Chad Enloe and Joe Bedsole accept the 2025 Most Exciting Meeting Destination Change Award. Courtesy Arlington CVB
ARLINGTON, Texas—Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) was recognized as the 2025 Most Exciting Meeting Destination Change Award winner at Southwest Showcase recently. The award recognizes significant strides in the events industry, honoring a city, bureau, organization, or project making a big impact on the destination it serves.
Southwest Showcase represents and supports associations and organizations involved in the meetings and events industry. Through its mission to provide education, peer-to-peer networking, and best practices, Southwest Showcase plays a vital role in fostering growth and innovation across the sector. The 2025 Southwest Showcase was held Jan. 29 at Palmer Events Center in Austin, Texas.
In Arlington, major projects were completed in 2023 and 2024, including the opening of the new National Medal of Honor Museum, the new Arlington Convention Center, a new 888-room Loews Arlington Hotel, and a new, bigger space for Arlington Museum of Art.
“This recognition is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and vision that Arlington has invested in developing a dynamic, world-class destination for meetings and conventions,” says Chad Enloe, senior vice president of sales for ACVB. “The transformation of our Entertainment District, the expansion of top-tier venues, and the ongoing investments in our community’s infrastructure are all part of our commitment to providing exceptional experiences for meeting planners and their attendees. We are thrilled to, once again, be recognized for our efforts.”
ACVB also won the award in 2021, for the development of Texas Live! and Live! by Loews, which helped the city’s Entertainment District become a buzzing space for events. ACVB is the only CVB to receive the award twice.
“This award is more than just an accolade; it’s a symbol of Arlington’s leadership and forward-thinking approach to building a destination that truly meets the needs of the meetings and conventions industry,” says Joe Bedsole, CIES, director of State and Southwest Associations for ACVB. “We look forward to continuing to work with meeting planners to make Arlington an unforgettable experience for their events.”
