Pope's visit gives Phila., region a chance to shine

This September Pope Francis and more than two million visitors will come to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families (WMF).

For the last several months, our Chamber has been communicating with officials at the Archdiocese or Philadelphia, VisitPhilly.com, the Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, and local tourism bureaus. We've held meetings and a forum to help Chester County hotels, restaurants, caterers, bus and limousine companies, and many other businesses learn about WMF, and meet with the archdiocese and tourism executives.

Why would we do this? Why would we care? Why should the suburbs care?

We care because these two million people will need places to sleep and eat and they will need transportation. And, naturally, we want our county's businesses to be showcased and benefit from the multimillion-dollar economic shot-in-the-arm that is certain to come.

But, an even better reason for our organization to be engaged in this event — as well as already preparing for the Democratic National Convention in 2016 — is because the WMF is a week-long commercial for the Philadelphia region. For that week, media from around the world will be here. Yes, they will cover the pope's arrival, his itinerary, and his remarks. But they will also cover the visitors, talk about the city, our region, where their locals will be staying, eating, and more.

For one week, the world — literally, the world — will see our region; many for the first time. We intend to show ourselves to be a top-flight U.S. city worthy of being a national and international destination.

While the visitors will be focused on the pope and the conference, they will eat, sleep and travel across the region. How well they sleep, eat, travel, and navigate will play a large role in what they think of Philadelphia. And, in 2015, it's not only what they will say to their friends and family when they get home. They will be posting live — on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter — during their stay.

Will they be smiling in their selfies on the Parkway or at the Liberty Bell? Or in Valley Forge National Historical Park or at Longwood Gardens?

We care — our members care — because we are not only good citizens, but also smart capitalists.

We want the WMF to be a successful event in the eyes of the media and all attendees because they will indeed tell their friends and family.

Some of these people will be corporate executives or trade group presidents, who decide where to open East Coast offices or hold training seminars and national conferences. We should all want them to think about our region — our restaurants and B&Bs, our museums and parks, and our corporate office parks — when they return home.

If we work together, if we work collaboratively, we will not only have a successful WMF, but, we also will reap the benefits for years.

We will increase our tourism, welcome new businesses, and create new jobs. Long after our September visitors have departed, we will all be cheering from downtown Philly to Downingtown and beyond.

Guy Ciarrocchi is the president and CEO of the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry. guy@cccbi.org
Joel Frank is the chamber's board chairman and the managing partner at Lamb McErlane PC. jfrank@lambmcerlane.com