2 hours ago, VintageLife said:

Columbus does have tourist. Anytime there is any kind of event at the convention center it brings in tourist. They will likely get Starbucks since they are used to it and know what they want. The majority of Ohio state grads are more likely to stop into a local spot. 

That is not enough tourism to make tourists have that much of an impact on anything here. A massive percentage of those conventions at the convention center are local related events and all those people are from here, the immediate area or from other parts of Ohio. The Arnold is really the only event there where you as a local resident might need to adjust your plans if you normally are in that area.

 

These numbers we are seeing about tourism in the Greater Columbus Area (note it's the entire area, not the city) are quite questionable to say the least. Columbus area really had more tourists in 2024 than Las Vegas? I don't believe that for one second.

10 minutes ago, TIm said:

That is not enough tourism to make tourists have that much of an impact on anything here. A massive percentage of those conventions at the convention center are local related events and all those people are from here, the immediate area or from other parts of Ohio. The Arnold is really the only event there where you as a local resident might need to adjust your plans if you normally are in that area.

 

These numbers we are seeing about tourism in the Greater Columbus Area (note it's the entire area, not the city) are quite questionable to say the least. Columbus area really had more tourists in 2024 than Las Vegas? I don't believe that for one second.

 

Some events are fairly local, some are regional, and some are national. Regardless, they bring thousands of people at a time to the area that don't live in the area. Even something like a Central Ohio volleyball tournament is going to bring a thousand people to the area that don't otherwise come to the area. They aren't tourists in the traditional sense, but they are people coming to the area that wouldn't otherwise be in the area. 

5 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

Some events are fairly local, some are regional, and some are national. Regardless, they bring thousands of people at a time to the area that don't live in the area. Even something like a Central Ohio volleyball tournament is going to bring a thousand people to the area that don't otherwise come to the area. They aren't tourists in the traditional sense, but they are people coming to the area that wouldn't otherwise be in the area. 

A few thousand people coming into one part of the city occasionally isn't significant enough to base any long term business decisions on. You literally don't even notice most of these events, only if you happen to be driving in the immediate few blocks around the convention center and go "sure are a lot of cheerleaders today". Other than that, it's quite localized to that immediate area.

There are some restaurants in the AD that say they are dependent on events but not necessarily tourists.

25 minutes ago, GCrites said:

There are some restaurants in the AD that say they are dependent on events but not necessarily tourists.

I think a lot of people overestimate how many people attend these niche conferences as well. I was just at one earlier this month for the biggest third-party food safety certification in the world which has existed since 1994. It was the biggest conference they have ever hosted. There were 800 people in attendance.

31 minutes ago, TIm said:

I think a lot of people overestimate how many people attend these niche conferences as well. I was just at one earlier this month for the biggest third-party food safety certification in the world which has existed since 1994. It was the biggest conference they have ever hosted. There were 800 people in attendance.

 

There aren't 9 hotels with a 10th currently under construction, and a need for even more, because the convention center hosts a few niche conferences. There aren't three pricey steak houses within spitting distance of the convention center, with more a short walk away, because it isn't the biggest draw in the downtown area. No, we aren't overestimating how many people the convention center brings to the downtown/AD/SN area on a weekly basis. On the day you went to your event at the convention center, there were probably one or two other events happening as well.

 

Just take a look at the calendar and see how much they host. Click on any event and you can see the anticipated attendance. https://columbusconventions.com/calendar/

11 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

There aren't 9 hotels with a 10th currently under construction, and a need for even more, because the convention center hosts a few niche conferences. There aren't three pricey steak houses within spitting distance of the convention center, with more a short walk away, because it isn't the biggest draw in the downtown area. No, we aren't overestimating how many people the convention center brings to the downtown/AD/SN area on a weekly basis. On the day you went to your event at the convention center, there were probably one or two other events happening as well.

 

Just take a look at the calendar and see how much they host. Click on any event and you can see the anticipated attendance. https://columbusconventions.com/calendar/

Yeah I've seen the calendar, that's exactly what made me leave the comment I did. Even three events at one conference center, that's potentially only a few thousand people in attendance between all events. The convention center hosts a ton of niche conferences and events and a very small amount of big events. That's just how it is I don't know why we are trying to make it more than what it is here, on average these conferences are not brining the quantity of people you seem to think they are to the area. They are making all of these improvements to the area to attract bigger conferences, that was literally the entire point of Hilton 2.0, Columbus wasn't even a consideration for big events because we lacked even a single 1,000 room hotel. And the construction of Hilton 2.0 hasn't changed that, they still really haven't drawn anything noteworthy in since that construction but sure have maintained what they had.

1 hour ago, TIm said:

Yeah I've seen the calendar, that's exactly what made me leave the comment I did. Even three events at one conference center, that's potentially only a few thousand people in attendance between all events. The convention center hosts a ton of niche conferences and events and a very small amount of big events. That's just how it is I don't know why we are trying to make it more than what it is here, on average these conferences are not brining the quantity of people you seem to think they are to the area. They are making all of these improvements to the area to attract bigger conferences, that was literally the entire point of Hilton 2.0, Columbus wasn't even a consideration for big events because we lacked even a single 1,000 room hotel. And the construction of Hilton 2.0 hasn't changed that, they still really haven't drawn anything noteworthy in since that construction but sure have maintained what they had.

This is just one example of a big conference that was booked after the completion of Hilton 2.0. Of course you haven’t seen any massive ones yet, they usually are booked years in advance. I think two things can be true and some of us could be over estimating the amount of people conventions bring in and some might be underestimating it. 
 

Future Business Leaders of America Selects Columbus for Its 2027 National Leadership Conference

Columbus hosted the Pokémon North America International Championships for 2022 and 2023 which brought in thousands of people from all around the country. I think that's a pretty big deal considering we beat out several large cities for the convention.  

 

Living on High Street in the Short North, I'm always seeing so many people walking on High street with conference name badges on. Usually at least once a week. You can definitely tell it gets busy with people visiting our city to explore. 

5 hours ago, VintageLife said:

This is just one example of a big conference that was booked after the completion of Hilton 2.0. Of course you haven’t seen any massive ones yet, they usually are booked years in advance. I think two things can be true and some of us could be over estimating the amount of people conventions bring in and some might be underestimating it. 
 

Future Business Leaders of America Selects Columbus for Its 2027 National Leadership Conference

They also had that big dental one right when it opened. And it annually hosts the largest transportation engineering conference in the country each October...

12 hours ago, columbus17 said:

They also had that big dental one right when it opened. And it annually hosts the largest transportation engineering conference in the country each October...

 

Lol. Comparing the Future Business Leaders Conference to the Dental and OTEC?  Over 16000 attendees vs under 3000. Pokemon was also under 3000. 

 

The Annual Cultivate Convention is closer with over 10k attendees. Origins had over 17k last year and that's annual.  And whether or not many are local, they're still eating and filling up hotels. 

 

Then there's the Arnold. 

 

That speaks to the point of being the largest convention of its type or trade doesn't always mean alot in comparison. It's still thousands of people who wouldn't otherwise be in this area a week if it wasn't for the convention center and thay helps. 

 

And yet, none of these contribute to the local economy more than Quarter Horse Congress.  (650,000 attendees and over $400 million into the local economy annually. Easier to do over a multi week event but still) 

 

There are cities that build entire economies around one or two large events a year. Hotels who remain in business for just a handful of sell out weekends a year. So as long as the convention center is landing a couple MAJOR conferences a year, the growth will continue and the neighborhoods will benefit, some weeks more than others. And this is not to say conventions of hundreds or a couple thousand are not contributive because they absolutely are. 

 

Anyway. 

 

Can we move conventions talk to the convention center thread? 

 

TLDR: the convention center hosts conventions of various sizes resulting in hundreds up to tens of thousands of visitors, depending on the week, who all contribute to the local economy and vibrancy of convention center adjacent neighborhoods. 

 

 

Edited March 25Mar 25 by DTCL11

2 hours ago, DTCL11 said:

 

Lol. Comparing the Future Business Leaders Conference to the Dental and OTEC?  Over 16000 attendees vs under 3000. Pokemon was also under 3000. 

