The Tejas Dining Room
at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center
Written by: Molly McManus – Simplifiers Apprentice
From the outside, you can’t fully understand the magnitude of the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. With 40 different event spaces, the venue is home to Chef Josh Watkins’ The Carillon as well as comfortable hotel rooms, offered to event attendees and visitors alike. Open for the past five years, service is at the center of what the venue provides, ensuring that guests will be taken care of from the moment they walk in the door. While their grand ballroom can fit as intimate as 75 guests and as great as 500, we took interest in their Tejas Dining Room, a smaller, unique event space that can cater to a variety of event types.
Featuring an impeccable open kitchen, the Tejas Dining Room has hosted unique events utilizing this element. They once hosted the Austin Food & Wine Festival’s Top Chef competition. We would have killed to be guests at that event!
There is a front and back room that can be utilized at once, or a dividing wall can separate, and one or the other can be used. For this event, they used a reception style in the tiled, front area, and seating in the carpeted back room. The back and front room can seat over 100 guests, with a combined 250 for both. Wedding parties have selected to use the front room for adults, and the back room for children (carpeted floor equals crazy time for kids without worry for harm!).
You name your set up, they can do it. Want a reception? Done. Want to make a presentation? Easy. Everything is provided in house, with the exception of elaborate décor. From servers and food, bartenders and drink, to linens, tables, chairs, dance floor and centerpieces, your every need is taken care of. Pricing for the Tejas Room starts at around $6-8,000, and is all-inclusive.
And did we mention the views? On one side of the Tejas Dining Room you can see the University of Texas at Austin’s historic tower. The other huge window highlights a stunning view of the state capital building.
Whether you’d like buffet, customized seated menus, or passed appetizers, the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center has a spectacular catering department and culinary team that will design a menu according to what you and your guests want. Organic, local and farmed-fresh foods are incorporated whenever possible.
As pictured, a dance floor can be thrown in for all of your two-steppin’ desires. While there are hotel rooms above the Tejas Room, DJs and live music usually need to be shut down by midnight. One bride rented out all of the hotel rooms so the reception could in to the wee hours of the morning.
Notice those chairs? These are an example of the many green practices the venue abides by. They’re made out of recycled car seatbelts! Other green features include the use of compostable cups and recycled paper products, recycling receptacles placed throughout, and an extensive compost program. The gorgeous wood throughout the massive center is all recycled and repurposed, sourced from the original site.
Other features we love about the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center:
The courtyard! Arborists and groundskeepers keep the courtyard in immaculate shape, ideal for an outdoor ceremony.
The classrooms and amphitheater. UT and businesses regularly use the classrooms and breakout rooms, which include Wi-Fi, direct plug-in internet access and outlets at each desk. The amphitheater can seat up to 300 people, and clients have used the space to give presentations, or even host concerts, such as the Texas Heritage Music Foundation.
For more information or to plan your next event, visit www.meetattexas.com, or call 512.404.1900.
This Venue Spotlight | Tejas Dining Room , was brought to you by The Simplifiers, Austin’s top event planning and personal concierge firm, offering full service event planning for corporate events, weddings, social events and beyond. For more information, visit thesimplifiers.com or call 512-695-7744.