAS – When it opens in late 2010, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will change the way meeting planners look at convention center space.

“We’re setting a new standard,” said Maura Gast, executive director for the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas creates an environment made for business.”

With an iconic design and high-end finishes, the $133 million, 275,000 square-foot Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas takes a bold new direction in a landscape of traditionally “institutional” facilities.

Designed as a multi-functional building, the center includes a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square feet in breakout meeting space.

Irving tourism officials plan to take a targeted, strategic approach in attracting new business. Rather than compete with the major convention facilities already available in North Texas, the center will focus strategically on small and mid-size groups, primarily targeting groups of 800-1,200 delegates. The center can accommodate groups as large as 4,000.

The vertical “stacked” layout enables Irving to simultaneously host sporting events, corporate and trade meetings, galas and other civic events, while allowing each group to have its own distinct space and ambience. For larger groups, the vertical design means delegates can flow efficiently between events.

The center will also offer Irving a new opportunity to attract weekend business, and gives the community a venue to host civic events previously held outside the city. 

“Weekend business is a huge opportunity for us because our mid-week business is already so strong,” Gast said.

Pennsylvania-based SMG, a leader in facility management and development, will be the center’s operator under the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau’s direction, and will share sales and marketing responsibilities for the facility.

Bob McClintock, senior vice president-convention centers for SMG, said the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will offer a unique product in the marketplace.

Rather than offering users an exhibit hall-driven building that also includes meeting space, the Irving Convention Center will provide a facility that focuses on meetings, while including the necessary exhibit space.

“The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will have a character and a quality that is much more akin to a high-caliber conference facility than it is a convention center.” McClintock said.  “This isn’t the quintessential ‘box with docks’.”

Thanks to its distinctive architectural design, “within its genre, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas is going to stand out.”

McClintock said the Irving center’s distinctive design and mission for top-quality customer service will mirror the sense of place and quality that already exists in the 12,000-acre Las Colinas master-planned development and the city’s hotels. 

By focusing on meeting space, and the ability to serve customers seamlessly for food and beverage services at a level comparable to a conference center or five-star hotel, Irving will be able to take a surgical approach and focus on high-end groups that add demand for the city’s hotels and generate new revenues for local restaurants and retailers.

“This isn’t meant to be a utilitarian building,” McClintock said. “It’s going to be functional and flexible, but its going to have that feel of a high-end facility both in its architecture and its service. That’s what customers expect and require.”

Careful study and planning for the project by Irving officials means the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will be more than just functional.

Situated on a 40-acre site visible from State Highway 114 and Northwest Highway, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas uses a small footprint, allowing for future development that will include a performance venue, hotel and entertainment complex.

Together, the projects will provide an exciting environment for convention delegates, visitors to Irving, and the corporations that call Irving home.

The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas fits into a carefully defined niche that reflects the sophisticated and professional environment of Las Colinas, rather than trying to compete for the same kind of convention business nearby facilities serve.

“Irving has a true understanding of who it is and what it wants to be,” McClintock said. “The city is building something that matches what the market needs.”

Irving’s strong fundamentals — a high-quality, existing supply of hotels, easy access from both Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field, and a robust built-in corporate market — make it an ideal place for a convention center, McClintock said.

With its intimate size, small and mid-size groups will enjoy the high customer service levels of being the proverbial “big fish” in a small building.

“Irving has a first-tier market feel with its amenities and access to air service, but is able to offer smaller groups that customer focus they’d find in smaller markets,” McClintock said.

On weekends, the building’s users likely will shift from corporate to consumer, with amateur and youth-sporting events, events by social, military, educational, religious and fraternal (SMERF) organizations and events that tap the local community.

“Our goal isn’t to fill the building with general interest consumer shows,” Gast said. “We want to find the premium shows in that market by looking for specialized niche groups.”

