PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As of March 4, 2011, the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) is out of the construction business and immersed in the hospitality business. Boasting one million square feet of usable space and the largest contiguous exhibition space in the northeastern United States, the Convention Center is poised to offer a best-in-class experience for meetings, tradeshows and conventions.
A ribbon-cutting to commemorate the official opening of the expanded space took place today at 10:30am in the grand entrance on North Broad Street.
The $787 million expansion, completed on time and on budget, is the largest public works project ever undertaken by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and launches a new phase in the development of the Philadelphia region’s burgeoning hospitality industry. With the capability to host two conventions simultaneously, the PCCA expects visitor traffic to soar to an estimated 1.5 million per year. Research estimates the building’s expanded capacity will create 2,000 hospitality industry jobs, generate $10 million in income tax revenue for Pennsylvania, and contribute $150 million annually to the regional economy.
The reintroduction of the facility to the meeting planner and conventioneer communities also presents a unique opportunity to showcase the PCCA’s deepened commitment to customer service and first-class hospitality. “Philadelphia has an amazing opportunity to become the standard bearer for the hospitality and tourism industry,” said Ahmeenah Young, president & CEO, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority. “Our ongoing focus is to make sure that the experience each group, attendee and exhibitor has in the Philadelphia region exceeds their greatest expectations.”
Along with significantly increasing local and regional hotel stays and driving the construction of new lodging, the presence of additional attendees will have a positive, measurable impact on the Convention Center District’s nearby communities and attractions. Of particular note is the facility’s dramatic new atrium on North Broad Street, which strategically places the Convention Center "In the Heart of it All" and within walking distance of countless shopping, dining and cultural enrichment destinations.
Thomas A. “Buck” Riley, Jr., Chairman of the PCCA’s Board of Directors, likened the impact of the expansion to “a rock dropped into a pond.” “The work we’re doing is rippling out and having a positive impact on our neighbors. Everything we do is designed to strengthen our business model, support sales efforts, impact the Philadelphia region’s hotel occupancy, increase patronage of businesses, and create stellar conventioneer experiences,” said Riley.
Efforts to book the Convention Center are ongoing and encouraging, especially in the current economy. Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), the major sales and marketing partner for the PCCA, has already booked significant business through 2020. “Today we are taking our level of customer service to greater heights with the opening of an expanded Convention Center,” said Jack Ferguson, president & CEO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The entire city is rolling out the welcome mat. Customers from across the country are buzzing about Philadelphia and expansion. We already have $2.7 billion in future expansion business on the books. On behalf of our 1,000-member businesses we want to offer our congratulations to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the staff of the Pennsylvania Convention Center for delivering a world-class venue for our customers.”
The Convention Center will make immediate use of its new spaces. On March 9, the building welcomes simultaneous occupancy by the Philadelphia International Flower Show and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) convention, which brings with it 3,000 attendees and 8,920 room nights. Following NASPA, from March 18-24, is the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (A.O.R.N.). A.O.R.N. is the first convention to use the entire expanded building, with 14,000 attendees and 27,026 room nights. Combined, these conventions will generate more than $40 million in economic impact in March.
Inside the Convention Center change is also evident. Customer interaction refresher programs are planned for the entire workforce and other on-site support personnel. One of the primary goals of the expansion was to position the facility as the most customer-centered, customer-friendly, technologically advanced convention center of its size. All functional areas have been enhanced, enlarged and empowered to handle the maximum capacity of the building with ease.
Show managers will enjoy meaningful technology upgrades throughout the Convention Center’s footprint, including a five-fold increase in building-wide digital signage, VOIP-enabled show floors, multiple telephone extensions during an event, voicemail and an expanded wireless network available throughout the facility, 1 gigabyte digital bandwidth available to exhibitors and planners, and a total upgrade to the internal computer network. Many amenities remain available, including a complement of full-service audio/visual services, paperless registration, video and audio webcasting, sessions on-demand and video distribution.
An expanded center may play a vital role in unlocking the tremendous potential of the life sciences industry – the number one employer in the region. It is estimated that in the region there are nearly 56,000 highly-skilled life sciences employees, 310,000 support workers more than 400 locally based life sciences companies, and four times the national concentration of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. Life sciences events comprise 50 percent of all meetings and conventions in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter has consistently voiced his administration’s support for the Convention Center’s growth. “The expansion will help to make Philadelphia one of the top cities in the country, a premier city,” he said. “I’m tremendously excited – not just for the city, but the region. More conventions and more businesses will be compelled to come.”
“Hospitality is a highly competitive industry, business travel has been significantly reduced as a result of the economy, and both trade shows and conventions are smaller than in the past. We must have an excellent track record of successful shows and satisfied customers who are motivated to return,” remarked Ahmeenah Young.
For ribbon cutting photos, contact LiRon Anderson-Bell, lkab@crisiscontingency.com or Liz Sullivan, lizs@pcvb.org.