Best Places for Businesses and Careers Forbes Best Large Cities to Live In WalletHub World’s Most Top 15 Places to Influential Cities Go in 2015 Forbes Condé Nast Traveler Fastest Growth Fastest Growing in Foreign County in Texas Visitors by 2050 U.S. Commerce Austin Business Department Journal Best Places to Fastest Growing Travel in 2015 Cities in 2014 Travel + Leisure Houston Chronicle TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW 2 Our Mission and Vision Statement 2 Introduction to Houston First Corporation 5 Houston First Milestones & Accomplishments 8 THE FUTURE OF OUR FACILITIES 10 The George R. Brown Convention Center 2025 Master Plan 10 Houston’s Convention Center Hotels: Hilton Americas - Houston 12 Houston’s Convention Center Hotels: Marriott Marquis 14 The Experience Transformed: Downtown Convention District 18 GRB Parking Garage & Partnership Tower 20 Theater District Master Plan 22 Miller Outdoor Theatre 2035 Master Plan 24 Other Projects 26 HOUSTON, A PREMIER DESTINATION: MAKING IT REAL 30 Tourism 30 Houston Film Commission 33 Destination Sales and Services 34 Marketing 37 HOUSTON FIRST OVERVIEW OUR MISSION The mission of Houston First Corporation is to enhance quality of life, advance economic prosperity and promote the Houston region by inspiring: § The world to think Houston first; § Houstonians to believe in Houston first; and, § Houston to deliver first-class hospitality. OUR VISION In 2015, Houston First established a new vision for our region with a statement that illustrates how the world should see Houston in the next 10 years: Houston is one of the world’s premier destinations – it’s the place to be. With these accomplishments and with this outlook for the future, Houston First is well positioned to strengthen Houston’s image and further enrich the quality of life in our city in the decade to come. 2 Houston First Overview SALES & MARKETING OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATION Corporate Administration Enterprise Development Finance & Administration General Counsel Information Technology Marketing & Communications Public Affairs Houston First Overview 3 4 Houston First Overview WHAT IS Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department, and the Houston Convention HOUSTON FIRST Center Hotel Corporation (created by CORPORATION? the City in 2000). This consolidation was enhanced in 2014 when Houston First and the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors In 2011, the City of Houston established Bureau (GHCVB) aligned to create a single, Houston First, a local government corpora- unified voice that speaks for the Houston tion created to operate the city’s convention product in all sales and marketing efforts. and performing arts facilities, as well as pro- mote Houston as a world-class destination The restructuring has streamlined our for tourism and conventions. organization and improved accountability, while providing Houston First with the Houston First’s vision and efforts enrich the flexibility to adjust sales and marketing lives of Houstonians in a number of ways, expenditures based on market conditions. beginning with promoting the region as a destination for tourism and convention busi- ness. The organization also works to attract OUR DUTIES film production to the area and operates theaters where world-class performances Houston First operations include day-to-day take center stage, all while managing maintenance, management and licensing of outdoor spaces where festivals and other its properties as the sites of conventions activities thrive. and trade shows (40 major events and 200 smaller events, per year), concerts and We keep things running smoothly while the theatrical performances (more than 600, George R. Brown Convention Center and per year), and civic events. The organization Hilton Americas-Houston play host to the also acts as the City of Houston’s agent for world. We provide more than 10,000 park- collection of hotel occupancy tax revenue. ing spaces for evening theater goers and downtown’s daytime office workers. We also A 12-member Board of Directors sets policy partner with like-minded organizations that for the corporation and approves its major share our passion in making Houston a initiatives and expenditures. The City of better place to live, work and visit—all of Houston maintains an oversight role which stimulates the local economy and through the City Council’s approval of improves overall quality of life. board appointments and its annual budget. Two City Council members also sit on the Houston First’s establishment was the result Board of Directors, in ex-officio roles. of more than 10 years of study. In forming the organization, the City consolidated its Houston First owns the Hilton Americas-Houston Put another way, Houston First is responsible for a and manages these