$680 million reasons to boast: Annise Parker knows she's raised Houston'scoolness factor

Fiscal year 2009-2010 is in the books, and the numbers are in for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GHCVB). At the bureau's annual meeting Thursday afternoon, members of the bureau gathered at the George R. Brown Convention Center to learn what the past year has brought to Houston.

Not surprisingly, Houston's greatest booster organization boosted itself. Thanks to the aggressive drawing of domestic and international meetings, as well as film and commercial projects, the bureau reports that it generated $680,036,000. Considering the actual expenses of the bureau ($14,586,347) that means a 460 percent return on investment for direct business.

"Looking over the statistics," Mayor Annise Parker said, "I saw that there's been a huge uptick in the amount of international publicity about Houston, and I will say that some of that has to do with the fact that an overwhelming amount of attention was given to my election."

She added, with a wry smile, "If you'll indulge me, I'll take a little bit of credit for raising the coolness factor."

In the midst of a national recession — and despite its summer swelter — Houston has indeed risen as one of the coolest places to host a convention. This year, the bureau continued its usual roster of energy (notably, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists), engineering and medical conventions, but added a few new deals, with Microsoft being the biggest name on the roster.

Throughout the year, the bureau promotes the authentic Houston experience in other major cities like Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. A multimedia component was added to the presentation this year.

The GHCVB has also been exploring new formats to reach visitors. For example, the bureau released an illustrated map with suggestions from celebrities on what Houston spots to hit (Hilary Duff loves Shipley's, while sister Haylie prefers Tootsies).

The bureau's website, VisitHoustonTexas.com continues to add videos featuring native Houstonians like Lyle Lovett — which are also accessible on the new Visit Houston iPhone app. Over the next year, we can expect to see a fresher VisitHoustonTexas.com, with live editorial content and a new design (the blueprints revealed look very DowntownHouston.org — in a good way).

The past fiscal year saw another leap in market expansion with the launch of MyGayHouston.com. What's more, with an increased emphasis on social media, the bureau reported a 22.2 percent increase in hits to its website.

And America is starting to take more and more notice of the Bayou City. The unique Houston culinary tours, "Where the Chefs Eat," were featured in the Washington Post and New York Post. The city's abundance of art was showcased in Condé Nast Traveler and the New York Times highlighted Houston numerous times over the past year.

New areas of interest have popped up in conventions and annual trade shows — Comicpalooza in March of this year, for example. During Parker's address, she noted an increased focus on raising Houston's international recognition. That initiative ranges form the courting of new consulates (Houston added two this year) to the recent filming of a Taiwanese soap opera in town.

"The whole world lives in Houston," Parker told the GHCVB members.

Yet Parker stresses that the greatest promoters of the city are its citizens themselves — just think of how she's promoted the upcoming biker expo.

"When I travel the country, I hear more and more about how impressed people are with the friendliness and openness of Houston," Parker said, asking all Houstonians to consider themselves part of the city's marketing team.