Go Round Rock to Serve as New Brand for Leisure Tourism

“Go Round Rock!” is the new rally cry for tourists and a cheer for the city as part of its new tourism brand. Years after entering the sports tourism market and securing its status as the Sports Capital of Texas, Round Rock has expanded to attract many other types of visitors beyond sports.

The City of Round Rock Sports Management and Tourism Department has unveiled a new brand that reflects the city’s presence as a destination for sports tourists and emergence as a well-rounded destination for business meetings plus leisure activities, referred to in the industry as “bleisure” tourism.

"With the entrance of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions to the market as well as numerous other attractions and improvements coming to Round Rock in 2019 and 2020, the Round Rock CVB is repositioning from sports to sports plus," said Round Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Nancy Yawn. "We had to evolve to attract other markets, including meetings and leisure tourism. Our new brand is versatile with versions of the new logo that can be used for sports tourism, or for meetings and leisure tourism. Round Rock is still the Sports Capital of Texas and will continue to stay true to its roots in sports."

The new logo can be used with or without the Sports Capital of Texas tagline, allowing the expanded brand to appeal to a broader target audience. The new brand also pays homage to Round Rock’s legacy in sports tourism, using plenty of lingo and references like “upping your game” weaved throughout conversations about non-sport offerings in the city. In addition, the new logo features the same bold red and blue color palette and the star from the old logo. The modern, updated look allows flexibility for use across all media. The brand will use the phrase, “Go Round Rock!” as both an action and a play on words to emphasize Round Rock’s roots in sports.

Major projects underway in Round Rock poise the city for a broader tourism market. In addition to improvements to downtown, Nutty Brown Amphitheatre is slated to open soon; a $200-million, million-square-foot mixed-use development called The District will break ground soon; and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions will open next year. Kalahari will make Round Rock home to the nation’s largest indoor waterpark and bring 200,000 square feet of convention center meeting space to the “bleisure” tourism market.

“Our residents and local businesses do a great job welcoming visitors and we are excited that the elevated brand conveys our local pride,” Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said. “‘Go Round Rock!’ represents the action of traveling here, and it is also a celebratory cheer for our city, our residents and fans of Round Rock.”

Revenue generated by visitors helps support local businesses, while sales and hotel taxes also help boost the city budget for various types of projects, such as road improvements that benefit residents.

Austin-based creative branding firm Arsenal, led by siblings Jonathan Smith and Anne Marie Scharrer, spearheaded the branding campaign.

The new tourism logo will be used for tourism outreach and will not replace the current City of Round Rock logo.

The City of Round Rock Sports Management and Tourism Department: The City of Round Rock Sports Management and Tourism Department and the Round Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) are dedicated to bringing revenue to the great city of Round Rock. Using hotel occupancy taxes (funds paid by visitors who stay in our hotels), we promote Round Rock as the Sports Capital of Texas for youth, amateur and recreational sports to tournament and meeting planners across the nation. Major projects coming online soon will also position Round Rock for the business meeting plus leisure tourism market, such as Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Nutty Brown Amphitheatre and The District—a million-square-foot mixed-use development that will feature numerous restaurant and shopping venues. Go Round Rock! A great place to live, a great place to work, a great place to meet and a great place to play. For more information, visit GoRoundRock.com.