About Irving, Texas

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

About SMG

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, SMG (www.smgworld.com) provides management services to more than 200 public assembly facilities including arenas, stadiums, performing arts centers, theaters and convention, conference and trade centers. As the recognized industry leaders since 1977, SMG provides construction and design consulting, pre-opening services, venue management, sales and marketing, and event booking and programming. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through an in-house catering company, Savor…Catering by SMG, currently servicing 65 accounts worldwide. With facilities in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, SMG controls more than 1.5 million entertainment seats worldwide and manages more than 10 million square-feet of exhibition space.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diana Pfaff

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

IRVING, TEXAS – The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, a boldly designed multi-functional building in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is being developed by a team of seasoned, forward-thinking players and a sophisticated, business-minded vision by civic leaders.

The $133 million, 275,000 square-foot building will include a 50,000 square-foot column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square feet in breakout meeting rooms.

The project is slated to open in late 2010. Here’s a look at some of the project’s key players.

IRVING, TEXAS

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

HERBERT A. GEARS, MAYOR, CITY OF IRVING

A longtime Irving resident, Gears has taken a leadership role for several key issues as a citizen, a city councilman and under his tenure as mayor, which began in 2005.

Gears considers investing in economic development by keeping taxes low and providing the incentives, infrastructure and services needed to support strong economic growth to be a key priority for Irving. He has committed to strict code enforcement, reversing the decline in neighborhoods, and to keeping public safety a top priority.

Gears’ leadership helped the city obtain more than $17 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to provide improved housing for seniors, better dental care for children, and ensure funding for the YMCA, Irving Cares, the Salvation Army, Crossroads, and dozens of other community organizations. He was instrumental in developing a partnership with Dallas County, Parkland Hospital and Baylor Health Systems to build a Community-Oriented Primary Care Clinic in Irving, which will provide primary medical care for residents without health insurance.

Gears has served as a board director for several local nonprofit groups, including the Irving Family Advocacy Center, the Irving Schools Foundation, the Irving DFW Humane Society, the Crossroads Interfaith Housing program, the North Texas Commission, and Keep Irving Beautiful.

TOMáS (TOMMY) GONZALEZ, IRVING CITY MANAGER

Named Irving’s city manager in May 2006, Gonzalez oversees a $339 million city budget and 2,180 city employees. 

Before coming to Irving, Gonzalez was an assistant city manager for the City of Dallas, where he was in charge of departments in the Staff Accountability Key Focus Area, including the Efficiency Team, Equipment and Building Services, Human Resources/Risk Management/Safety and Office of Environmental Quality. He was also the liaison to the Civil Service Department.

During his career, Gonzalez has worked as city manager of Harlingen, Texas, and held a number of positions with the city of Lubbock, Texas, including deputy city manager and assistant city manager. Gonzalez received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Texas Tech University and a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, N.M.  

MAURA GAST, FCDME, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IRVING CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

An 18-year veteran of the Irving CVB, Maura Gast was named executive director for the organization in October 2003. A leading destination for business travel, Irving welcomed 2.97 million visitors in 2008, who in turn invested $1.53 billion in this town of 200,000. Irving is also home to the world headquarters of Exxon Mobil Corp., Zale Inc., Flowserve Corp., Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Fluor Corp., and serves as a major U.S. or regional headquarters for Research in Motion Ltd. (the parent company of BlackBerry mobile e-mail device), NEC Corporation of America, Nokia Oyj and many other prominent corporate brands.

In July 2008, Gast became the chair of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI).  She chaired the recently completed “Futures Study” task force, and has just finished a term on the association’s inaugural Destination Marketing Accreditation program board. She has developed curriculum for the associate’s “Program in Destination Management” (PDM) and leads several courses at its conferences and other industry forums.

SMG

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, SMG provides management services to more than 200 assembly facilities, including arenas, stadiums, performing arts centers, theaters, convention, conference and trade centers. As the recognized industry leaders since 1977, SMG provides construction and design consulting, pre-opening services, venue management, sales and marketing, and event booking and programming. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through an in-house catering company, Savor…Catering by SMG, currently servicing 65 accounts worldwide. With facilities in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, SMG controls more than 1.5 million entertainment seats worldwide and manages more than 10 million square-feet of exhibition space.

