The George R. Brown Convention Center opened on the east side of downtown Houston on September 26， 1987. The building was named for internationally recognized entrepreneur， engineer， civic leader， philanthropist and Houstonian George Rufus Brown. The first convention held was the American Society of Travel Agents beginning in October of that year.

Facilities

In 2001， ground was broken to expand the convention center and build an adjacent 1，200-room convention headquarters hotel. Today the GRB expands

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

Hotels and airports

Currently connected to the GRB is the 1，200 room Hilton AmericasHouston， and opened in 2016 is the Marriott Marquis that boasts 1，000 guest rooms，and is connect to the GRB via skybridge.

The GRB is approximately 10 miles from William P. Hobby（HOU） Airport and approximately twenty miles from George Bush Intercontinental （IAH） Airport.

Green Meetings

The George R. Brown Convention Center is committed to being green， and has long recognized the importance of sustainability efforts. It began seeking opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint in 1998 and hasnt stopped since.The Center first earned LEED Silver certification status in 2011， and has since renewed through 2021. It divert more than 42% of its waste from landfills， and is dedicated to high sustainability standards.