The Guest Program is a social program designed for the enjoyment of the guests of conference registrants. Guest program registration does not give attendees access to any technical symposia or committee meetings. Program details and locations are listed below.
Hilton Americas Hotel, Room 343AB
On Sunday, March 15, guests will enjoy an afternoon to unwind and relax with other Guest Program attendees. The reception will last from 2 to 5 p.m., and food and drinks will be provided.
Hilton Americas hotel
Kick off CORROSION 2020 at the Hilton Americas hotel on Sunday evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with conference attendees and exhibitors. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
Hilton Americas Hotel, Room 346
All Guest Program registrants are invited to enjoy an expanded continental breakfast at the Hilton Americas Hotel on Monday through Thursday, serving from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Breakfast is only available to those that have registered for the Guest Program. No other registrations for the conference will be permitted to partake in the breakfast.
Guest Program registrants may pick up their badges at the CORROSION 2020 registration desk located in Exhibit Hall D in the George R. Brown Convention Center. On-site registration for the Guest Program will be conducted during regular conference registration times. The Guest Program badge is your “ticket” to the Guest Program activities and the CORROSION 2020 Expo Grand Opening.
Note: Only guests who wish to attend the “guest program” activities or the Expo Grand Opening are required to register for the Guest Program.
Space is limited on each tour. Tickets must be purchased in advance. If a minimum is not met a tour is subject to cancellation.
Saturday, March 14
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This tour will take you to Space Center Houston. As the Official Visitor Center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston is the only place on Earth that gives guests an out-of-this-world journey through human adventures in space. Since 1992, this $75 million, 180,000 square foot, ‘edu-tainment’ complex has entertained and informed over 11 million star-struck guests from every corner of the globe.
The tour will include a visit to Independence Plaza, which contains the historic shuttle carrier aircraft NASA 905 with the high-fidelity shuttle replica Independence mounted on top. This is the only place on earth where you can actually board a space shuttle!
Then journey into space with the film "On Human Destiny" at the Destiny Theater. View artifacts and hardware on display in the Starship Gallery and trace the progression of America's Manned Space Flight. This incredible collection includes: an original model of the Goddard Rocket; the actual Mercury Atlas 9 "Faith 7" capsule flown by Gordon Cooper; the Gemini V Spacecraft piloted by Pete Conrad and Gordon Cooper; a Lunar Roving Vehicle Trainer, the Apollo 17 Command Module, the giant Skylab Trainer, and the Apollo-Soyuz Trainer.
Also available is a NASE Tram Tour. This 90-minute journey behind-the-scenes at Johnson Space Center includes stops at several NASA facilities including Mission Control, Astronaut Training Facilities and Rocket Park where you will see the biggest, fastest, most powerful rocket in the world at The Saturn V Experience
Price: $105 USD per person, 20 person minimum
Sunday, March 15
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Take a tour of Houston – the 4th largest city in the United States. It’s one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., with people flocking here from all over the world. Explore Houston’s history, culture and diversity through this art tour. Your certified professional tour guide will entertain you with great stories, history and culture while exploring the magnificent and abundant art.
You will drive through Downtown Houston which boasts of a beautiful modern skyline intensified by public art installations by Miro, Dubuffet and Mel Chin – just to mention a few. The skyline is a work of art in itself with the designs of architects like Phillip Johnson, John Burgee, I.M. Pei, Joseph Finger and Alfred Finn.
Walk through the magnificent lobby of Chase Bank, one of the finest examples of Art Deco Architecture in the city and explore the HOUSTON TUNNEL SYSTEM – a city within a city under the streets of downtown Houston. Visit the famed Art Car Museum full of imaginative and artfully constructed art cars, low riders and mobile contraptions.
Visit the Menil Collection - John and Dominique de Menil began actively collecting art in the 1940s, ultimately amassing nearly 16,000 paintings, sculptures, decorative objects, prints, drawings, photographs, and rare books.
Drive through the amazing River Oaks neighborhood where the "who's who" of Houston makes their home. Be awed by the mansions and beautiful gardens owned by oil millionaires, doctors, bankers, lawyers, and business owners.