BOB MCCLINTOCK, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT-CONVENTION CENTERS, SMG

Bob McClintock, a 21-year veteran in facility management, has led civic centers, arenas and convention centers in Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Atlantic City, N.J.  Under his leadership, these facilities excelled operationally and became key stops on the major concert tour circuit.

As senior vice president over convention centers, McClintock is responsible for the operation of the more than 70 convention centers, and the over 10 million square feet that SMG manages.

A native of Philadelphia, McClintock holds an undergraduate degree in Government from the College of William and Mary. He is a member of International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM), and National Association of Consumer Shows (NACS).

RMJM HILLIER

RMJM Hillier is the North American division of RMJM Group, one of the largest architectural practices in the world, with 1,200 people and 15 offices across the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Barbara Hillier AIA, formerly Principal of RMJM, formerly Principal, Hillier Architecture

Barbara A. Hillier, AIA, is the lead architect for the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.

A leading architectural and interior designers, Hillier brings an unbridled passion for discovery to each project and engages her clients as partners on the journey. Hillier’s work is informed by a deeply felt responsibility for design as the mediator between nature and civilization where the forces of each alternatively challenge and guide the other.

A graduate of Temple University and Arcadia University, her design career spans more than 25 years of creative thought, writing and design that has been recognized for its excellence by juries of her peers and members of the communities in which she works. She has lectured and juried design competitions and academic theses. Her work on the Abbe Science Center for the Solebury School has received numerous design awards and been published extensively.

An award-winning architect, Hillier won an American Architecture award in 2008 for her work on The Chicago Athenaeum: Becton Dickinson Campus Center. Her work on the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas earned the 2008 Design Merit award by the New Jersey Society of Architects.

ERIC JAFFE, PRINCIPAL, RMJM HILLIER

Eric Jaffe, AIA, NCARB, is a principal in RMJM Hillier’s Global Education Studio, and the managing principal for the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. With a specialization in science and technology projects, he’s worked with some of the nation’s top colleges and universities to develop forward-thinking science and laboratory buildings, including Duke University’s Medical Science Research Building-II and Global Health Research Laboratory, as well as the George Mason University Regional Biocontainment Lab.

THE BECK GROUP         

The Beck Group is the owner’s representative for the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.

Based in Dallas, the privately held limited partnership is a full-service builder, whose primary focus is to seek long-term relationships with customers in offering a complete real estate solution.  Services provided include architecture, interior design, real estate development, financial structuring and consulting, pre-construction services, renovation, construction management, general contracting, program management, and interior construction.

With offices located nationwide, Beck currently has more than 500 employees, including a large group of licensed architects and LEED accredited professionals.  Beck also employs several licensed engineers, interior designers, and real estate agents, and retains highly qualified field staff and project managers.

Beck is consistently listed among The Dallas Morning News’ top 200 private companies and Engineering News-Record’s top 400 U.S. contractors as well as top 100 design-build firms.  The American Institute of Architects, Dallas Chapter distinguished Beck as the first company to be named Architecture Firm and Contractor of the Year in 2003.  A year later, Beck was again bestowed with Architecture Firm of the Year honors by AIA Dallas, and was ranked fifth among Texas Construction Magazine’s top 125 contractors.

Beck has Texas offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, and locations in Atlanta, Denver, Tampa, and Mexico City. 

AUSTIN COMMERCIAL

Austin Commercial is the construction manager at risk for the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.

Based in Dallas, Austin Commercial is a global company with an annual volume of more than $1 billion and has constructed over 50 million square-feet of commercial projects in the last 10 years. Austin Commercial is ranked as the largest construction manager in Texas, and 27th on Engineering News Record’s list of the 100 largest “construction manager at risk” contractors in the nation. Austin Commercial has a distinguished portfolio of projects serving customers in advanced technology, aviation, corporate build-to-suit, industrial and manufacturing, interiors, healthcare, hospitality, office and high-rise, public/institutional, retail, sports, and universities.

