ONES TO WATCH
Cities whose investments in venues and infrastructure are paying off with events.
Austin
South By Southwest has spawned tourism infrastructure investment in Austin, especially in building its hotel lodging muscle. Texas’ state capital grew its downtown lodging stock by another 3% last year, with a total of 825 new rooms added citywide. If all active hotel projects in the city are completed this year, nearly 2,000 more will come online. That’s in addition to the recent venue openings of Moody Center and Q2 Stadium (above) and a $39 million federal grant the city received to build a new terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Detroit
The Motor City hosts big events regularly, including the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic (above), the NASCAR FireKeepers Casino 400, the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix and the Quick Lane Bowl. That résumé is expanding in a big way over the next few years, beginning with the hosting of this year’s NFL Draft and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regionals and the 2027 NCAA men’s Final Four. The city added nearly 500 hotel rooms downtown last year, with at least as many scheduled to open in 2024.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Fort Lauderdale has its own building boom that will benefit sports tourism, including the billion-dollar convention center expansion that will include an 800-room Omni Hotel and is expected to wrap up in 2025. Another $400 million is being spent on a fifth terminal for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. A $190 million renovation of the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center and International Swimming Hall of Fame is due to finish in 2025. The Florida Panthers continue to revamp their practice facility, including public ice, and are renovating the War Memorial Auditorium into a music venue.
Milwaukee
Direct visitor spending in Milwaukee County jumped 23% in 2022, part of a record $6.02 billion in tourism economic impact, according to Visit Milwaukee. Fiserv Forum (above) and the surrounding Deer District are central to a strong roster of large venues and event-hosting spaces, including Pettit National Ice Center, U.S. Speedskating’s official training facility. The $456 million expansion of Baird Center, Milwaukee’s convention center, will be completed in May. Hotel construction is on the rise in the city’s core, while the Brewers’ American Family Field is in the earliest stages of a $500 million modernization.