Exhibitor guide · Houston, TX
George R. Brown Convention Center: booth rentals and exhibitor notes
Downtown Houston center with 547,730 square feet in Halls A-E, skybridges to two hotels, and GRB Houston South scheduled for 2028.
At a glance
At the George R. Brown Convention Center, Smart City Networks is the exclusive provider of booth electrical, plumbing and internet, so exhibitors order power from Smart City rather than the general contractor. ConventionVendor.com rents the booth technology that runs on those connections and delivers it for move-in in downtown Houston.
Exhibiting at George R. Brown Center
The George R. Brown Convention Center faces Discovery Green park on the east side of downtown Houston, next to Toyota Center and the Avenida Houston outdoor plaza. Houston First Corporation owns and operates it. Exhibit Halls A through E line Level 1 with 547,730 usable square feet, meeting rooms and the ballroom sit on Level 3, and skybridges link the building to the Hilton Americas-Houston on the south side and the Marriott Marquis Houston on the north.
The International Quilt Festival fills the halls each November, and Comicpalooza is also held here. The convention district is changing: GRB Houston South, a new building of about 700,000 square feet, is scheduled to open in May 2028, and Houston First says construction is phased so the existing center stays open with no interruption to scheduled events. What sets the GRB apart for exhibitors is that utilities are building-exclusive, so power and plumbing orders go to Smart City instead of the decorator.
| Address | 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, TX |
|---|---|
| Exhibit space | 547,730 usable sq ft in Halls A-E |
| Meeting rooms | 88 |
| Largest ballroom | 31,590 sq ft |
| Opened | 1987; expanded 2003, renovated 2016 |
| Nearest airport | William P. Hobby (HOU), about 10 miles |
| Connected hotels | Hilton Americas-Houston and Marriott Marquis Houston (skybridges) |
| Booth electrical | Smart City Networks (exclusive, along with plumbing and internet) |
| Official website | grbhouston.com (opens in a new tab) |
Facts checked October 15, 2026 against the sources listed below. Schedules and providers can change from show to show; your exhibitor manual has the final word.
Power, internet, and Wi-Fi
- Electrical, plumbing and other temporary utilities are exclusive at the GRB, and Smart City Networks is the provider, so order booth power from Smart City instead of your general service contractor.
- Smart City also handles telephone, internet and data networking, with dedicated bandwidth, high-density wired connections, wireless internet and patch cable rentals through its online portal.
- The GRB's rules contain no wireless clause and we found no ban on exhibitor hotspots, but voice, data and network services are exclusive to Smart City and your show may add its own limits. Review the exhibitor manual before counting on one.
- Free Wi-Fi in lobbies, meeting rooms and common spaces is fine for email, not for mission-critical use. Our gear plugs into the Smart City power you order, and a wired drop is the better connection for demos.
Move-in and delivery
- All exhibit freight moves through the designated loading docks, freight doors and freight elevators; main lobbies, escalators and passenger elevators are off-limits.
- The GRB has no shipping and receiving department. FedEx Office locations in both connected hotels are reachable by skybridge for last-minute shipping.
- Dock and third-level ramp parking is for loading and unloading only, and vehicles on Avenida de las Americas are towed. Show management and the general service contractor set schedules and marshalling for each event.
- We time rental delivery to your move-in and check current street and freeway closures first. If your show asks for exhibitor-appointed contractor registration, put ConventionVendor.com on the form.
What exhibitors rent at George R. Brown Center
- Booth TVs, Monitors, and Video Walls: Displays plug into the outlet you order from Smart City, which handles booth power here instead of the GSC.
- Booth Tech Kits: Lead Capture iPads, Screens, and Charging: Tablets for lead capture pair well with a Smart City wired line, since the free Wi-Fi is not meant for mission-critical use.
- Registration, Check-In, and Badge Printing: Organizers running check-in in the 95,000-square-foot grand concourse can add registration stations and badge printers delivered for move-in.
Before you exhibit at George R. Brown Center
- Place your power, plumbing and internet orders with Smart City together, before the advance deadline.
- Structural rigging and hanging signs must go through Staging Solutions, the exclusive rigging contractor, though other AV vendors are allowed.
- Check the GRB street-closure maps before move-in, since freeway work and convention-district construction can change truck routes.
- Send freight through your GSC, because the building has no in-house receiving department.
- If your team stays at the Hilton Americas or Marriott Marquis, the skybridges keep staff off the street between the hotel and the hall.
Schedules, deadlines, and service providers can change from show to show. Always confirm details in your show's exhibitor manual. Our exhibitor timeline lists what to order and when.
George R. Brown Center FAQ
Who provides booth electrical at the George R. Brown Center?
Smart City Networks is the exclusive provider of IT and utility services at the GRB, including electrical and plumbing. That means exhibitors order booth power from Smart City, not the general service contractor. Check your exhibitor kit for the ordering link and deadlines.
Can I use my own hotspot at the George R. Brown Center?
We found no GRB rule that bans exhibitor hotspots, and the venue's rules have no wireless clause. Voice, data and network services are exclusive to Smart City, though, and shows can set their own wireless rules. Check your exhibitor manual, and order a wired line for anything critical.
Is the George R. Brown Center open during the GRB Houston South construction?
Yes. Houston First says construction is phased so the existing center stays open with no interruption to scheduled events. GRB Houston South is scheduled to open in May 2028, and street and freeway closures can affect access, so check the closure maps before move-in.
Other convention centers nearby
- Henry B. González Convention Center
Riverside convention center in San Antonio's Hemisfair district with about 514,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space.
- Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas
Downtown Dallas convention center operating in Halls A, B and C during a rebuild planned to finish in 2030, next to the Omni Dallas Hotel.
Sources
- George R. Brown Convention Center: IT and utilities (opens in a new tab)
- George R. Brown Convention Center: exhibitor guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- George R. Brown Convention Center: dimensions and capacities (opens in a new tab)
- George R. Brown Convention Center: attendee FAQs (opens in a new tab)
- Houston First: convention district transformation (opens in a new tab)
- Houston First: George R. Brown Convention Center (opens in a new tab)
Planning more than a booth, such as a full conference at George R. Brown Center? Our parent company covers event-wide technology on its Rentacomputer.com George R. Brown Center page (opens in a new tab).
Exhibiting at George R. Brown Center?
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