Business View Magazine | April 2021

139 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 FORT WORTH CONVENT ION CENTER & WI LL ROGERS MEMOR I AL CENTER “Fort Worth has its own architectural vibe,” explains Crum. “Many of the buildings have retained an Art Deco, Western city quality. The convention center exterior compliments that style, and the interior has Texas stars representing the Lone Star State throughout its design. There’s a massive public art piece with 400 cowboy hats in the shape of a star that hangs from the ceiling at one of the entrances. And there’s a giant belt buckle made of terrazzo tile on the lobby floor at another entrance. No matter where you are in the building, you’re going to know you’re in Texas.” The facility also features a 28,160 square-foot ballroom, 38 breakout rooms, a 55,000-square-foot outdoor events plaza and an arena capable of hosting more than 13,000. Nearby at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, located in the heart of the city’s cultural district, you can take in a rodeo, a livestock exhibition, or even the sounds of a symphony orchestra. “You can go to the rodeo and literally walk across the street and see a Michelangelo,” says Crum. The Will Rogers campus was first built in 1936 and now covers 120 acres of urban property. The center includes a 100,000 square-foot exhibition hall, banquet and meeting rooms, as well as a 2,856-seat auditorium and a 5,652-seat coliseum. It also houses four small arenas in its equestrian center, as well as livestock barns with capacity for 2,500 horse stalls, 2,200 cattle ties, or 4,000 head of cattle. “It’s a 120-acre complex right in the middle of the cultural district in Fort Worth,” says Kevin Kemp, General Manager of the Will Rogers Memorial Center. “In fact, the cultural district