Group Events in Amarillo

Some folks swear that at sunset and sunrise you can see the curvature of the earth from the plains surrounding Amarillo. Others, though, see a whole other vision around this Panhandle city.

"Amarillo is the chance to live a little of the Old West," explains Daphne Adkins, owner of Daphne's Tour and Travel, a receptive tour operator in Amarillo who sees plenty of groups ready for a few days of Western fun. "The movie 'City Slickers' was the best thing that ever happened," Adkins says with a laugh.

Visitors with a hankering to spend a little time in the saddle will find plenty of opportunity in the cultural and commercial capital of the Texas Panhandle. Today Amarillo remembers its humble beginning as a staging area for the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad in the 1880s and its later role as a center for cattle ranching.

In the past Adkins has hosted a group of 300 delegates and spouses from the Southern Animal Health Association. "They got a feel for our culture and our western heritage and in doing so they had a lot of fun."

Adkin's group made themselves at home on the range starting with a breakfast meeting on a working ranch, complete with horse-drawn buckboards to carry attendees to the rim of Palo Duro Canyon, the nation's second largest canyon. The group later returned to the canyon to enjoy the spectacle of "TEXAS", an outdoor production that brings to life the struggles of the area's pioneers and native residents. The drama, produced against the backdrop of a 600-foot cliff, transports visitors back to the days of the Old West.

Attendees also had some opportunity for hands-on cowboying as well with horseback rides and cattle drives. Attendees took the challenge of the Big Texas Steak House, an Amarillo tradition that offers a 72-ounce steak not to mention fried rattlesnake, buffalo and more. "We had an old-fashioned Opry for them with clogging, fiddlers, and singers," recalls Atkins.

Groups can also do the Texas two-step over on historic Route 66. By day the city's top shopping district, at night groups can "get their kicks on Route 66" thanks to the many nightclubs on Sixth Avenue.

One November, a group of nearly 2,500 delegates from the Texas Counseling Association enjoyed the fun of this historic district which runs right through the heart of this Panhandle city. Buildings that once housed theaters, roadside cafes, and drugstores are now chock full of shops, diners, and buildings that hark back to the region's heyday. "We planned a dinner and shopping tour along Sixth Street where attendees enjoyed a variety of shops and unique restaurants," recalls Brooks Camp, the Dallas-based conference manager.

Camp's group utilized Amarillo's meeting facilities, one of several factors which brought the group to the Panhandle city. "As a meeting site, Amarillo offers much in the way of convenience," says Camp. "It has a well laid-out convention center with plenty of space for large (or small) groups. One great aspect is that the convention center has a very large hall which is versatile in that it offers planners the ability to custom design meeting space with an incredible number of moveable walls." The convention center also served as a site for a special opening celebration that included performances by the dancers of the "Texas" musical and a group of Native American dancers.

Convenience also extended to conference hotels and transportation. "Hotels are all conveniently located on one major highway which facilitates moving large numbers of people between hotels and the convention center. As a medium-sized city, Amarillo also offers adequate air service but without the hassles of large airports, such as DFW or Houston Intercontinental."

For Camp, though, the real deciding factor was Amarillo's own special brand of Texas friendliness. "Amarillo's best asset is the incredibly capable, friendly and professional staff at the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council. I have been overwhelmed at the deep level of involvement of various members of the Amarillo CVC in my planning efforts."

For Camp, and for many other meeting planners who have chosen Amarillo, there's no place like "home on the range."

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