PE.com - Tourism Blog

Convention-al Wisdom

One thing I kept asking myself, and the people I interviewed, for the front page story about Riverside's talk of expanding their convention center is "why bother?" So you don't attract the National Hydrogen Association or the multitude of other trade groups and organizations. Are you really missing out?

Research from an association of convention centers and visitor bureaus (Destination Marketing Association International) says the typical convention-goer spends $262 a day if their meetings lasts about 4 days, including hotel rooms. Cities typically make money off the transient occupancy tax that's tacked onto your hotel bill as you check out.

But the convention center itself doesn't usually cause cash to rain from the sky. It's the people who just got out of a long dreary speaker's panel looking to shop, eat or sleep in a nearby hotel room.

Ted Weggeland, director of Entrepreneurial Hospitality Corp. the company that manages the Riverside Convention Center, said that even with what the city annually pays the group -- $125,000 -- the company barely breaks even making $70,000 in profit annually on average.

-- KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
kpierceall@PE.com