The NRG Center hosts various events year-round, including portions of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which maintains its offices on the second floor of the building.
The grand opening of the facility was on April 12, 2002, with the Houston Auto Show.
The facility the technological infrastructure capable of providing high-speed internet access, pre-wired fiber optic cabling backbone, on-site production facilities, 120 television monitors, as well as web-casting abilities.
In September 2005, the center hosted several thousand refugees from Hurricane Katrina when the Astrodome was declared full.
The OTC is a large event in the technology of offshore exploration and production of energy resources and associated environmental protection, with attendance in tens of thousands attendees.