The NRG Center (former name Reliant Center) is a convention center in Houston, Texas, United States. It is part of the

NRG Park NRG Park, formerly Reliant Park and Astrodomain, is a complex in Houston, named after the energy company NRG Energy. It is located on Kirby Drive at the South Loop West Freeway (I-610). This complex of buildings encompasses of land and consists ...

complex that was constructed around the

NRG Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

and

NRG Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...

. The NRG Center hosts various events year-round, including portions of the

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also called RodeoHouston or abbreviated HLSR, is the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo in the world. It includes one of the richest regular-season professional rodeo events. It has been held at NRG Sta ...

, who maintains its offices on the second floor of the building. The grand opening of the facility was on April 12, 2002, with the

Houston Auto Show The Houston Auto Show is an annual, 5 day long auto show that takes place in January at NRG Park. The show attracts many of the biggest automobile manufacturers. Each year, over 500 of the newest model year import and domestic vehicles, alternativ ...

. Hermes Reed Architects was the architect for the facility. On March 12, 2014, the Reliant Center was renamed to the NRG Center.

The facility

The convention floor runs over in length, while total building size is long and wide, with a total area of . The facility features over of contiguous single-level exhibition space, which is divisible into 11 separate halls, ranging in size from . The 61 meeting rooms are configurable into over 100 variations, and the two largest meeting rooms are . Each meeting room has its own dedicated sound, lighting and networking capabilities. There are also 118 loading bays, a marshalling area with over for shuttle transportation, and over of registration space. The facility the technological infrastructure capable of providing

high-speed internet Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet ...

access, pre-wired

fiber optic An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...

cabling backbone, on-site production facilities, 120 television monitors, as well as web-casting abilities.

Uses

Along with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, NRG Center hosts some of the largest conventions and trade shows in Houston. Some examples of these events are the Offshore Technology Conference, The Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows, Nutcracker Market, Houston Auto Show, International Gem & Jewelry Show, The Vans Warped Tour, Houston Gun Collector's and Antique Show, and the Houston Boat, Sport, and Travel Show, to name a few. In September 2005, the center hosted several thousand refugees from Hurricane Katrina when the Astrodome was declared full. Reliant Center hosted

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

's ''

WrestleMania Axxess WrestleMania Axxess is a professional wrestling fan convention held by WWE during the week of WrestleMania. The event typically runs for four days—from Thursday to WrestleMania Sunday—and features WWE talent and alumni autograph signings, int ...

'' event from April 2 to April 5, in 2009, where fans met their favorite wrestlers in the buildup to ''

WrestleMania XXV WrestleMania 25 (also marketed as The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and written as WrestleMania 25th Anniversary) was the 25th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) ...

'' at the

on April 5. On 30 August 2017, the NRG Center again became a relief shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, after the George R. Brown Convention Center went over capacity.

OTC

From 2003, the

Offshore Technology Conference Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is a series of conferences and exhibitions, focused on the exchanging technical knowledge relevant to the development of offshore energy resources, primarily oil and natural gas. It was founded in 1969. There a ...

is held at the NRG Center. The OTC is a large event in the technology of offshore exploration and production of energy resources and associated environmental protection, with attendance in tens of thousands attendees.

References

{{coord, 29.68768, -95.406325, display=t, type:landmark Event venues established in 2002 Buildings and structures in Houston Tourist attractions in Houston 2002 establishments in Texas