PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Editorial: …When the $1.3 billion taxpayer-funded facility at 12th and Arch streets opened a major new expansion in 2011, the promise was that a new, improved and larger center would draw 20 to 30 large conventions a year. There are 20 major conventions in the facility this year, but the numbers drop quickly after that – down to a mere eight in 2016.
This is bad news, not just for the center but for the region. Conventioneers pump $500 million into the regional economy each year and help sustain thousands of jobs in the hotel and hospitality industry…
To summarize the view of people who organize conventions: The Philadelphia facility is considered too costly, offers too many hassles and cannot deliver services at a reliable and predictable cost. Organizers tell tales of getting bills after the fact that far exceed their estimated costs – mostly due to unforeseen overtime costs… (more)
