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Visitors who parachute in to Houston for business meetings and immediately return home miss seeing and experiencing many of the improvements that city leaders, private developers and philanthropic donors have made in recent years to boost the area's oft-maligned quality of life.
Local officials helping host a national real estate conference to be held downtown this week are hoping the event - which will draw visitors from as far away as Australia - will soften people's image of Houston.
"One of our goals in hosting the meeting is we wanted to dispel some misperceptions that people might have about Houston," said Ann Taylor, executive director of the Houston and San Antonio chapters of the Urban Land Institute. "If all you do is fly in to the airport and drive to a meeting and drive back, your perception is very different than if you get to ride your bike on Buffalo Bayou or spend time at CityCentre or see some of the museums."
The conference, which takes place Wednesday and Thursday at Hilton Americas-Houston but begins on Monday with a tour of Austin, is the Urban Land Institute's spring meeting, one of two annual conferences held by the nonprofit research and education organization focused on development and land use.
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This will be the first time in more than two decades a national ULI conference will be held in Houston.
"As one of the largest cities in the country, it's been long overdue," said Reid Wilson, a real estate attorney and former district chairman of the institute who has been a longtime advocate of bringing a conference here.
Houston will be able to show off its economic diversification, urban revitalization efforts and infrastructure improvements that have positioned this city as a vibrant place to live and work, officials said.
Read Full Story: Visitors at real estate conference urged to discover Houston
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