TRAVELOGUE: FORT WORTH

March 30, 2011 | 8:00 am ET Staff Reporter

We were delighted to hold our first Fort Worth event this morning—450 strong. And humbled that it was in the same Crystal Ballroom where President Kennedy gave his last speech at what is now a Hilton.

Sundance Square CEO Johnny Campbell, with mic, says ESPN?s 110 hours of coverage before the Super Bowl this year is still generating huge buzz and positive attention for Forth Worth, and retail sales in January and February were higher than ever. Other panelists (moderator Jackson Walker?s Susan Halsey, Crescent Real Estate Equities? John Zogg, Red Oak Realty's Jim Eagle, and JLL?s Todd Burnette) added that oil, gas, and other attractions of the area are contributing to a rapidly recovering market where tenants are often taking more space than they need rather than downsizing, life company funds and CMBS are back, and there's suddenly competition for space (remember that?). John reminded the audience that one in 12 Americans now live in Texas and that moving companies say that year after year they move more people to Texas than any other state.

Sundance has new architecture that looks historic and fun: This is the Bass Performance Hall, modeled on European opera houses, which is considered the centerpiece of the Bass family'srevitalization of downtown in the '90s. Look at those angelic buglers on the side.

Of course we needed a BBQ fix, and here's DFW business managerJoni Margotta and reporter (and Fort Worth native) Tonie Auer at the great Angelo?s. (We're not showing the stacks of depleted ribs.)

TRAVELOGUE: FORT WORTH

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