Despite outlook, Convention Center starting '14 strong

Meetings booked for the Pennsylvania Convention Center for this year are expected to generate $729 million in economic impact, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau said Thursday.

Estimated impact is based on projected attendance at the meetings and conventions and total rooms booked. Meetings booked by the organization are expected to generate 484,500 hotel “room nights.”

PHLCVB continues to book short-term group business.

Jack Ferguson, president and CEO of PHLCVB, said the bookings have been a team effort with the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association and SMG, the new private operator of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

“Working with the SMG team and the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, the PHLCVB has strategic and tactical initiatives underway to book even more short-term business at the Convention Center and for the future, with the goal of ensuring that our hotel rooms remain filled,” said Ferguson.

It has been the busiest January in more than five years, the organization said. The American Economic Association (Jan. 3-5), US Lacrosse National Convention (Jan. 10-12), National Soccer Coaches Association of America (Jan. 15-19) and American Library Association (Jan. 24-28) expect to generate $92 million in economic impact.

After years of complaints about labor issues and high costs at the convention center, the next couple years will be a challenge for convention-related businesses.

“The years 2014 through 2016 are challenging years for our industry but we are very optimistic about SMG & the work of the PHLCVB going into the coming year,” Jim Gratton, president of the hotel association, said.

Under SMG, the focus will be on customer service.

“Excellent customer service will be our culture and everyone’s top priority at the Pennsylvania Convention Center this year,” said Lorenz Hassenstein, SMG’s general manager at the convention center. “Importing SMG’s best practices from other properties around the country will ensure fast progress and our team’s eventual success.”

Other notable conventions or trade shows booked for this year:

• East Coast Volleyball (April 12-14)

• American Academy of Neurology (April 26-May 3)

• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. (July 10-18,)

• National Association of Letter Carriers (July 21-25)

• National Society of Hispanic MBA (Sept. 25-27)

• Infectious Diseases Society of America (Oct. 8-12)

• American Society of Nephrology (Nov. 11-16)

• American Society of Cell Biology (Dec. 6-10).

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal