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City-Wide Effort Attracts Major Events

As many convention centers and destinations complain about the current state of the economy slowing down hotel bookings, the contrary is true at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. The city’s convention officials announced that it ended its fiscal year with nearly a 50 percent jump in hotel room night bookings and a strong increase in facility rental revenue.

"We are ecstatic with our year-end numbers," said Dawn Ullrich, Director of the City of Houston Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, which manages the municipally owned convention center.

Room nights associated with the George R. Brown Convention Center events booked during the fiscal year ending June 30 totaled 385,241, a 48.6 percent increase over the total of 259,283 from the previous fiscal year. Facility rental income—derived from groups that lease space inside the building for conventions, trade shows and other events—rose to $2,748,688, a gain of 22.7 percent from $2,239,851 the previous year. "One of our top priorities is attracting major events that generate more room nights and reliable hotel occupancy tax revenue," said Ullrich.

Apparently Houston's marketing towards major events has been effective. Luther Villagomez, General Manager, George R. Brown Convention Center, Attributed extraordinary jump in the city’s convention and meeting related business to the convention center staff successfully handling major exhibitions and trade shows in 2008, such as Heli-Expo and the American Wind Energy Association, which drew  a record amount of attendees. "We hit some big home runs in the past year, no doubt about it, but they weren't just lucky swings," Villagomez said.

The streak Houston is on does not appear to be subsiding any time soon. The new fiscal year which started in July, featured the George R. Brown Convention Center hosting the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. "It's all about keeping promises," added Villagomez. "Microsoft was effusive in their praise of the GRB, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors' Bureau and all of our partners. Anybody can make big promises, but it takes a committed team to deliver the goods for a show with as many variables as Microsoft."

In addition to the team effort from the George R. Brown Convention Center’s staff, city-wide the hospitality industry is working together—with an abiding attention to detail—to make this Texas city’s convention business soar. "Houston's convention and hospitality industries are united on many fronts," said Ken Middleton, Vice President of Sales, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Everyone is committed to making sure that every "T" is crossed and every "I" is dotted. The recent success of some of our bigger shows at the GRB is proof that Houston offers a winning package."

As the new fiscal year matures, new events and returning conventions are creating a dynamic mix for the city and its convention center, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007. The George B. Brown Convention center, with nearly 1.2 million square feet of exhibition, meeting and event space, is connected to the 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston hotel with a double-deck pedestrian sky bridge and is directly across the street from the new 12-acre Discovery Green park.

 "Some of the big events coming here in the next six or seven months are the Latin GRAMMY Awards , John Deere, the National Council for Social Studies and National Precast Concrete," said Art Zehnder, Director of Sales, George B. Brown Convention Center. "We'll help each of them put on a really good show. It's always exciting to bring new visitors to Houston."

Zehnder added, "But it is just as important, if not more so, to take care of the clients who return to our city on a regular basis. Next week, for example, we welcome back Texas Nursery & Landscape Association , and in October we will host the grandmother of all shows, the International Quilt Market and Festival."

With a 50 percent increase and solid bookings through the next several months, Houston is clearly benefiting from its growing reputation as a national and global convention leader. "We're creating real momentum in Houston, and we're pleased to play a vital role in this important economic engine," Ullrich said.