assets for the City of Houston: myriad of event spaces and agreements: § George R. Brown Convention Center [ 2 ] § Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel [ 3 ] 14.7 11 254 § Jones Hall for the Performing Arts [ 1 ] acres of plazas and buildings valued in contracts and § Jones Plaza [ 5 ] other green space excess of $1 billion 14 leases § Miller Outdoor Theatre [ 7 ] § Talento Bilingüe de Houston [ 9 ] § Theater District Parking § Toyota Tundra Garage 2,650,000 10,000 § Wortham Theater Center [ 6 ] square feet of building space parking spaces § Partnership Tower - 2016 [ 8 ] § Sunset Coffee Building - 2016 [ 4 ] Houston First Overview 5 PAID DIRECTLY TO THE CITY BY HOUSTON FIRST of the gross receipts of the municipal hotel 19.3 occupancy tax collected quarterly by HFC for PERCENT the city’s arts contracts (2014: 17.1 million) $420,000 to fund protocol services $1.38 million annual lease payment for term of lease (Consumer Price Index adjustment every five years) to promote travel and hotel $425,000 occupancy in Houston to fund traffic control and $231,000 city administrative expenses PAID ON BEHALF OF THE CITY BY HOUSTON FIRST $1.13 million to support operations at Discovery Green $14 million operating subsidy to the arts facilities $1.1 million to Hobby Center 6 Houston First Overview THE IMPORTANCE For the long term, Houston First has established the 2025 Master Plan for the OF HOT REVENUE George R. Brown Convention Center. The plan called for more convention center The use of hotel occupancy tax (HOT) is hotel rooms, the redesign of the GRB, a restricted by state statute. HOT may only walkable outdoor destination in front of its be used for certain designated purposes exhibit halls and a new parking garage—all and must be used to directly enhance and currently under construction, in anticipation promote the tourism and the convention of Super Bowl LI in Houston in 2017. In industries. In fact, Texas statutes explicitly addition, similar master plans were present- prohibit the use of HOT for general gov- ed in 2015 for the Theater District and Miller ernmental purposes of a municipality. Bond Outdoor Theatre. covenants further specify restrictions on the use of the HOT revenues and establishes Houston First also interacts with partners strict record keeping requirements. such as the Greater Houston Partnership, Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, Hotel Lodging Association of WHAT BENEFITS Greater Houston, Theater District DOES THE CITY Association, Houston Downtown Management District, Bayou Place, RECEIVE FROM Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the HOUSTON FIRST? Downtown Aquarium. The company also sponsors numerous events that benefit local organizations. The City receives an annual lease payment from Houston First for the facilities it man- ages. Since its formation, Houston First has paid more than $35.8 million annually, either directly to the City or on its behalf. At incep- tion, Houston First also made a one-time payment of $10 million to the City. Houston also benefits from Houston First’s focus on encouraging economic growth. This is evident in tangible ways, through its regular payments in support of the opera- tions of Discovery Green, the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (in the near future), and its operating subsidy to the arts facilities. The City of Houston receives these long-term benefits from Houston First: § A single entity § Long-term § Financial support § A civic vision § A unified sales focused on the maintenance of for facilities and for Houston’s and marketing long-term all facilities to a organizations convention and voice sustainability of gold standard that enhance theater products the operation as Houstonians’ a whole quality of life Houston First Overview 7 Houston First Milestones & Accomplishments 2011 CORPORATE LEVEL CONVENTION DISTRICT § Participated in successful Super Bowl LI § Developed GRB 2025 master plan with a bid for 2017 vision for hotel development, a vibrant § Strategically aligned with the Greater Convention District and future expansion Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, of GRB streamlining operations and creating one § Designed new GRB grand entry, garage/ unified voice for the Houston product office space, first-ever ADLA pedestrian § Unveiled new Tourism Development Plan, plaza—all currently under construction with specific strategies to increase tourism § Developed key portions of financing in the region through expanded package for 1,000-room Marriott advertising and new partnerships with Marquis, a new convention headquarters key stakeholders hotel attached to GRB—currently under § Partnered with Downtown District construction. The addition will make and BG Group to launch and operate Houston the only city in Texas with two Greenlink,