With a recently renovated convention center and a central location, Texas’ second-largest city offers conference-goers a big Lone Star welcome.

Convention center with a view. With a downtown location on the renowned River Walk, the recently renovated Henry B. González Convention Center is within walking distance of historical attractions, restaurants, and shops, as well as nearly 14,000 downtown hotel rooms. It also offers 630,000 total square feet of meeting space—including 440,000 contiguous square feet of exhibit space—and the 4,000-square-foot Cantilever Room, which has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown.

Easy access. San Antonio is centrally located between the coasts, so attendees don’t have to make cross-country flights. San Antonio International Airport, located only eight miles from downtown, has more than 100 incoming flights daily. And once attendees arrive in town, they have lots of transportation options to choose from, including shuttles, open-air streetcars, and even river taxi service.

Walk it off. With two miles of pathways linking convention facilities and hotels, attendees can enjoy the city’s picturesque River Walk, known as the “world’s largest hotel lobby,” when learning is done for the day. Visitors can descend below street level and stroll along the walkway, where they can slip into a boutique shop, grab a bite to eat at a Tex-Mex restaurant, or just enjoy the view of the tranquil San Antonio River.

S.A. Fast Facts

Recent and Future Association Meetings: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Annual Session 2016, American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ 2016 Annual National Conference, International Brotherhood of Magicians’ 2016 IBM Convention

Hotel Rooms Within walking distance of the Convention Center: 6,500

Convention Center Exhibit Space Square Footage: 514,000

Distance From Airport to Downtown: 8 miles

(David Kozlowski/Getty Images)