Bookings underway; inaugural event scheduled for Nov. 10

Construction is now substantially complete on The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC), an 8,000-square-foot meeting and event space located on the new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) campus in the heart of downtown Rockport. The City of Rockport is a partner in the RCA project.

The first event scheduled at The ROCC is the Rockport Film Festival, presented by Salemi’s Ace Hardware, Nov. 10–13. The sold-out, ticketed Red Carpet Event scheduled for Thursday evening, Nov. 10, in The ROCC ballroom will be followed by three days of film screenings and events also held on-site.

Located only steps away from Aransas Bay, The ROCC offers a variety of meeting space and amenities, including Randall Ewing Kemper Hall, a 4,400-square-foot ballroom, which can be configured into four smaller breakout rooms; a 1,300-square-foot foyer; and a flexible catering and culinary arts education kitchen.

Part of the new $12.5 million RCA campus, which will be home to hallmark art programs in the adjacent 14,000-square-foot visual arts and education building slated to open by year’s end, The ROCC is conveniently within walking distance of shopping, restaurants, attractions, nightlife, and Rockport Beach on the Texas Gulf Coast.  

“Our new, modern facilities will allow us to take our art programs to amazing new levels while expanding our offerings to include the culinary and performing arts, meetings, conferences and special events,” said Luis Purón, executive director for RCA. “Having this beautiful new meeting space on our campus provides so many opportunities to those looking for something truly different. And although Rockport provides any number of tourism offerings, we are excited by the prospect of increasing business tourism to our area, which has been lacking until now.”

Billed as a creative space beginning with the end in mind, events at The ROCC can be custom designed with each client to create an immersive, inspirational experience, from smaller corporate conferences, board meetings, and executive retreats to special events, including galas, weddings, and fundraisers. In addition to the formal event space, a rooftop terrace in the visual arts building, and the 16,000-square-foot Patricia Bennett Moore Sculpture Garden, featuring nine sculptural works by artists with state, national, and international recognition, can also be utilized.

"This venue is beyond the typical meeting space; we are the boutique event destination and are here to facilitate incredibly memorable events, whether it’s for family and friends, or co-workers and clients,” said Paulette Kluge, venue manager for The ROCC. “The space is wonderful from a technical aspect and unmatched creatively by anything in our area. We can do a wedding ceremony in the sculpture garden, cocktail parties on the upstairs terrace complete with coastal views, live entertainment with theater-style seating, or team-building events such as painting taught by local artists.”

RCA contracted with National Cabling Service of Houston to design and install a $300,000 structured cabling system providing comprehensive telecommunications services throughout the RCA campus.  Standard amenities in The ROCC include Wi-Fi throughout, state-of-the-art audio-visual capabilities, such as built-in cameras for conferencing and presentations, strategic permanent speaker placement with acoustical clouds in the ceiling for superb sound, a 13-by-9-foot drop-down projection screen, and stage lighting. Special attention was also given to other details of the project including appliances and equipment for the culinary arts kitchen, as well as furnishings. 

While many amenities are included in the rental fee, such as Wi-Fi, standard AV and support, commercial grade power, tables and chairs, complimentary parking, as well as set-up/tear-down, The ROCC can also arrange for or otherwise assist clients with preferred vendors, including catering, AV/technical, entertainment, local excursions, valet parking, and lodging, to create the perfect event. In an effort to consistently provide concierge-level service, The ROCC will limit bookings to only one event per day.   

“The ROCC provides a canvas for groups of all shapes and sizes to create the masterpiece event they envision,” said Purón. “This is where they can escape their everyday routines and encounter one another in new ways: immersed in sunrise vistas, surrounded by thought-provoking art, stimulated by creative excursions, and delighted by local cuisine.”