The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, sometimes called The Woodlands Pavilion or simply The Pavilion, is a concert amphitheatre located in The Woodlands, Texas, an outer suburb of Houston, Texas. It caters to both the performing arts and contemporary artists and is also available for rental. It is owned and operated by The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands and is a non-profit organization. In March 2014, Huntsman signed a five year contract to be the pavilion's presenting sponsor. The amphitheatre seats 16,500 people and has been the second-most heavily used amphitheater in the world. The venue features 6,500 covered seats and up to 10,000 uncovered lawn capacity. History Civic leaders and members of the Houston Symphony approached The Woodlands founder George P. Mitchell in 1982 indicating a desire to establish a regional summer home for the Houston Symphony in The Woodlands. The facility was envisioned as a place where both performing arts groups and contemporary entertainers could perform. After an initial delay due to the region's economic situation, construction began in June 1989. The Pavilion's opening weekend in late April 1990 featured successive concerts by the Houston Symphony, Frank Sinatra, Alabama, and Clint Black. The original facility provided 3,000 reserved seats and room for 7,000 guests on a sloped grass lawn. Each plaza had one concession stand and restroom. The main entrance was located in the South Plaza, along with a four-window ticket office. In 1994, The Pavilion's Board of Directors decided to expand the capacity and add additional amenities to the existing facility. An expansion plan was implemented to provide 1,900 new, uncovered reserved seats, to increase capacity by 1,100 on the lawn, and to build concession stands on the lawn. Each plaza was enhanced with new restrooms and concession stands. A ten-window ticket office and additional lanes for buses, limousines and vehicle drop-off area were added to the North Plaza as well. In 1998, The Pavilion added new administrative offices for the expanding staff necessary to run a first-class performing arts center. Adjacent to the North Plaza and the Gold Parking Lot, the offices comprise approximately of space for the administrative staff. In conjunction with the office addition, The Pavilion also added a new amenity to the overall facility, The Woodforest Bank Club. The VIP suite and patio are located adjacent to the North Plaza and a new VIP entrance was added to the facility. The