Austin’s landmark projects include: the American Airlines Center (home of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team and Dallas Stars NHL team), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, EDS world headquarters, ExxonMobil Corp. world headquarters, IBM headquarters in Austin, Federal Reserve Bank, Miami International Airport, Alcon Labs and USAA corporate campuses in San Antonio and Colorado Springs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diana Pfaff

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

IRVING, TEXAS –The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas is positioned to make a big impression with meeting planners and visitors, not to mention the Las Colinas landscape.

Slated to open in late 2010, the $133 million, 275,000 square-foot Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will include a 50,000 square-foot column-free exhibit hall, a 20,000 square-foot ballroom and 20,000 square feet in breakout meeting rooms and an 800-space parking garage.

Taking a cue from Las Colinas’ famous bronze mustangs and the copper roofs that top the towers at Williams Square, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will add a visual focal point for the Urban Center and become an iconic image in the skyline with its stunning copper exterior.

RMJM Hillier, a global, design-driven architectural practice, created a design where both form and functionality mesh gracefully with art.  The perforated copper exterior will add visual interest, giving the building a changing look as the sun reflects on the green patina during the day, and the facility’s lights shine through the material at night.

The urban, sculptural-designed center has slightly upturned corners, giving the building a visual lift.  When approaching the building, the structure seems to rise, creating a powerful, yet welcoming presence.

Like the famous piazzas of Europe, the center aims to be a gathering place for the community to celebrate important events, to linger and to connect, said Barbara A. Hillier, AIA, formerly principal of RMJM, and formerly principal of Hillier Architecture, the project’s principal design architect.

“As a civic building, we’ve done things that make it less an imposing fortress. We’ve created a building that reaches out and grabs people and pulls them up into the building,” Hillier said. “We wanted a building that felt alive, where you could see the excitement and energy animating the building.”

Outside, a grand staircase moves gracefully up 50 feet to the second floor, where an indoor-outdoor cafe wraps around the building, offering visitors a panoramic view of Irving and Las Colinas.

The building’s distinctive design translates into the ultimate flexibility.

“This building breaks from the typical convention center,” Hillier said. “It’s much more than a place to call people together. It is also a very exclusive and private meeting space, and a place where people will come for sporting events, for social events and family celebrations.”

The vertical design also means it will be more efficient for users, said Eric Jaffe, RMJM Hillier’s managing principal for the project.

“If you have 10 minutes between functions, you’ll be able to easily step outside to take a break or make calls,” Jaffe said.

Walking into the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, visitors will be greeted by a large lobby with a four-story, open atrium.

Visitors can move between levels using a bank of elevators or the two escalators that rise from the lobby, bringing them first to the second-floor cafe, then to the third floor meeting rooms or fourth floor ballroom.

The lobby will have two main entrances, allowing its pre-function space to be configured in a way that accommodates separate user groups, allowing each to maintain its desired ambience.

“This building has many different hats to wear,” Jaffe said. “You could have a corporate meeting on the third floor and a basketball tournament in the exhibit hall without the events interrupting each other.”

 The exhibit hall will include 35-foot ceilings, allowing it to shift seamlessly between sporting events and the typical convention center trade show.

The second floor cafe will offer event attendees a place to relax, get some fresh air, or network with peers.

The center’s third level houses 20,000 square feet of breakout meeting space in 20 rooms, each approximately 1,000 square feet. The rooms will be clustered into pods, allowing each to have an intimate, adjacent pre-function space, while also easily allowing multiple groups to utilize the floor simultaneously.

The 20,000 square-foot ballroom on the top floor will offer guests a spectacular view of Las Colinas and even a glimpse of downtown Dallas.

“The distinctive design of the building and flexible space for a variety of users gives us something that will stand out in the market,” said Maura Gast, executive director for the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau.

