Why it’s a big week for Cowtown in Austin
Fort Worth and Tarrant County officials and business leaders will descend on Austin this week to boost the region’s legislative priorities in the State Capitol and show off Fort Worth’s attributes to international visitors at South by Southwest.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the North Texas visitors will participate in Tarrant County Days during the 86th Legislature, continuing a years-long tradition designed to strengthen ties between the county and its legislative representatives in Austin.
Nearly 300 are making the trip, including County Judge Glen Whitley, Fort Mayor Betsy Price as well as mayors and council members from Arlington, North Richland Hills and other Tarrant County cities. The delegation will also include leaders American Airlines, BNSF Railway, TXU Energy, Bell and Lockheed Martin.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and members of the Tarrant County legislative delegation are scheduled to meet with the group Wednesday afternoon, followed by an evening reception at a downtown hotel. Further briefings and discussions are planned for Thursday morning.
The goal of the trip is to enable Tarrant County leaders to present “a unified voice with our delegation and for businesses to talk to their representatives one-on-one about what’s important to them,” said Andra Bennett, vice president of communications for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.
For the second time in a row, Fort Worth will be also part of one of the country’s biggest international multi-cultural exhibitions when South by Southwest opens in Austin on Friday for a 10-day run.
The Fort Worth event will be held on Austin’s Rainey Street on Friday and Saturday, offering a wide variety of Fort Worth attractions, from Fort Worth music, whiskey and Cowtown cuisine to high-tech innovations that are increasingly diversifying the city’s economic base.
The exhibition, billed in the SXSW program as Fort Worth on Rainey, is part of the city’s continuing effort to ramp up its image and bolster its competitive edge with other cities, including neighboring Dallas. Fort Worth is the nation’s 15th largest city, with a population of more than 874,000.
“SXSW is a global destination for professionals and a strong platform to boost awareness of our city,” said Mitch Whitten, executive vice president for marketing and strategy at Visit Fort Worth. “This is part of our plan to share the Fort Worth story in exciting ways.”
Price, an irrepressible fitness enthusiast, will lead a 15K ride to underscore Fort Worth’s commitment to fitness and the outdoors. Fort Worth Chef Tim Love, known for urban Western cuisine, will offer presentations in interactive culinary experiences and catering. The exhibition will also include meet-ups with film and travel personalities as well as displays including flight simulators by Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter.
SXSW visitors looking for a respite after wandering through blocks of other events might be especially attracted to a pair of particular offerings at the Fort Worth exhibit’s final day on Saturday — a free taco lunch and a closing night queso party with the Quaker City Night Hawks.
This story was originally published March 6, 2019 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Why it’s a big week for Cowtown in Austin."