Lindsey Brown, the Director of Marketing & PR for the GHCVB, presents on the exciting aspects of the City of Houston that make it such an amazing draw for tourists, visitors and local Houstonians.

1. HOUSTON

2. Buffalo Bayou – Downtown Houston
“One of the last U.S. cities to slip into recession and one of the first to
emerge, Houston has a firm grip on its super-sized economy.”
– Global Traveler

3. The Basics
• America’s 4th largest
city
• 2.3 million residents
• No ethnic majority
• 83 languages
spoken
• “Houston” – First
Word Spoken from
the Moon

4. Richmond Hall at The Menil Collection
“The Texas city deserves to be known for something else: coolness."
– Forbes, after naming Houston the coolest city in the U.S. in 2012

5. By the Numbers
• $92.47 – Average
hotel room rate in
2011
• $32.53 – cost of an
average meal in
Houston, $5 less
than the national
average
• $1.25 – cost of a
one-way ticket on
the METRORail

6. Buffalo Bayou
“A growing number of creative types are striving to make H-Town the cultural
hub it was when...first injected with modernity.”
– W Magazine Houston

7. GRB Houston Convention Center
• 1.85 million –
Gross Square Feet
• 1.2 million – Total
Lease Space
• 639,000 –
Contiguous Exhibit
Space
• 7 – Exhibit Halls
• 100 – Meeting
Rooms

8. Reliant Park
• 350 – Acres
• 1.6 million – Total
square feet of
exhibit space
• 706,213 – Square
feet in Reliant
Center
• 61 – Meeting
Rooms

9. Houston Police Memorial overlooking Houston skyline
"It's the city of big plans and no rules,...world-class museums...and the
biggest damn liquor store on the planet. How could you not love Houston?“
– Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

10. The Hotels
• 71,973 – No. of
hotel rooms in the
Houston MSA
• $92.47 – Average
hotel room rate in
2011
• 5,000+ - No. of
hotel rooms in
downtown

11. Airports
• 180 – No. of cities
worldwide served
by the Houston
Airport System
• 3 – No. of airports
serving Houston
• 21 – No. of airlines
serving IAH and
Hobby Airports
• #1 – Houston is
United Airlines’
largest hub

12. Transportation
• 7.5 – Miles of light
rail in Houston
• $1.25 – Cost of a
one-way light rail
ticket
• 2,200 – Total
number of taxis in
fleet
• $6 – Cab fare
anywhere in
downtown Houston

13. Space Center Houston
“The city is flexing its cultural muscle and encouraging tourists to explore to
their heart's content with the Houston CityPASS."– Budget Travel

14. Top Attractions
• $39 adults, $29 kids
• Save 41 percent
• Only 11 cities offer
CityPASS in North
America
• Hotel packages
available at
VisitHouston.com

15. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
“Yes, oil money still reigns supreme, but it now competes with culture.”
– The New York Times

16. The Arts by the Numbers
• 19 museums within
walking distance
• 6.6 million visitors to
the Museum District
annually
• 17-block Theater
District
• 12 resident performing
arts companies
• 44 Houston Grand
Opera world premieres

17. My Houston: The Arts

18. Brenner’s on the Bayou
“It's easy to conclude that Houston has one of the most satisfying food
scenes in the country right now.” – The New York Post

19. Haven
“One thing I expect now: a return visit to the
best dining destination in Texas.”
– Bon Appetit

20. Dining by the Numbers
• 60 cuisines offered by
Houston restaurants
• 8,986 food service and
drinking establishments
• 6 James Beard Award
nominations in 2012
• 5.7 – No. of times
Houstonians eat out
per week, more than
residents of any other
city

21. My Houston: Culinary Scene

22. Lot 8
“Bold and brash, Texas's largest city is a lively mix of high culture and down-
home hospitality, charming neighborhoods and standout shopping.”
– Elle Decor

23. Shopping & Fashion by the Numbers
• #1 shopping city in
America, according to
Forbes.com
• 1 Project Runway
winner, Chloe Dao of
Lot 8
• 375 shops in The
Galleria
• 1 city block – Amount
of space Tootsies fills
with women’s designer
merchandise

24. My Houston: Shopping & Fashion

25. Reliant Stadium
“Houston is ready for the big leagues.” – Business Traveler

26. Sports by the Numbers
• 2 – No. of times the
Houston Dynamo have
won the MLS cup
• 2 – No. of times the
Houston Rockets won
the NBA championship
• 2 retractable-roof
stadiums (Minute Maid
Park and Reliant Park)
• 3 – No. of downtown
stadiums

27. My Houston: Sports

28. Sawyer Park
“Washington Avenue has been transformed into one of Houston's most
popular nightspots.” – The New York Times

29. Number Crunch: Nightlife
• 5 – No. of distinct
nightlife districts
• 7 – No. of times Anvil
Bar & Refuge has been
included on a list of
America’s best cocktail
bars
• 7 – No. of breweries in
the Houston area by
the end of 2012
• 1847 – The year La
Carafe, Houston’s
oldest bar, was built

30. My Houston: Live Music

31. Market Square Park
“The city has lots of great parks with bike trails, beautiful old oak trees and
awesome skyline views.” – Family Circle

32. Parks and Outdoors by the Numbers
• 14.2 – Percentage of
the city’s land area
represented by parks
• 700 – No. of city and
county parks
• 65,000 – No. of acres
of city and county parks
• 145 – No. of public and
private golf courses

33. Texas Medical Center
“This is a city's city: standing proud, happy and bright at the center with a
rugged ring around the middle. Houston literally hums.” – Dallas Morning News

34. Health Care by the Numbers
• 49 – No. of institutions
in the Texas Medical
Center
• #1 – Ranking of M.D.
Anderson as the top
cancer center in the
country
• 1,000+ – No. of acres
within the Texas
Medical Center
• 93,530 – No. of Texas
Medical Center
employees

35. Downtown Skyline
“That's just another facet of the New Houston—a seemingly random tapestry
of traditional and modern, upscale and down-home, ultra-country and ultra-
urban—all presented with a warm Southern smile.” – Southwest Spirit

36. What’s New/Coming Soon
• Museum of Natural
Science Paleo Hall
(June 2012)
• Asia Society Texas
(April 2012)
• Dynamo Stadium (May
2012)
• New 1,000-room
convention center hotel
(groundbreaking 2013)
• $55M Buffalo Bayou
renovation initiative
(2015)

37. GHCVB Resources
• Monthly e-newsletter
• What’s New in Houston
(quarterly)
• Ask Veronica
• Events Calendar
• Special Offers & Hotel
Packages
• Facebook.com/
VisitHoustonTexas
• Twitter.com/
VisitHoustonTX

38. HOUSTON
VisitHOUSTON.com