DALLAS — What the future will look like for downtown Dallas remains to be seen, but a clearer picture could come into focus over the next five years.

Back in June, the Dallas Mavericks and Stars announced their moves away from the American Airlines Center once their lease expires in 2031.

The Dallas Wings hope that with the announcement of making American Airlines Center their new home for the 2027 season, it will bring the energy back to downtown Dallas. 

Fans like Renee Ward and her daughter Ariana Lewis started showing up at the American Airlines Center hours before the Wings took to the court.

“We always have a good time. I love my seatmates. We were here earlier. Just trying to pick out where we wanted to sit next year,” said Ward, a Red Oak resident.

The season ticket-holder has been a die-hard supporter of the Wings since the team was originally based in Oklahoma. Since then, the Wings have flown to College Park Center in Arlington, and now they’re on the move again.

“We’ve just outgrown the venue, and we need more seats and more space. And we have an agreement with the City of Dallas to move to downtown Dallas and to play in a renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium for 15 years,” said Greg Bibb, the CEO and managing partner of the Dallas Wings. “The renovation of that building has been delayed. So, we made the decision to go ahead and move to Dallas, anyway. And we’re very happy to call the American Airlines Center home.”

That move to downtown is what folks like Craig Davis like to hear, especially with the announced future exits made this year alone of major organizations like AT&T, the Mavericks, the Stars and Neiman Marcus.

“There’s always excitement, and we never know what’s going to hit us next. But right now, we are suffering a little bit by not having a full convention center, but we’re able to backfill as much as we can with single pieces of business,” said Davis, president & CEO at Visit Dallas.

He’s talking about the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. Although it was the home of the International Broadcast Center during the FIFA World Cup, it’s now under construction for the next four years.

“And I believe that that loss of having the conventions that come in every year, citywide conventions, we have north of 40 of them that come in every year. We are missing that revenue and that sales tax. But that is a temporary thing that will be changed when the convention center opens, and the convention center, in its new form in 2030, will draw in bigger, better, stronger conventions,” said Davis.

Speaking of conventions, an unprecedented Republican National Convention will be held next month ahead of the midterms. A surprise, Davis said, that couldn’t have come at a better time for the city.

“Republican National Convention chose Dallas in such a short time before they’re actually going to host. It was an incredible benefit for us. It brought a citywide convention to us that we were not planning on having, and it will keep many people working that may not have been able to work,” said Davis.

Back at the game, Ward and her daughter may live in Ellis County, but they said it doesn’t even compare to downtown. 

“I mean, they’re growing, but they’re not Dallas yet. It’s not downtown. It’s not the fun, the vibes, you know, the entertainment. It’s the vibes. It’s great being out here, okay?” said Ward and Lewis.

City leaders are hoping other businesses get the message as well. 

The Wings’ president and CEO said the team is expecting to sell out the American Airlines Center on Aug. 20 when the team takes on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

Regarding the Republican National Convention next month, the president and CEO of Visit Dallas said there’s going to be about 20,000 people coming for this convention. He said that means full hotel rooms and full restaurants for three days.