IF THE Pennsylvania Convention Center were an ocean liner, it would be taking on water and listing badly.
When the $1.3 billion taxpayer-funded facility at 12th and Arch streets opened a major new expansion in 2011, the promise was that a new, improved and larger center would draw 20 to 30 large conventions a year. There are 20 major conventions in the facility this year, but the numbers drop quickly after that - down to a mere eight in 2016.
This is bad news, not just for the center but for the region. Conventioneers pump $500 million into the regional economy each year and help sustain thousands of jobs in the hotel and hospitality industry.
Yesterday, the 15-member board of the state-owned center voted to take what its chairman said was an "important first step" in righting the ship - hiring a new captain.
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