Austin prepares to close convention center

AUSTIN, Texas – On April 1, 2025, the Austin Convention Center will close for four years for a $1.6 billion reconstruction project. The city won’t be shutting down for conventions and trade shows, as the city’s hotels and convention centers are stepping in to help.

Visit Austin President and CEO Tom Noonan said Austin has long needed a new convention center.

“Austin is the 11th largest city in the United States, but we currently have the 59th largest convention center. Over the past few years, we have seen that approximately 50% of convention center leads are lost due to lack of space or availability, so we know the interest in a new center The need is there. This new center will make us more competitive within the state and against our key national competitors,” Noonan said.

The current project timeline anticipates building closures, demolition and construction activities to begin next year, with the new, larger facility reopening in 2029. The estimated project cost for the Austin Convention Center reconstruction and expansion is $1.6 billion.

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“To bring an authentic Austin experience to the community, visitors and attendees, we want the new Austin Convention Center to be an iconic, innovative and symbolic meeting location,” said Trisha Tatro, director of the Austin Convention Center Division (ACCD). “In addition to providing more leasable space, we wanted to have an iconic design that would provide state-of-the-art technology and be an industry-leading facility ready to meet the needs of future customers.”

The new center has attracted interest from groups in need of additional space. “We know Austin will be a great destination for our conference. With a significant increase in meeting space, the planned new center will ensure our attendees have an even more successful experience. We have been hosting dates in Austin through 2032, and here’s the News we’ve been waiting for. I believe this planned redevelopment will open the door for more groups to consider hosting future meetings in Austin,” said Kirsten Olean, senior director of conference planning and design at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and past president of PCMA.

When the center closes, hotels across the city join forces to accommodate groups. Some of these collaborations include the University Collection, which includes an AT&T Hotel and Conference Center in partnership with seven other hotels.

The Red River Hotel Austin collection includes the 1,048-room Fairmont Austin, the 801-room Hilton Austin and the 319-room VanZant Hotel. There are 2,168 hotel rooms and 245,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Contact Tom Noonan: tnoonan@visitaustin.org; Teresa Tatro trisha.tatro@austintexas.org;Kirsten Olean kolean@cff.org

Trade show executives rank Austin Convention Center 61st best exhibition space in U.S. 2024 Directory of the World’s Top Convention Centers.