By: Andrew Warrick | From: Trade Show Executive
SAN ANTONIO, Texas —Visit San Antonio invited Trade Show Executive (TSE) to see what’s new in the flourishing event destination and experience the kickoff of Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Conference on June 2, 2026.
“As the seventh largest city in the U.S., and one of the fastest growing regions in America, San Antonio is a city where inspiration doesn’t simply happen — it comes to life,” Mario J. Bass, President and CEO of Visit San Antonio, said at the event’s opening general session. “In San Antonio, celebration isn’t just something we do … It is a part of our identity. You hear it in our music … You taste it as a homegrown chef recreates traditional dishes with modern flavors and you certainly feel it as you become immersed in our culture … San Antonio offers stories and spaces unlike anywhere else.”
Bass added that San Antonio is proudly in its second year as a MICHELIN-Guide city and holds the distinction of being one of two UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy in the entire U.S.
Unique Facilities and a Colorful Culture
TSE and other trade journalists invited by Visit San Antonio stayed at a new property: The Monarch San Antonio, Curio Collection by Hilton, which has 200 guest rooms and is just a stone’s throw from the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (HBGCC).
This hotel offers 14,415 square feet of total event space, which includes 10 meeting rooms. Its largest room setup is 5,076 square feet. There are also three luxurious dining options on-site.
Kicking off June 2, TSE took a River Walk barge, hosted by Go Rio San Antonio River Cruises (which can be booked for private events), to the historic, 22-acre Pearl district.
A former brewery, the revitalized area is home to the Hotel Emma, its former brewhouse, which Cher called “one of the most unique, beautiful hotels ever.”
Hotel Emma has 6,160 square feet of meeting and event space, and more than 1,500 square feet of outdoor space. It offers a pre-function exhibition kitchen next to its 3250-square-foot “Elephant Cellar” room, which has the capacity for 200, as well as chef-designed menus and chef-led catering.
Other facilities at Pearl include Stable Hall, which accommodates up to 1,000 guests, and the cocktail bar Jue Let, which features two VIP lounges where attendees can sing karaoke, drink and network, and Boiler House at Pearl, a restaurant that can accommodate parties from nine to 290.
Next, TSE visited The Alamo, which is in the middle of a $700-million redevelopment plan.
This project has three key pillars:
- Preserve the 300-year-old Church and Long Barrack
- Recapture the original mission site and battlefield footprint
- Create a world-class Visitor Center and Museum to tell the full history of the site
The Alamo Visitor Center and Museum is scheduled to open in Spring 2028 and will include special event spaces.
Currently, The Alamo offers various private event options, including the Convento Courtyard, which has the capacity for 80 guests seated and 100 guests reception-style, the Calvary Courtyard, which has the capacity for 100 guests seated and 120 guests reception-style, and the Ralston Family Collections Center, which has the capacity for 100 guests seated and 200 guests reception-style, and can be expanded with the Alamo Gardens.
Finally, TSE visited the new Mexico CEATY, a dining and retail concept in San Antonio’s Rivercenter shopping complex. It spans more than 20,000 square feet and has eight distinct dining and drinking venues.
Mexico CEATY can be reserved for group dining options, and includes a speakeasy-style tasting room called El Último.
Further Updates
Visit San Antonio shared more updates throughout the course of the trip.
The San Antonio International Airport is planning a major renovation, which includes improvements to facilities and runways, and a new terminal.
Also, the city has proposed a $900-million plan to expand the HBGCC by 200,000 square feet, adding new exhibit space and a new ballroom, and boosting its total exhibit space to over 700,000 square feet. Visit San Antonio asserts that this will push the venue into the top 10 largest centers in the U.S.: TSE’s 2025 World’s Top Convention Centers report placed the venue, as it currently stands, at No. 14.
That expansion is part of a much larger city plan: the San Antonio Sports and Entertainment District. This will include more than 25 acres of mixed-use development, including restaurants, shops and community spaces, and complete the redevelopment of the city’s Hemisfair neighborhood.
“In San Antonio, we believe the best events do more than just fill a schedule — they spark emotion, they build energy and they create memories that last long after people return to their homes,” Bass said. “To every meeting and event professional in this room here today, you create moments that spark ideas, you strengthen relationships and you move industries forward. So, during your time here, may you find inspiration in our color, our culture, our creativity and our welcoming spirit. Because in San Antonio, we just don’t host events, we bring them to life.”