Ahead of a major renovation project, the Austin Convention Center will be hosting its final events this March before closing its doors until 2029. The convention center has been a landmark venue in the city for hosting myriad social, cultural, and business events, and its absence will be felt throughout the meetings industry for those planning to gather in Texas.
Two major events rounding out the center’s final schedule before the closure include South by Southwest (SXSW) and The Aesthetic Meet 2025. SXSW is set to run March 7-15 this year, an expansive conference for all things technology, film, and music. Within its schedule are several individual events, including SXSW EDU running March 3-6, SXSW Conference from March 7-13, the SXSW Film & TV Festival from March 7-15, and the SXSW Music Festival from March 10-15.
The Aesthetic Meet 2025 is hosted by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and will run March 20-23 at the convention center, its last event before closing. Industry professionals will gather to learn, connect, and explore an interactive exhibit hall showcasing state-of-the-art technologies that are helping to advance the industry.
The Austin Convention Center is LEED Gold-certified and Global Biorisk Advisory Council Star-accredited, the latter meaning the facility has developed a comprehensive program to maintain a hygienic indoor environment. Since the center opened in 1992, more than 10 million people have attended over 6,000 events, including more than 900 conventions.
The closure does not mean the meetings world gets put on pause, though. To account for the continued hosting of gatherings in the city, several Austin hotels are banding together to provide meeting planners with a collection of guest rooms and event spaces across multiple properties connected by Red River Street downtown. These properties include the Fairmont Austin, Hilton Austin, and Hotel Van Zandt, which together give planners access to some 2,168 guest rooms and over 245,000 square feet of meeting space.
The renovation and redevelopment project is slated to double the convention center’s rentable space, and expected to be complete in 2029 ahead of various spring festivals in the city.
