Wednesday, August 4, 2010

DOWNTOWN HOUSTON SELECTED AS PRIMARY CANDIDATE FOR 2011 HARBOR SAFETY MARITIME SECURITY CONFERENCE

On Tuesday August 3rd the Harbor Safety / Maritime Security (HSMS) Conference planning committee agreed to select historic Downtown Houston as the primary site for the 2011 conference. The date ranges are still being finalized but early May and early June are contenders. The next step will be for the Transportation Research Board to develop and release a request for proposals from potential venues. There are several hotels in the area which may be interested in hosting the conference.  We won't have a final date and venue to report until all responses to the RFP are in, evaluated and a contract signed.

Here is some information on the area from the Houston Downtown Management District:

Downtown Houston is booming thanks to an unprecedented amount of public and private investment-- developers have spent more than $4 billion in the last decade to transform downtown into a vital city center.


Downtown Houston is home to dramatic 20th Century skyscrapers housing the offices where many of downtown’s 140,000 workers are employed, a world-class Theater District, a growing residential population, a popular nightlife scene centered in the Historic District, new light rail, an enhanced convention center and numerous new hotels. It also boasts two state-of-the-art sports facilities that attract millions throughout the year.


The Houston Downtown Management District has facilitated many of the public and private projects that have transformed downtown over the last decade. The District began its revitalization efforts in 1995. To accelerate the renewal of the city's urban core, the District set several important goals with quality of life as the underlying theme: building a lasting constituency for downtown; recruiting investors, retailers and tenants while retaining those already downtown; and making downtown clean, safe and attractive.”

Downtown Houston will no doubt be an excellent location for next year’s conference. Please monitor this Blog closely for additional information. We’ll post it as quickly as it becomes available. In the mean time, you can learn more about Downtown Houston by visiting the area’s website (please note that the Coast Guard does not endorse this website nor any specific business highlighted): http://www.downtownhouston.org/

We look forward to seeing you in Downtown Houston next spring.

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