FAQs

Do you have a shipping and receiving department?
Do you offer Wi-Fi services?
Where can I obtain information about Houston?
Do you have a business center?
How do I get to the GRB?
Where do I park?
How far is the airport to the convention center?
Am I allowed to bring outside food & beverages into the GRB?
How do I contact the convention center?
What hotels are close to the GRB?
How do I book space?
How big is the GRB?
How old is the GRB?
Who was George R. Brown?
Are there any jobs currently available?

Do you have a shipping and receiving department?
We do not have a shipping and receiving department at the GRB. If you are an exhibitor, please check with Show Management for shipping and receiving options. There is a FedEx on Level 2 of the GRB with shipping capabilities. For more information about FedEx Office, please click here.

Do you offer Wi-Fi services?
Wi-Fi is available for free in all public spaces of the GRB. Daily Instant Internet access starts at $12.95 for each device with speed of 256K up and 512K down. Exhibitor Internet access starts at $79.99 for 1 day per device with speed of 1.5 Megs up and down. Should you have problems, please contact the Smart City help desk: 888-243-5685.

Where can I obtain information about Houston?
VisitHouston.com is the best place to start! View information on hotels, events, restaurants, things to do in and around the city and all things Houston!

Do you have a business center?
Located on Mezzanine Level 2 the FedEx Office Print & Ship Center in the George R. Brown Convention Center offers you virtually everything you require to meet your needs — from packing and shipping to signage, copying and last-minute office supplies.

How do I get to the GRB?
Please visit the Parking, Maps & Directions page. There you will find printable & interactive tools to help you get here.

Where do I park?
Please visit the Parking, Maps & Directions page. There you will find printable & interactive tools to help you get parked.

How far is the airport to the convention center?
The GRB is approximately 10 miles from William P. Hobby (HOU) Airport and approximately twenty miles from George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) Airport. For more information on the Houston Airport System please visit www.fly2houston.com.

Am I allowed to bring outside food & beverages into the GRB?
No outside food or drink is allowed at the GRB.

How do I contact the convention center?
Physical Address:
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Houston, Texas 77010
Main Line: 713-853-8000
Toll Free: 800-427-4697
Fax: 713-853-8290
ccinfo@houstonfirst.com
Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 8am - 5pm
After Hours and Weekends: Security Office - 713-853-8087

What hotels are close to the GRB?
Currently connected to the GRB at the south end is the 1,200 room Hilton Americas-Houston. Opening in Fall 2016 and located at the North end of the GRB is the Marriott Marquis, which will also connect to the GRB via skybridge. This unique property will boast 1,000 guest rooms and a Texas-shaped lazy river! An additional 2,461 rooms are being added to Houston’s downtown hotel inventory in eight unique properties. By late 2016, there will be more than 7,700 rooms in 24 hotels downtown! To book a room in Houston, downtown and beyond, click here.

How do I book space?
We’re flattered you’re interested in hosting your event at the GRB! Click here to meet our Sales Team, take a virtual tour, submit a RFP, and request a Convention Kit, Meeting Planners or Visitor’s Guide.

How big is the GRB?
1.9 million square feet with 88 meeting rooms, 6 balconies, a ballroom, theater, show offices & conference rooms plus 90,000 ft² of Level 2 Mezzanine space, a 95,000 ft² grand concourse, the 97,000 ft² Avenida Plaza, and The Wharf, an intimate outdoor special event space.

How old is the GRB?
The George R. Brown Convention Center was opened on the east side of downtown Houston on September 26, 1987 and was completed “on time and under budget” with a price tag of $104.9 million. Construction required 30 months with more than 1,200 workers on site. The sale of bonds, to be repaid by hotel occupancy tax revenues, spared local taxpayers any new burden.
The first convention held in the George R. Brown Convention Center was the American Society of Travel Agents beginning on October 11, 1987.
On July 28, 2001, ground was broken on a joint project to seamlessly expand the convention center and build an adjacent 1,200-room convention headquarters hotel. At a cost of $165 million and requiring 27 months of construction, the GRB grew from 1,150,000 square feet to 1,800,000 square feet. Three exhibit halls & more meeting rooms were added in preparation for Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. The Expansion was completed on December 3, 2003.
In November 2014 the ground was broken yet again, this time in preparation for Super Bowl LI. The latest expansion to the GRB includes converting six lanes and the length of five city blocks into ADLA Plaza, a 97,000-square-foot, pedestrian-friendly, outdoor space. The new Grand Lobby will be 10 stories high and showcase Ed Wilson’s 60 foot sculpture, "Soaring in the Clouds", suspended from the ceiling in the very center of the GRB. From there, patrons will have improved connectivity to 550,000 square feet of prime exhibition space via a 95,000 square foot Grand Concourse. Construction is set to be completed in the Fall of 2016.

Who was George R. Brown?
Houstonian George Rufus Brown (1898-1983) was an internationally known entrepreneur, engineer, civic leader, and philanthropist. George and his brother, Herman, turned Brown & Root into the world's largest construction and engineering company. Later, he and investors founded, Texas Eastern Transmission Company, which donated six of the 11 blocks required to build the GRB.
George R. Brown’s legacy is carried forth by the family’s Brown Foundation which was founded in July 1951 by Herman and Margarett Root Brown and George R. and Alice Pratt Brown. The Brown Foundation has awarded more than $1.4 billion in grants. Of these funds, approximately 80% were awarded within the State of Texas with special emphasis on the city of Houston.

Are there any jobs currently available?
Please visit HoustonFirst.com to find out more about employment opportunities with our company.