HOUSTON, Texas –
Bigger and better, the recently expanded George R. Brown
Convention Center stands ready for its first facility-wide
“shakedown cruise” Friday when America Online
presents The NFL Experience.
The George R. Brown Convention Center
recently completed a $165 million expansion project
that nearly doubled the size of the facility, which
grew from four exhibit halls to seven. In fact, all
five exhibition halls on the ground floor will be used
for the NFL Experience – the length of five football
fields!
The George R. Brown has hosted a number
of smaller events since expansion was completed on December
3, 2003, but the NFLX, as it is sometimes called, is
the first large-scale event. NFLX will be open to the
public today through Sunday and January 29 through February
1.
The Brown will also be the site of the
Super Bowl media center, where more than 3,000 members
of the international press corps will convene beginning
Monday, January 26.
“We’ve been preparing for quite a while,
and we've used this last month to put the finishing
touches on all the details,” said GRBCC director
Dawn Ullrich. “Now we’re eager to showcase
the new George R. Brown"
Ullrich said the Brown’s added capacity
to accommodate enormous shows will be on full display
for an international audience coming to Houston for
the NFLX and Super Bowl XXXVIII.
“We think there’s going to be a gigantic
‘Wow’ factor when people see the size of
our ground-level exhibit halls,” Ullrich said.
“It’s an impressive sight to look from end
to end and see wall-to-wall activity.
“I think this will be the dawn of
a new era for the George R. Brown and its stature within
the convention industry.”
At 1.85 gross square feet, the George
R. Brown now ranks among the 10 largest convention centers
in America. The building features 1.2 million square
feet of exhibition, meeting and registration space.
In addition to the three new exhibit halls, the Brown
grew from 43 meetings rooms to 105.
“We’re proud of what we have
to offer and we think we’re going to surprise
a lot of people unfamiliar with our facilities,”
said Luther Villagomez, general manager of the George
R. Brown. “The new Hilton Americas-Houston hotel,
which is attached to our building, has also been a big
hit with everyone.”
The NFL Ex is professional football’s
interactive theme park and allows NFL fans of all ages
to attempt the ultimate NFL tryout. Tens of thousands
of fans are expected to visit the downtown convention
center, where fans will be able to field a punt, catch
a pass, kick a field goal, play the latest NFL video
games, shop at the largest NFL-themed merchandise store
and get free autographs from NFL stars.
Ticket prices for the NFL Experience are
$15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For tickets
and specific times, call (866) TIX-4NFL (849-4635) or
visit www.superbowl.com,
as well as Foley’s Ticketmaster outlets in Houston,
College Station and Beaumont.
Contact:
Pete Radowick
713-853-8077
peter.radowick@cityofhouston.net
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