RMJM Hillier’s design has already attracted attention from the architecture world. The project earned a 2008 Design Merit award by the New Jersey Society of Architects.  The panel’s comments described the project as “stunning” and as having a “true sense of questioning typology.”

About RMJM Hillier

RMJM Hillier is the North American division of RMJM Group, one of the largest architectural practices in the world with 1,200 people and 15 offices across the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

About Irving, Texas

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

Contact: Diana Pfaff 

972-252-7476 or 800-247-8464  

dpfaff@irvingtexas.com 

IRVING, TEXAS –With its distinctive architectural design and flexible, function space aimed at high-end business users, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas is poised to spark a new energy into the upscale Las Colinas Urban Center.

Situated on a 40-acre tract near State Highway 114 and Northwest Highway, the $133 million convention center will give visitors more reasons to come to Irving and strengthen the city’s appeal as a high-end business destination. The 275,000 square-foot multi-purpose facility includes a 50,000 square-foot, column-free exhibit hall, 20,000 square-feet of breakout meeting space and a 20,000 square-foot ballroom.

The city’s project team sought to reflect the vision begun by Ben Carpenter when he first started developing Las Colinas.  In a two-page memorandum to employees dated June 1, 1974, and known simply as “The Memo,” Carpenter laid out his vision that every project in Las Colinas must have class, “reflect quality and be recognized as having exceptional merit. … We are not building to meet an existing market; we are creating a new market and establishing new standards.”

Just as Carpenter asked his colleagues to ask themselves whether each project in Las Colinas had “that special touch of class,” the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas carefully reflects the high-standards for quality and design put forth by the legendary developer more than three decades ago. 

“The convention center is something that will certainly enhance the future of not only the Urban Center and Las Colinas, but Irving as a whole,” said Rick Bidne, president of the Las Colinas Association.

Bidne says the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will serve as a key anchor for the area, providing the visibility necessary to the success of the adjacent entertainment complex.

“The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas fills a void for drawing visitors to the community in terms of groups who need more space for their events, and provides a much needed place for community events that we haven’t had, including large civic events,” Bidne said.

“This building truly has an architectural and artistic uniqueness that will make it stand out,” Bidne said. “This is not, in any form or fashion, the typical, industrial-style convention center seen in so many places.”

Carter Holston, a general manager for NEC Corporation of America and chairman of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, said the convention center will meet a demand for high  quality space.

“Irving’s new convention center will be a quality facility that will be put to good use by local businesses,” Holston said. “Whether for training purposes, exhibitions or annual shareholders’ meetings, Las Colinas businesses will have another first class option nearby to host their events.”

Maura Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau says the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, and its adjacent entertainment project will be the catalyst for new development in the Urban Center.

“It’s going to drive the market and help us recruit new business to Irving that wants to be near the convention center,” Gast said.

Irving is home to more than 8,000 businesses, including the global headquarters of four Fortune 500 companies and the presence of more than 30 more.

Gast said the center would help the city to attract new companies that want to relocate to Irving in addition to attracting meeting groups and weekend business for the area’s hotels and entertainment venues.

The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas’ versatility will enable Irving to keep meetings business - such as annual meetings and employee training sessions — that currently goes to venues in other cities and provide a flexible space for corporations that call Irving their home, Gast said.

“Companies like Irving-based ExxonMobil could have their annual shareholders meetings in Irving rather than having to go outside the city,” she said.

According to Irving Mayor Herbert Gears, this convention center shows the city’s commitment with several other development projects pending in the Las Colinas Urban Center. “It sends an important message that the city is invested in the Urban Center. 

“With its flexible design and iconic architecture, the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas will help us market Irving and Las Colinas better,” Gears said. “It’s going to bring a lot of additional energy into the Urban Center.”

Dr. Carlton Turner, chairman of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Board of Directors, said the project would create a “new focal point” for Irving.

“This isn’t just going to be a box, it’s going to be a magnet to draw people to Irving,” Turner said.  “This will be a revenue engine. It will enhance Irving and give the city more recognition.”

About Irving, Texas

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms.  Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.