Hardware and chips
Dell, Intel and AMD teams like a contest with numbers. A racing simulator with a live leaderboard fits a launch party or a sales kickoff.
480+ corporate events · 5 years
Corporate Events in Austin: Full-Service Planning
Plan a corporate event in Austin that works around the closed convention center, SXSW week and a Texas summer. We pick the venue with you and bring our own simulators, VR stations and AI photo booths.
Corporate event venues in Austin
The Austin Convention Center closed in April 2025 for a full rebuild and is set to reopen in early 2029, so events of every size now land in hotels, halls and arenas across the city.
Palmer Events Center
On Barton Springs Road by Lady Bird Lake. Two halls give 70,000 sq ft without columns, enough for 357 booths, plus 50,000 sq ft of covered outdoor space and a 1,200-space garage. It's the sister venue of the convention center, run by the same city department.
Fairmont Austin
Downtown on Red River Street, with 1,048 rooms and 140,000 sq ft of event space. A full conference with breakouts and a gala can stay under one roof, and our stations fit the pre-function areas outside the ballrooms.
Circuit of The Americas
The F1 track in Del Valle opened in 2012 and has an amphitheater for about 14,000. At a company event near a real track, a racing simulator gives every guest a lap of their own.
Moody Center and ACL Live
The Moody Center on the UT campus seats 16,223 and opened in 2022. ACL Live at The Moody Theater downtown holds 2,750. Both suit company concerts and all-hands meetings with a stage.
Long Center for the Performing Arts
Across the lake from downtown. Dell Hall seats 2,442, and the City Terrace holds 2,000 guests outdoors with a skyline view, a good spot for spring or late fall receptions.
Austin event calendar: SXSW, F1 and ACL
Your venue, hotel rooms and crew get scarce in a few weeks of the year, and booking those weeks first saves you from a second-choice room.
Permits, fire rules and COI in Austin
Austin's city rules are clear and published, which lets us file the right forms early instead of fixing things on the day.
Photo booths and generators
The Austin Center for Events lists photo booths, display vehicles, generators, tents and loading as Tier 1 items, reviewed in 3 business days. Larger events need 30, 120 or 180 days.
Tents
The Austin Fire Department needs a permit for tents over 700 sq ft, and for tents over 400 sq ft with sidewalls or within 20 ft of a building.
Gatherings and exhibits
Events of 50 or more people apply to AFD 30 days ahead. An exhibit or trade show permit is due 21 days ahead.
Palmer Events Center
Covered booths over 100 sq ft need approval from the venue and the AFD Fire Marshal, and aisles stay at least 10 ft wide. Power, internet and security come only from the venue.
Certificate of insurance
City venues want a COI 60 days before the first contract day, with the City of Austin as additional insured. We send our insurance documents on request.
Labor
Texas is a right-to-work state, so the venue's own contract rules decide who handles freight, not a union.
One team from two bases
We have two bases, Los Angeles and Orlando, and work across the U.S. The same people deliver, set up, run and pack out, so you deal with one team.
Where Austin companies meet
Austin's offices sit in clusters miles apart, and a venue near your team gets more people to stay for the whole event.
- Downtown and 2nd Street. Hotels, ACL Live and the Capitol, all walkable during SXSW.
- Rainey Street. Old bungalows turned into bars near Lady Bird Lake, a short walk from downtown hotels.
- The Domain. North Austin's "second downtown," with offices, hotels and restaurants close to the tech campuses.
- Round Rock. Dell's headquarters, 15 miles north of downtown.
- Del Valle. Tesla's Giga Texas and the F1 circuit, east of the airport.
- Lakeway and Lake Travis. Resorts and lake houses for leadership offsites west of the city.
Running events across Texas? See corporate events in Dallas and corporate events in Houston.
Austin corporate event ideas by industry
Austin's big employers build chips, cars and software, so interactive works best here when it has a real score behind it.
