Sunday, April 25, 2004
Nationwide, convention space grew at 6.6% from 2002 to 2003. The pace of growth is not slowing.
Increasing space and slowing demand makes the conventions center business very comeptitive. Here's a view from Washington State. Go.
Although demand is down nationwide, dozens of cities are building convention centers – one source found that over 60 centers are under construction or being planned, according to industry expert Heywood T. Sanders, professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Many convention centers already built are underperforming.
The problem starts with the "feasibility studies" for these centers. Here's what Sanders has to say:
“I have reviewed over 70 such consultant studies for convention centers. They all say that if you build a new center lots of people will come, spend millions of dollars, create jobs and boost the local economy.
"Those studies are typically based on inadequate data, poor analysis and inappropriate methodologies. If you go back, as I have, and compare how the studies have done in predicting how convention centers have actually done, their track record is remarkably poor.” Read more.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
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The expansion of convention space
