Welcome to our Meeting and Event Planning Guide to Lubbock, a city guide written for meeting professionals. Boasting its fair share of West Texas charm and plenty of modern business and leisure travel amenities, Lubbock is known as the economic, educational and health care hub of the South Plains region. Hundreds of thousands of annual visitors travel to the city to sample its strong arts scene, rich musical history and award-winning wineries, among many other reasons. Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Lubbock Christian University all call Lubbock home, which adds to this destination's vibrant culture.
Getting to Lubbock via air or road travel is simple, thanks to its convenient South Plains location. Surrounded by five major state highways, the city is home to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport. Located seven miles north of the center of Lubbock, the airport offers daily service to and from such destinations as Houston, Dallas, Denver, Oklahoma City and more.
Owned and operated by the city, the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center hosts more than 800 events and 80,000 guests each year. Thanks to the center's downtown location, meeting participants are within minutes of hotels, restaurants and shops, as well as Texas Tech University. Meetings and events can be held in such indoor and outdoor spaces as a 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 12 meeting rooms, 28,000-square-foot pedestrian mall and outdoor plaza. Additional event venues include Texas Tech's United Spirit Arena with a concourse spanning more than 81,000 square feet and an arena floor with almost 32,000 square feet. Groups can catch a great view of the Red Raiders' football field when meetings are held at the Texas Tech Club located in Jones AT&T Stadium.
Lubbock's many unique venue options enable groups to hold indoor and outdoor gatherings at museums, entertainment centers and more. The city's Silent Wings Museum honors the U.S. Military Glider Program, as the majority of American glider pilots earned their wings at the site where the museum now stands. Groups can hold functions in the museum's exhibit space, theater and even its outdoor plaza. The Science Spectrum & OMNI Theater features more than 250 hands-on exhibits and welcomes events in its 900-square-foot Reception Room, 1,700-square-foot Science Education Center, 6,000-square-foot Exhibit Hall, a newly remodeled 90-seat Science Stage theater and 200-seat OMNI Theater. Groups are welcome at the American Wind Power Center and Museum, which showcases the heritage of windmills; with more than 150, the museum boasts the largest collection of windmills in the world. For events with a soundtrack, gather at Wild West Lubbock, a Texas Tech hotspot in the Depot Entertainment District that offers dancing and live Texas country music. Also situated in the Depot Entertainment District, the Buddy Holly Center celebrates the life and music of Lubbock's favorite son. The center also houses the Texas Musicians Hall of Fame and Lubbock Fine Arts Gallery, both of which can be rented for private events.
