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In The News

A Meeting in the Middle

23 November 2009

tradeshow convention Minneapolis Leslie Wright Convention Center

Featuring affordable cities and venues with vast expanses of showfloor, this seven-state region is one to be recognized.

By Joalien Johnson -- Tradeshow Week, 11/23/2009

A new year is about to start, one in which most, if not all, convention and meetings facilities are hoping for a recovery from the economic downturn that negatively has affected too many shows in too many regions, including the Midwest.

Officials at facilities in many of this expansive area's cities said the past year has been a difficult one, but in 2010, there are new bookings and construction projects in the works.

In Minneapolis, the region's busiest city in terms of tradeshow business, meetings and shows will remain consistent with recent years, according to Leslie Wright, senior vice president of destination sales at Meet Minneapolis.

The city's bookings were down about 20 percent this year, compared with last year, with a decrease in short-term bookings and overall tradeshow attendance. However, no shows were canceled, and the average daily room rate at the city's hotels is expected to rise 2 percent next year.

"In a broad sense, we are holding our own as a result of tradeshows that were already booked into Minneapolis prior to the economic downturn," Wright said.

As for events and projects on tap for the city, in April, it will host more than 12,000 attendees at the Natl. Catholic Education Assn.'s NCEA Convention & Expo and more than 5,000 attendees at the Northern Lights Qualifier Volleyball Tournament. In October, there will be more than 9,000 attendees at the Natl. Recreation and Park Assn.'s NRPA Annual Congress & Exposition.

Minneapolis also will be able to show off its recently completed TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota and the new Twins stadium, Target Field, slated for completion next year. "Our sports infrastructure has improved greatly," Wright said.

In Kansas City, Mo., meetings business also has been down, according to Bill Bohde, vice president of convention sales at the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Assn. Even so, the city known for its many fountains hasn't seen as steep a decline in business as others because it attracts so many religious and educational meetings.

"We, much like every other city, are struggling," Bohde said, citing show cancellations because of the economy, a slower booking pace and decreased attendance. "But, those big in the corporate high-tech segment are seeing greater fall-offs than we are."

Bohde said the city hosted 16 large-scale shows this year and is up about 50 percent for next year, with 27 major events scheduled, including the Natl. Baptist Convention's Annual Session of the Natl. Baptist Convention, USA in September, as well as the American Academy of Family Physicians Natl. Conference and the Natl. Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People's Annual Convention, both in July.

Hotel occupancy also is expected to increase to between 55 to 57 percent next year, a couple of percentage points higher than this year.

In addition, city officials are able to boast about $4.5 billion in completed infrastructure improvement in the past three years, a performing arts center slated to open in 2011 and a 1,000-room convention hotel development project that is in the feasibility study stage.

"2010 is going to be a good year for us," Bohde said.

About 185 miles northwest of Kansas City, in Omaha, Neb., much of the same economic downturn-related declines experienced in other cities also were felt to a great degree, except for one: attendance.

According to Dana Markel, executive director of the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau, the city has run into fierce competition from larger first-tier cities it ordinarily wouldn't be going up against. That competition has forced Omaha authorities to be creative in attracting new business. Still, many of its conventions held this year reported increased attendance, compared with last year.

Deborah Ward, director of marketing and PR at the OCVB said she believes steady attendance can be attributed to Omaha's location, amenities and efforts taken by the city to promote itself. "A lot of times, the year prior to a meeting our services department will travel ... to promote the city and get attendees excited," she said.

One of the city's shows that experienced an increase of about 100 attendees, from 1,711 last year to 1,805 this year, was the Annual Convention of the American Assn. of Bovine Practitioners, according to Gatz Riddell, executive vice president of the association. "In the current economic times, a larger meeting than the previous two years (in Charlotte, N.C., and Vancouver, British Columbia) was a pleasant and unexpected surprise,"he said.

As for projects on tap for the city, in 2011, a $126 million ballpark adjacent to the 194,000 square foot Qwest Center Omaha is scheduled for completion.

Headed eastward, in Des Moines, Iowa, the bad - last-minute bookings and a drop in corporate business travel - has come with the good - strong association group business and increased attendance expected next year.

According to Vickie Comegys, vice president of sales and services at the Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau, the city is the international headquarters for more than 70 insurance and finance companies and, therefore, has seen a drop in corporate business. However, the state's groups that once held meetings outside of Iowa now aren't traveling as far to get together. "Our surveys for the last few months show that state association meetings and tradeshows are staying strong, with some increases," Comegys said.

Right now, she added, 145 meetings and tradeshows with more than 50 peak room nights are on tap for Des Moines next year, compared with 144 events with the same number of peak room nights scheduled at this time a year ago.

"We are right on pace," Comegys said. "The room nights for 2010 are actually ahead of pace by 10,000 rooms from 2009."

Some of the largest events set to take place in the city next year include the Pheasants Forever Natl. Pheasant Fest, which is expected to attract 25,000 people in February, and the Gold Wing Road Riders Assn.'s Wing Ding, which is expected to fill 9,000 hotel rooms in June and is experiencing exhibit sales that are 50 percent higher than the last edition.

"We feel that attendance will increase, ... and part of that is because of our central location in the United States," Comegys said.

The city's biggest construction project underway at the moment is a renovation of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, attached to the Iowa Events Center Hy-Vee Hall. The auditorium will be converted to ballroom meeting space, accompanied by 22 meeting rooms, that can be used for tradeshows.

Last, but not least, in St. Louis, though business could be better, the city's affordability has saved it from the economic downturn-related effects felt in other places, according to Steve Stickford, senior vice president of sales and services at the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.

"The economic downturn has affected us, just as it has affected every other destination, but it's been to a much lesser extent here," he said.

Through early November, the CVC booked 453 groups for this year. So far for next year, it has booked 212. The city also recently gained seven new citywide events for 2011 through 2013.

Next year, the city, which has undergone $3.7 billion in development in the last decade, looks forward to hosting the Church of God in Christ's Holy Convocation in November, the United Methodist Women's Assembly in April and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's biennial Intl. Conference in July.

"We had a good base of business on the books for 2009 and have an even better 2010," Stickford said.

City No. of shows

Minneapolis 47

Kansas City, Mo. 29

Omaha, Neb. 14

Des Moines, Iowa 14

Overland Park, Kan. 12

St. Louis 12

Venue No. of shows

Minneapolis Convention Center 25

Kansas City (Mo.) Conventions & Entertainment Facilities 10

St. Charles (Mo.) Convention Center 10

America's Center (St. Louis) 10

Qwest Center Omaha (Neb.) 10

Source: 2010 TSW Data Book