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Houston is a city of firsts. The first word spoken from the surface of the moon was "Houston" and the city's legendary namesake, Sam Houston, was the first president of the Republic of Texas. Impressive, particularly for a city founded less than 200 years ago.

The fourth largest city in America, Houston, Texas is probably most famous for being home to the NASA Space Centre but this vibrant metropolis also boasts an impressive skyline, stunning parks, inspiring museums, culturally diverse restaurants and is one of the world's most thriving international business hubs.

Historically, Houston has been a global force in energy, but in recent years the industry has streamlined and redefined itself. The city's history has been interlinked to that of the energy industry since the discovery of oil at Spindletop in East Texas in 1901. Within 10 years, that discovery led to the founding of The Texas Company (now Chevron) and Humble Oil and Refining Company (now ExxonMobil), both with operations based in Houston.

Today, Houston's economy is still based on energy, but to a much lesser extent than in the boom days. The city is an industrial, commercial, educational, cultural and financial centre. Its diverse economy comprises space and science research firms, universities, leading medical facilities, technology companies, telecommunications, shipyards, and a wide range of other businesses. The emphasis on international trade is expanding every year, and will continue to be a prominent feature in the city's ongoing economic progress.

To keep up with this development, Houston's booming downtown business facilities are constantly expanding. A US$165m expansion project was completed in December 2003 and has virtually doubled the size of the George R Brown Convention Centre to nearly 1.2 million sq ft of exhibition, meeting and registration space, in addition to a variety of wireless capabilities. Convention-goers in Houston will appreciate the convenience afforded by the George R Brown's downtown location.

The centre is flanked by the new Toyota Centre arena to the south and Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, to the north. Within one mile, visitors will find 15 hotels and more than 5000 hotel rooms and also nearby is the city's flourishing Theatre District.

Houston's new 7.5 mile light rail system connects downtown to Houston's other major event facility, Reliant Park, which consists of Reliant Stadium, Reliant Centre, Reliant Arena and the Reliant Astrodome. The 1.4 million sq ft Reliant Centre and the 71,500-seat Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, make Reliant Park one of the most versatile complexes in the world.

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