When DHL brought its NOW & NEXT Logistics Summit to Austin in October 2025, the company wanted more than a traditional corporate meeting. The goal was to create an experience that encouraged collaboration, sparked new ideas and reflected the forward-thinking nature of the logistics industry itself. Austin proved to be the right fit.
Working alongside Visit Austin, DHL designed a campus-style event experience that utilized multiple venues throughout Downtown Austin, allowing attendees to move naturally through the city while engaging with both the meeting content and the destination itself. Rather than limiting the conference to a single ballroom environment, the event incorporated walkable venues, local entertainment and networking experiences that helped keep energy levels high throughout the program. The campus-style model also gave attendees opportunities to experience more of the destination while benefiting from the convenience of Austin’s compact, connected downtown footprint.
Liz Perout, Global Events Manager at DHL, explained that the format was intentionally designed to encourage more natural interaction and discovery among attendees.
“We wanted to design an experience that reflects how innovation and collaboration naturally happen, through movement, connection, and discovery,” Perout said. “NOW & NEXT allow[ed guests to explore multiple spaces throughout the day, sparking conversations, ideas, and perspectives.”
Visit Austin’s partnerships with venues and hotels helped create a more connected attendee experience across the event campus. The JW Marriott Austin served as the event’s headquarter hotel, while daytime programming and networking experiences extended across several Austin venues, including Palmer Events Center and the Long Center for the Performing Arts. Austin’s walkable downtown footprint helps make multi-venue formats feel seamless and accessible for attendees while also simplifying logistics for planners.
For planners navigating shorter booking windows or looking for more flexible event options, Austin’s compact downtown layout continues to be a major advantage. Hotels, meeting venues, restaurants and entertainment districts are all located within close proximity, making it easier to create high impact attendee experiences without overcomplicating transportation and scheduling.
Visit Austin also worked closely with DHL throughout the planning process, helping coordinate local musicians, offsite venues and destination resources to ensure the event felt cohesive from start to finish.
“Visit Austin has been an invaluable partner,” Perout said. “Their local insights, relationships, and recommendations have helped us shape authentic experiences that bring NOW & NEXT to life while showcasing the very best of Austin.”
The city itself became a meaningful part of the attendee experience. Evening events featured local live music, Austin restaurants and skyline views that gave attendees opportunities to connect outside formal sessions while experiencing the city’s culture firsthand.
Austin’s mix of creativity, walkability and venue flexibility continues to make it an attractive option for meetings of all sizes, especially for planners seeking experiences that feel engaging, efficient and distinctly different from more traditional conference environments.
There’s never been a better time to meet in Austin and Visit Austin’s expert team can assist with connecting you to trusted local vendors, recommending unique offsite venues, coordinating city permits and incorporating authentic destination touches throughout your event. Ready to experience Austin in person? With the Austin Fly-In Incentive, we’ll fly you in for a site visit so you can experience firsthand why Austin is the ideal place to meet.
Contact us to learn more about our incentives and start planning today at AustinMeetings.org
