The Running Event (TRE) didn’t plan to move from its longtime home in Austin, Texas. But with years of renovations scheduled for the Austin Convention Center, the trade show and conference needed a new meeting place.
On Wednesday, TRE provided several brands, retailers and select media a tour of its new home for 2025, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, which is located in downtown San Antonio.
“When we got the phone call that Austin was demolishing the convention center, it was a difficult call, it was a surprise. It’s been an amazing home to us,” TRE event director Christina Henderson said during an introductory breakfast. “But with that, we started to search for a new home for TRE. We visited many cities, we did a lot of research. When we left San Antonio, I knew this was the place we were going to bring the event.”
Much like traveling in Austin, the commute to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is roughly 15 minutes from the airport. The exhibit hall space, however, is remarkably different.
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Parker Swenson, operations manager at TRE parent company Diversified Communications, said the floor space is cumulatively is larger in San Antonio than it was in Austin. The event for 2025 will consume three exhibit halls, and their respective air walls will be removed to allow for a continuous space. Hall 1 of the convention center spans 86,878 square feet, while Hall 2 consumes 183,172 square feet and Hall 3 takes up 95,930 square feet.
What’s more, Hall 2 and Hall 3 have direct access via escalator to the second-floor meeting and conference spaces when more privacy is needed. TRE will also have access to conference space on the convention center’s third floor.
“This venue accommodates more of what the TRE needs are,” Chris Farley, owner of Washington D.C. retailer Pacers Running, told FN. “In Austin, the meeting spaces were disjointed at times. Here, this is big, but it feels like everything is more consolidated in one spot. From a logistics standpoint, I’m optimistic about the change.”
Additionally, TRE will make use of the third floor ballroom — the largest in the state of Texas, according to officials — to host the keynote speaker, the awards dinner and more, as well as the main lobby concessions area that will remain open throughout the show. Also, TRE will have access to both the LDR ballroom and the outdoor grotto space on the River Walk, with the latter capable of holding a reception for 2,500 people.
“One unique thing that comes from changing spaces from a trade show perspective is it reduces the amount of copy and paste from year to year because there’s a need to adapt. That will open a lot of opportunities for people to do new things in here,” said Preston Johnson, trademarking manager for Salomon.
During the walkthrough, officials from Visit San Antonio stated improvements are being made to the San Antonio International Airport, including the addition of a terminal, and the convention center’s Civic Park open hangout area will be done by April.
The convention center sits on the city’s famed River Walk. Gianna Esparza, event manager for the City of San Antonio, noted that the hotspot features 80 restaurants and bars.
“There is a new energy. We all loved the restaurants in Austin, but we can now find new restaurants and new ways to hang out. We can walk the River Walk together, we can find new ways to enjoy the city together with our retailers,” said Stephanie Lee, director of marketing at OS1st.
As for local business, Dee Dee Poteete, director of regional media relations at Visit San Antonio, confirmed with FN that it expects an economic impact on the city of $3.3 million with TRE’s arrival.
“From the River Walk all the way up to our hotels and other venues, this will be a phenomenal boost to our city,” said Shauna Goodman, director of destination experience for Visit San Antonio.
Last, but certainly not least, the city is accommodating to runners, a necessity for an event that hosts several morning races in addition to educational programming and business opportunities.
“I love Austin. It’s a great running town, and for us as retailers and vendors and running enthusiasts, you’ve got to have a great running town,” said Farley, who has attended every TRE since its inception. “Today, I ran the River Walk out and back, and it was amazing. That set the day off on the right foot for me. I feel like there are good running spaces here.”
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
