Convention Center progress

This piece is by Buck Riley

, chairman, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority; Nick DeBenedictis, chairman, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau; Stephanie Naidoff, director of commerce, city of Philadelphia, and Michael J. Masch, secretary of the budget, state of Pennsylvania.

THE GOOD NEWS about the Pennsylvania Convention Center has not been getting the attention it deserves: the expanded center will keep Philadelphia a leader in convention business, generating thousands of jobs and millions in spending.

The expansion project is now becoming a physical reality - and our four organizations are committed to working together to make the expanded Convention Center a great success.

At $700 million, the expansion is the commonwealth's biggest capital project ever. Before committing those funds, we worked hard to understand the value of this investment. We learned that the expanded Convention Center will have extraordinary economic benefits for our region - benefits that we cannot responsibly walk away from, and more than justify the project.

Hundreds of thousands of convention attendees each year already enjoy the greater Philadelphia region's hotels, historical sites, cultural amenities, restaurants and shopping. In 2006 alone, events booked by the Convention and Visitors Bureau generated more than $900 million in regional economic impact.

But in this business, standing still really means moving backward. We want Philadelphia to compete with "blue chip" cities such as New York, Boston, and Washington - not to become a second tier destination.

The center's sellable space will be increased to 1 million square feet, including 541,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space - the largest hall in the Northeast. Philadelphia will then be able to host a convention at the same time as the auto show, for example, or a major trade show.

Our customers tell us they want to use this new space, and to get it built as quickly as possible. More than 20 major post-expansion conventions are already booked, representing more than $1 billion worth of business.

The expansion means construction jobs - 1,565 jobs per year, on average, for three years.

It also means permanent jobs, including 2,000 new hospitality industry jobs when operational.

And jobs are not the only benefits: the Convention and Visitors Bureau projects that the new space will help generate sales of another 280,000 hotel room nights annually, pumping more than $340 million into the regional economy.

The economic benefits of the expansion are not the only good news. Construction is now moving forward: demolition began on Aug. 15, and all the land has been acquired. Construction drawings and specifications are almost complete, and the first of two bid packages will be released shortly.

THE RECENT progress on the expansion is a result of our cooperative efforts of all of our organizations. We have faced challenges, but are united in our determination to successfully construct the expansion project and to continue to run a successful convention center.

We understand that we need to deliver a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility, but it is just as important that we manage this facility effectively and efficiently, and keep our existing customers happy while attracting new ones.

We - the Convention Center Authority, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the city and the commonwealth - are not only working together now to pave the way for a smooth construction project, but we're in the process of formally committing ourselves to the work necessary for the successful operation and marketing of the expanded Convention Center.

Realizing the full potential of our expanded center is going to require hard work in the coming years, but we also believe that that the entire Philadelphia region should be aware of the exciting progress happening now: bi-partisan and inter-governmental commitments to funding the expansion, the physical progress on site and our joint assurance that this investment will maximize returns for the city, the region and the state. *