by John Egan

If you’re hunting for a place to host a meeting, the 60-city block Houston Convention District should rank high on your list. Heck, we think it should be at the very top.

Ric Campo, chairman of Houston First Corp., which runs the George R. Brown Convention Center, says the Convention District is evolving into “a vibrant neighborhood, not just a meeting place.”

Here are eight reasons you should seriously consider the Convention District “neighborhood” for your next meeting.

  1. With 1.8 million square feet of meeting, exhibition and registration space, the George R. Brown Convention Center ranks among the 10 largest convention centers in the US. Luther Villagomez, chief operating officer of conventions for Houston First, says the facility is one of the few convention centers that can accommodate 99 percent of all shows.
     
  2. The district already has one convention hotel, and a second one is on the way. The 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston contains over 90,000 square feet of meeting space, while the under-construction, 1,000-room Marriott Marquis Houston will offer more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, including Houston’s largest ballroom. Once the Marriott opens in September 2016, two hotels will be attached to the convention center.
     
  3. A dual-branded Hampton Inn/Homewood Suites property, opening in early 2016, will provide 300 guest rooms directly across from the Marriott Marquis.
     
  4. Discovery Green is one of the jewels of the Convention District. The 12-acre urban park, which sits next to the convention center, includes two restaurants, a children’s play area, man-made lake, two dog runs, a multiuse amphitheater and an event lawn.
     
  5. Three sports and meeting venues — BBVA Compass Stadium, Minute Maid Park and the Toyota Center — are all near the convention center.
     
  6. The Convention District sits a short distance from the GreenStreet shopping and entertainment hub as well as Bayou Place, the largest entertainment complex in Texas.
     
  7. The 17-block Houston Theater District, not far from the Convention District, draws crowds to Grammy-, Tony- and Emmy-winning performances by the Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Alley Theatre and Houston Symphony.
     
  8. Houston’s METRORail light-rail system connects the Convention District to several other parts of the city.

Learn more about planning your next meeting or event in Houston at www.visithoustontexas.com/meetings/