 

The Annual Cultivate Convention is closer with over 10k attendees. Origins had over 17k last year and that's annual.  And whether or not many are local, they're still eating and filling up hotels. 

 

Then there's the Arnold. 

 

That speaks to the point of being the largest convention of its type or trade doesn't always mean alot in comparison. It's still thousands of people who wouldn't otherwise be in this area a week if it wasn't for the convention center and thay helps. 

 

And yet, none of these contribute to the local economy more than Quarter Horse Congress.  (650,000 attendees and over $400 million into the local economy annually. Easier to do over a multi week event but still) 

 

There are cities that build entire economies around one or two large events a year. Hotels who remain in business for just a handful of sell out weekends a year. So as long as the convention center is landing a couple MAJOR conferences a year, the growth will continue and the neighborhood will benefit, some weeks more than others. And this is not to say conventions of hundreds or a couple thousand are not contributive because they absolutely are. 

 

Anyway. 

 

Can we move conventions talk to the convention center thread? 

 

TLDR: the convention center hosts conventions of various sizes resulting in hundreds up to tens of thousands of visitors, depending on the week, who all contribute to the local economy and vibrancy of convention center adjacent neighborhoods. 

 

 

Very relevant discussion to this thread as happenings at the Convention Center directly impact the development and business decisions of the Short North as they each benefit from each other. The influence of a neighborhood or area doesn't end at the arbitrary borders drawn on a map.

 

Quarter Horse Congress is hands down our biggest event in town after the State Fair. It's 6x bigger than The Arnold just for reference. Pretty impressive and most locals are barely even familiar with it.

 

I do wonder if these attendance numbers at the Convention Center are each day totaled together as well so if you're seeing 3,000 people for a 2 day conference that isn't 3,000 people per day, it's 1,500 per day. Similar to 650,000 attendees for the horse thing, that's the entire event not every day. Gotta love numbers and how people can twist them to paint a specific picture.

17 hours ago, sono4315 said:

Columbus hosted the Pokémon North America International Championships for 2022 and 2023 which brought in thousands of people from all around the country. I think that's a pretty big deal considering we beat out several large cities for the convention.  

 

Living on High Street in the Short North, I'm always seeing so many people walking on High street with conference name badges on. Usually at least once a week. You can definitely tell it gets busy with people visiting our city to explore. 

 

I, uh, didn't know this. I wish it would come back!! lol

 

Few randoms from Parkside on Pearl

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redesign of Italian Village Park continues next to Parkside on Pearl 

 

 

 

 

 

That building turned out great.

9 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

That building turned out great.

They do incredible work, so I’m not shocked. I really hope they build the one behind Hubbard Grille

1 hour ago, CbusOrBust said:

 

 

Wish a park in the downtown area like here, Goodale or even Schiller would add some outdoor workout equipment.

1 hour ago, CbusOrBust said:

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t tell exactly, but I think a neat new concept is already committed to opening in this too: https://614now.com/2025/food-drink/former-plas-z-cucina-chef-bringing-italian-cafe-and-supper-club-to-short-north

I’m amazed at the density changes in that area. In my 20’s I lived in the small white 2-story across from the park and across the alley from the original farm house (we aren’t the ones who stuccoed the house). It had no porch cover and an octagon window above the porch. The IV commission found old pics and we restored the outside look (except with stucco, which we couldn’t remove). We had our issues with the commission, but they were right to insist on some of the changes to restore the original look. Imagine looking at that pic and seeing a small octagon window. 
 

What I remember most was inside. Two fireplaces, each with beautifully ornate stone mantles that had been painted. We managed to restore them and the colors were beautiful. And we managed to keep the original plaster ceiling in the front room. It really speaks to a building quality that rarely is seen today. That house is over a century old now. 
 

Just before we closed on selling it, the city put a lien on the title stating that the home encroached the city easement of the alley. Ha. That house was there long before that alley. But we paid the fine so we could move on. I wonder how many times they’ve pulled that trick. 
 

