Convene - February 2016

Americas-Houston connects to the south end of the GRB and has more than 90,000 square feet of meeting space.

Outside of the GRB, meeting attendees will find a convention campus packed with plenty of leisure diversions. More than 300 restaurants and nightlife venues, professional sports teams, performing-arts venues, and other entertainment options are within walking distance, along with a downtown hotel inventory of more than 8,000 rooms — which means meeting planners don’t have to worry about the cost and hassle of booking transportation for their group. When transportation is necessary, public options are plentiful, from taxis, Uber, and METRORail to the environmentally friendly Greenlink bus system. The Houston B-cycle bike-sharing program and Zipcar Houston also offer easy options for when attendees need their own form of transportation.

Houston has no shortage of culinary gems, and downtown has plenty of them.

Just steps from the GRB, attendees will find everything from barbecue to Southwestern to steakhouse to Asian. Houston’s food scene was recently called “the most dynamic and diverse … in the nation” by food writer John T. Edge in Departures magazine, and in 2015, Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietse-ma put Houston on his short list of America’s best food cities, commending Houston for its diversity. In total, Houston has more than 10,000 restaurants representing more than 70 countries and U. S. regions.

Attendees also have a cluster of perform-
ing-arts options to choose from within walk-
ing distance of the GRB. Houston’s 17-block
Theater District is home to the Houston Bal-
let, the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston
Symphony, and Alley Theatre, among others.
The Houston Ballet Center for Dance is the
largest dance company facility of its kind in
the United States, with nine dance studios
and the Dance Lab, which seats 175 for pre-
sentations and rehearsals. The city’s museum
district, easily reached via the METRORail,
comprises more than 20 museums, cultural
centers, and galleries.

For sports fanatics, Houston’s many professional sports teams provide impressive options for corporate entertaining and group outings, with three of the city’s most popular sports venues just a short walk from the GRB. The Toyota Center hosts the NBA Houston Rockets, and nearby Minute Maid Park is home to the MLB Houston Astros. Downtown’s newest stadium, BBVA Compass Stadium, hosts the MLS Houston Dynamo. NRG Stadium, about seven miles from the GRB, will host the NCAA Men’s Final Four championship in April, accompanied by the Final Four Fan Fest and NCAA Experience in downtown.

For more information: Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau — John Solis, Vice President of Convention Sales;

(713) 437-5215; jsolis@visithouston.com;

visithouston.com
Bigger and better The George R. Brown Convention Center, currently under renovation, anchors
a bustling entertainment district, offering everything from dining to parks, and big-name concerts
to major sporting events.