Drive through The Texas Medical Center – the largest medical center in the world. Learn the fascinating story of the how it began and how it has become one of the most renowned medical centers in the world with emphasis on cancer and the heart. Cross over to the Rice University campus – the Ivy League school of the southwest. Hear the scandalous story about the school that was built as a result of the discovery of William Marsh Rice’s murder in the year 1900.
Price: $70 per person, 20 person minimum
Monday, March 16
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Galveston Island is a small romantic island tucked deep within the heart of south Texas. It has been explored and occupied since the early 1500's and was once known as the richest city in Texas, considered "the Wall Street of the Southwest," and the "Ellis Island of the Southwest." It has seen its share of calamities, yet the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, the 1900 Storm, could not erase the tranquility of a Galveston sunset.
Begin with a tour of the island. Your professional tour guide will entertain you with fascinating stories about the island's history, events, and characters. Drive by the "Broadway Beauties", an amazing group of historic homes which portray early 20th century family life among Galveston’s most elite. Enjoy ghost stories-since Galveston is considered one of the most haunted cities in America! Drive past whimsical tree sculptures that have replaced the majestic oaks that were destroyed during Hurricane Ike in 2008 and once lined many neighborhoods. Stop for lunch at the Sunflower Bakery, on your own. Stop at the Strand, where you will have time for shopping and sightseeing. The Strand National Historic Landmark District was the heart of Galveston in the late 1800s and early 1900s when its star was bright and it was full of great promise, the "New York of Texas". This district offers marvelous downtown shopping, numerous antique stores and incredible art galleries, in a fabulous setting among one of the largest and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the country. Other features that give the Strand its unique and romantic charm are the high curbs, the overhanging canopies that were meant to shade the streets, and the horse drawn carriages that pass slowly in the streets, at so much slower a pace that the automobiles of today. Lunch is included at the Sunflower Bakery.
Price: $115 per person, 20 person minimum, includes lunch
Tuesday, March 17
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Step back in time and check out Old Town Spring. Old Town Spring is located 40 minutes north of Downtown Houston in Spring, Texas. It is a historic 1900s railroad town that has been completely transformed into a unique shopping and eating destination open year-round. Dozens of shops, restaurants, museums, and art galleries line the streets, inviting customers to explore the turn of the century town and truly get lost in time. You will find a variety of antiques, collectibles, clothing and accessories for the home and gifts for all occasions. The merchants of Old Town Spring literally travel the globe in search of unique and unusual wares for their shops. Browse fun shops like The Blue Giraffe, Cupcake Fabrics & Quilts, Keller Candle Company and more. Enjoy a leisurely lunch, on your own, at one of the many restaurants offering a tempting array of menus. You will want to return again and again.
Price: $80 per person, 20 person minimum, lunch on own
Wednesday, March 18
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Visit the World’s Tallest Column Monument. The San Jacinto Monument is taller than the Washington Monument and commemorates the Battle of San Jacinto (1836) in which Texas won its independence from Mexico. Walk the battlefield that gave birth to the American West! Discover our nation's past among the museum's many exhibits and antiquities. You can ascend on a nearly 500-foot elevator ride to the observation deck and overlook the sprawling grounds where one of the most decisive battles in our nation’s history took place.
Drive past or visit the USS Battleship Texas – commissioned in 1914. The operational career of the Texas spanned a period of over 30 years, played a major role in two world wars, and helped to establish a strong national defense posture during the peacetime period between the wars. This tour will take you past the Port of Houston and miles of the largest petrochemical manufacturing complex in the Americas and you will see why Houston is considered the Energy Capital of the World! Continue your drive past the vast petrochemical complex along Galveston Bay to enjoy lunch on the water.
Nestled along the scenic Kemah Boardwalk, there are many restaurants that serve fresh Gulf coast seafood, succulent steaks and mouthwatering desserts, all with the most scenic views of Galveston Bay. The Kemah Boardwalk features entertaining midway games, rides and gorgeous views.
Price: $130 per person, 20 person minimum, access to museum in monument, lunch at Landry’s in Kemah is included. Observation Floor elevator ride is not included (tickets can be purchased on-site)