Electric vehicles and space
Tesla's headquarters is at Giga Texas. A flight simulator draws an engineering crowd; we ran a flight simulator for Sysmex at Hangar 21, an aviation venue next to an airfield.
Software and big tech
Apple, Oracle and Google run campus events in North Austin. AI photo booths with company frames work for family days and holiday parties.
State government and associations
During session years, receptions near the Capitol need quiet, compact stations.
University and startups
UT Austin has 50,000+ students. At a campus recruiting night, a VR or photo station gives your booth a line.
Event planning services in Austin
Book one piece or the whole program; each section links to the full page.
Photo booth rental in Austin
AI and 360 photo booths for SXSW brand houses, company parties at the Fairmont and holiday nights on Rainey Street. Formats and branding are on the photo booth rental in Austin page.
Austin team building ideas
From late May to mid-September, Austin heat rules out outdoor team building at midday. Our racing, flight and surf simulator contests run indoors, in your office at the Domain or a hotel ballroom downtown, with a leaderboard and prizes. More on corporate team building.
AV rental in Austin
QSC speakers, microphones, screens and a technician for an all-hands at the Domain, a product demo in a Fairmont ballroom or hybrid event production in Austin that links Round Rock and remote teams. See AV rental.
Event staffing in Austin
Operators for every station, hosts and booth staff for SXSW week or a recruiting night. Roles are on the event staffing page.
DMC services in Austin
For fly-in groups, we plan hotels downtown or at the Domain, transfers, dinners and activities, and steer your dates around SXSW, F1 and ACL weeks. See destination management.
Experiential marketing agency in Austin
We build and staff brand activations for a SXSW brand house or a launch party on Rainey Street, with our own stations at the center. See experiential marketing.
Interactive rentals
Racing, flight, surf and truck simulators, VR stations and photo booths: corporate entertainment in Austin that guests play. A racing simulator fits F1 week, when your guests already talk about COTA, and a branded cockpit pulls people into a booth at Palmer Events Center. Browse interactive rentals.
Questions about corporate events in Austin
Where can we hold a conference while the Austin Convention Center is closed?
Until it reopens in early 2029, look at Palmer Events Center for exhibits, large hotels like the Fairmont for conferences, and arenas or theaters for big general sessions. We help match the venue to your guest count and the stations you want.
Do we need a city permit for a photo booth at an outdoor event in Austin?
For a city-permitted event, yes, but it's simple. The Austin Center for Events treats photo booths, generators and tents as Tier 1 items with a 3-business-day review. Bigger tents also need an Austin Fire Department permit.
How do we handle the summer heat at an outdoor event in Austin?
Austin averages 123 days a year at 90°F or more. From late May to mid-September we put stations in shade or indoors and plan an evening start. March to mid-April and late October to late November are the mild windows.
Can you staff our event during SXSW or F1 week?
Yes, if we book early. Those weeks fill hotels and crews across the city. Send the date as soon as you have it; we have taken a booking 2 days before an event when the date was open.
Who goes on the certificate of insurance at Palmer Events Center?
City venues ask for the City of Austin as additional insured, with the COI in 60 days before your first contract day. We send our insurance documents on request.
What does a corporate event planner in Austin handle for us?
Corporate event planning in Austin starts with the venue while the convention center is closed. We choose it, plan the program and interactive, file the Austin Center for Events and AFD permits and run the day. That can be a December holiday party on Rainey Street, a launch at the Domain or a leadership retreat at Lake Travis.
How do you price an Austin event?
Each event gets a custom quote. In Austin it depends on the venue and its exclusive services, such as power at Palmer Events Center, the city permit tier, festival weeks and travel from one of our two bases, plus station count, hours, branding and staff. Read how we quote, then send your details.
Plan your Austin event
Send the date, the venue or part of town and your guest count. We'll reply right away with availability and a quote.
Tell us about your Austin event
Tell us the event type, date, venue or area of town, guest count and budget. We'll reply right away. Or call +1 213 912 1010
