Houston to host inaugural AAPI National Convention – Houston Business Journal

The first-ever AAPI National Convention Houston will be held July 27 at the Marriott Marquis downtown.

The inaugural event aims to bring together Asian American and Pacific Islander groups from across the country and marks a continued rise in conventions in Houston.

“The impact is incalculable. It’s growing as we talk. So it will be a significant economic impact,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said at a June 5 press conference. “I don’t know where the next years will be, with this being the first, but I bet we could talk to somebody about coming back to Houston and maybe keeping it as a home convention.”

The convention is expected to have a multiplier effect in terms of economic impact as visitors will use local transportation, such as Uber, hotels, retail, and restaurants, Whitimire said.

“I think we’ll see investments as people come around from the country and see what kind of momentum and energy we have in economics in Houston,” he said.

Whitmire announced the convention with leadership from the City of Houston Mayor’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Advisory Board.

“When we started working at the advisory board, we decided that this would be one of our main goals: within a year, trying to bring a national convention to Houston. And that’s exactly what we’ve been able to do,” Advisory Board Chair Nomaan Husain. “We are one of the most diverse cities in America; there are more languages spoken here than any other city in America, and we invite everybody in this community and outside of the community to participate at the convention.”

The convention is one of the first to bring multiple different AAPI industry associations and organizations from across the country under one roof and will have sessions focusing on various industries, said Muhammad Saeed Sheik, the board convention chair. There will also be sessions focused on growing representation, tackling discrimination, celebrating AAPI heritage and building a more inclusive future.

The AAPI population represents 7.1% of Harris County’s population, or 324,260 people, according to 2020 data gathered by Asian Pacific Islander American Vote. Neighboring Fort Bend County’s AAPI population accounts for 20% of its population, or 147,700 people.

The AAPI population in the U.S. has grown by 137% since the turn of the century, according to APIA Vote.

The convention is expected to draw more than 800 attendees, Sheik said.

The event adds to an increase in conventions coming to Houston, which was named the second-best city in Texas to hold a conference behind San Antonio, according to a 2022 Smart Asset ranking. Houston was ranked ninth overall in the nation.

Secaucus, New Jersey-based Northstar Meetings Group also has named Houston a top U.S. convention destination. Most recently, Houston ranked No. 6 on the 2023 Convention Cities Index, but it previously climbed to the No. 3 spot in 2021 and then No. 2 in 2022.

More than 51 million people visited Houston last year, up more than 5% from 2022, according to Houston First Corp., the organization tasked with promoting the city’s convention and tourism industries.

Other major conventions are already scheduled for the near future, with the 2028 Republican National Convention set to be in Houston and the Professional Convention Management Association convention arriving next year.