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News & Notices
News From:
Commissions
Conference & Stage Expo
For the Record
Stage Expo:
Filling Up
Houston

Helen Willard
Stage Expo Sales Manager

The site of the 48th Annual USITT Conference & Stage Expo in 2008 is the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

Houston is considered a top-tier convention city, and the George R. Brown is one of the largest convention centers in the US, with:

  • 1.2 million square feet of exhibit, meeting and registration space
  • 7 exhibit halls with 862,000 square feet of exhibit space
  • 117 meeting rooms
  • 8 Boardrooms
  • 4 conference rooms
  • An arena with telescopic seating for 6,000
  • A 3,600 seat tiered theatre hall
  • 31,500 square foot ballroom
  • 4 exterior balconies for outdoor receptions
  • 17 show offices
  • 39 freight doors
  • 9 drive in doors
  • 11 freight elevators
  • 66 loading docks

USITT Stage Expo 2008 will take place in Exhibit Hall E, a 130,000-square- foot exhibit hall which was added when the Convention Center's size was nearly doubled in 2003. The large exhibit hall will be jam-packed with exhibits during Stage Expo 2008, as more than 85 percent of the available booth space has already been booked, and special exhibits will include the PQ USA 2007 exhibits.

The headquarters hotel for the 2008 Annual Conference & Stage Expo is the Hilton Americas Hotel, which opened in 2003, has 1,200 rooms, and is connected to the Convention Center by two sky bridges. The hotel's Lanier Grand Ballroom is the city's largest, at 40,000 square feet, and can be divided into as many as 12 rooms. The second hotel ballroom, the Ballroom of the Americas, is 28,000 square feet.

Three restaurants, a full-service health club, pool, and spa are also on site. State-of-the-art technology features are found throughout the hotel, from the ballrooms to guest rooms, including wired and wireless high-speed internet access.

For more information on exhibiting at Stage Expo 2008, please contact hpwillard@aol.com.

The George R. Brown Convention Center is designed to resemble a ship, including red doors with round windows into the meeting rooms. During a recent site visit led by GRB officials, Carolyn Satter, center, and Dan Denhart, right, reviewed the facility. Photo/Barbara E.R. Lucas

Preliminary list of exhibitors for Stage Expo 2008,
as of May 1, 2007:

  • A.C. Lighting Inc.
  • A.C.T Lighting, Inc.
  • American Harlequin Corporation
  • Apollo Design Technology, Inc.
  • Barbizon Lighting Company
  • Ben Nye Makeup
  • California Institute of the Arts
  • Cirque du Soleil
  • City Theatrical, Inc.
  • J.R. Clancy, Inc.
  • Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
  • Clark Transfer, Inc.
  • Clear-Com Communication Systems
  • d&b audiotechnik
  • Dazian Fabrics, LLC
  • Eartec
  • Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC)
  • Entertainment Services & Technology Association (ESTA)
  • Entertainment Technology
  • Feld Entertainment
  • Florida State University
  • Future Light
  • GALA Systems, Inc.
  • GAMPRODUCTS, INC.
  • H & H Specialties Inc.
  • heatshrink.com
  • The Hilliard Corporation
  • HME®
  • I. Weiss
  • IATSE Local 1
  • InterAmerica Stage, Inc.
  • International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
  • Irwin Seating Company
  • Kenmark, Inc.
  • Kryolan Corporation
  • Le Maitre Special Effects Inc.
  • LEE Filters
  • Lehigh Electric Products Co.
  • Leprecon
  • Lex Products Corp.
  • Lighting & Electronics, Inc.
  • Limelight Productions, Inc.
  • Live Design Magazine/LDI Show
  • Look Solutions USA, Ltd.
  • Lycian Stage Lighting
  • Make-Up Designory
  • Martin Professional, Inc.
  • MDG Fog Generators
  • Mehron, Inc.
  • Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc.
  • Mongol Global Tour Company, Inc.
  • Norcostco, Inc.
  • North Carolina School of the Arts
  • University of Oklahoma
  • Oregon Shakespeare Festival
  • The Painter's Journal
  • Penn State University
  • Period Corsets
  • PRG
  • Production Intercom, Inc.
  • Protech Theatrical Services, Inc.
  • RC4 Wireless / Soundsculpture Inc.
  • Robert Juliat
  • Rosco Laboratories, Inc.
  • Rose Brand Theatrical Fabrics, Fabrications & Supplies
  • Sapsis Rigging Entertainment Services, Inc.
  • Sculptural Arts Coating, Inc.
  • SeaChanger by Ocean Optics
  • SECOA
  • Selecon
  • Serapid, Inc.
  • Show Distribution Group Inc.
  • Smooth-On, Inc.
  • Stage Research, Inc.
  • Stage Technologies
  • StageLight, Inc.
  • StageRight Corporation
  • Steeldeck Inc.
  • Strand Lighting
  • Strong Entertainment Lighting
  • Syracuse Scenery & Stage Lighting Co., Inc.
  • Texas Scenic Company
  • Thern Inc.
  • James Thomas Engineering
  • Turning Star Inc.
  • Union Connector Co., Inc.
  • United Scenic Artists Local USA 829
  • Vari-Lite
  • VectorWorks Spotlight by Nemetschek North America
  • Vortek, a division of Daktronics
  • Walt Disney Entertainment
  • Wenger Corporation
  • Wybron, Inc.
  • ZFX, Inc.