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B M & T ••• September/October 2026 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 50 HOUSTON AREA GUIDES door event and leisure space. With an eye toward the future, GRB is currently undergoing a major trans- formation that includes a new 690,000-square-foot South Building with ballrooms, exhibit halls, meeting rooms and public spaces. Joined to GRB by skybridge, Hilton Americas-Houston offers 1,207 gue- strooms and event space including its 39,093-square-foot Grand Ballroom. The linked Marriott Marquis Houston adds 1,000 guestrooms and extensive meeting facilities, while nearby Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston Downtown provides another 262 suites and event space. The surrounding Avenida Houston convention and entertainment district keeps much of what attendees need close at hand. Restaurants, Discovery Green and Daikin Park, Toyota Center and Shell Energy Stadium are nearby. The local METRORail connects the district with the Theater District, Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park (formerly NRG Park). When it's time to explore, Houston's personality shines. Groups can kayak or take a pontoon excur- sion along Buffalo Bayou, while 160-acre Buffalo Bayou Park combines trails, gar- dens, public art and gathering spaces. Beneath the city, a weekday Tunnel Walk & Rail Tour explores Houston's un-derground system and incorpo- rates MET-RORail and lunch. At 445- acre Hermann Park, attendees can pedal boat on McGo-vern Lake, exp- lore the Japanese Garden, walk or bike the trails, golf or catch a perform- ance at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Houston's African American story adds another cultural dimension. Freedmen's Town in historic Fourth Ward was established by formerly enslaved African Americans after emancipation. Its landmarks include Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1866, Bethel Park and the HOUSTON: WHERE MEETINGS FIND THEIR RHYTHM BY PATRICE KELLY "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." When Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969, Houston became forever linked to one of humankind's greatest adventures. Today, Space Center Houston car- ries that legacy forward, but you don't need to leave the planet to discover a city built for exploration. Houston brings serious convention credentials together with global cuisine, distinc- tive neighborhoods, deep African American history and a lively cultural scene. For meeting planners, that means the infrastructure to handle business – and plenty of Houston swagger once the agenda ends. Downtown, the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) holds the fort on the city's meeting landscape with 1.8 million total square feet, including A 31,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, 3,600-capacity General Assembly and generous mezzanine flex space for room to grow. Plus, nearby Avenida Plaza adds roughly 99,000 square feet of walkable out- African American History Research Center at the Gregory School. The Houston Museum of African American Culture and Third Ward's Project Row Houses explore Black art, history and community. while the Fifth Ward Cultural Arts District brings together public art, music, food and the historic DeLuxe Theater. Houston's diversity also comes to the table. It's 13,000 restaurants repre- sent cuisines from more than 70 coun- tries and American regions, and Houston Culinary Tours can turn that abundance into a group experience. For quick, casual dining ChòpnBl k showcases contemporary West African cuisine influenced by Nigerian and broader regional traditions, while Mikki's Soul Food Cafe serves tradi- tional Southern comfort food. After dark, the choices spread beyond downtown. EaDo/East End mixes murals and former warehouses with breweries, restaurants, live music and nightlife. Montrose adds inde- pendent restaurants, bars, live music and longstanding LGBTQ+ culture. In Houston, your attendees can handle business downtown, discover African American history across gener- ations, taste their way around the world and still have plenty left to explore when tomorrow's sessions begin. • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Hilton Americas-Houston 1,207 Marriott Marquis Houston 1,000 Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston Downtown 262 Hotel 1, 083 The St. Regis 600 The Beekman 287 The Ritz-Carlton New York 253 EXHIBITION FACILITIES George R. Brown Convention Center Total Meeting 1.8 M sq. ft. Largest Hall 115,680 sq. ft. Meeting Rooms 88 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Visit Houston, Texas – 713-853-8100 www.visithoustontexas.com DoubleTree by Hilton, Manchester downtown