Not sure the moral of this story. Times change? Governments steal? Ha. Italian Village was much different 30 years ago. I loved it then, but today’s young people have a fantastic “playground” to experience the city. If they can afford it. That house cost 8 times what it did back then. 

6 hours ago, CbusOrBust said:

 

Few randoms from Parkside on Pearl

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redesign of Italian Village Park continues next to Parkside on Pearl 

 

 

 

 

 

Hull Alley would be amazing to make pedestrian only. I get that strip of apartments or townhomes wouldn’t be able to have access to parking, but damn would that be a nice pedestrian area that could have events and tables to sit around and enjoy. 
 

Wanted to also add that out of the 35 units in this build there are only 3 units left and they are all the $5,000 a month ones. I hope with the success of this filling up pretty quickly, they start on the tower. 

13 hours ago, CbusOrBust said:

 

 

This is a great shot!! Seems like a big city! 🤪

9 hours ago, VintageLife said:

Hull Alley would be amazing to make pedestrian only. I get that strip of apartments or townhomes wouldn’t be able to have access to parking, but damn would that be a nice pedestrian area that could have events and tables to sit around and enjoy. 
 

Wanted to also add that out of the 35 units in this build there are only 3 units left and they are all the $5,000 a month ones. I hope with the success of this filling up pretty quickly, they start on the tower. 

All the dumpsters and exhaust vents are back there I don’t think it would smell that good in the summer if there was out door seating on the alley. I don’t disagree on the conceptual level though, but it’s a functional alley. 

2 hours ago, Pablo said:

 

This is a great shot!! Seems like a big city! 🤪

The Short North is the most true city area we have in the region - I think that helps its draw considerably.

Short North Alliance Explores New Funding Mechanism Via “New Community Authority”

If you’ve ever dined at Bridge Park or The Peninsula, you may have noticed a small “NCA” charge on your bill. Something similar could soon take effect in the Short North, as the exploration of a “New Community Authority” for the neighborhood is formally being kicked off at City Council this afternoon.

“The idea would be — if this moves ahead — it would be something that allows for the creation of a locally driven community investment program, where those resources would be used to further amplify the work of the Short North Alliance,” explained Short North Alliance Executive Director Betsy Pandora during a phone call with Columbus Underground last week. “And that work focuses on a cleaner community, a safer community, and a more creative community.”

While New Community Authorities are not exactly a new economic development tool, changes to legislation in recent years has allowed for new implementations across Ohio. Since then, they’ve quietly been deployed at multiple sites without much fanfare. An eagle-eyed customer having dinner at Bridge Park might notice an extra 25 cent charge on a 50 dollar tab, but many customers might pay the fee without giving it much thought.

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/short-north-alliance-explores-new-funding-mechanism-via-new-community-authority-we1/

& https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/05/19/short-north-new-community-authority-betsy-pandora.html

Long-vacant site in Short North could be in line for redevelopment

The long-vacant Short North building at 1101 N. High St, formerly a Big Bear grocery store turned Family Dollar, has been eyed for a future development.

Property owner Bill Hadler discussed the site's future at a Victorian Village commission meeting Wednesday, in response to two code violations for graffiti and an empty solid panel roof sign attached to the building.

Hadler, president of Hadler Cos., said the site is up for potential redevelopment and is a candidate for sale. He said it's difficult to comment on a timeline for a future project since the property is tied up in an estate.

"The building is unlikely to be used again in its current form," he said.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/06/13/short-north-vacant-building-family-dollar.html

21 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

Long-vacant site in Short North could be in line for redevelopment

The long-vacant Short North building at 1101 N. High St, formerly a Big Bear grocery store turned Family Dollar, has been eyed for a future development.

Property owner Bill Hadler discussed the site's future at a Victorian Village commission meeting Wednesday, in response to two code violations for graffiti and an empty solid panel roof sign attached to the building.

Hadler, president of Hadler Cos., said the site is up for potential redevelopment and is a candidate for sale. He said it's difficult to comment on a timeline for a future project since the property is tied up in an estate.

"The building is unlikely to be used again in its current form," he said.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/06/13/short-north-vacant-building-family-dollar.html

Needs developed yesterday!