The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors approved a request for a study regarding the amount of hotel and convention space available in The Woodlands on June 18 following concerns that existing space may no longer support growing convention needs.

Two-minute impact

Nick Wolda, president of the CVB, which does business as Visit The Woodlands, said the last meeting and convention space study was done in 2020, and the area has since seen growth in international conventions holding events in The Woodlands.

"There are some conventions that we're missing out on because we just don't have enough hotel rooms or hotel space to do those," Wolda said. "We are an organization that's very concerned and very active in bringing new businesses here, bringing new meeting groups in here. How are we positioned in the next five years, 10 years, 20 years from now is what we'd like to see."

The scope of the study will include looking at multiple factors impacting convention and hotel space usage, Wolda said, including:

• Annual convention attendance growth
• Regional hotel/convention space competition
• Event booking capacity

The study will also look at the potential economic impact of adding additional convention space in The Woodlands as well as the effect if no action on additional space is taken.

Next steps

The deadline for companies to submit bids to take on the study is set for July 31, Wolda said, with a goal of approving a contract with The Woodlands CVB by Aug. 20. Once a company is selected, the actual study regarding hotel and convention space in The Woodlands will begin, Wolda said.