Houston First Corporation

SNAPSHOT:
CLIENT: Houston First Corporation 
INDUSTRY: Hospitality and Events
SERVICES PROVIDED: Design, Construction, and I&D
RESULTS: Houston First Corporation successfully demonstrated the city's capacity and expertise for hosting events and the richness of our city, estimating an incrementation of $200 million in revenue in the coming five years.

CLIENT:
The Houston First Corporation promotes Houston as one of the world's greatest cities for conventions and events. It is responsible for maximizing the Houston experience for visitors and residents while increasing its economy. It is also the official Destination Management Organization for the city, leading its tourism and convention business. It also maintains the licensing and operation of performing arts facilities, parks, plazas, events, and parking.

CHALLENGE:
In January 2025, Houston First Corporation hosted the PCMA Convening Leaders 2025 event, the premier global conference for meeting planners and professionals worldwide. From January 12 to 15, delegates from fifty states and forty-five countries gathered to network and learn from keynote speakers and industry leaders. It was a monumental event, complete with stellar musical performances, that allowed attendees to have a little taste of Houston's hosting capabilities and exceptional culinary richness.

Houston is known for its culinary variety. Its restaurants represent all corners of the world, many belonging to the Michelin Star Guide. So, with Houston being the host city for PCMA 2025, Houston First Corporation (HFC) saw the opportunity to spotlight one of the best things Houston has to offer.

For their campaign, "A World in a City, A City of the World," they envisioned a booth with a functional and mobile kitchen, with all the bells and whistles of those seen on reality TV. They requested the booth to have "as few walls as possible," sufficient seating space for more than ten people, and the inclusion of all the kitchen appliances in the design. Their vision included "like a chef's table" on par with those seen on Top Chef and a digital overhead feature to steal the attention of attendees at The District, where the event would take place inside the George R. Brown Convention Center.

HFC also requested that the design include many LED screens, adding, "This chef's table will literally change form in-between each break, reflecting the imagery, music, and flavor of different cultures." They wanted the LED screens to wrap around the kitchen counters, the overhead feature, and the chef's table. Some of Houston's greatest chefs, from the Michelin Guide, including the well-known Chef Dom, were going to make appearances and offer tastings at varying times, emphasizing one of the destination's best attributes, so they wanted to make sure to create an environment that attracted, engaged, and allowed the chefs to work their magic.

In addition to showcasing the city's culinary richness, HFC's goal with the exhibit was to interact with visitors in charge of planned events and to attract new business.

Houston First Corporation's second project request—the International Pavilion—was also to be standing at The District inside GRB. It was to be a circular booth space 30' in diameter, with fifteen countries on display, a person staffing each station, and different beers from around the world being offered. For the International Pavilion, the request was to have hanging elements for branding with the name of each country represented, as well as counters and small refrigerators for each station.

SOLUTION:
Having worked with 2020 Exhibits many times, and on many interesting projects, Houston First Corporation is very familiar with our creativity, professionalism, and work ethic. We had previously provided them services for PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 in Las Vegas, so they did not hesitate to come back to us yet again.

Paul Casso, Houston First's Vice President of Event Services, expressed, "I have had the good fortune of working with 2020 in different capacities over 20 + years. It's hard to find a team that's more dedicated to serving its clients' needs and delivering outstanding results. Always finding a solution to the challenge and going above and beyond whenever asked."

This time around, they were especially enthusiastic about this project because it was the first time Houston would be a host city for the PCMA, so needless to say, they wanted to make a good impression with all the professional international meeting planners.

From the initial discovery meeting, we understood what our client wanted. We saw their vision from the moment they provided us with the project brief. "The design of the kitchen really depends on placement," their team expressed. With creative freedom and room to play with, we devised the initial design, which they immediately loved, and eventually delivered the winning one.

Following the "World in a City, A City of the World" theme, we designed an open-concept, 40 X 40 Island Exhibit with accessibility throughout. The chef's table was positioned right in the booth's center for greater impact and attractiveness, and per HFC's request, LED tiles were wrapped around it. Two reception counters, also with LED tiles on the bottom, were placed in each exhibit corner.

For major impact, a 9 X 8 LED Wall in an Aluvision frame was placed behind the chef's table, as well as an LED Tower/Oven Wall behind the booth, which doubled as an excellent storage space. For the digital overhead feature, we designed a circular hanging sign with amazing LED tiles to capture attendees' attention from afar. Per our client's request, our design incorporated as many LEDs as possible, so many so that the booth became the exhibit with the most amps drawn at the George R. Brown Convention Center in history, so it was impossible to ignore.

As the icing on the cake, Bistro Tables and elegant Swan Chairs provided two inviting meeting areas with plenty of space for networking and engaging.

For the International Pavilion, Fabric Opaque SEG Graphics were used on the fifteen pillars to represent each country in rich colors. Sintra Fabric Graphics were used for the counters at the bottom. The vibrancy of the graphics made each tower stand out beautifully. Each country's flag effectively showcased and foreshadowed the nation's taste to guests.

RESULTS:
For us, our clients' success is our success. Our ability to deliver beyond their expectations and our excitement to collaborate keeps us going. We are incredibly proud that our collaboration with Houston First reaped excellent results for them. Hearing them say, "We delivered a world-class experience for our guests," makes us extremely happy.

Our two state-of-the-art booths at Convening Leaders 2025 helped Houston First Corporation demonstrate H-Town's capacity for hosting events and its cultural and culinary richness. Best of all, Houston First established new leads for future business. Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First Corporation, reported, "We estimate that we will generate an incremental $200 million in business over the next five years from Hosting Convening Leaders." 2020 Exhibits is delighted to have been a part of that.

CONCLUSION:
With the success of PCMA Convening Leaders 2025, Houston First Corporation demonstrated not only Houston's culinary richness but also its capacity and expertise for hosting events. With the help of our partnership, they executed a world-class experience that garnered an estimated revenue increment of $200 million in the coming five years. Its booth for the campaign "A World in a City, A City of the World," along with its International Pavilion, pulled the audience in and kept it there.

It makes us incredibly proud to have been able to help give Houston the recognition it deserves in the market. When asked about his experience with 2020 Exhibits, Paul Casso said, "There is no better partner to call upon when we need to deliver an exceptional experience and position Houston against a highly competitive market. Coming up with the creative and design elements is half the challenge, but without flawless execution, it would not succeed. I cannot say enough about the 2020 team. We are grateful for the work you all do for Houston First."

As for us, we look forward to continuing to partner with Houston First Corporation for another 20+ years.