Panel pushes idea of convention center in Meadowlands

Saying the Meadowlands sports complex is a prime location for a major convention center, a panel of industry experts Tuesday urged North Jersey business leaders to move swiftly, and think ambitiously, to seize the moment.

The demographics, transportation links, and the existing sports facilities at the complex, as well as the Triple 5 project underway, would combine to draw tens of thousands of people to such a center on a regular basis, speakers at a panel on the subjects convened by the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce said.

Marty Glynn, principal and CEO of Metropolitan Exposition Services, a Moonachie-based company that operates trade shows, said timing is key. New York's biggest convention site, the Jacob K. Javits Center, is rapidly becoming obsolete, he said, because it is too small, with 840,000 square feet of exhibit space, and can't easily handle the logistics of bringing thousands of people in and out of the area.

New Jersey, if it moves quickly, could create the replacement before New York does so, Glynn said.

"Here you have a unique opportunity to beat them to the punch," he said. "The decision time is now. You have got to look at it quick."

The panel, which included developers and operators of convention centers, was part of the annual conference held by the Meadowlands Chamber to promote the area as a tourism destination, this year known as mDest 2014. The event was held at the Meadowlands racetrack.

In August the chamber outlined a "vision plan" for the future of the Meadowlands, which included a 700,000-to-1-million-square-foot convention center and two hotels with 2,000 rooms. But speakers on the panel touted the benefits of a significantly larger convention center.

One of them, Robin Cuneo, executive director of the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, said that the 60,000-square-foot center is constantly busy but loses additional business because its relatively small size leads trade shows that start up in the center to move elsewhere in later years because they need more space.

Another key element, which was the subject of another panel at the event, is the development of casino gambling at the complex. Speakers on the convention center panel said casinos elsewhere, especially in Las Vegas, had proven to be a good complement to convention centers, because trade show attendees fill hotels during the week and casino visitors fill them on the weekend.

"Having a casino adjacent to a convention center marries both businesses very well," said Bob McClintock, chief operating officer and president of the convention center division of SMG, a Pennsylvania-based arena and convention center management company.

McClintock and others said a large convention center would draw visitors that would fill restaurants, stores, hotels and entertainment establishments. McClintock cited the example of a convention held three weeks ago by the Radiological Society of north America in Chicago, which attracted 35,000 attendees for "multiple days."

"Attracting association business is what any city wants," he said. "And that's where you have the unique opportunity."

Source: NorthJersey.com