Houston events will help our businesses rebound
As an organization that is dedicated to the promotion of tourism, visitation and events, Houston First Corporation has been on the forefront of the pandemic from the very beginning, desperately pushing for unified public health initiatives and supporting local businesses, even as our own staff was subjected to furloughs and most regrettably, unemployment. Alongside them are the countless hospitality workers and other connected industries whose vocations rely heavily on out-of-town patrons — from hotels to food service, public attractions to event support. Nevertheless, and after one of the most trying ordeals in recent history, we are finally beginning to see a light breaking through the clouds.
A major resurgence of meetings, conferences and events is already underway. After nearly 12 months of dormancy, the hosting venues of our city are poised to post recordsetting numbers in the final two quarters of the year. The George R. Brown Convention Center has already hosted several events safely. In March, the Mizuno Cross Court Classic volleyball tournament took place at the GRB with 20,000 participants. I cannot stress enough the important function that these bookings serve as an engine of progress for our city and its residents. A single, moderately sized, four-day event with 5,000 attendants represents 20,000 room nights in local hotels, approximately 50,000 meals eaten in local restaurants, and countless retail and service purchases — to say nothing of the less apparent benefits which come in the form of business dealings, investments, entrepreneurship and partnerships arising between event attendees.
Front-line workers like Typhannie Foreman know firsthand the importance of travel, tourism and hospitality to her employment and taking care of her family. Foreman shared her thoughts recently about her return to her job as a contracted housekeeper at the George R. Brown Convention Center after being laid off for nearly a year. “The unemployment check just wasn’t enough; I was struggling to keep my home and the lights on for my family,” Foreman said. “I’m still trying to catch up, but I was in tears when they called me back to work in February. I jumped up and put on my gray GRB shirt, black pants, black shoes and belt and it felt so good.”
There are many others with similar stories. Every missed opportunity for our local venues may constitute many millions in lost revenue for business owners and workers. By following a holistic, medically backed approach to public health and safety, along with the growing number of people who are vaccinated, we are now confident in our ability to resume these activities without significantly increasing the risk.
Even as many other municipalities have ground to a halt in the past year-and-a-half, Houston has worked hard to maintain our forward momentum in the face of hardship. Our local sporting events have returned to partial attendance, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston opened its magnificent Kinder Building expansion, and Houston First has led by example, pressing ahead with flagship events like Comicpalooza and the World Petroleum Congress. These upcoming events, scheduled for July and December respectively, will implement a wide array of sanitation and preventative measures. Among the many steps taken to ensure visitor safety, the flow of foot traffic has been rerouted throughout the convention space to encourage social distancing and enable contact tracing. Thanks to dedicated staff like Typhannie Foreman, frequent touch points, including handrails and buttons, are cleaned constantly; touchless equipment has been installed in restroom facilities.
A far cry from naive optimism, we are proud of the formidable effort that has gone into safeguarding our city’s public spaces, transportation systems and hospitality zones. The citywide Houston Clean initiative, along with hundreds of specially outfitted and equipped facilities, has led to a pandemic safety response that rivals anywhere else in the nation.
When I consider the vibrant spirit of this community, I know that I am not alone when I say that I cannot watch passively as one more Houston restaurant, one more craftsman or one more boutique shutters its doors in defeat. Unless we make a concerted and unified decision to support our local businesses, we run the risk of losing many of those irreplaceable establishments.
By the end of 2019, Houston was truly a destination-in-demand, and we received praise both nationally and beyond for our pioneering technological innovations, our boundary-pushing culinary scene, our important commitment to diversity and a burgeoning artistic community. With public health numbers finally trending in the right direction, it is time that we begin the healing and revitalization of our financial ills as well. In 2017, when one of the worst hurricanes in American history flooded homes and businesses across Houston, we persevered and rebuilt with inspiring speed and bravery. Today, even after a dramatic series of lockdowns, stock market crashes and frozen power grids, I am utterly convinced that we can once again rise to the occasion by opening our doors and showing the world Houston is ready to welcome back visitors.